Fur brushed against Tilos’ arm, he opened his eyes and screamed, flinging the rat sitting on his arm across the room.

The creature hit a wall and fell to the floor. It jumped to its feet and scurried underneath a broken table, squishing into a hole in the wall.

Tilos shuddered, he hated rats. Disgusting vermin that shat and eat where they sleep, they spread all types of diseases. The only thing he hate more were flies, he barely wanted to think about those disgusting creatures. Birth from the corpses of animals and eaters of feces. The sooner they left this run-down house, the better.

Tilos uncrossed his legs and stood up from the floor. He refused to use [Mediation] once more now that he knew rats infested the abandoned house. He did not need to anyway, with his core already full of Essence. He covered the food, they managed to steal from a vender, into Essence. Filling his core with the addictive and volatile energy. Essence was nothing but potential energy, a substance that could be converted into anything else.

Tilos approached Raven, stepping around the broken floorboards. Not wanting to fall down into the basement below them. She was in new clothes, they all had ditched the simple garments they wore previously. Raven was were a brown shirt, one size too big for her. She had on pants that were a tad too tight and the length of the legs exposed her ankles.

Hiro sat on the floor nearby Raven, cross-legged and eyes closed. He did not have the [Mediation] Talent, but that did not prevent the man from meditating without the Talent and restoring his pool of Essence.

Raven stood over a small stone bowl. Under the bowl was a blue fire, burning hot. Inside the bowl, a red liquid bubbled from the heat of the flame. Raven held onto two scales from the lightning drake they had fought in the Swin Pit. A Thread binding the scales and the boiling yellow liquid popped into existence. Slowly the drake scales lost their luster as Raven Sympatheticly siphoned their lightning properties into the brewing potion in her cauldron. When done she then dropped the dull scales into the potion bowl. The potion shifted from red to yellow, its glow brightened.

“Are you almost done?” Tilos spoke up.

Raven jumped slightly, turning around with her teeth clenched. “Don’t sneak up on me like that. You could have ruined my potion. And Yes, I’m almost done, this is the last one.”

“Well, I’m all done.” Hiro stood up and join the two in conversation.

Raven extinguished the fire under the cauldron and then pour the yellow liquid into two round bottles. She opened her satchel and placed the yellow glowing potions next to five other potions. Two were colorless, clear as water, Tilos could feel his senses growing numb just by briefly connecting to the concoction throw the weave. The other three potions were red, giving off the feeling of rejuvenation and repair.

“All set,” Raven then marched towards the front door.

“Don’t forget your hat,” Hiro ran over and handed Raven a wide brim hat. The hat was black with brown accents. Hiro dawned a similar one on his head, the brim of his hat hiding the majority of his face from Tilos.

Raven took the hat from Hiro. She sniffed the hat, her face scrunching in disgust. “I’m not wearing this it reeks.”

Tilos put on his hat, covering the majority of his face. “You have to. They know what we look like. Just cast a simple odor removing charm onto the hat.”

Raven grunted, she materialized a Thread and Wove a Spell Matrix with it before binding it to the hat. She then channeled Essence into the Matrix before putting it on her head. “There you happy, now let's go. I want to get as far away from this city as possible.”

Tilos followed behind Raven, the group exiting the abandoned house into a small alley. The moon was still in the sky and the stars twinkled above. The trio turned right, following the alley until they emerged onto a street.

People packed the street they walked on, not as much as during the day. Few children ran about at night, the ones that Tilos saw wore ragged clothing likely homeless children.

“Hey, look at that. They put up a picture of my face. I guess they wanted everyone to admire my handsomeness.” Hiro pointed towards the aboard they were approaching.

“Keep your voice down, you fool,” Raven said as she pulled her hat further down to hide her features.

Tilos' eyes tracked the board as they passed. Wanted posters and quests were posted up on the board. There was an award for catching them and bringing them back to Felwen alive. Five thousand gold pieces for each of them.

“Only five thousand gold coins? I’m worth more than that,” Hiro whispered.

They continued on, avoiding patrolling guards. They went straight towards the eastern gatehouse. Helith and his border guard had brought them in through the northern gatehouse, by going to the eastern they were hoping to through off their pursuers.

A long line of people stood waiting before the eastern gatehouse. The line moving forward slowly. Tilos and his companions join the queue of citizens waiting to leave Nifflan.

The line shrinks enough so that Tilos can view the guards herding the citizens through. He furrowed his brows, “They are checking the identities of each person before they leave the city. They have our wanted posters,” Tilos whispered.

“Don’t worry, I can make them think that we’re Aesir and not the Ionians they're looking for,” Hiro said.

The line shrunk more, Tilos nearing the checkpoint of guards. The gatehouse grew in scope Tilos neared the structure. Schizeled grey stone blocks made up the form of the gatehouse, light grey cement holding the structure together. Archers patrolled the top of the structure, overlooking the inside of the city as well as the surroundings of Nifflan. Tilos saw the shin of metal-tipped arrows through slits in the gatehouse, archers positioned inside the building as well. A few archers patrolled the walls near the gatehouse, going in and out of the building with torches in their hands. They were in pairs of two.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Sir, are you alright,” a guard stepped into Tilos’ sight, blocking the gatehouse. The guard was female, with white hair and bright orange eyes. She was an older woman, based on the wrinkles around her eyes. And the years of an easy job as a gate guarded had left her body skinny fat.

Tilos snapped back and positioned his eyes back onto the guard. “Ah, yes I was just marveling at the gatehouse.”

The guard smiled, looking back at the structure behind him, “It's beautiful. It awed me the first couple of times I saw it too. You must not be from around here. If you want to leave, I need you to take off you hat and hand me five silver pieces.” The guard stretched out her hand.

“Five pieces for just me or all of us together,” Tilos gestured to Hiro and Raven behind him.

“Fifteen silver pieces then. They’ll have to take off their hats too. A number of indentured gladiators escaped earlier this night. We don’t want any of them getting out of the city.”

Tilos nodded, his eyes drifted towards Hiro.

Hiro stepped forward, he grabbed the guard's arm. A pulse of purple energy transferred from him to the guard, “You have beautiful eyes. They're the brightest that I have ever seen.”

The female guard yanked her arm from Hiro’s grip, blushing slightly at Hiro’s forwardness. “Remove your hats and give me the coin so I can let you through.”

Tilos complied removing his hat first, Hiro and Raven following his lead. He reached into the pocket of his pants, pulling out a hand full of coins. He counted out fifteen silver and handed them to the female guard.

The guard looked towards the board filled with wanted posters and then back at Tilos and the other. Checking each poster to see if any of them matched their facial features. “You're free to go forward.” The female guard stepped out of the way.

Tilos walked forward, stepping under the raised steel gate, entering the interior yard of the gatehouse. The gate on the other side was raised too, citizens flooded out of the gatehouse, leaving Nifflan behind. Strangely there was a large gap between their group and the rest of the Aesir citizens leaving the gatehouse.

The gate behind them slammed shut, causing Tilos to turn around to see what happened. The guards on the other side of the closed gate were pushing the queue waiting for Aesir back from the gate. Then the gate in front of them slammed shut, the last of the Aesir citizen having exited the gatehouse yard.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Raven placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

Guards flooded into the courtyard through doors along the inside of the gatehouse, weapons draw as they surrounded the trio. Their breastplates were embroidered with the crest of Nifflan, a tree without leaves.

Tilos pulled his sword free from his waist. He threw off the hat covering his head. Tilos counted over fifty city guards surrounding him and his friends, with more trickling in. He cycled his Essence through his body, the Sygaldry Tattoos glowing with power.

A familiar bald head stepped from behind the city guards. Felwen had a scowl on his face, “Stand down and we can end this without any bloodshed.”

“Just let us leave the city and then there will be no bloodshed,” Tilos answered.

Felwen shook his head, “You know I can’t do that. You have to pay for your crimes before you can leave.”

Raven stepped forward, a yellow glowing potion in her hand, “Well I guess we’re at an impasse.” She threw the potion, the bottle arcing through the air. Landing in the middle of a group of city guards.

The guards scrambled to get away from the potion. Stumbling over each other, some tripping and falling to the ground.

The potion hit the ground, the liquid evaporating into a storm of yellow lightning bolts. The bolts stuck at the closest guards and then expanded to encompass guards further away.

Tilos sprinted forward, propelling himself faster with concentrated bursts of force. He slashed down with his sword, extending a force blade construct.

Felwen disappeared behind the city guard, before the blade of force could make contact with him.

The force constructs sliced through three guards before embedding themselves into the ground.

Tilos dispersed the force blade. He crouched, pulling Essence into his legs. He then converted the Essence into Force, pushing it out of his feet. He soared into the sky, reached his zenith, and then he fell directly towards the guards below him. Tilos created a force dome construct around his body, then shot out a concentrated blast of force behind him.

The guards panicked, each trying to distance themself from the falling Tilos.

Tilos collided with the ground, blowing throw the cut stone floor of the courtyard. Guards screamed as they were thrown off their feet from the blast. Sharp rocks ripped throw their leather and chainmail armor, sinking into their warm flesh underneath.

Tilos stood from his crouched position, swiftly moving from prone guard to prone guard, slicing at their necks with his sword.

The Weave warned Tilos of danger approaching. Tilos twisted around, his sword blocking Felwen's blade.

Felwen pushed Tilos’ blade aside, kicking the Templar in the stomach.

Air left Tilos’ lungs as the kick landed. He backed away from Felwen, regaining his composure. Tilos conjured three Force Bolts, set them spinning, and then fired them at Felwen.

Felwen ran, Tilos directing the Force Bolts to follow him. The Bolts gained on the Aesir.

Felwen turned and launched a fireball at one of the force bolts. The two spells collided and detonated on impact. Felwen quickly shot two more fireballs. The first hit its target but Tilos move his third force bolt at the last second, causing Felwen’s fireball to explode onto the stone ground.

Felwen stopped, he slice the force bolt in half with his sword. The blast flinging him back. He landed on his feet, breathing heavily, but otherwise okay.

Felwen turned his head, but it was too late. A potion landed in front of him, and a cloud of grey smoke enveloped his body.

“Tilos we need to go now! There are too many guards and more of them keep flooding in!” Raven ran towards the gate leading out of Nifflan. The gate was still down, blocking their exit.

Hiro was by her side. Slicing of the heads and limbs of any guard that dared to get close.

Tilos looked back over to Felwen. The grey gas had disappeared, and Felwen’s eyes were completely white, the result of a null sense potion. His eerie white eyes stared at Tilos, Felwen’s sword still in his hands. Felwen was relying on the Weave to be his eyes and ears.

Tilos then looked to his sides, more guards piled into the courtyard by the second. He turned and ran, following Hiro and Raven. Archers potioned themselves above on the city walls and the roof of the gatehouse, releasing a barrage of arrows down on the trio. Tilos erected a force barrier, the arrows bouncing harmlessly off. They reach the steel gate, baring their freedom.

Raven pulled out a green potion from her satchel, “Open your barrier before the gate and stand back.”

Tilos did as she wanted. The section of his barrier blocking the gate opened. He and Hiro both stepped away from Raven.

Raven threw the potion at the steel gate. Joining Tilos and Hiro away from the potion.

The potion exploded coating the steel gate in green liquid that ate throw the steel bars of the gate. A round hole was left inside the gate where steel bars had been, a bubbling green puddle of acid sat under it, eating throw the ground below.

Raven stepped throw the hole first avoiding the acid puddle, “Come, mind the acid puddle.”

Tilos and Hiro joined her on the other side. Arrows continued to pelt the dome shield around Tilos and his friends. They ran towards the forest line, the city guards not far behind them. Essence enhanced their speed, allowing them to put distance between them and their pursuers. Losing the city guard in the thick forest surrounding Nifflan.

The trio stopped, catching their breath and resting.

“I think we lost them,” Hiro said.

“For now,” Raven answered.