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Joshua
Two guards in thick steel armour, humming with mana, pushed heavy doors into a busy throne room. The chatter from big chins turned to murmur as I was paraded down the long carpet. Ignoring the scowls from pricks, I saw the red tapestries and paintings behind them displaying the remarkable history of the Wolfburn family from victories in the north to ages before, when they were still kings of this bountiful. Kellen, hiding his surprise and dressed in his best shirt and doublet, stopped by the steps with the rest of his liuen escort, kneeling to his Duke.
My grandfather clapped his hands. With "Kellen, what a surprise. And Liuens… They asked you? Where is she?”
“Jing was bested.”
“The duke twisted his beard. “The cult will not be happy. But they arrived with you...”
With grace and humility to his father, he offered a rune bracelet to the duke. “It is inside.”
“Truly?!” The duke’s eyes widened as he examined the gift. Kellen nodded confidently.
“Well, done, lad. No…Son. Well done, son.” Kellen looked up slowly from his knee and saw a hand offered. A smile. Him? What an absurd scene it was. There were gasps from the gathering of my numerous uncles, aunties and cousins. My wide eyes looked around at their amazing reactions at seeing an overbearing man such as the Duke actually complimenting someone—complimenting a half-commoner bastard at that. Laurent looked especially pissed.
Tentatively, Kellen took his father's hand and stood up. The duke’s large arms wrapped around the blond man.
“You did good. You are forgiven for your failure.” The duke ruffled Kellen’s hair like a child, and the curse-possessed man crumbled in his father's arms with shyness. “The monument…”
“On the way we tried. Your Grace. Voice command, skin to stone, spit, blood—nothing worked. It doesn’t accept Joshua as the key.”
"Mmm,” the duke let go of the stunned Kellen. “Until our mages figure out how to open the chest, Tarion is now our number target.” hand on Kellen's shoulder, the Duke raises his commanding voice. “Learn from his example. When you fail, find a way to succeed!”
“YES, YOUR GRACE!” The room exclaimed with stilted obedience. But see rage. Jealousy burnt in their beedy eyes. I also saw someone familiar.
Fucking Lea Track. Arm crossed with some sleazy man? And the old woman next to her. I hid my smile. I winked in Umbra code.
The duke looked down on his son. “You reward. Ask, and it shall be done. What do you want? Women? Riches? To be anointed as a true son of Wolfburn?
“Teach me Mana. Teach me how to use this." A sleeve filled out as a black fist popped out to more murmuring. The Duke's smile spread to the cheeks. Large canines, a trait of the family, were displayed proudly as the Duke chuckled. Luarent’s face reddens to the same colour as his hair.
“Freshen up, rest. Then I’ll teach you. One on one.”
“FATHER, THIS IS-”
One look from the duke’s eyes and the eldest shut his mouth.
“Are you going to kill me yet?” I said. Every eye turned its way to me. I rattled my runecuffs. “I mean, you don’t need me.”
“Of course we do.” The duke stepped in front of me, smelling like ale. I wish I could have had some right then.
“You are an example. An example of their shamelessness, of their lies.” The Duke called his servants. “Prepare a crowd for an announcement. Bring the boy with me.” The duke turned to walk away.
“Your Grace.” Kellen turned to Davis, holding my mother.
The Duke looked at his sick daughter. “Stop wasting my time.” He grimaced with disgust until something sparked in his blue, dead eyes. “Bring her as well.”
A few hours later. On a Wolfburn balcony overlooking a crowd.
Wearing his red coat covered in the household’s wolf coat of arms. My grandfather spoke aloud to the ground, waving the Wolfburn standard. “My subjects, you persisted under dire circumstances. Unfortunately, tougher times come for you, your friends… Your family. All of us.” The crowd below groaned. “The Osberg brutes will soon come to our dear city!” the crowd booed. “It…It wasn’t enough that they spread rumours of Vioden breaking the taboos. It wasn't enough that they took MY family and swiped Kirgfield from us using underhanded tactics. But Maize?! A line has to be drawn. Enough is enough!” The duke feigned sadness. “I am angry, like you all are, and most of all, I am saddened. Every day there are lies about us about our peaceful land and loving people, and we can do nothing but endure the humiliation. We, the breadbasket of this nation, cannot endure this humiliation any longer. It's time to fight back!” Commoners roared, taking in the duke's words as fact.
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“And this is how!” Taking my cuff off, Kellen nudged me to the railing with a gloved cursed hand. I peeked down at the gawking mob.
Ah shit…
“You must be wondering who this fresh-faced boy may be. It's not your fault you may not recognise him. It has been a long time since he has graced the Maize public with his face.”
Davis bumped into me as he chaperoned my trembling mother of weak feet in front. I heard sounds of shock from the crowd, and I gulped.
“This woman you may recognise. A former socialite beauty turned into…this. But her son is clean. Not even a scratch.” The grandfather pinched my cheeks. “Fatter.” The crowd murmured again. “To the outside world, he brings his ‘Justice’ evenhandedly. But it seems Tarion the Tyrant has favourites.” The booes shook the air. Insults were thrown me and my brother’s way, but all I could think of at the embarrassing moment was that my mother shouldn't stand for too long.
“One lie out of thousands, and we will bring them out into the light! Enough is enough! Enough is enough!”
Enough is enough, the commoners chanted like prayer as the man who would sacrifice them for a copper extra in the bank basked in the glory of their cheers.
Haru.
A cursed man’s chest ruptured open from Jimmy’s spear. Jimmy guarded each other back to back until we heard more growling.
“Go.” I look at the two cursed ahead. “I can handle this. It's an order, Lieutenant”
“Can you handle this, Vanessa?”
Probably.
Back and forth, Jimmy looked, but with a nod, he went to help his soldiers, running with mana.
Vanessa blocked high and low, protecting her body, and deflecting two cursed blades. From the sword point, Vanessa shot mana from speedy stabs, and the two cursed split in different directions. Vanessa bent back, protecting my chest from an extending black sword, a left boot kicked down, and blocked a swiping blade. I grunted, pushing both weapons aside. Persistently, they struck again, one below and another clipping through the air toward my face. Vanessa bent my body forward, my feet left the ground, and with a world-spinning twirl had my body parallel to the grass, I narrowly evaded their attack with only a few curls cut off. With agility I never knew I could possess, I landed in a roll safely and unfortunately was welcomed with two cursed slashing.
“Never do that again!”
Focus.
My eyes felt warm. Attacks, that seemed to blurred, moved like slugs. A fast step and Vanessa picked off one with a powerful mana thrust through the head. Kicking the dead of her sword, she waited for the second cursed. Its blade whipped down through the air from its right. Weapons clanged against each other, repelling off. The cursed cut from its hip on my right. My sword blocked its weapon before could make a full swing. Still grasping Jimmy’s sword, Vanessa struck with my left elbow to the cursed’s chin, knocking the creature off balance. A step in range, my blade severed the head. My body finally let a breath out. Like a tap was opened, sweat trickled from my head. Mana felt low. I was not used to it at all. All the healing took too much from me. I calmed my breathing, and my awareness slowly came back to hear Jimmy and his soldier still fighting.
Several more cursed screeched in the tents. I sighed as four surrounded me with jittery movements.
“Ready?” I asked Vanessa.
Trained to be. Vanessa shifted my body into a stance, spinning the strange circles in my chest faster than ever before. Through my eyes, Vanessa watched her opponents with the confidence I envied.
A cursed head exploded into mist and blood.
“Huh?!”
Phew…
A body dropped to the floor with a sword poking out of a neck. Curseds spun around to look for their attacker. A shadow drifted over them. A man. Cloak moving in the wind. He descended like a deity. A spark of blue light and a long sword appeared in his gloved hands. Like a gentle lead, he touched the earth. His posture was casual and loose, he held the large sword like a paperweight.
“Ghouls. A better target is here.”
The cursed wailed. More of them ripped through tents, ignoring the soldiers they were fighting. Sprinting in a frenzy—even on fours—they hunted the man in black, who smiled cheekily.
As if reality stuttered, the man skipped past five cursed with the bodies chopped into pieces.
“Weaker than the ones in the bandit camp.” His cloak became wings on his back as he ran across the field with his handsome smile, pulling his sword along. Another step and reality stuttered again. A chest exploded with mana, and limbs flipped in his wake. One more step, and he took no more, with wind carrying him like a rocket through his enemies. His sword cut. A barrier of steel as he ploughed through.
A grasscutter in a garden of weeds.
Only an inch from me did he stop. The wind did not rush past, for it was in his control. His face beamed happiness and delight. Like a child who ate his favourite meal. Other than those eyes. He was nothing like him. Not in personality, not in looks. But presence. I felt it from him.
His thick arms grabbed around me tight. He nestled deep in my neck like my smell was irresistible. I should have pushed him off. I wanted to. But this warmth was something I couldn't deny. Was it Vanessa? My own feelings? My loneliness? I didn’t care.
Remarkable, isn’t he?
“…He is…decent.”
Tarion
She fought like her. To the tee. Everything Zhi and I taught her... I could have helped her earlier, but I can leave the guilt to later.
How can I get her back?