Lord Blackwood was starting to get nervous. The mage he had contracted was not returning his pings. It had been more than an hour since he'd heard from him. The mage had reported that everything was in place, and the ambush would happen shortly. But, since then, the mage had gone silent.

Tapping his finger anxiously on his armrest, he thought through the most likely scenarios. The problem was that regardless of what happened during the ambush, the mage going silent was a problem. It all came down to what caused the man to be unavailable. Hopefully, it was an unrelated issue, and he would soon be hearing the good news.

His office was simple, and the only window had curtains blocking out the sun. He lived for his work, and any distraction was an unnecessary feature. Normally, he would just work on something else while he waited, but this mission was too important. He couldn’t concentrate.

Feeling fidgety, he stood up. He started pacing, anxiously waiting for his link to alert him to an incoming connection.

Lord Blackwood’s heart leapt into his chest when he felt a ping from his door. He furrowed his brow, as he didn’t recognize the signature of his unexpected guest. Curious, he sent a reply for them to enter, and waited to see who was bothering him.

The door opened, and he saw the new court mage, Mage-adept Newbanks, along with two guards. Surprisingly, the two guards were not anyone he knew. She walked in confidently, her face calm, while the two guards waited at the door.

“What can I do for you Adept Newbanks?” Lord Blackwood asked with a polite smile. His heart was pounding, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that this visit did not bode well for his future.

The mage replied in a soft voice, “Arch-mage Jennings has requested your presence. You are to come with me.”

Repressing a shudder, he asked, “What’s this about?”

For the first time, she smiled, and said, “He is trying to make sure that he can return to Hennings with his head intact. It seems one of his games got a little out of hand, and there are many people currently unhappy with him. That’s all I’m at liberty to say. Are you willing to come with me?”

If there was one thing to be said about Lord Blackwood, it was that he wasn’t a coward. With his head held high, and his back straight, he looked Mage-adept Newbanks in the eye and said, “Of course. I’ll do whatever I can to help. Lead on.”

Still smiling, Mage-adept Newbanks offered a gracious nod, then turned to leave.

Lord Blackwood followed her into the hall, and he felt the guards take up position behind him. As they walked down the hallway, he stared at the mage’s back. She seemed completely at ease. But the sound of the guards heavy footsteps on the tiles behind him felt like the drums of a funeral march.

He wasn’t sure that they knew anything, but he couldn’t help but feel like things were spiraling out of his control.

-----

The trip back to Dorchester was just as bad as the trip into the wilds. Even though they had developed a healthy teamwork, it was offset by the suspicious atmosphere which now hung over the group like a cloud.

Mike did his best to keep silent. He knew that no one trusted him, and he was running low on options. While he tried to ignore his feelings at losing his two best friends, he couldn’t help but be distracted. And every time someone from the group saved him, or pulled a beast away from him, he felt his unease clawing at his mind. The cold looks from the people currently escorting him chilled him to the bone. His grief and shame caused him to continuously need help, and it kept getting worse.

Rose wasn’t fairing much better. Her cover was blown, and even worse, it had been blown for some time. She had thought everyone had believed her, but it seemed everyone had always known she was still loyal to the general. What was worse, the only person who was surprised at Lord Walker’s outburst was the sergeant. Rather than treating her like a comrade, he looked at her with suspicion. Her anxiety was causing her to under-perform. And every time someone stepped in to save her, she felt a little worse.

As they traveled in silence, the group only spoke during combat. The sun set, and the hours passed quickly. Eventually, they decided to make camp for the night.

Coming to a stop, Sergeant Wesker said, “Here’s good. Let’s get a perimeter set up, then we can discuss shifts.” He pushed the base of his shield into the ground, so it would stand on its own. Rubbing a hand over his head in worry, he continued, “I have no idea how we’re going to do shifts. This is a disaster.”

Nick chuckled, but went to set up the misdirection ward. Nero used some simple spells to create a small pit and start a fire. Cathleen, as always, kept an eye on the surroundings.

Mike and Rose shared a look, then took seats on opposing sides of the fire. Neither wanted to talk, and both were uncomfortable trying to help.

Soon enough, the entire group was sitting around the fire, watching Nick prepare some stew.

Rose broke the silence first. “I’d just like to say that I didn’t betray you all. The general only asked for updates on our training. There wasn’t anything that was illegal or anything. It was a condition of my being accepted into the elite-hunter program. You can trust me,” she said. By the time she finished, she was almost begging.

While Nick was falling for it, Nero and Cathleen just stared at her with equally blank looks.

Mike kept his head down, as he didn’t want anything to do with their inter-party spat.

Sergeant Wesker asked gruffly, “Why didn’t I know you were still spying for him? I was told that your mission ended when Walker got the other spies kicked out. Was Captain Angelton told? Did he not trust me?”

Rose pleaded, “Don’t blame the captain. He had nothing to do with it. The general just believed that the fewer people who knew, the less likely I’d be targeted by other noble houses. He was worried that they would try to get me to spy for them.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Nero couldn’t help it, and laughed lightly. “Oh, I get it. That’s a good play. You’re going with the whole ‘He was just looking out for me. And I was only there to look out for you.’ That’s a really good spin. You’re surprisingly good at this for someone who says they hate politics. I’m impressed,” he said with real admiration.

Cathleen nodded in agreement, while Nick looked confused.

Sergeant Wesker said, “What are you talking about? What am I missing?”

Nero looked across the fire and met the sergeant’s eyes. He smiled and said, “She was placed as a spy to report on my training. The general wanted to know more about me. I’m guessing that my existence threw up some flags, and he wanted someone close to me. Who better than a hot girl who was good at reading a room. When her cover was blown, he told everyone that she stopped spying. You suck at lying, and he didn’t trust you to keep the secret. She ‘threw’ herself on my mercy, and I allowed her to stay. Instead of being loyal to me, she kept spying. I have no idea why, but it doesn’t really matter. Everything I’ve done or said has been reported to the general. I’m an unknown, and he is a politician. He can’t plan for me, unless he understands me.”

Sergeant Wesker frowned, and said, “You’re a weird kid. It’s not just that you train like a mad-man, you think weird. You shouldn’t be able to do the things you do. You recharge your center too quickly, and you are too cunning. By the gods man! You took out an entire team of assassins on your own, and still had center to spare to revive us. That’s not normal!” By the end, he was nearly shouting.

Nero just shrugged in response, but Nick spoke up angrily, “Nero may be a little odd. But that is no reason for the army to have him under surveillance. He has done nothing but help Dorchester since he got here. If it weren’t for him, we’d be facing this level threshold with a weakened army after a bloody noble war. Lord Cosgrave would probably be dead, and we’d be led by a traitor. And all he’s gotten in return is constant assassination attempts and distrust. This is an outrage!”

Nero tried to calm the situation down by saying, “It’s alright Nick. I’ve gotten plenty. I’m now rich, been raised to nobility, and I even have an estate somewhere. I also have you and Vera.” He looked over to Cathleen, who was staring calmly into the fire, and continued, “Not to mention my warrior woman. She taught me how to take a spear in the gut and keep fighting. If it weren’t for you three, I wouldn’t be here. So don’t worry about it. Let the nobles play their games. Whatever they do, it will just end up with us getting more money and power. If you haven’t noticed, they suck at this.”

Rose looked abashed, while Sergeant Wesker couldn’t help but smile. As much as the kid freaked him out, he was really starting to like him. The little lord just didn’t know how to quit.

The silence stretched for almost a minute, as everyone digested what had been said.

As the fire crackled, Cathleen’s solid voice interrupted their thoughts. She kept her eyes on the fire, and said, “In the north, there are warriors known as ‘Warblades’. They are fearless in the face of death. Their training is harsh, and they treat every aspect of their existence as if it were a battle to be fought to the death. Whether it is physical combat, an argument, or even a meal, everything is a battle to be won. Nero embodies that ideal. What you southerners call ‘weird’, I call ‘great’. It is a concept foreign to you, as you live your life in hiding. The world is out there… waiting. A Warblade faces it with steel in their heart, and walks their path with purpose.” Her eyes lifted to stare at the sergeant, and said, “Fear him. Try and destroy him. Stand in his way. You will be nothing but mortar on his path, for you are not an obstacle… you are fertilizer.”

The entire camp was shrouded in silence. Even the forest seemed to quiet at her grim words.

Nero’s voice rang out, “God dammit lady! You are awesome. When we get back to Dorchester, remind me to talk to you about T-shirts.”

Everyone looked at Nero with confusion and fear, marveling at his wide smile.

“What?” he said, surprised at their odd reaction. “You’re telling me that didn’t get you fired up? That was like something you hear while metal music plays over a montage of my battles. Stop looking at me like that.”

Nick shook it off first, and said, “We need to set a watch. I think th-”

Nero interrupted, “I’ll take first watch with Rose and Mike. You all can rest easy, and I’ll wake you up in 4 hours. You need sleep, after all, you died today.” Nero met their stares with a happy smile.

Cathleen just nodded, then went to set up her sleeping bag. Sergeant Wesker shook his head as if he were too tired to argue. Nick gave Nero a worried look and asked, “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

Nero waved dismissively, ignoring the surprised looks he was getting from Rose and Mike. He said, “Yeah, don’t worry about it. Rose is worried about what might happen, but she isn’t a threat. And Mike needs us to get him to the Tower of Law. He knows we’re his only chance at getting out of Dorchester alive.”

Nick nodded, still clearly uncomfortable with Nero’s decision.

Nero let them head to sleep, while he went and got another bowl of stew from the pot simmering over the fire.

Retaking his seat, he looked over at Mike and Rose. They were both looking uncomfortable. Neither seemed happy with their situation. As he drank his soup, occasionally chewing on a big chunk of meat, he thought about what he should do about them.

Rose was crafty as hell, and she was the very definition of a survivor. She probably could have made it out of the wilds on her own, and she wasn’t even level 10. ‘That’s pretty bad-ass’ he thought to himself.

Mike on the other hand, was a follower. From what Nero had gathered, the man thought he ran his team, but it was obvious he was just the most neutral one of the group. He had never made a decision that wasn’t reached by committee. He was no leader. But Nero had to admit, the man was really good with a blade.

On several occasions, while they were being attacked by random beasts and monsters, the man had shown a lot of interesting abilities. Mike was able to infuse his blades with some kind of essence that made them act like laser swords. They could cut through anything, as if it were butter. That was a useful ability, one Nero would very much like to copy.

Figuring it was a good way to pass the time, Nero looked over at Mike and asked, “Hey, how do you do that thing with your swords?” Seeing the man’s confusion, he clarified, “You know, where you make them glow kinda red, then they cut through a monsters leg like it was paper. Is that an ability or a spell?”

Mike’s face looked bleak. Nero could see the man was struggling to not break down and curl into a ball. ‘Poor guy is really white-knuckling it… I hope he can keep it together for a few days,’ Nero thought.

Sighing, Mike said, “It’s an ability. My pillar is ‘cutting’. I grew up in a butcher shop, and my dad always made me sharpen the knives every morning.” Shrugging at the memory, he continued, “It just seemed right to me. I’m not really sure how it works, but I’ve put a few stars into the pillar’s ability. I focused on imbuing my blades with an edge… a perfect edge.”

Nero watched as the man got lost in his thoughts. Mike continued, “I think it’s the simplicity that appealed to me the most. Every time I’ve tried something fancy, it failed. But cutting; separating something, that is simple enough that even I can’t screw it up.” His head fell forward, tears in his eyes.

Nero felt uncomfortable, he had never been good with people showing their emotions. ‘This guy needs to bury that shit deep. One should only confront their feelings in solitude… with alcohol,’ he said to himself.

Rose’s voice was quiet, and tinged with fear as she asked, “Lord Walker, what are you going to do with me when we return to Dorchester?”

Nero gave her a questioning look and asked, “Why do I have to do anything? You’re the general’s lackey. It’s got nothing to do with me.”

Rose looked confused and said, “But you put me under your house's protection, and I violated your trust. I sp-”

Nero held up a hand and interrupted, “Look, I don’t know how you guys do the whole ‘honor’ thing here. As far as I’m concerned, I used you to get rid of the spies I didn’t know about and replace them with one that I DID know about. I don’t care about politics, but compared to people who never watched CNN, I’m a freaking prodigy. I’m not going to do anything to you. As far as I’m concerned, you can keep spying on me. The last thing I need is for the general to get all butt-hurt and try to figure out some other stupid way to screw with me. You are at least nice to look at, can take care of yourself, and I really enjoy how you keep trying to emotionally manipulate everyone.” He offered her a thumbs-up and said, “You just keep being you. No complaints from me.”

Rose blushed, and turned her head back toward the fire. Nero looked back over at the silently crying Mike, and decided that he should just ignore these two overly-emotional people.

Spreading out his psychic field, he tried to keep watch on the surroundings. While taking another sip of his soup, he thought, ‘Why is everyone so worried about this crap when we are in a forest filled with monsters the size of elephants… this world is crazy. I love it.’ He couldn’t help but smile at the thought.