The food was delicious. I couldn't help but feel a tinge of reverence towards Mister Carter, who made this with ease. Although Halia and Drevin helped, it was more of a teaching practice by Drevin as he and Mister Carter continued to correct her mistakes. Ignoring that, I talked with Kiera, who sat closely beside me. Time passed. We laughed. We smiled, and we looked at each other under the warm bonfire as we shared our happy and sad stories without distinction. I didn't know I could get this close to someone this fast. It almost felt like she was the one for me. A little dreamy, yet I couldn't help but think that. It felt like we were alone in this forest. Which made me feel a little warm inside. But our so-called happy moment was interrupted as the conversation between Sir Torian and Mister Carter heated up. They sat at the other end of the bonfire, with Halia and Drevin at the side. For some reason, Mister Carter's face looked tensed up—angry—making intense hand gestures. While Sir Torian listened and responded to him now and then. We could hear them. But their conversation didn't make any sense without knowing the context.
Seeing the change in atmosphere, Halia and Drevin came to our side, increasing the distance between me and Kiera even more. "What are you two gossiping about?" Drevin asked as Halia started conversing with her sister the instant she sat down. "Hello. Are you in this world, Jasper?" He called out to me as I was intently looking over to Kiera's side. But she didn't look at me even once. I resigned myself.
"Nothing. This and that." I said.
"This and that, you say?" He poked me to the side with his elbow as he let out a teasing smile.
"It's really nothing, Drevin."
"I believe you." He said as he nodded and peered into my face, like some officer who had just caught the thief.
"Your face doesn't say that, though." I was about to get up, but he pulled my hand, making me sit back at my place again. "For a Mage… you are pretty strong, Drevin." I was honestly surprised, and he let go of my wrist with a proud smile.
"You can talk with my sister, but not me? I am a little hurt by that fact." He tried to imitate a pouting face, and strangely enough, it suited him.
"It's just that I am a little tired. We need to be on nightwatch later on. It's best to sleep now." I tried to sound reasonable, but after thinking for a moment, he spoke.
"So tell me about Lumin. Where exactly in Lumin? You don't look much like the Lumin guy, Jasper." I knew that he had no intention to let me go now. So I could only sigh internally.
"What do you mean I am not a Lumin guy?" I asked back, pondering his question.
"I mean, you give off a normal person vibe, unlike the people from there. You know what I mean?"
"You speak as if you know more about that city than a native like me. I thought you said you were from Snowspell." I asked in confirmation.
"On a mission, I had to visit that place one time. I couldn't help but shudder at the sight of those people. I mean, I felt I would be mugged or killed at any moment. So many gazes were on me. I could have died just from being there, if you ask me." He wryly chuckled and continued. "But I was glad I didn't bring my sisters along with me at that time." He said as if imagining that very scene. When he mentioned sisters, I glanced in Kiera's direction once again. They were in their own world. "So, compared to that, you feel like a normal person, Jasper."
"Isn't that a good thing? It shows I am comfortable around you people. Or at least I don't need to be too alert or suspicious, unlike back at my so-called home. And by no way, I am a mugger." We both looked at each other and let out a chuckle at the same time. "I am at ease, is what you can say."
"Certainly, brother-in-law. Hahaha!" He patted me on my back, and I could only wryly smile at that. For a slender arm, it was heavy.
More time passed with a few more humourless, casual chats. At the same time, when the conversation between Mister Carter and Sir Torian was about to end, we both got up, and I said goodnight to both Kiera and Halia. Not to look too suspicious, but Drevin was walking behind me, making that silly expression again as we both went inside the tent.
Saying goodnight to each other, we removed our armour and weapons and put them to the side. I laid on the thin blanket called a bed and tried to sleep but couldn't. The night in this forest felt oddly chilly, even though it wasn't cold. But at the same time, I felt warm near my chest. Was it excitement? I didn't know. The face of the girl called Kiera came to mind, and I slowly, unknowingly, drifted into sleep.
And after a few hours, I woke up. Still feeling a bit lethargic, I tried to wake up Drevin. He was too deep in sleep. So I had to shake his body many times before he grumpily woke up. But he soon collected himself, and we both wore our armour and took our weapons before going outside. A small flame lingered in place of the bonfire. It was silent; only the sounds of Sir Torian and Mister Carter gossiping were still audible. It looked like they became close in that short time. Giving us a smile, they both went inside the tent to rest.
"So it's just us, uh?" Drevin said, rubbing his eyes and yawning more than once.
"I am not that tired. You can sleep if you want." I insisted. And he nodded and laid his back on a tree. In less than five minutes, he was already sleeping with his mouth wide open. I, too, went and sat beside one of the trees. Unless I used Aura, I couldn't see much of anything in my surroundings. There was not even a faint sound of birds or insects. That made me feel a sudden sense of dread. Following that, I unsheathed my sword, turning my head in the direction I sensed something. I was about to swing it, but my grip loosened as I saw Kiera with her hands in surrender. She had a nervous smile as she glanced at the sword tip that pointed at her neck.
"I thought we couldn't talk properly before, with my sister and brother coming in between." She said, her hands still raised. I retracted my sword and looked in Drevin's direction, who was as carefree as one could be. I was going to sheath my sword, but a faint trace of fragrance tickled my nose. Before I could make out the source of it, Kiera's tender, full lips were pressing against mine. Surprised, it made the blood rush to my face. Her hands enveloped me for a hug, and as I closed my eyes, the sword in my hand fell to the ground as I welcomed it. My hand went to her hips as I invited her tongue into mine, and we furiously exchanged our saliva, a twister of emotions rolling down our hearts. I slid my other hand by her nape of the neck and into her glossy, braided hair and pressed her forward as our kissing intensified. For some reason, she pushed me, and I took a step back. Even in this darkness, I could see her blush as she tried to hide her face behind her bangs. And I was certain my face was not any less red. Even through the armour, I felt my heart pound, resonating in my ears. "Should we go somewhere?" She barely said that out loud and looked in the direction of the forest.
I nodded without a second thought. She peeked at her brother before grabbing my hand and pulling me in one direction of the forest. I couldn't believe it was the same reserved Kiera I talked to. Also, I couldn't believe myself for acting at the moment. That was unlike me, but that thought quickly faded as we quickened our pace, with the distance between the tents and us increasing. We walked—ran for a few minutes as we reached another small open space. Our heavy breaths touched each other's skin as we both embraced tightly. Without holding anymore, I removed my armour, and as if in a hurry, while still kissing every second we could breathe, we undressed each other. The darkness covered most of our embarrassingly bare actions, as every piece of cloth on our body was now left on the ground below us. I pressed her against a tree, and we hugged intimately, as if ravaging each other, her breasts pressing against my chest. I thought I would pass out from the sheer intensity of the emotions I was feeling as I slid my hand into her abdomen. It went in as smoothly as butter and made a hole in her flesh. My hand shone in blue light as a clear expression of dread was painted on her face.
I pulled out my hand and plunged my foot onto her face, making her body fly and fall at a distance. Looking at my bloody hand, I shook it as wet blood splattered from it. And the remaining burnt off by blue Aura. Walking over to Kiera, I picked up her clothes from the ground and carried them with me. Using my foot, I turned over her naked body. She was still breathing, to my surprise, but ignoring that, I carefully inspected her body. And nodding to myself, I kneeled a little and peeled out a layer of something that was attached to both sides of her thighs. It was rubbery, but firm, and had the same colour as skin—a fake skin. Under one, I saw a small blade the size of my fist. And on the other, there was a small, circular, heavy disk, half the size of a fist. It had a glowing green gem-like piece in the centre. As I pulled it out, the body shape of Kiera suddenly twisted, deforming and increasing in size. She immediately grew into a large, middle-aged man, bigger than me. He was naked and still on his dying breath, with a round, fist-sized hole in his abdomen. His pained, surprised expression and the struggle to gasp for air only made me sigh coldly at the sight. With a flickering, bland gaze, he uttered. "H-How?"
"Is this your secret?" I peered into his dead set of eyes, which grew paler by the second. "For run-of-the-mill thugs like you guys, where did you get something like this?" I asked, showing the small green-gemmed disc and pulling his ear to show him better, but the signs of life had already left him. "No matter. We would soon know." I spitted a mouthful of saliva to the side and put on Kiera's clothes, lying on the side as I held the strange artefact in one hand and imagined a beautiful face and her body. Immediately, my body shrank a little and fit into the girl's clothes I wore. Excitement betrayed my eyes as they glowed in blue light, and I looked at my own face in the small blade piece in my hand. The beautiful girl, Kiera's face was reflected on it. Astonished, I carefully placed the small artefact in a tiny pocket in my undergarment. And with the blade in my hand, I slowly sliced the neck of the naked man on the ground. Later, dismembering every one of his limbs. His ears, penis, and testicles with definitive care. Using Aura, they were so cleanly cut that blood didn't immediately pour out. Then, joining back the parts as if attaching back a broken puppet, I left the body there and went in the direction of the tents. Drevin was awake, glazing in my direction pensively. As he felt my presence, his hand gripped his wooden staff. "It's me, brother." I said, throwing the bloodied piece of blade into his hands. A faint smile formed on his face as he crushed the blade with green Aura covering his hands. The blade melted and vaporised out of existence.
"Good." He nodded in satisfaction.
"You go back to sleep, brother." I said. He nodded and laid in the same relaxed position at the side of a tree. I snorted and glanced at my sword, lying on the ground, and kicked it in the distance. It fell with a thud. And I was already in my tent before Mister Carter came and woke everyone up. Together with Miss Luna and Halia, I came out, letting out a small yawn. So damn tired.
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The day became evening, and at a distance, we could already see the city gates and high walls that blocked us from revealing the sight of the city. "Are we here?" King Theoren asked, to which I nodded.
I signalled the other two carriages, similar to ours, from the outside to increase their pace as our own carriage paced down a little. They were filled with royal guards, and they entered the city first. After a two-hour delay, our lone carriage reached the city gate and underwent verification. A guard came to our window, peeking left and right inside. The King wore a cloak, being rather suspicious, and the guard was about to call us out with a frown on his face, but he recognised Sir Tristan, easing his expression and saluting before immediately allowing us into the city of Goldenvale.
We three shared a momentary glance, and Sir Tristan scratched his head in embarrassment. The carriage slowly paced through the city roads. It was mostly dark as we passed through a marketplace as vendors were closing down their shops. The city itself was a third the size of the capital, which can be considered very big. After passing through a few more streets, we three got off the carriage at the side of a small alley.
There were many guards inside the city, patrolling. After passing this dark alley, we were greeted with the nightlife of Goldenvale. Pubs, taverns, and women. They filled the small streets, along with guards who were drunk and gossiping with women, who intimately sat on their laps and shared skinship with no fear or embarrassment. Neither me nor King Theoren commented on this, but Sir Tristan felt a little unease and tightened his fist as if ready to discipline his junior officers. But he didn't act. Neither to any of our surprise.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
With heavy steps, he led us in the direction of the inn, as if to get past this scene. Other carriages and guards that were with us settled in different small taverns before we entered the city. And before we knew it, we had finally reached the place we would be staying tonight. It was a small, three-story building with a board spelling 'Night in Moors'. Nothing too grand. It was too simple. Could be found in any small or big city. We could still see the lights past the entrance, urging us to go inside.
Reluctantly, we followed Sir Tristan as he opened the door. And a sight of surprise greeted our eyes. It didn't look like it, but it was too spacious inside. But one wouldn't get that feeling, as it was crowded beyond belief. The sounds of people muttering, glasses clinking, laughter bursting, and footsteps that echoed like a party dance completely overtook our senses. "This is as busy as the capital streets." King Theoren said, moving his eyes from left to right. His face was covered in a hood, so I couldn't properly look at his expression, but I could feel a sliver of surprise in his voice.
"These places usually are," I replied. "Sir, Tristan. Escort him to the third floor. I will bring the food." They both passed through the crowd and went to the stairs. Earlier, I informed them of their lodgings. From the entrance itself, I looked at the busy hall, trying to find any empty seat possible. But it was to no avail.
"New here?" A voice, more like a whisper, came from behind. I turned my head to look, but the person in question had already walked forward and stood to my side. At a glance, she was a beautiful, tall woman. "It feels overwhelming, doesn't it?" With a gentle, all-knowing smile on her face, she looked at the crowded inn before turning her set of big, deep, black eyes to me. "Come on. Let me show you around." Her curly, thick, black hair and revealing clothes with pompous breasts and a curvy figure gave her a different kind of charm. I silently followed her to a table near the bar section. There were people already seated, drinking and ordering more bottles, with no hint of stopping anytime soon. With a waving gesture from her hand, two drunk men, fully beet-red from the alcohol, got up from their seats. Swaying left and right, they supported each other, burping from time to time, and went on their way to exit the inn. "Sit. It's all ours." She said as she sat down on one of the high, rounded stools, and I also took my seat beside her. "You are not from here, are you?" She casually asked again as she ordered something for both of us.
"You don't look like a regular customer yourself." I said, taking in her entire appearance one more time.
"Haha! I am well known around these parts." Keeping her chin on her hand, she faced me with a seductive smile and mesmerising eyes. She moved her hands along the table, approaching mine, which were resting on top of one another.
"We are still not even drunk yet." I said and retracted my hands.
"Should it always be a drunken mistake?" At the same time, the bartender woman slid two glasses of similar-coloured drinks before us. It was pale yellow, fizzing up, with a lemon attached to the side. "Let's get drunk then." Raising her glass, she urged me. Both our glasses clinked together in mid-air as we both took a sip at the same time. Before I could taste the flavours of the drink in my mouth, she had already gestured to the bartender for another one.
"I shouldn't, really." I said and put down my glass on the table.
But she just smiled. "You need permission from your boss or what?" After another sip, she looked behind me, in the direction of the stairs that lead to the upper floors, and asked. "Are you a bodyguard for the people above?"
"Is that your way of asking my name?" I slid my hand through my side pocket and pulled out an emblem with one star embedded on it and two swords making a cross and a shield behind them.
"A mercenary?" She exclaimed, but the next moment, she put her hand inside her breast pocket and pulled out a similar kind of emblem to mine, but with two stars on it. She looked proud before she put it back where it came from. But my mind lingered around the movement those two breasts made. Felt surreal. She tapped on the table to get my attention, a teasing smile on her face.
"What's your name?" I asked calmly, taking another sip. The taste felt more vivid the more I drank. As if my body fatigue just disappeared. I felt at ease.
"Vivian. And you?"
"Desmond." As I answered, I clearly watched her face for a change in expression, but there was none. She was already ordering some spicy food, naming things I had never heard of or eaten. She also asked me if I wanted any, but I lightly shook my head, and she didn't force me either. A good woman.
"So, where are you from?" She took some spicy mix on her index finger and put it inside her mouth. And also rubbing her soft, plump, red lips with the same finger before taking a sip from another drink, which was red this time. Her actions felt seductive. I wanted to look away, but my eyes couldn't, and my heart raced. She gave me a peek from time to time through her set of deep-black eyes, which made my cheeks burn.
"Ravencrest." I answered as I collected myself.
"You came here from the capital? So far. Must be something important." I nodded. "Can't say what it is? Anyway, your party looked so suspicious."
"Really? I thought we were blending in better."
"Although you have a handsome face, you really need some pointers in that area." She chuckled.
"I do try to hide my grey hairs." I said matter-of-factly as I combed my hair with my right hand, taking a sip from the glass before me with my left. There was none left.
"So, is it some bodyguard duty?" She gestured for another drink, which I didn't reject this time.
"An escort, but my employer heard rumours of the food in this inn. So, we had to make a stop for the night. Is it really that good?"
"Seems demanding." Ignoring my last sentence, she answered.
"He is." The image of King Theoren grumbling came to mind. "But he is rich, though. That's enough to cope with his wishes. Whatever they are."
"I get what you are saying. But I don't like bastards like those. You know, flaunting their money on people's faces. When people like us need to work for every single penny." Gulping down a chunkful, a trace of anger and disgust was shown on her face.
"It is what it is. We can only surrender to our circumstances." I said, not paying much attention to her words, and looked at the ceiling.
"You don't say. And you really don't want another drink?" She asked, pushing her glass in my direction. Her red lipstick marks were clearly on it.
"I think it would be better to end here for the night, Miss Vivian," I concluded, and was about to get up.
"Already?" She closed the distance between us, her half-naked thighs running between my legs as she breathed near my ear. "Are you that worried about your employer that you can't even enjoy the night?" Among this provocative skinship, I glanced at other customers in the hall who didn't even bother to look at us.
In all calmness, I pushed her a little, took the glass of alcohol, and gulped it down to the last drop. The bartender was cleaning the empty glasses with a white towel, not paying attention like the other customers. I turned my eyes to the charming woman before me, whose cheeks were flushed from alcohol. Her eyes, half closed. She was shaking as if she could fall down at any instant. A faint smile on her cherry-like lips. I took a step forward and pushed her back onto her seat, putting some strength into my hand. With a faint smile, I whispered near her rosy-white ear. "Quit the drunk-girl acting, Miss Vivian. Your thoughts are seeping out of your murderous intent that you have been trying so hard to suppress." I snorted. And the next moment, I heard a clang. A black dagger tried to pierce the back of my neck but was stopped in mid-air. She used her other hand to attack me with another black dagger, similar to the one before. But even that was stopped as it reached an inch closer to my neck. Kicking the stool before her, she distanced herself from me. A frown was painted over her face. And I sneered in response.
"Was it that obvious?" I didn't respond. I could feel the surprise on her face that she tried very hard to suppress with a shaky smirk. It was obvious her attack failed. But then, the woman acting as the bartender threw two molotov's at me. Not missing this chance, every other nobody in the hall picked up their main and hidden weapons right before my eyes and came at me as if I were a prey animal. Vivian's smirk only grew larger. But I stood at my place, sighing in response. My mana core tingled inside, and a sharp, bombarding gust enveloped me in an instant along with the entirety of the floor, not differentiating man or woman. It continued to blow for an entire minute and died down the next. Everything became visible again. With an expression of terror painted over Vivian's face, she fell on her knees and tried to desperately distance herself from me, but her legs gave out.
"What happened, Miss Vivian? Am I not looking handsome anymore?" I said, with a cold smile, standing among tens of corpses with missing heads. And the colour of crimson was painted over the walls, ceiling, and floor.
She breathed heavily as I took a step in her direction. "B-But even if you kill me, your contractor and that other person should have been de-dead by now." And to prove her even more wrong, the roof collapsed behind me, with Sir Tristan shooting out of it. He landed on his feet, but they were plunged into the wooden floor because of his heavy stature. He held two men in both of his hands who wore similar black robes, with only their eyes visible. Assassins. Sir Tristan threw their lifeless bodies to a corner as they fell with a bang, and we both together looked in the direction of the staircase. A tall, regal figure, with a grumpy face and covered in a cloak, walked down.
"What is this mess, Desmond?" He asked as he looked at the wet, bloody hall in a sign of casual disgust.
Ignoring that, I looked at Vivian again. Looking at her expression, I momentarily felt sorry for the woman. She let go of the daggers in her hands in complete resignation. Her face, devoid of any expression. She didn't look that attractive anymore. I walked to her, kneeled, and whispered in her ear again. "Don't you think you are the one not blending in, Miss Vivian? I will gladly give you pointers as a fellow mercenary." I chuckled at my own words internally.
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I pulled out the staff holed in his chest, and blood spurted out. Not knowing what or who hit him, Mister Carter collapsed to the ground, unconscious. I thought to check for his pulse, but my eyes shifted to a fist-sized hole in his back. He was dead. "Kiera—I mean, brother Second. Let's hurry, before brother Third goes out of control again." With the appearance of Drevin, he called out to me, checking the map given to us by Digit.
"Do you see anything, brother First?" I asked, crossing over the dead Carter's body and going near the tree where he stood. For a moment, I also thought about how lacking these brother's names were.
"Take a look. It's not something I would understand." Resigning himself, he handed me the map. It had a path that would lead us to the cave entrance in a very short amount of time.
"It really is valuable."
"You think? I thought that little man was just exaggerating when he said that. Well, let's leave. I already had enough of a headache going through all this mindless drama. Especially that Lark bastard. He dared to point the blame at me. Son of a bitch!" A trace of anger and frustration was visible on his face as he tightened one of his fists.
"What do we do about the body, brother?" I asked, glancing at the dead man on the ground.
"Nothing. We would be long gone by the time his body was recovered. Let's kill that woman and get out of this forest." He said as I gave a quick glance at the second sword Mister Carter carried—my sword. It was unsheathed and tightly tied to his waist. I shook my head, and we started walking in the direction of the cave. I was the one leading, looking over the map from time to time. Taking left and right twisted paths as one led to another. And before we knew it, we were there. Standing right before the cave entrance of a small, unremarkable cave. "Oh, oh. I didn't know we would get here this fast." We checked the surroundings as this man's voice was filled with joy. And when no one seemed to be present, we both nodded and made our way inside the cave. Walking further, we found three tunnel entrances. I carefully inspected the three and found a small cross mark on the one on the side of the first cave.
"It's this one, brother." I said.
"He at least remembered." He sighed as he said. His wooden staff transformed into an axe. He swung it, pointing at the ceiling above the second and third entrances. It collapsed, blocking both entrances completely. We then went inside the first entrance. It was a narrow path. And it became narrower as we walked. "We wouldn't fit if it weren't for our appearances." I was thoroughly surprised by these people, who held these unordinary artefacts, which were non-existent in this kingdom, as far as my information goes.
"True, brother. Our original sizes would just get stuck in the middle of nowhere." But ignoring my thoughts, I replied to the man leading in the front, agreeing with his words. I glanced at my female body, which only disguised me. He was continuously lighting up the path with his Aura covered hand. I looked behind to check if anyone was following but couldn't sense nor hear the slightest of sounds, except our steady yet fast footsteps. Apart from being all cramped, the tunnel had a burnt smell lingering in the air. I touched the ceiling and the sides of the tunnel. It was all covered in soot. But behind that, I could see traces of a different type of rock. Deep reddish-black. Fire stone? It was an inflammable stone that would react to a small spark. But the thing that made me think was that the smell or the ash wasn't present when we entered this tunnel. So whoever lit it up must have done it from the other side. The place we are going to exit from. I thought, and we found a little ambient light at the other end, and we exited.
The first thing we saw was a huge space, a half-broken ceiling filled with mana crystals, and two figures standing, facing each other. A broken bridge separated them, with two lakes on either side. The man's bare back, which was facing us, was the third brother of the Masked Three, and the one at the other side whose expression was still like a calm river was the Viscount of Riverdale, Nathan Winters' eldest daughter, Luna Winters.