By the time the caravan had reached their first destination Ezekiel had already figured out that something different from the original plan they were told was in place.
For one thing, although they appeared to be in a rush, they had stopped multiple times to ‘clear out’ different areas of Umbral Beasts. For another, it was apparent that the Hunters from the Wandering Titan Guild were far too relaxed to be in as much of a rush as they implied that they would be.
When they rolled up at one of the towns just inside the border of the Harkem territory, Ezekiel was certain that there was a more practical plan in place than to simply hold out in Harkem city and fight defensively. As confusion spread throughout the leisurely set up camp, rather than continuing onwards to Harkem, Garrad once again called the Hunters together for a debrief regarding the situation.
“Alright! So, I’m sure many of you are wondering why we’re setting up camp here for the night, rather than continuing on to Harkem. Quite simply, Harkem is playing bait so that we can do a pincer maneuver that will hopefully kill off enough of the Cruor that we’ll be able to push them back and out of Harkem territory.” Garrad stated, not bothering with sugar coating and getting straight to the point.
There were mutterings and mumblings throughout the assembled Hunters. It seemed like they weren’t too appreciative of the fact that they had been lied to up until this point. But at the same time, it was apparent that many were somewhat relieved that they weren’t going to be entering into a fight right away.
Garrad went on to explain the plan. In order to draw in the forces of the Cruor, they were going to wait until at least a couple of days had passed. With all the reinforcements taking steps to ensure that they were at full capacity when scouting their surroundings.
Currently, only the reinforcements from Gates city were waiting at the border. The rest of the reinforcements were with the Harkem forces that had been seemingly retreating to the west. Thus, the city of Harkem was open, and ripe for the pickings.
Once Garrad received word that the Cruor had begun their attack, they would move out, and hopefully break through the Cruor from the side. Then, once the western forces returned, they would hopefully finish the battle in one fell swoop.
Given that this was a better plan than simply fighting over and over again, until one side overcame the other, the assembled unaffiliated Hunters seemed to fall in line much more easily than before. Though there was still some discontent that was brought up after Garrad finished speaking.
“What are we to do if the Cruor break off their forces and try to attack us here? They have winged ones, so they could easily be spying on us as we speak!” One of the Hunters called out.
“That’s why we’re having our flying Hunters hold rotating shifts for scouting. Even as we speak, nearly a dozen fliers are currently patrolling the area.” Garrad explained. “If any one of them fails to call in within certain time frames, we will immediately go on alert, and prepare the town defenses for an assault. Though we have doubts that they will be able to spy on us. They won’t be able to get any information regardless, since we’ve taken steps to ensure that they believe that we’re resting to recoup ourselves from rushing so quickly and taking out Umbral beasts on the way.”
“What about our time in service?” Another voice called out. “It was six months we had to serve, right? How will that work if the Cruor get pushed out tomorrow?”
“You’ll be reorganized into a militia that will operate inside the Harkem territory. Just because we’ll be pushing the Cruor out if this works, doesn’t mean that they won’t keep trying to come back afterwards. Though hopefully they’ll either stop, or at least lessen their attempts, by the time your contracts are completed.” Garrad said. “And for those of you wondering. Even if we lose, your contracts will still hold you as a militia force that will be stationed along the Harkem border. Alongside the Imperial army, when they show up to kick the Cruor out later on. Any other questions?”
This went on for a little while, with Garrad being clear and concise when addressing all the questions he was asked. Finally, after several minutes of questions and answers, there was silence, for the most part, and it seemed like most of the concerns had been addressed. Then, a question was raised that made Ezekiel’s blood boil.
“Oy, one more question over here. Since everyone else is too chicken shit to ask it!” A rude voice called out from the crowd. Garrad and Ezekiel turned towards this voice, as did most of the Hunters.
“What’s the little Void Mage doing here? I thought this was a force of Hunters, not a trash heap!” The man called out.
Taking a look, Ezekiel saw that the man had gray hair. A Tempest Mage, which was supported by the large silver dragonfly that was wrapped around his right arm. This was surprising, as it was rare that a Spirit took on the form of an insect. Though the thing that surprised Ezekiel the most was the fact that it seemed like everyone that heard his question turned to look at him, instead of the questioner.
It seemed like Garrad was about to speak, hopefully to either berate the man rather than placate him. But Ezekiel wasn’t sure if he wanted that. It was obvious that the Hunters here were aware that he was also a Hunter. He wasn’t exactly subtle when he presented Shine to Garrad, after all.
He couldn't help but glare at the people around him. While he wasn’t the highest Step when it came to Adepts, he was certain that he could take the majority of them on in a one-on-one fight. Taking a closer look at the man that called him out, he noticed that the man was at least two Steps above himself.
This would make things difficult, if it came to a fight, but Ezekiel was almost certain that he could win. The man’s posture was cocky and had barely any discipline in his stance.
Usually, in a place where everyone was preparing for a battle with the Cruor, you would expect a certain degree of professionalism. So, it was likely that this man wasn’t as skilled as Ezekiel. That didn’t mean that he would take the man lightly, but it did mean that he wasn’t too concerned.
“First of all, you’re the one trying to cause trouble, calling everyone here a piece of trash, because what else would be in a trash heap.” Garrad said, causing the man to turn red at the insult as everyone turned to glare at him. “Secondly, that Void Mage has done more than you as a Hunter in the last two months, than you have in the last two years.”
“Bullshit!” The man called out. “Ain’t no way that some stupid Void Mage is better than me!”
“That Void Mage went on his first expedition when he was ten years old. His second when he was twelve, and just recently had to fight his way through the civil war in Tarquessa to get here.” Garrad said. “While you, on the other hand, had to be dragged from the Gates city drunk tank, and were forced to join up or be exiled for being such a shoddy citizen, who isn’t even worth licking the dirt off my boots!”
Most of the Hunters looked at the man with disgust. Many of them were proud of being Hunters that had gotten this far without the aid of a Guild. It was rare that a Hunter could make it like this, and many of them were very interested in the rewards, and gratitude, that they would get for helping Harkem.
There were few who had been forced to join up for the fight. So, the knowledge that one such person was calling out someone who had joined up willingly, for his home city, was just disgraceful in their eyes. Even if he was a Void Mage, and they weren’t sure just what, exactly, he could do.
“How the hell would you know that!” The man yelled, embarrassed by the fact that he had been called out for his drinking and reason for being there.
“I was there when you got arrested, you dumbass. But given how drunk you were it doesn’t surprise me you don’t remember. Though, honestly, I’m not surprised that a disgrace from the Reaching Spires Guild would act like that.” Garrad called out, much to the man’s continuing shock. “Don’t look so surprised. You were ranting about how you once belonged to that Guild when you were wasted. It’s why I was against you being forced to join up. I didn't want one of the men who tried to destroy Harkem coming with us as we’re trying to save it.”
By this point, the man had turned a pale white as the blood rushed from his face. Now, everyone around him was glaring at him, and pressure began to build as many of them looked like they wanted a pound of flesh. The man had officially become a target of distrust, as there were few who knew of Harkem that hadn’t heard of the disgraced Reaching Spires Guild.
Ezekiel found himself in a similar position. He still remembered the Reaching Spires Guild, as well as how they had tried to strong arm his family into giving him away to them. The look on their faces when they had tried to kill him. The fact that they had teamed up with the Cult of Light, and the fact that they had nearly destroyed his home. All in some stupid belief that they were better than everyone else.
“Well, what about him! He’s the little bastard that blew up and entire Ruin! One with a Temple of the Void at that!” The man screamed in a desperate attempt to take attention off of him. One that, much to Ezekiel’s annoyance, actually worked.
“It was the Remnant of the Ancient Void that blew up the Ruins. Not me. Which was a good thing, or a group of wild Rot would’ve been let free.” Ezekiel said in a dead monotone voice. “Though, considering you lot were the ones that thought breaking the defenses that were keeping them sealed away was a good thing, I can see how you would think passing the coin to frame another would be a good idea.”
“There’s no way that’s true! If it was, then you’d never have been exiled in the first place!” The man yelled.
“I was exiled because the Inquisition wanted to have a pet Void Mage that they could use and abuse to milk for Void Magic. I did create the only known workable meditation technique for Void Mages to accumulate mana, after all.” Ezekiel explained. “The fact that I invented the Com-Slates and other artifacts now distributed and supplied by the Church of Ten during my time as a Scholar, also goes to show why the Inquisition would try to get me on trumped up charges. I’m sure I’m not alone in this.”
Several Hunters nodded their heads. Exile was a common punishment for those that opposed the Empire’s nobility. As well as the Inquisition that they funded. Though, it wasn’t always the direct punishment, as it had been for Ezekiel.
Usually, it was something they were forced to do to escape the death penalty, or other horrible consequences that some stupid noble with no sense of morality came up with. If anything, the argument between the disgraced Hunter and Ezekiel was slowly turning in Ezekiel’s favor. Something that they man began to notice.
“So, what!? You mean to tell me that a worthless Void Mage, who can’t even use magic, is going to be of help in this battle? You’ll probably be one of the first to die! If not, then whoever’s teamed up with you certainly will!” The man accused. “Compared to you, I’m still more valuable than-”
FLICK!!!
The man was cut off as he went tumbling backwards. An invisible impact had thrown his head back with a force that nearly snapped his neck. He flipped onto his rear, causing his Spirit, that had been resting until this point, to unravel from his arm, and began buzzing furiously at Ezekiel. The man blearily looked towards Ezekiel in confusion, not understanding what had happened.
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On Ezekiel’s part, he had a hand held out with a finger pointed at the man in front of him. In front of everyone here, though almost too fast for them to see, Ezekiel had thrown out his hand, and flicked his finger in the man’s direction. Reinforcing his hand and using a slightly altered Void slash to instead throw the force of his finger forward, to cause the impact on the man’s head.
Everyone else was also staring back and forth between the two. No one here was aware of just what Void Magic could do, beyond the reinforcement that the few Void Mages that had reached Tier one over the last few years had demonstrated.
Just then, glass-like armor seemed to appear around Ezekiel’s arm as he withdrew his sword. A blank white silhouette was reflected in it. This was a trick that Ezekiel and Shine had come up with to show off their status as a Hunter, since Shine was otherwise stuck in a sword.
“If you want to talk about value as a Hunter, draw your blade. I’ll show you my worth on the battlefield, as a Hunter is meant to.” Ezekiel declared.
Furious and embarrassed, the man accepted without issue, and the assembled Hunters moved out of the way to make room. Off to the side, Garrad could only sigh in helplessness, knowing that if he stopped this, tensions and concerns would only continue to rise. Helping Ezekiel now would just show favoritism in the eyes of the Hunters. It was better for Ezekiel to prove his worth.
“No killing, or I’ll kill the killer afterwards.” Garrad declared as he gave a final warning to the two duelists. He then walked away with the others to make room.
As Ezekiel and the man stood face-to-face, just a few dozen feet apart, the onlookers were expecting one of two things, either a one-sided beatdown, with Ezekiel losing, or a relatively good fight where Ezekiel came out on top after struggling for a bit. This was mainly believed since they didn’t know what tricks Ezekiel might bring to bear.
They were surprised to see the former assumption was correct, but not in a way they expected.
As Ezekiel and the man began to fight, it seemed like Ezekiel’s assumptions about the man’s fighting ability were correct. It was obvious that the man was powerful, in his own right, but was clearly either out of practice, or was taking things too easily.
So, Ezekiel decided not to bother holding back. He jumped behind the man and swung the flat of his sword across the man’s head as hard as he could without splattering his skull like a watermelon. He hit the floor like a sack of bricks, and Ezekiel had to dodge out of the way of his Spirit’s angry assault.
But Ezekiel just jumped again, and this time hit the Spirit with his Disruption Spell, which caused the Spirit to scream in pain before it also collapsed into a twitching heap. Turning from his downed opponents, Ezekiel raised an eyebrow in Garrad’s direction, while everyone else just looked on in shock.
“Are you sure you want this man to fight with us?” Ezekiel asked.
Garrad just looked on in silence as well. Not expecting the boy that he had had to defend eight years ago to have gotten so strong. As the disgraced Reaching Spires Hunter was taken from the field with his Spirit, and brought to the healers, Garrad couldn’t help but feel concerned at what was likely to happen in the next few days.
At the same time, as he was walking away towards the evacuated town, Ezekiel couldn’t help but shiver as a familiar bad feeling spread through his body. Glancing at Shine, who was now in their sheath, he received confirmation. It seemed like something bad was coming for them. Something that meant staying in this town for any longer than necessary would be fairly bad for their wellbeing.
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Regardless of his bad feelings regarding the situation, Ezekiel knew that he couldn’t actually do much about it right now. If he simply ran away, his bond with Shine would be severed. So, he knew that he would need to figure out how to protect himself while he remained with the reinforcements.
Something that was slightly easier due to his relationship with Garrad. Though there was some discontent from the Captains that were brought in. Ezekiel may have proven himself to the Hunters thanks to his bizarre fighting prowess. But regardless, it didn’t mean that he was going to be believed when he mentioned something bad was going to happen.
“What exactly do you want me to do right now?” Garrad ultimately asked when he was approached by Ezekiel. “It’s not as if we can leave right now. We still have at least one more day before the plan is meant to begin. If we head out now, then it would potentially give the Cruor a chance to retaliate and prepare themselves for our arrival. That’s also only if I can convince the other Guild Leaders to go with it, along with the various Captains that are also leading teams, and you heard their disbelief when you spoke to me earlier. Even if they don’t spread the word, they certainly won’t support you.”
“I understand.” Ezekiel said. “I’m not asking you to head out early. But I am asking if you can get me out of the city until we have to head out. Maybe form a Vanguard team and make me a part of it. I have stealth capabilities, so you could send me out as a regular scout.”
Garrad paused when he heard that Ezekiel had stealth capabilities. Even if all they did was prevent him from being seen, it would be a great boon to the scout teams. The Winged Cruor scouted from the sky, so that means that they mostly operated with their vision.
“Show me.” Garrad said, and Ezekiel lifted Garrad’s tea from the table. His eyes widened as Ezekiel’s presence seemed to disappear from the room. But the teacup stayed floating in the air. Garrad immediately spread his senses through the ground, and only relaxed when he could feel Ezekiel’s weight on the ground. “Interesting...”
The Guild Leader trailed off in thought, but it seemed like he was still concerned. Suddenly sending one of their non-fliers out of the town for scouting was a change in the plan that was discussed between the various Guild Leaders. But at the same time, he knew that Ezekiel wasn’t the kind of person to ask something like this without a good reason.
“Come here.” Garrad said, standing up and moving to the other side of the desk he was seated at. As Ezekiel approached, he held out a hand and placed it on Ezekiel’s neck. “Tell me, exactly, why you think you need to leave the town. Leave nothing out and tell the truth.”
So, Ezekiel did just that. He explained every previous time that he’d had this feeling before. The times that he had predicted a catastrophe before. How he had run into the Cult of Light when he had ignored it last. As well as the fact that the feeling seemed to fade, ever so slightly, when he started making attempts to leave the town.
Throughout it all, Garrad’s face was stone, but he knew that Ezekiel was telling the truth. Both about the previous times this feeling had come up, and the fact that his premonitions in this case were directing him to leave the city.
Coming to a decision, he pulled out a sheet of paper with Runic inscriptions that Ezekiel recognized as the bindings for a contract. But this one was blank. Garrad began filling it out, and Ezekiel knew that he was being given a chance. Though, depending on the conditions, he still might not take it.
“One more question. Will this affect our position as reinforcements?” Garrad asked. “This is not an attempt to simply run away while all of us are left to die, is it?”
“...I don’t know. All I know is that whatever this danger is, it’s after me. So, if anything, the chances are higher that you can avoid the problem if I’m not here.” Ezekiel said. “I can’t guarantee anything, however. Not even whether or not I’m going to survive, even with this.”
“If anything does come here, looking for you, I am pointing them in your direction.” Garrad said. “That said, so long as you either ensure you aren’t caught, or at least ensure that you die if you do get caught, I guess that I can send you early.” Garrad said. “To make up for how we failed you eight years ago.”
With this, the two men shared a look of guilt. Garrad, as he remembered the young boy he had watched be exiled, when he was supposed to protect him. Ezekiel, for bringing up such memories, and because he knew that there was nothing that Garrad and Gerome could do at that time. The nobility and Inquisition just weren’t forces that they could defy.
“Thank you. But please understand that I know it wasn’t your fault, or your Guild’s.” Ezekiel said. Taking the contract that Garrad had written up, he knew that there wasn’t anything on it that would guarantee his death. There was even an escape clause that would allow him to deviate his path from Harkem if external forces did indeed come after him. “I’ll see you at Harkem. But prepare yourselves. Whatever is after me will be here before night falls.”
As soon as he signed the contract, Ezekiel felt another binding on his soul. Turning to Garrad, he nodded in thanks before Jumping across the town. Turning on his Shroud, Ezekiel ran as fast as he could, avoiding the Hunters and Mages that were reinforcing the area as he did.
He needed to move, and move fast, if he wanted to get to Harkem before the battle began. But he’d gone farther on foot than this before. Though he did hope that the reinforcements weren’t troubled by whatever was coming. If he was right, then it was likely that whatever it was that he was sensing would be there within the next few hours.
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A couple of hours after Ezekiel had left, Garrad was standing vigilant at the walls of the town, facing towards the west. While Ezekiel couldn’t tell where the danger was coming from, the eastern and northern walls of the city were already heavily reinforced. This was because those were the directions that faced the Cruor’s most direct presence.
Also, Ezekiel had mentioned that most of the dangerous omens he had gotten resulted in attacks by the Cult of Light. Thus, it was likely that, if it was the Cult, the danger would be coming from the west. So, he, and the few captains that trusted him utterly, as well as one other Guild Leader that owed him a favor, were stationed as part of the skeleton crews that were stationed on the western walls.
“Are you sure we can trust this source of yours?” The other Guild Leader asked. She was a woman with green hair and eyes. A Life Mage with a grass mouse Spirit that was sitting in her hair. “We’ve received no reports, and no updates from our contacts. Not that standing guard is such a big pain in the ass, but it does mean that I’m not going to bed as early as I’d like tonight.”
Garrad sighed as he listened to the complaints. She wasn’t the only one that had come to him with their concerns regarding this. But none of them had experienced what he had when it came to Ezekiel. So, for right now, he was willing to deal with the complaints.
Though he would be having words with Ezekiel if there turned out to be nothing. Getting compensation for that contract would also be something he would be asking for.
“The source is someone I trust, Nonette. Though I’ll admit that their proof was lacking.” Garrad explained. “It’s not like it’s costing us that much. We’re Legends. We could stay awake for several days, if we wanted.”
“I’m still surprised you went along with this. Contracts like that might not be too expensive for a Legendary Hunter, but it’s not like they’re cheap.” Nonette said. “But at least you took steps to ensure that our plans won’t be in jeopardy. The other Hunters can’t even complain, since there’s very few people that have whatever abilities that kid has. Even in other elemental forms.”
“Indeed. Though, I can’t say I did it all for logical reasons.” Garrad said. “A weight has been lifted from my shoulders, though, so hopefully, after whatever shows up leaves, I’ll be able to sleep at least a little bit easier.”
Nonette didn’t reply. Instead, she just frowned. She never liked seeing her friend like this. Even if they were from different Guilds. A part of her hoped that Garrad’s trust wasn’t misplaced, but she couldn’t hold back her doubts. The fact that she didn’t want trouble coming for them at such a precarious time was also a factor that made her hope that Garrad’s information was wrong.
Unfortunately for her, it seemed like whatever danger had been predicted, was in fact true.
“Guild Leader! Incoming from the west! Six figures. I-I can’t-they’re so fast!” One of the captains that was with them called out in shock.
Garrad immediately fell into a defensive stance, as did Nonette, with both donning their Spirit Armor. He could already tell, if there were six figures that one of his Adepts couldn’t follow, that meant that there were six Legendaries that were coming towards them. That was as many Legendaries as were present with the reinforcements right now.
If it came down to a fight, the reinforcements might win, just from sheer numbers, but it was possible that they’d kill Garrad and Nonette before the rest could be called up to help.
Suddenly, six flashes of light appeared in front of Garrad, Nonette, and the assembled Adepts. Two were clad in golden armor, while the rest were clad in silver, blue, orange-brown, and red. These weren’t numbers that they could face right now.
For a moment, they had a standoff. The presence of the six new Legendaries pressed down on the Guild members on the wall, but it seemed like the Cultists were more curious than furious right now.
“Where is the Anathema?” One of the golden clad Hunters asked. “And how did you know we would be here?”
Garrad swallowed nervously. He could tell, if Ezekiel was here right now, he would have no choice but to hand him over. There would be no chance of them having a fight for one random Adept. Not when the Cruor were currently invading. Though this would be certain to land a blow to the Cult of Light’s reputation. Potentially even lowering whatever influence they still had in the Empire.
“Ezekiel isn’t here. He left for Harkem several hours ago. But only after, he came to me with a warning of an approaching danger. One that was coming directly for him. Hence why I am here.” Garrad said to the apparent leader of the Cultists. “If you are looking for him, I would suggest you go now. Our forces are needed to fight the Cruor. Unless you wish to fight us and aid the Cruor in the process.”
“You dare-!” The Flame Hunter yelled but was cut off by a hand to the back of his head.
“Enough! Move out, to the north. We need to kill the Anathema before it reaches Harkem.” The golden clad Hunter said. “Keep low. We can’t alert the Cruor of our presence. It would affect the plans to push the Cruor out of the Empire.”
The grumbling Flame Hunter moved with the rest of the Cultists. They flew off in beams of light, and as Nonette and Garrad forced themselves to calm down, the rest of the Guild Leaders arrived. Along with several dozen Adepts.
As Garrad and Nonette were grilled on the details of what had happened, Garrad once again felt guilty for what he had done. Once more Ezekiel was being pushed in front of a carriage. All for the sake of his Guild. Only this time, he was the one who pushed.
Looking to the north, Garrad could only pray that Ezekiel was strong enough to survive. He truly wanted to make it up to him.