The next day, Lyra proudly presented one of the crystals they had collected. The vibrant green color of the crystal was mesmerizing, and I couldn't take my eyes off it. "This is pretty damn cool Lyra!" I exclaimed.

She beamed at me, "and valuable too! We'll be able to stock up on potions and other supplies, and then some. Not to mention the howler skins, those will net us a good amount too. All in all, a profitable outing!" Her enthusiasm was infectious, and I couldn't help but smile.

As we were admiring the crystal, Isabel returned from the battlefield carrying a mysterious circular device. "What is that?" I asked as she approached us.

"You know...I'm not really sure, to be honest," she replied. The device had runes inscribed on it, similar to the ones Isabel had used for the looting spell.

"What do those mean?" I asked, but Isabel just shrugged.

"No idea. But...I suspect they describe a trapping spell for the soul, combined with something else. It's definitely Rune magic, but who would do something like this? More importantly, who 'could' do something like this? The number of people with enough skill for something like this is likely a small group," she pondered aloud.

Lyra and I didn't have an answer to that, but from what little we knew about Rune magic, Isabel's theory made sense. "So finding this person might not be as hard as we thought then?" I suggested hopefully.

Lyra looked a little annoyed as she answered, "Not the case sadly. As we've told you, access to even basic training in Rune magic is highly regulated, but that also means highly secretive in this case. Getting records of who might be able to use it in Creston is hard enough, but it might not be a local at all."

I was getting frustrated with how difficult it all seemed. Isabel stored the mysterious device in her storage item and looked at us, "We should move. I want to get some travelling done before nightfall."

Lyra and I started packing up our things, but my curiosity got the better of me and I asked, "I'm curious, what was the third contract?"

Isabel answered without looking up, "There has been an increase in low-level monsters around Lake Tahn. We were to investigate this and work the numbers down a bit. It's not a high-priority job, so we can leave it for someone else."

I frowned but nodded, "I suppose. Would have liked to see the lake though."

Lyra grinned and said, "It is quite beautiful! There is even an old tower ruin in the center of it. Some mad alchemist used to live out there until he blew himself and the tower itself up." I sighed, feeling disappointed to be heading back. I wanted to finish this initiation so I wouldn't have time pressure on me.

I wanted to roam, travel, see new things, and meet new people. Suddenly, something struck me, and I asked, "This might be a weird question, but are humans the only sentient race in the province? I mean, do other races even exist?"

Lyra burst out laughing and replied, "Humans? Well, sure, most are human, but there are plenty that are not. There is quite a Lumen population in Creston, a few elves, and a smattering of others."

I was surprised, "Really? I didn't see any." Lyra raised an eyebrow and flipped the hair away from one of her pointy ears.

I gaped at her, and she almost tipped over from laughing, "You should see your face! You are so bloody adorable!"

Embarrassed, I closed my mouth and looked away, "Sorry... I mean... How the hell would I know? You an elf then?"

Lyra scoffed in mock outrage, "I am no elf! I am a Lumen, and since you probably don't even know what that is, let me explain. We Lumen are the oldest race in Aethoria, we live longer than Elves, at least before quality of core comes into play, and we are very fond of magic!"

Isabel snorted with laughter, "Bloody hell Lyra... That is the most oversimplified explanation I have ever heard."

Lyra grinned, "All true though!"

Isabel shook her head fondly, "All true, yes. David, the Lumen are represented in most corners of the world, and they are likely the most gifted with magic. They perceive the world differently from us humans at least. Many don't really care about much else, but Lyra here is a little different, for reasons I will not go into."

Lyra nodded proudly, "I am pretty different from everyone else. No one is as stunningly brilliant at setting things on fire!" I chuckled at her display of over-the-top narcissism and received a wide smile in return. Lyra was a puzzle. She had her serious moments, and I sensed there was more to her than she showed. But I liked this version of her, so I wouldn't dig too much.

Our return trip began peacefully, and despite my battered body, we were making decent time. Isabel led the way while Lyra stayed either next to me or right behind me, depending on the terrain. They were keeping a close eye on my condition, but I was feeling fine. On the second day, we were crossing through a dense stretch of forest when I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. At first, I thought I might have imagined it. However, Isabel's shoulders tensed, and all of a sudden, all hell broke loose.

"Archers to our right!" Isabel shouted, pulling out her sword.

Lyra reacted quickly, crashing into me and carrying me to the ground. I heard the twang of crossbows from off to my right, and several bolts flew past where I had just stood. A few of them pinged off Isabel's armor. There was shouting, and I looked up to see three men charging at Isabel. She was wearing her helmet now, and she looked like nothing but the fist of a god would be able to move her.

I heard footsteps close by and turned in time to see another five men coming at us from behind. Lyra was still on top of me, so I did the first thing that came to mind and cast slippery footing. Two of the men slipped, and a third was pulled along in the resulting crash of limbs and surprised yelps. The last two looked surprised but recovered quickly.

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However, I had won enough time to summon my phantom images. I sent them on the attack immediately, and our attackers suddenly found themselves assaulted by three of me. My illusions were moving conservatively as I wasn't directing them directly, and I had Harlequin take control of one of them. It immediately became more alive and began attacking one of the men in a frenzy of swings.

Lyra still wasn't moving, and I looked down to find she had taken no less than three bolts in the back. I hissed and immediately checked for signs of life, letting out a sigh of relief as I felt her pulse. She was alive but had been knocked out, and she was bleeding pretty severely. In that situation however, treating her wounds would have to wait.

I gently slid Lyra off me and placed her next to me before jumping to my feet, staff in hand. As I summoned my mask, Harlequin's laughter rang out, startling everyone. The chaos came to a brief halt, and I looked around to see a mix of surprise and horror on our attackers' faces, save for Isabel and the illusion Harlequin was controlling. During the lull, they took down their targets, reducing our enemies by two in a flash.

Acting on instinct, I conjured large hedges around our little battlefield to make it difficult for the crossbowmen to find openings. With their vision blocked, I charged at the four remaining men who had come for Lyra and me. The three men who had tumbled were back on their feet and joining the fray, and I found myself weaving between their attacks left and right. My body felt stiff, and twinges of pain came now and then, but I managed to take out one of the men with a solid strike to his temple as he overextended. He crumbled, and angry growls erupted from the remaining attackers.

Three more men came charging out of the trees, and I retreated a few steps at a time as I was being pushed back. Despite my increased physical strength and speed, I struggled to keep up. My mind churned for a solution as I continued to dodge and weave, trying to hold off their attacks.

I cast slippery footing for the second time and a man crashed to the ground. I repeated the spell a third time, but this time my opponents recognized my gesture and quickly jumped aside to avoid it. Cursing, I continued fending off blows left and right while inching closer to where Lyra was still unconscious.

Suddenly, an idea struck me. It was something I hadn’t tried since my first day in Aethoria, and I decided to give it a try. I jumped back suddenly and raised my hand. The men hesitated, and I grinned. Conjuring a few dozen small, spiky rock illusions in front of me, I sent them hurtling towards my opponents. Although they tried to dodge, they were unable to get out of the way in time. Of course, nothing happened as they hit, so the men laughed and began walking towards me with murder in their eyes.

That was exactly what I wanted them to do. I conjured more than double the amount this time, at least a hundred spiky rocks. Activating my title ability, each and every one of them became semi-physical. I sensed my ether stores dropping precariously, but to my delight, it didn't completely empty, and I didn't get a headache. They couldn’t see my grin behind my mask, but Harlequin’s creepy laughter bubbled from the mask, as I sent a wave of death at my opponents.

This time they ignored the attack, thinking they were just illusions. But the rocks tore into the men, the trees, and my own illusions. It was like a shrapnel blast from a claymore mine, tearing everything and everyone apart in seconds. I was shocked at how efficient it had been and realized it was probably the most horrifying thing I had ever witnessed. Some of the men had survived, and they screamed in agony.

Strolling forward calmly, I silenced them for good with my staff. I turned and saw Isabel finishing off the last of her opponents aswell. A few more had arrived on her end, but she looked to be doing fine. Summoning another round of images, my ether dropped to almost empty, and I had Harlequin run into the forest to see if there were more of them before I turned to Lyra. She was bleeding badly, and her red robe was a slightly deeper red in large patches.

Isabel approached her friend and knelt down, muttering under her breath, "Bloody woman... I have told her to wear armor so many times!" With three sharp tugs, she pulled out the bolts from Lyra's back and quickly pulled her robe out of the way. She tore Lyra's clothes apart and hissed at the damage, but she moved quickly and efficiently. She pulled out the alchemically treated bandages and, while I lifted Lyra gently but firmly, ignoring her mostly naked torso, she bound the bandages tightly around her. Then we turned her, forced her mouth open, and Isabel poured a potion into her mouth. Lyra began to splutter, but Isabel clamped her hand over her mouth and held her nose. Lyra swallowed the potion, and her whole body seemed to tense up for a few seconds before finally slumping and going still.

Isabel looked over at me through her eye slits and asked, "Are there more?"

I checked with Harlequin and shook my head, "That was all of them."

Isabel nodded and removed her helmet, revealing a mask of fury. "Somebody's head will roll for this!" she snarled as she checked on Lyra, who was breathing more steadily. We had arrived in time. Isabel covered Lyra with the robe and pulled off her own cloak to put under her head. Then she leaned against a tree and sighed, "Thank you, David."

I removed my mask and frowned, "For what?"

Isabel gave me a small smile, "For protecting her."

I scowled reproachfully, "Of course, I protected her. We're a team, aren't we? More importantly, we're friends, right?"

Isabel nodded, "That we are, David, and now you're a brother too. You handled yourself well, taking down as many as I did."

I relaxed a bit and leaned against my own tree, "I suppose. I can't believe I killed all those men, though, and so easily. I don't even feel bad."

Isabel understood and nodded, "I know how you feel. I was pretty messed up my first time I killed someone in battle. It's not murder, David. We protected ourselves, and they deserved what they got."

I sighed and nodded, "I know. It's just... I feel like I'm changing too fast. In my old world, I'm pretty sure I would have been traumatized by something like this. But now, I'm just relieved it's done."

Isabel looked at me intently for a few moments before speaking, "And what of it? Is it better to feel remorse for assholes like them?"

I shrugged, "I suppose not. It just worries me, you know? I don't want to turn into some kind of psychotic killer that feels nothing while killing people left and right."

Isabel chuckled, "You won't."

I looked at her with a frown, "You seem certain."

Isabel just smiled, "I am, David. The fact that it worries you is proof enough. None of us are perfect, but the world is a dangerous place, and these things happen all too often. We protect each other, David, and we do so with extreme force if necessary."

I smiled at Isabel, “That stone spell I pulled off was pretty extreme.”

Isabel laughed and said, “I didn’t actually see it, but the aftermath is pretty telling. You will have to show me what you did when we get back.”

I nodded and said, “It’s a deal, but let’s focus on getting out of here first. Do you think someone sent these people to attack us?”

Isabel looked around thoughtfully before answering, “Perhaps, but perhaps not. Robbers are not exactly uncommon. Deserters, bandits, highwaymen. Why would they even come for us? I am not aware of anyone in particular we have pissed off to that extent.”

I knew that Isabel was probably right, and I was overthinking things, but it just seemed a little too convenient. “Whatever the reason, we should be careful Isabel. Something might be going on. I just have this feeling we are not seeing the full picture.”

Isabel nodded in agreement and stood up. “Agreed, but for now, let’s clear this place of any valuables and get moving. I want to be away from this place sooner rather than later.”