Jack pulled another barb out. He was running in a circle, which under normal circumstances, was a laughable situation for a lost individual, but in his case, was completely intentional.

Another arrow flew past his ear, whistling as it went Thunk into a tree next to him. As his legs raced, so did his mind.

How would he beat Leand? He wasn’t even on the same level. No, that's the entire point of this fight, of this whole thing! It's that thinking that caused you to lose what you love, you got a second chance, don’t make the same mistake!

He slowed to catch his breath, but he dared not stop, for yet another arrow embedded itself in a rock near his foot. Sure, fantasizing about fighting Aldarians , even scheming against them, a plausible plan, but fighting them was an entirely different scenario.

You took down that hero Lyla, you’re stronger than you think! He encouraged himself.

Right. He did manage to kill Lyla. Leand wasn’t as easy, but surely there was some way…

He had to make a plan.

Whoosh. Another arrow.

He saw the troop carriage in the distance.

C’mon! Think! He thought. Suddenly, he remembered a children's story he read to Helen…

Helen. This for her. This is for your family!

It hurt to even think about her. But the story he read to her when she was young, it was about a noble hero, of course he knew better now, but a hero who had the ability to control water. He had a fatal weakness however… which was electricity.

Yes. Aldarians had weaknesses and strengths, especially those with elemental powers. There was just one problem.

Air was a neutral element.

Air didn’t have any weakness, nor any strength. Air was just air.

No time. He ran up the carriage. The five soldiers were momentarily surprised, but quickly responded. They leveled the spears and drew their swords. Jack pulled out his barbarian sword.

The first soldier attacked, jabbing spear forward, Jack weaved out of the way, only to intercept a sword at the base of his. He ducked and slashed. The other three soldiers lined up behind him, forming a ring.

Jack took note of the fact that the two guards armed with spears kept their distance, a smart move considering you had a chance of stabbing your buddies rather than your enemy.

Jack shifted his pose. The grip of the barbarian sword was noticeably uncomfortable, but not unwieldy. It significantly dismayed him how little he actually used it. He hadn’t held the damn thing for this long. Still, Wyatt’s training was clear in his mind.

Then Jack tried something he never did before, a backflip.

Jack had seen Wyatt do it many times. And Kuhara danced like a butterfly when she did it. Wyatt made it look possible, Kuhara made it look easy.

He didn’t dare suggest it was really that simple, or that he could do it. Wyatt didn’t seem like one to discourage a student from learning.

Jack imagined Wyatt doing it, then he repeated his movement.

Jack sprung his legs. Launching himself over the heads of the confused swordsmen, landing right in front of an even more confused spearman. Jack arced his sword, slicing the man across the face. The second spearman took his opportunity, stabbing Jack.

The blue shield materialized yet again, stopping the spear completely. It cracked and fizzled partially.

Then Jack realized why he was weak. It was because of the numerous spells he had cast so haphazardly, including the shield one.

He coughed up blood, which now coated his tattered brown shirt. The attack was quickly followed by a sword slash from another soldier. Another attack, he blocked it.

Time to mix it up a bit.

With strength he didn’t know he still had, he threw the barbarian sword at the spearman. It went through his armor, killing him.

Whoa. Am I really that strong?

The other soldiers stopped for a moment. But they quickly resumed.

Jack wasn’t having any of it.

Another sword swing. Hard. It cracked his armor. He drew his shovel and smashed it into the guy, killing him.

Two left. His odds were looking way better than they did just a minute ago. He grabbed his barbarian sword and held it in his other hand.

The other two soldiers did more than just hesitate, they backed up. Their five member team had been halved by a seemingly normal man.

An arrow wooshed by his head. Three more men approached, they all held bows. One of them wore an emblem.

“Fire!”

Arrows pelted him. Pain. His shield caught the first one, barely. But the second and third one hit him unprotected, tearing through his side and shoulder. He collapsed. This was it. This was the end.

Sorry for being late, Sisi, Helen. Don’t worry, I’m coming home soon…

One of the swordsmen came up, and prepared to bring his blade down.

The man “Under threat against the royal family, I am the judge, jury, and executioner. You are not entitled to a trial, an international trial, or any bail, pardon, or favor, from any official, unofficial, royal, or person of power besides any member of the royal family, or those they appoint, unless decided otherwise by the royal family them-”

Suddenly, Jack felt a surge of energy, he rolled and bounced up. Stabbing the archer on the right and swordsmen to the side, slicing them open like a potato.

The left archer, who had his bow lowered, was met by a frantic kick by Jack, causing him to lose his balance. He stumbled backwards into a large ditch, hitting the rocks below, breaking his neck and killing him instantly.

Jack pointed the sword at the Last guy's face.

Damned Barbarian sword! He thought. But it wasn’t just the oddly helpful weapon, it was mostly luck.

He squinted at the man’s name tag, which didn’t materialize above his head, but rather simply stuck to his breast. Corporal Vicker Huang. It read.

He leveled the sword at the corporal, who dropped his bow quickly. “I’m out of arrows anyways.”

“Walk.”

He didn’t rest the sword. He marched the corporal down the short hill where the unfortunate archer broke his spine, and past. He kept the sword point only inches from the man’s nape.

“Might I ask where we are going?” The Corporal asked, in a falsely calm manner. Jack could hear the fear in his voice.

“Stop.” Jack commanded. Vicker obliged.

The corporal lowered his head. “You don’t really know where you’re going, do you?”

“Shut up. I need you to guide me to the safe house.”

“Why would I? You’ll surely kill me afterwards.”

“I’ll give you my word, I will let you go if you show me to her.”

“I don’t believe you.” Vicker snarled. “Not only that, but even if you let me go, I will be executed.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Listen, what do you want me to do?” Jack asked, getting impatient. The man who he held at the sword was just like any man, there was a good chance he had not a single drop of Aldarian blood in his body.

Despite him almost certainly having carried out unspeakable acts in the name of the crown, Jack felt a sense of pity for the man. He likely had no choice. Jack understood that feeling of helplessness. He knew well that, had the man refused to obey the orders of the king, realistically, it would have had absolutely zero impact, being met quickly with execution, then replacement from a more compliant person to fill the gap.

“You have three options, I kill you, I free you and you go back to the king to get executed, or I let you go and desert.” Jack shrugged, which was just a pointless, but involuntary, nonverbal expression on his part, as Vicker had his back to him.

Vicker audibly swallowed. “I’ll be the most wanted man in Auroria!”

“Shut up! We can talk later! Do not assume I will not kill you simply because I have let you live to this point! You have no value to me, and if I were you, I would tell you everything I know.”

The man grunted. “The carriage.”

“What?”

“The carriage.” Vicker gulped. “We passed it a few minutes ago.”

“Okay, guide me.”

As they walked, Vicker began to ask more questions.

“Why are you here?” He prodded.

“I didn’t say you could speak.” Jack threatened.

“Answer my question.” He demanded. He stopped in his tracks.

Jack silently cursed, narrowly avoiding impaling his neck.

Damn you!

“I won’t tell or do anything until you at least answer my questions.” The man spoke confidently, irritating Jack.

“How dare you take a gamble with your life again after I spared you!” Jack seethed.

The man didn’t budge. And Jack realized that maybe he wasn’t in as much control as he assumed. That was the problem with taking hostages, if you held them for too long, they got comfortable.

“The only fop here is you!” Vicker exclaimed. “Why do you want to do this?”

“I need to save a friend.” Jack said. He silently cursed yet again, as he provided precisely what Vicker asked.

“And how do you plan to deal with H\hero Leand?”

“Firstly, he’s about as much of a damn hero as I am Emperor Atlen! Secondly, it depends on how much information you give me.” Jack replied. “Do you know anything harmful of him?”

Vicker sighed, taking his turn to answer. “He has a terrible addiction to Drogge Vitara, I had never seen him without a pouch of one.”

Jack racked his brain. He heard of the name before, but couldn’t put his finger on it.

“It’s a medicine, a painkiller. He uses it for no such thing, he acts like a knave all of the time.” Vicker added, as if sensing Jack’s inability to recall the term.

Jack remembered hitting Leand several times, only for him to get up, appearing as if he were unharmed.

That was it. Leand wasn’t invulnerable, as Jack breaking his nose proved. Giving Leand a bloody nose was a bigger accomplishment than it seemed.

“But he has high durability, and that combined with the Vitara makes him virtually invincible.” Vicker sighed. Then a fearful look spread across his face. “What if… What if he left his post to hunt for you?”

Jack stopped.

Vicker had a good point. Leand checked all the boxes of an irresponsible douche. Vicker insinuated Leand was notorious for consistently disobeying directions and having no regard for consequences, with a bonus of being a chronic drug addict. For all he knew, Leand was already on their tail. And the trail of blood Jack left in his wake didn’t help either.

As they approached the carriage, the corporal broke the silence.

“I’ll help.” Vicker said grimly, to Jack’s surprise. Great. Now he was getting somewhere.

“What were all those things he wore, the metal cylinders?” Jack asked.

‘They’re gas canisters, they create heat and pressure. It allows him to heat air along with his natural ability to control it- oh please just lower the damn sword, will you?” Vicker complained, as they stepped into the abandoned carriage. He reached up and lit a lantern that hung from the wooden rib of the roof.

“Still haven't earned my trust.” Jack reminded him. The glow from the lantern illuminated the compartment. Several boxes and quivers of arrows decorated the interior.

“I didn’t see any other carriage, assuming she didn’t take this one. Maybe Leand took her to the safe house.” Jack said. Good. He thought. Maybe we have more time.

“That won’t change anything.” Vicker said solemnly.

“Why not?” Jack asked.

“Well… he can… f-fly.” Vicker stuttered.

“What?” Jack asked, losing focus of the iron-tight grip he had on the sword, his tired hand loosening on the uncomfortable grip of it. The sword slipped from his hand, hitting the ground with a clatter.

And right at that moment. Vicker jumped at the chance.

Before Jack could react, he looped his arm around his neck putting him in a chokehold. Jack kicked the sword away. It slid across the smooth wood flooring and fell through the gap in the axle box.

The corporal cursed. Jack’s fighting skills surpassed that of whatever training Vicker had, as he failed to remember the first step of any fight, which was to have good footing.

Jack pushed himself backward, causing Vicker to lose his footing. Jack spun him and slammed him into the ground. Vicker groaned in pain. Jack stood over him triumphantly, debating on whether or not he would kill the man. But before he could decide anything, he heard a sound that made his heart stop.

“I never did stab no troll, I never did find any ol’ gold, but I got wits and a hearty soul.”

The first verse of the song was followed by whistling.

It was Leand.

“Be quiet.” Hissed Jack. Vicker silenced himself. The whistling stopped. Footsteps approaching the carriage.

Jack picked up a small metal candle holder and threw it through the space in the ceiling.

A distant clang. Leand stopped, then ran away.

“Go!” Jack whispered.

They both quietly exited the carriage as fast as they could. They passed Lyla’s dead body, and the other soldiers, taking cover behind a rock.

Leand appeared through the brush. He had a distant look on his face. He walked around the bodies. He didn’t even look at Lyla.

He took a snort of a capsule that hung on his belt. The gas canisters rattled as he walked towards the carriage.

The lantern!

But there was nothing he could do now. He’d just have to hope that Leand didn’t realize it had not been previously lit.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as he hoped.

As soon as Leand disappeared behind the canvas, he let out a curse.

“Fuck!”

Moments later he ran out like crazy. He vigorously patted himself. One of the canisters was smoking. It went away quickly. He sighed in relief. “I swear, when I find the person who lit the fucking lantern, i’ll pop their fucking lungs!”

He took another snort, appearing to calm down. He looked down at the capsule disappointedly.

“Shit doesn’t hit like it used to.”

He appeared to lose interest in whatever he had been occupied at the moment, which had, in fact, been absolutely nothing. He leaned over Lyla.

“Mind if I…”

Jack ducked behind the rock again. He hoped Leand wasn’t about to do what he thought he was. Vicker had a pale look on his face. Jack felt like he wanted to gag. He stole another look over the safety of the boulder.

Thankfully, Leand picked up Lyla’s club and swung it around playfully. “Eh.” He tossed it away.

“VICKER! Vicker, where are you?!” He yelled. “Fucking dipshit.”

Vicker made a cuckoo sign with his hand. Jack nodded.

“Ok, I just realized, the gas canisters are extremely combustible.” Vicker informed.

“What? What does that mean?”

Vicker sighed. “It means it's flammable, maybe even explosive. It reacts to smoke too.” He turned to Jack, “Can you let me go now?” He asked.

Leand began walking away, disappearing from whence he came.

Jack got up, but as he did, his chain mail finally gave out and fell to the stone below.

Clang.

Leand stopped.

Go. Mouthed Vicker. I’ll buy time.

With that, Jack slunk away into the deeper woods, aided furthermore by the setting sun. Then, he was gone.

Vicker took a deep breath and rose up from his hiding spot.

“Hey, there you are! I was looking all over for you.” He kicked a stone aimlessly. “So, uh, why are all the, uh, soldiers dead? Aren’t you the corpion-”

“Corporal.” Corrected Vicker.

“Right, right, yeah. What happened to your little plan? I thought you were going to arrest him. Didn’t go as planned?”

He turned his head to survey the damage. All of his men were dead.

“It’s funny, you’re the only one still alive.” Leand said. “Why’d he spare you? Did you suck his dick or something?”

Finally, at that moment, Vicker realized that Leand knew. He took a deep breath, raised his chin, and spoke sternly.

“I traded information.”

“Unauthorized disclosure~” Leand sang mockingly. “Well, what’d ya tell him-”

“Shut up!” Vicker shouted. And to his surprise, Leand did.

“I told him where to find Zalina, and I told him how to kill you.”

Leand bit his lips, nodding slowly.

“Guess I’m gonna kill you now, Vick-”

“That’s Corporal Vicker to you!” Vicker shot back. Unfortunately, it would be the last words to leave his mouth. With the flick of his hand, Leand removed all of the air from Vicker’s lungs.

Vicker collapsed and writhed. Leand watched as Vicker squirmed, laughing. But he made not even a peep, as the vacuum bubble that surrounded them carried no sound.

When he determined that Vicker was lifeless, he stamped his foot against the ground, causing air to shoot him up into the sky.

Then he vanished over the forest roof.