One of the wisps began screaming at him with a high pitched voice, piercing his eardrums. It made his head hurt so bad that he could barely concentrate. Zane pointed his katana at the approaching wisps and swung it at one of them, cutting it in half just like the first one. The black blood splattered all across the ground and railing of the bridge.

Pesky fucks. Reminds me of that one time, wasn't that on this bridge as well?.

As he began slashing at the wisps memories he had forgotten for some time returned to him.

"Yo Reaper! Where are ya going?" Gilma asked.

I turned around to look at the dark-haired mercenary. "Other side," I responded.

"Didn't ya listen? This little fellow wants to show us a shortcut," Gilma said as he pointed to a little humanoid figure made of a blue flame.

"Indeed, indeed. A shortcut yes, yes," the wisps sang.

Hugo, a large man with a wide-body and a long black beard, began chuckling. "What a funny little guy," he said.

"Funny yes, yes. Now follow me so I can show, show a shortcut yes, yes," the wisps sang.

Are these guys idiots? I asked myself.

I approached the little wisps and stared it in its white flaming eyes.

"Is there a problem?" it asked me with a cheerful voice.

I pulled my long sword from its sheath on my hip and pointed it at the wisp. "Fuck off or I'll kill yer ass," I said.

"What? Kill me? Why would you do that, yes why would you?" the wisps sang.

Both Hugo and Gilma stepped in front of my sword, protecting the spirit from me.

"Come on Reaper, don't be like that. Ya should just follow it like us," Gilma said.

But I didn't listen to them. I just let my hand wander behind my back and remove the cork from one of my blood vials.

"Blood Needle!" I said with an otherworldly voice.

The blood raced out of the vial, formed into a sharp needle and went straight through a small gap between the two mercenaries, straight into the head of the wisp, killing it instantly. The body of the creature fell to the ground and the look in the eyes of my two colleagues changed slightly.

"W-What just happened?" Hugo asked as he rubbed his head.

"Let's go, show me that tunnel," I said without addressing Hugo's question.

"Ah yeah, right. Let's go then," Gilma said.

Zane smiled as he remembered those days, as painful as they may have been at times.

The next wisp approached him from behind. In response he leaned backwards, put his hands on the ground and lifted up his body, making a handstand, kicking the wisp to the ground in the process. He felt a cold chilling feeling on his foot as it touched the creature. With a muffled sound the creature hit the ground. As it tried to get up Zane brought his katana down, cutting it in two on the spot, the black blood immediately beginning to flow out of both halves of its body and forming a puddle around it.

Zane looked at his blade, it was blackened by the wisps' blood.

Disgusting.

He turned, looking for the other two. One of them had disappeared, the other was steadily flying towards Mira.

Shit.

Zane began running and managed to catch the wisp with the tip of his blade, cutting off one of its small feet. The creature began screeching in pain, again making his head hurt badly. Despite the pain, he managed to lift up his katana again and bring it down on the now approaching wisp. The creature tried to dodge by bending its body in a strange way, but it only resulted in the creature losing its head. Both head and body fell to the ground, a puddle of blood forming around both of them.

Now, where's that last one.

"Behind you!" Mira screamed.

Zane turned his head just in time to see the remaining wisp fly at him at high speed and then biting down, sinking its sharp teeth into his right shoulder.

"Little shit!" Zane yelled as he grabbed the wisp by the neck with his left hand.

It felt as if he had just held his hand into a freezing river, but he didn't let go. He slowly tightened his grip around the creature's neck, feeling the teeth in his shoulder slowly getting pulled out. Once the creature had loosened its jaw enough Zane ripped it off his shoulder, blood flowing out of the wound but he concentrated on it to stop the blood from gushing out of the wound and threw the wisp to the ground. He lifted up his katana and rammed it into the creature's body, where its heart would be. Black blood came gushing out of its wound, but something was wrong. Zane felt a strange feeling on his right shoulder, the katana falling out of his hand because of it.

W-What?

"Zane!" Mira yelled as she came running to him. "Your wound!"

"W-Wound?" Zane asked confused.

When he looked to his right shoulder he noticed the blood gushing out of the bite wound.

But I stopped the blood from . . . right.

Mira opened up her satchel and pulled out a potion with a bright red liquid inside.

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"Here," she said as she handed it to Zane.

He drank the potion, which tasted like an apple but still burned his throat. Zane began coughing.

"T-Than- . . . Thank y-you," he said slowly as he tried to suppress the coughing.

He felt how the wound on his shoulder began to close slowly.

"Are you alright?" Mira asked.

"Don't worry," Zane said.

She slowly nodded.

"Well then, let's continue, I don't want to run into more of them," Zane said.

"Why would there be more of them suddenly?" Mira asked.

"Dunno, but this seems to be their territory, met one of them here a few years ago so who knows when more will arrive," Zane explained.

"Hmm, I guess we should hurry then," Mira said.

The two crossed the bridge, leaving the large tree behind. On the other side of the bridge was a large open field with a few trees here and there, a dirt and gravel path led through it. The path was still a bit muddy from the rain that had stopped just recently so they left deep footprints behind.

I really hope that idiot won't follow us . . . especially now that he has Aura, who knows what he can do.

Zane looked to the right, the sky was in clear view and he could see parts of the ocean that was far below them. And there he could see the end of another spear and he could see something of whitish colour in the water.

No way.

Zane strayed off the path, walking to the edge of the cliff, Mira following him. Waves were crashing against the cliffside.

Must be a hundred or so meters down.

In the water were more of the giant spears and beneath them was a large skeleton that looked like the tail of a snake. Zane followed it with his eyes, seeing that it went all the way back to the mountains surrounding the Alva Valley. "So this thing was even larger than we thought," Mira said. Zane slowly nodded.

How have I never noticed this?

The two looked at the massive skeleton resting in the ocean before Zane suddenly began shaking his head.

"We shouldn't get distracted, let's go," he said calmly.

Mira nodded and the two returned to the path and followed it. The path often bend or went over small hills, making it seem a lot longer than it was. After a short while, they came to the edge of a forest with massive trees, similar to the Duclon Forest which was at the other end of the Alva Highlands.

"W-What is with this forest?" Mira asked.

Seriously how did she get all the way to Hirmal . . .

"Giant territory, the inn is halfway through the forest," Zane said.

"G-Giants?" Mira asked.

"Yeah, although we might come across a few titans as well," Zane said calmly.

But unlike him, Mira didn't seem calm at all. "I-Isn't it dangerous?" Mira asked.

"Why would it be?" Zane asked with confusion in his voice.

"I-I mean aren't g-giants and t-titans barbarians?"

"Who told you that?" Zane asked, trying to suppress laughter.

"W-Well, a cousin of mine said that," Mira said while hiding her face with both hands in embarrassment.

Zane now openly laughed. "Don't worry," he said. "As long as you don't anger them they're pretty nice actually. I know a few of the giants that live in this forest so we're going to be fine."

Mira nodded slowly and followed Zane into the forest. The trees towered above them like mountains, the light of the setting sun shining through the leaves. On their way they came across other travellers, merchants, a few monks that sat on the side of the path and meditated and some of Argider's advocates.

"Please don't," Zane said as he saw them approach.

"Ah, more travellers. How about joining us on our mission to convince the lords of this land to join us?" one of them asked.

Zane shook his head.

In the corner of his eye, he saw how Mira pulled her hood over her face and hid her tails beneath her cloak.

Good.

"Oh come on," the advocate said.

Zane shook his head again.

"Do not be like that good sir," another said. "We are only trying to help you!"

Zane got more and more annoyed. "No!" he said, trying to stay calm.

"I know him, he is an enemy of our church!" one of them suddenly said.

"An enemy, but his eyes, look into his eyes," one of the advocates said. "He does not possess the Aura of any of them, and if he did then our lord must have convinced the wrongdoer to take it away so he himself could bless this man's soul!"

Zane gripped the hilt of his katana.

"Fuck off," he said.

"Now, now, young one. Do not threaten us," the one who had who recognized him said.

Don't you know who I am?

The man removed his robe and revealed a full armour with a white hood instead of a helmet. In one hand he had a long sword with a long blade and a golden hilt and guard, with the other he grabbed a large shield from behind his back.

Of course, they have a paladin with them.

Zane immediately drew his katana.

"Well then Reaper, it seems you do oppose us," the paladin said.

"Paladin Ainsworth is this really necessary?" one of the advocates asked.

"It is, this person, nay, this creature had obtained his powers from the Lord of the Deep! Even if they are gone now his body has been sullied and the only way to help him now is by ending his life so he can be embraced by our lord!" Paladin Ainsworth said.

Is he confusing the gods? I thought Amaia was responsible for the dead.

Zane began laughing. "With you idiots, it's always our lord this, our lord that. Argider is the god of light and illusions, not the god of life and death or even the world! He's useless!" Zane said, finally having had enough of their constant talking.

This might be a good time to try this.

Zane pointed his katana at the paladin who in response began swinging his sword at him.

Perfect.

Zane lifted his left arm and channelled Aura into the gauntlet. The Rune on it began to glow and the air around it became blurry. Sparks appeared when the sword hit against the wall of hardened air.

"W-What? What kind of Aura is this, I thought you said he did not have any Aura," the paladin said to one of the advocates.

"I cannot explain it," he said.

"But even your little tricks shall not save you, all that can save you now is death and hope! Hope that our Lord will forgive your words from before! Hope that he will not brand you a sinner and a heretic!" the paladin screamed.

Zane smiled at him and swung his katana at the paladin's head, who in response ducked down. Zane used that to kick him in the head, sending him flying a few meters.

I didn't expect this thing to work so well, maybe I should look into Runecraft a bit.

"That will not be enough to bring me down, for I am a candidate for our lord blessing.

Well then, let's see how you like this . . . although maybe I shouldn't . . . ah fuck it, I should get used to Witchcraft now.

Zane flipped open his satchel and pulled out a small vial filled with an orange liquid inside. It tasted horrible and burned his throat worse than the healing potion. Something was welling up within him and once he opened his mouth and began to breathe out flames emerged from it. The paladin jumped back but his armour was too heavy to escape Zane fire breath. The other advocates began screaming.

"Stop this at once or we shall kill your comrade!" one of them said.

What?

Zane turned his head, his eyes opened as wide as he could open them, and looked at the advocates with a crazed look full of anger. The paladin used those moments Zane was not looking at him to charge.

A short glance back was enough for Zane to duck down and kick the paladin in the chest, making him fall to the ground. Zane then walked over to him, put a foot on his chest and looked down. He took another vial out of his satchel, this one was filled with a deep black liquid, he opened it and poured it over the paladin's chest plate. The metal immediately began to rust away, giving way for Zane's blade to pierce the paladin's heart. Blood gushed out of the wound.

"Now then, I think you people are next," Zane said coldly.

He slowly walked towards the advocates who had fallen to the ground in fear.

"Is this really necessary?" Mira asked.

"No," Zane said as he lifted up his blade and cut off the head of one of them. "But I still like doing it!"

It took Zane only a few minutes to behead all of them.

"Shouldn't have come to the Alva Highland. This ain't a place where your guys are welcome," he said as he sheathed his blade.

He now noticed that many people were watching them but Zane just ignored them and went over to Mira, grabbed her hand and dragged her along the path.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, sounding slightly saddened.

"I hate the church," Zane responded. "All of them are a bunch of idiots."