Monday, September 2nd, 996 ABE

“What happened to him?” Maya asked.

“Dunno,” Kal replied. “He was unconscious when I found him. Beaten pretty badly.”

“You think?” She mocked.

“Can you just hurry it up!?” Kal pleaded.

These two didn’t know each other particularly well, but were united under the common denominator that was Ulfric. Kal Lightswift was Ulfric’s neighbour and childhood friend, while Maya Windermere Alterion was the princess of Alterion, the country in which they currently resided.

Kal had his reservations about her. He had reservations about everyone. Maya’s brother had killed her father and taken the throne just a few months before, however. She’d fled Lancaster palace and come to the Academy to avoid getting killed off by her tyrant of a brother. To him, that meant she was on the right side of history at the very least. As for her connection to Ulfric, he knew nothing, just that she was the only one in the entire school willing to heal him when he got beat up.

The girl cleaned her hands off and tied her black hair back into a neat ponytail. Those determined, black eyes analysed Ulfric’s wounds. Her skin was the shade of coffee with a little too much milk. Apparently, her mother was from Yitra, a continent across the Eastern Sea from Theria. Kal had heard that the women from there were all beautiful and had similar skintones, but Maya was the only one he’d ever seen. Lucky, too, Kal thought, if I was surrounded by girls that look like her, I’d probably faint.

Kal looked around the room while Maya went about her business. It was much bigger than the one he and Ulfric had. All of the students at the school had their own rooms, but some were bigger than others. Kal assumed rightfully that bigger rooms were afforded for nobles. That was the power of money. Still, it didn’t seem like Maya needed the space. She lived alone, since her guard had apparently died helping her escape the palace.

“It occurs to me I don’t know much about you,” Maya said suddenly. “You and Ulfric must be close.”

Kal turned his head back to her. He wondered if perhaps she just didn’t want him looking around too much. “Are you sure it's alright to talk while you’re…”

“Helps ease my nerves,” she said. She was probing around Ulfric’s arm, examining the fractured bone. The boy was laid out flat on Maya’s kitchen table, leaking blood slowly onto it.

“You could say we’re close, sure.” Kal gave no further objection to her explanation. “Our fathers are close. But he and I have only just reconnected recently.”

Maya nodded. “Bad time to reconnect. Ulfric keeps his business close to his chest.”

“I don’t mind,” Kal replied. “Ulfric is a dear friend. For him, I don’t mind making a few enemies.”

Maya’s hands began glowing green. She prioritised healing his head. The arm could come later. Kal watched the skin rippling and deforming. He knew the inner workings of lower ranked healing magic. At the base level, it only sped up the healing process. All of the pain which might be experienced while healing such a thing would be felt at once. The human body wasn’t fond of taking things quickly. Ulfric was feeling indescribable pain, but at least the skull fracture wouldn’t kill him.

“I’m sure he feels the same about you, even if he would never say it,” Maya said.

“Maybe,” Kal replied. “And you? How do you know Ulfric?”

Maya hesitated, perhaps manually selecting which information to withhold. “I owe him a debt I cannot possibly repay,” she said.

Even though he hasn’t got a clue, he seems to have this way of accidentally picking up girls that I’m quite jealous of. Kal wasn’t entirely satisfied with Maya’s answer, but he accepted it nonetheless. “Many such cases,” he said.

“His head is healed.” Maya wiped sweat from her forehead. “Apologies. My efficiency with healing magic is terrible. I’ll need a break before working on the arm.”

“Don’t apologise to me,” Kal said. “Apologise to the poor bastard on the table.”

“Nothing to apologise about,” Ulfric said with a groan. “By the blade… I can’t believe I survived that. I have a headache–” He tried to sit up, but Maya immediately placed a palm on his chest and pushed him back into the table.

“Stay down,” she said. “Don’t want you rattling your head too much.”

“Maya. I should’ve known. And Kal…” Ulfric looked around the room. His voice was weak and raspy. Apparently he had a broken rib as well, so it was likely something related to that.

Maya crossed her arms. “Hmmpf. I didn’t do it for you. I did it for the debt,” she said.

“You’d be doomed without me,” Ulfric teased.

“You talk boldly for someone who can barely move.” Maya started viciously tickling Ulfric under the armpits as if totally forgetting about her previous careful demeanour. Ulfric howled out with laughter, his one apparent weakness.

I take it back, Kal thought, these two bicker like siblings. “Lay off the poor sod,” he said.

Maya turned away, her face red. “Right… Who did this to you, Ulfric?”

Ulfric gave a couple of deep breaths to recover from the assault. “Cedrick Boneshaw,” he said. “Ambushed me in my dorm.”

“The president?” Kal managed. “The President of student council came into your dorm and beat the shit out of you!?”

Ulfric tilted his head. “Was I not clear enough?”

“Loud and clear,” Maya replied, waving Kal off. “This is my fault. If not for the–”

“It’s not your fault.” Ulfric said so quite aggressively. “It's not your fault,” he repeated. “Stop saying that.”

Maya tilted her head down in shame. “Alright…”

“He wanted to kill me,” Ulfric said. “I told him I come from an important family. The nobility will certainly be in an uproar about it, pointing fingers and such.” He grunted, but finally forced himself to sit up. Maya made a worried face and hoisted him up under her arm. She wasn’t strong enough, though, and her strength nearly waned before she enhanced it with mana

“Clever,” Kal noted. “Now, at the very least, you won't be getting a knife in the back any time soon.”

“That’s assuming they don’t find out the truth sooner rather than later,” Ulfric shugged, and then winced in pain. “I even let him beat the snot out of me. For now, they’re lulled into a ceasefire. They’ll cannibalise themselves by investigating me, digging for the truth. We have the advantage for now.”

“And the rest of us? Shall I deliver a message?” Kal wondered.

“Please,” Ulfric said. “Tell Roy to continue with the matter regarding Nina. Mitchell and Drake can stay the course. Tell them we’ll meet in the usual spot tomorrow night.”

Kal sighed, but then nodded. “I’m going to start charging for these favours soon enough.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

* * *

Ulfric’s head hurt. Truthfully he believed he would die on the floor in his dorm, but here he was standing on Maya’s balcony. The wind caressed his hair, and he found himself wishing he had a balcony of his own.

Maya joined him at his side. The Princess of Alterion leaned fearlessly against the balcony, a cup of water in her hands. Her eyes and face had quickly become sunken. She’d exhausted all of her mana trying to heal Ulfric, and was now facing the consequences.

Ulfric had known the girl for only a week. He didn’t know much about her other than the fact that she was sympathetic to his cause and could apparently be relied upon. Ulfric usually hesitated when placing trust in people, but for her it was different. The throne of the country was stolen by her tyrant of a brother. Unlike Kal, Maya’s stake in everything was just as large as his if not larger. That alone told him that her interest in him and the cause was genuine. As well, it helped to have a healer.

Night had fallen. Ulfric looked out upon the school and wondered what he could find beyond the precipice. Maya looked out and longed to stay inside. When she looked at Ulfric, all she saw was a man that was on his way to getting hurt again. Both of them had many things to say to each other, and yet they said nothing at all.

Ulfric eventually gave up standing, and fell into a chair at the side of the balcony with a crack. He leaned his head back and let out a mighty sigh. Maya turned to regard him with a complex expression. She sipped her water and then set it on the balcony’s railing, letting it balance.

“I went to that place again. When I fell unconscious, I mean,” Ulfric said.

“Is that so?” Maya wondered. “Will you tell your brother?”

Ulfric shook his head. Still, he seemed to carefully consider his next words. “He’d be disappointed to know that I’m not confiding in him… But he doesn’t have a stake in this like I do. He’s important. Despite everything, I don’t want to mess up what he’s got going. And… I dunno. Part of me still hasn’t forgiven him for everything.”

Maya sipped her cup. “I’m sure he’d be happy to lend you help. Hell, after what happened? You probably need it.”

“He would, but he shouldn’t have to,” Ulfric replied. “I won't bring him into this. This is my vendetta. Besides, he too stands in my way to the top.”

Down in the courtyard, Maya watched as a group of students about ten strong exited the front gate armed to the teeth. More than likely they, like many, were going in search of the Magekiller. She laughed softly to herself. It was a foolish endeavour. The Dragon Guard greatly underestimated that vigilante if they believed students would suffice for the hunt. In due time they would learn the hard way.

“When the time comes, will you be prepared to fight him?” Maya asked.

Ulfric smiled. “Maya. To fight him seriously is all I’ve wanted my entire life.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed,” she said. “All of this was a bad idea, if you ask me.”

“What?” Ulfric slumped further back in his chair. “A bad idea. Maya, this was your idea.”

“Well I don’t like it! Is that not allowed!?” Maya immediately cupped a hand over her mouth as her words echoed into the night. Ulfric laughed at her expense.

“What? You see a little bit of blood and you get scared away?” Ulfric asked. “You’re going to be a Queen. Keep this up, and you’ll be a pretty bad one.”

“It’s a little bit different when it's your blood…” Maya shook her head to gather her bearings. “Is that so wrong? To not enjoy violence?” She asked.

Ulfric shrugged. “This world… Theria, at least, is run on violence. The nobles run their own crime rings. They kill whoever disagrees with them or poses a change to the status quo.” He gestured lovingly to himself with a grin. “People like your brother wage a war over resources in the Icaria mountains. The nobles slaughter the magicless and force them into the slums of the valley for nothing more than their birth. The people we’re fighting engage in a lot more violence than the average person, no doubt. It took me a lot of my youth to realise that sometimes you really do have to fight fire with fire.”

Maya looked at Ulfric with a sense of longing. She knew well that the peaceful world she wished for didn’t exist, but she’d hope for it all the same. “I know that,” she said slowly. “I just… Wish it could be different.”

“You always ask me if I’ll be prepared to get things done, Maya. I wonder if you’re projecting onto me. If you want this done, you won't be able to remain an innocent child,” Ulfric said. “If you want that throne, your brother has to die. His life is yours to take.”

Maya went quiet. She sipped on her cup until there was nothing left. “I know,” she mumbled.

“The plan is the same as always, then. I help you take the throne from that tyrant. You help me take Cedrick’s spot as Lancaster’s top-ranked. I won’t stop just because I might die. I’ll stop when I have died.” Ulfric stood and leaned against the railing beside her. “So? Are we calling it quits?” He asked.

Maya looked away from him and took a breath. “No,” she said. “We’ll do what has to be done.”

“That’s the spirit,” Ulfric replied. “But still. There’s something wrong. You’re worried about me, right?”

“I am.” Maya admitted so immediately, and with less resistance than Ulfric would’ve thought.

“I’m not the kind of person you want to have those feelings about,” Ulfric said.

Maya didn’t look in his direction. She stared off into the city beyond Lancaster’s walls. The night swirled around them, the stars above illuminating the balcony in conjunction with the moon. Maya just frowned, even though it was beautiful. “I can’t help that,” she said.

“I’m sure you can’t. But you’re gonna have to.” Ulfric placed a hand on top of hers, but only briefly. “If it helps your conscience, I can tell you I definitely don’t plan on dying.” He winked, and retreated from the balcony, leaving Maya in her lonesome.

Maya stared at the doorway where he’d been, red as a tomato. That guy… No subtlety. Not even a ‘thank you’?

* * *

Ulfric’s head, hand, and chest were wrapped in bandages. For the sake of imitating a sheep, he’d be pretending to be injured for a while even though Maya’s magic had done the trick. He lifted a hand up and clenched it slowly in front of his face. Motor functions seem fine. I guess I didn’t sustain any permanent damage from that. One foot in front of the other, he found that movement came just as naturally to him as it had before the injury. My ruse will be given up immediately if I’m caught doing this.

He walked along the peak of the rooftop. The triangular roof of the girl’s dorms came to a point which he delicately balanced across. Ulfric had never strayed away from dangerous things, and he didn’t plan to do so just because people worried about him. Anyhow, the view from the top of the roof was too beautiful to give up for a simple walk in the gardens. He reached the edge of the building and lingered there.

One hand out to either side, he let the wind brush through his hair and his jacket, blowing him hard enough to threaten a fall from the roof. He allowed it to blow him over ever so slightly, and fell into a sitting position on the edge. This, he thought, this is freedom.

The Academy below had died out for the night. The students brave enough to search for the Magekiller had long since departed and returned. The city had such an incredible lack of law enforcement that they were relying on students to do such a thing. Either way, he knew that they were all looking in the wrong place, too ignorant and cocky to realise where a person like that comes from.

The Prospector bridge was alight. Even in the dead of night, the goods flowed. They wouldn’t make it far without being robbed and pillaged. Those goods would end up being sold on the black market down in the valley where the Dragon Guard were usually too afraid to go. The profits would end up in the hands of whoever ran the gangs. If one wanted to put an eye to the corruption in Lancaster, the valley was probably the place to start. That place is scary, even for me, Ulfric thought.

Last time he’d been there, he’d nearly died. The entire valley was nothing but slums and criminals. The magicless were his people, but he didn’t relate to them on anything other than that basis. It ran downward into a vast cave system of unimaginable darkness. There, you could find not only the worst breeds of human, but disgusting and unfathomable creatures. Even the nobles, who had a hand in crime, didn’t bother touching most areas of the valley. Ulfric didn’t blame them. But the people who lived there were forced into that kind of life.

His eyes settled on the grand tower towards the back of the Academy grounds. Greyhound Spire. At the very top of it was the principal’s office, and somewhere in the middle was the student council’s office. Ulfric didn’t exactly know where the council office was, but he’d been up to see the Principal a few times since he’d arrived. More or less, Greyhound Spire was the safest place in the Academy grounds at any given time. For Ulfric, it was the most dangerous.

To its immediate left was an arena. Greyhound Arena was the place where a student might make a name for himself fighting in tournaments or playing sports. In fact, Ulfric himself would likely participate in the upcoming ranking tournament. It was positioned nicely so that the Principal and the student council could watch from the windows of the spire. The arena was where Ulfric would soon get a chance to face his brother and Cedrick. If he ever hoped to take the position of top ranked student from Cedrick, it would be necessary to defeat him in combat at the next tournament.

Just thinking about it made Ulfric more excited than it had any right to. He imagined the look on Cedrick’s face as he left the dorm, leaving Ulfric battered and broken on the floor. Not yet, he thought, but soon. Very soon. He wiped a smile onto his face and climbed to his feet, adrenaline pumping into his veins as he imagined a vibrant future.

In the night, he was bare. I don’t care if anyone sees. What does it matter? He raised a hand in the shape of a gun, and pointed it towards Greyhound Spire. All the way to the top, he thought. Whatever it takes, whatever the price. I’ll pay it.

“Bang.”