Galwit trudged behind the tall figure. They had been moving mostly nonstop since arriving at this infernal place, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t done nothing.
Galwit had been put through his paces and taught many different things normally outside of the range of someone from a Tier 2 Kingdom. Some of the lessons he had learned he was sure were more profound than could be found in the entire empire he was part of, but without having a reference, he wasn’t sure.
All he knew was that his foundations had been shored up more than he had imagined possible.
The tall Masked Man wasn’t much for small talk for all that he taught Galwit. He was methodical in his lessons, and oftentimes there was immediate practical application for said lessons, but Galwit still knew nothing about the man other than he was very powerful and driven.
At first, Galwit had been too preoccupied with learning new things and the new environment to pay attention to their surroundings too much. The different flavor to the Mana was more subtle than he had expected. With a name like the Abyss, he had assumed everything would have a brutal tinge to it.
That hadn’t really been the case, though. Other than what Galwit referred to as a crimson streak permeating just beneath the surface level of the ambient Mana, there wasn’t too much of a difference between the Veridical and Abyss Realms.
Eventually, he had come to grips with his situation and caught up enough on his foundations that he was able to pay better attention. It had seemed like the Masked Man was taking a meandering, random route, but after years of traveling and fighting Abyssal monsters, it would have been strange if Galwit hadn’t realized they had a consistent direction of travel.
The Masked Man would sometimes go entire Regions out of his way in the path, but it always inevitably led back to the same main path. Galwit had obviously asked about it, but his companion had only told him it was the appropriate way to get to their destination.
Galwit understood that he meant it was the optimal path for Galwit’s progress. Their route led them to multiple Dungeons in each Region, and it was always just within Galwit’s capabilities to successfully solo.
He wouldn’t have been able to accomplish half of the delves he did without the training from the Masked Man, and he was infinitely grateful for the opportunity. He didn’t understand why the Masked Man was treating him so well, though, and he wouldn’t speak on the subject other than he had promised to change his fate.
Galwit didn’t entirely believe the mysterious figure, though. He had practically been kidnapped from everything he knew and thrust into a completely unfamiliar Realm. There had to be more to it, but, again, the man was silent on the subject.
Not everything was rainbows and roses, though. Every now and then, the Masked Man would call a halt to their journey, and he would be wracked by painful, bloody coughs for days, unable to do anything other than hunker down and wait for the fit to pass.
The first time it had happened, Galwit had been scared that he would be forever lost in this unfamiliar Realm. He didn’t know what was happening, and the only warning he’d had was to watch over him for a while. That wasn’t exactly insightful instructions.
It had become a common enough occurrence, though, that Galwit just took it in stride. From the context of their very first conversation several years ago, Galwit assumed the man had suffered grievous internal injuries for his meddling with the strands of fate. The man had said there was always a price to be paid.
The climate of the Regions in the Abyss Realm were almost identical to those in the Veridical Realm. The underlying nature of the Mana made the monsters and beasts more aggressive and ferocious, but it didn’t strengthen them compared to their Veridical counterparts.
There were also different types of mundane monsters and creatures to be found in the wild. Imps and packs of hellhounds replaced goblins and orcs. The hellhounds weren’t smarter than the imps like orcs were to goblins, but they were much more dangerous, and they were extremely well coordinated among their packs.
The Masked Man mostly kept them to Tier 1 and 2 Regions the first year Galwit followed him, but as he grew in strength and knowledge, the man steadily increased the level of the zones they traversed.
In recent months, they had been traveling exclusively in Tier 3 Regions. They skirted major hubs of civilization for the most part, but they weren’t completely isolationist. Sometimes the Masked Man even had them travel with convoys.
The nature of the citizens of the Realm was naturally a bit more violent than found in the Veridical Realm, but Galwit quickly adapted. Anytime they entered a town or joined a group of any kind, be it a caravan or traveling Party, the first thing Galwit would have to do is stand up to a challenge.
The posturing wasn’t for any reason of jockeying for leadership or to win the favor of a girl or something. It was purely because the people in the Abyss Realm grew up with a more violent streak. Even after putting down a challenge, Galwit would still often find himself in a confrontation with others over the smallest issues.
There had even been one instance where a shopkeeper wouldn’t sell him any supplies until they had punched each other in the face. The man hadn’t outright told Galwit to fight him. He had just been snide, insulting, and refused to talk business with Galwit at all. Galwit had been around long enough to understand the culture, though, so he didn’t feel bad sucker punching the man in the face.
They had knocked over several displays and made a complete mess of the man’s shop, but the shopkeeper had ended the fight with a grin from ear to ear. He couldn’t have been happier.
Even after living in the Abyss Realm for several years, the casual attitude towards violence was still foreign to Galwit.
Galwit knew it wasn’t because of the ambient Mana. He had been immersed in it just as much as anyone else, and it hadn’t affected his personality. The culture was just different. Galwit didn’t know what to make of that information, though, and he didn’t know if he even needed to figure it out.
From what the Masked Man had told him, he assumed he wasn’t going to live the remainder of his days in the Abyss Realm. He just didn’t know when or where they would move back to his home Realm. Even though he was descended from warriors from the Abyss, that didn’t mean he had any interest in permanently migrating back to his ancestral Realm. All of his friends and family were still in the Veridical Realm, after all, and their goal was to fully integrate into the Veridical Realm while maintaining their heritage.
After months of traveling through various Tier 3 Regions, occasionally stopping to Delve some of the relatively weaker Dungeons, the Masked Man finally led them into a Tier 4 Region. Another thing Galwit had learned about the Abyss Realm was that the Region makeup was almost identical to the Veridical Realm.
The Masked Man had idly let slip that he was even more knowledgeable than that when he revealed that there were a couple of neighboring Realms that had vastly different systems regulating the ambient Mana, but he hadn’t gone into details. Galwit had wondered just how many Realms the mysterious figure had traversed.
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In all their time together, he had never seen the man take action. He only knew he was powerful for two reasons. First, and most obvious, as the subtle aura emanating from the man. The second reason was more subtle but simultaneously more profound. Nothing tried to bother the man.
The Masked Man hadn’t had to deal with so much as a single rude comment from any of the locals, and none of the monsters Galwit had been pitted against had given the man a second glance. Galwit had even seen more powerful monsters turn tail and flee in the distance. They had obviously been the more intelligent variants, and they didn’t want anything to do with either of them, though Galwit knew it had nothing to do with his own prowess.
They mostly traveled straight through the wilderness of the Regions, but upon entering the Tier 4 Region, the Masked Man steered them to the main highway leading to the capital. Galwit was curious about the change, but he was just told it led to their destination when he asked.
Galwit assumed they were heading to the capital city of the Tier 4 Region, but that turned out to not be the case. After several days of walking on the highway, the Masked Man turned off onto a less traveled road. There were weeds and other signs of neglect along the roadway.
Eventually, the battered road led them to a small, walled city. A banner sporting a crimson dragon on a black background fluttered in the wind from the center of the city.
The city wasn’t among the largest Galwit had seen, but it was definitely more than a town. A pair of heavily armored soldiers stood guard in front of the city gates, more guards patrolled the ramparts.
There was no line of people waiting to get inside.
Galwit looked around curiously as they approached the city. The guards didn’t try to stop them, and they simply saluted the Masked Man as they were allowed entry.
“Rex!” They called out in greeting.
The Masked Man was obviously well known to these men. Galwit glanced at the tall figure, wondering at the way the guards had addressed him. “Rex” was most likely not his name, as the level of respect in their voices led him to believe they wouldn’t just shout his name in greeting, but “Rex” was an unfamiliar title to him.
The Masked Man led them straight to the central administrative building. Along the way were multiple squads of heavily armored soldiers. They gave off a baleful aura, but it wasn’t tinged with the familiar Abyssal fluctuations.
“Rex!” People all around stopped and bowed to the tall man as they passed. Everyone without exception greeted him when they saw him pass, even if they were further away than Galwit would assume warranted an actual greeting.
The Masked Man was apparently extremely well respected in this city.
The Masked Man led Galwit to the central fortress. The guards allowed the man immediate entry, and Galwit was led to the main petition chamber. A man only several years older than Galwit sat upon a simple throne. It wasn’t impressive enough to raise any eyebrows from the local rulers, but it made a statement: This man was a noble, and this was his land.
“Ahh, Benefactor!” The man’s eyes lit up at the sight of the Masked Man. He stood up and gave a short bow after approaching the pair. The rest of the conversation in the room stilled as everyone turned and bowed to the Masked Man.
“Is it finally time?” The noble excitedly asked. He was practically bouncing on his feet.
The Masked Man shook his head.
“Sadly, no,” he replied. “The time isn’t quite right, but I did pick up a stray.” The Masked Man gestured to Galwit.
He was surprised to be referred to as a stray, but he kept a neutral face. He was a prince himself, so he gave a slightly deeper bow to the man than he had proffered to the Masked Man.
“He’s actually one of yours,” the Masked Man continued. Both the noble and Galwit looked at him in surprise. “His ancestors once served your ancestors, millenia ago.”
“Really? Are you sure?” The noble asked skeptically.
“Do not forget my specialty,” the Masked Man retorted. “Even now I can sense the faintest of connections between the two of you. He will make an excellent guide and advisor for you in the future.”
“Then he’s…” The noble looked at Galwit with surprise and… anticipation? Galwit was confused about the man’s reaction.
“Yes,” was the simple reply.
“Excellent, excellent,” the noble man exclaimed. “What’s your name?”
“Galwit, my lord,” Galwit replied.
“A pleasure to meet you, Galwit. My name is Malylin, and I welcome you to our humble home.”
“Thank you, my lord,” Galwit gave another short bow. He glanced curiously at the masked man, but he wasn’t paying attention to Galwit, so he couldn’t glean the man’s intentions, yet.
“We must prepare a feast in honor of your visit, Benefactor!” Malylin exclaimed.
“That won’t be necessary,” the Masked Man shook his head. “I’m on a tight schedule, and I have places to be. I can’t stay.”
“Not even for one night?”
“No, I must be off immediately. Once this conversation is over, I’m leaving.”
“I see,” Malylin said, wilting slightly. “It is as it must be, though. One of these days you’ll have to let me hold a proper celebration in your honor.”
Even though the Masked Man hadn’t shared any personal information with Galwit, they had been together constantly for several years. Galwit had learned to pick up on the slight mannerisms of the man to gauge his mood.
He was distinctly uncomfortable at the mention of being properly honored. Galwit had no idea what that was about, but it wasn’t his place to pry.
The Masked Man finally turned to Galwit and looked at him properly. Galwit could see the weight hidden in the man’s eyes. The Masked Man placed a large hand on Galwit’s shoulder. His hand completely engulfed Galwit’s shoulder.
“You’ll be treated well here,” he said. “I’ve taught you what you need to know and introduced to you what you needed to be introduced to. Everything else will rely on your own hard work and dedication.”
“Wait, I’m staying here?” Galwit finally put the pieces together.
“Of course. Why do you think we’re here? The entire meandering journey we’ve taken has been to deliver you here with your current foundation. These are ancient allies of your ancestors, and they’ll be able to help you get what you want.”
“I see,” Galwit said. He hesitated for a moment before giving a deep bow to the large man. “I thank you for the opportunity you’ve given me. It was a bit unorthodox, and I resented you for a long time, but I see that this journey was necessary for me to achieve my family’s goals.
“I will forever be in your debt.”
“None of that, now,” the Masked Man waved his gratitude away. “I’ve only upheld my end of the bargain for basically kidnapping you. I have my own selfish reasons for doing what I’ve done, and with this, we’re even. There is no debt between the two of us.”
Galwit straightened up and stared at the large man for a few seconds before nodding.
“As you wish,” he said. “There is no debt.”
There was a palpable release of tension Galwit hadn’t known had existed between the two of them. The Masked Man didn’t move or make any sound, but Galwit could have sworn the man had sighed in relief upon hearing the words. There seemed to be just a little less weight held in the man’s eyes.
“So that’s that, then?” Malylin asked.
The Masked Man glanced back at the noble and nodded his head.
“I must continue my journey. There’s still much to be done, and the time for getting it done is getting less and less.”
Galwit’s eyes widened in realization.
This man has important business to be about, and he wasted years just to train me and get me here, he thought.
The Masked Man seemed to notice the change in Galwit’s demeanor. He once more looked at him and shook his head.
“You haven’t delayed me,” he said. “It’s all part of the calculation.
“That being said, I cannot linger even a moment longer. Good day.”
With that, the Masked Man inclined his head to the room in general, turned about, and left.
Galwit felt a wide range of emotions course through his being as he watched the man depart. It was true that he had snatched Galwit up on this journey without even asking, but he had grown to rely on the man. Even if he was mostly self-sufficient after shoring up his foundations, the Masked Man had always been an invisible strength he knew he could rely on in an emergency.
Just like that, years of what he had become accustomed to was turned on its head. He looked back at Malylin, appraising the young nobleman. The nobleman in turn faced Galwit after the Masked Man left the room.
He clapped Galwit on the shoulder with a smile on his face.
“Fear not,” he said. “If the Benefactor said we’re ancient allies, then we’re ancient allies. We’ll do as he said and take care of you.
“Before we figure all of that out, though, let’s get you settled. You’re going to be staying here for a while, so you’ll need to get acquainted with everyone and how we do things. We’ll speak more tonight. Just because the Benefactor couldn’t stay for a celebratory feast doesn’t mean we can’t have one on our own, anyway.”
The nobleman laughed and Galwit found himself chuckling along with him. The man had a certain charisma about him that had nothing to do with the Stat.
It’s just another abrupt change to my entire way of life, Galwith thought. No big deal. It’s not the first time it’s happened.