The room was silent as Ezekiel stared at the Exalt. He was somewhat confident that the much more powerful man wouldn’t just strike him down for existing. But as a Void Mage that had, technically, absorbed Ichor, he knew that he was currently on a fine line when it came to his survivability.
“I’m starting to regret not stopping you from doing this.” Shine whispered in his head. “I know we agreed that we shouldn’t be lying to your teammates, but this seems like a bit too much of a risk.”
“I know that now, but the Exalt knew we were hiding something. I don’t think we could’ve lied about it.” Ezekiel was sweating at this point. “Besides, I’m sure that the Exalt has an agenda of his own. We’ll just go along with it until we can get out of the Empire again. So long as we can get back on a boat going south, we should be home free.”
Ezekiel was trying his best to ignore the fact that they would either have to pass through Tarquessa, or go through the Empire to the western coast, in order to get back to the Archipelago, but he had more important things to worry about right now.
Exalt Harras had been silent for several minutes as he leaned back in his chair. His Spirit had moved to his lap, and he was petting the shrunken bird shaped Lightning Spirit. Although he wasn’t certain, a part of Ezekiel just knew that this was one of the ways the Exalt tried to calm himself down. The pair were likely conversing mentally to try and figure out what to do with this information.
Finally, after what felt to Ezekiel like an eternity, Exalt Harras opened his eyes. His gaze was deadpan, and his expression was set into a neutral form. But Ezekiel believed that he could see frustration and plotting hiding behind his eyes.
“You get to live. For now.” Ezekiel was elated to hear these words. “But you will be joining the expedition to take out the Broodlord.”
Ezekiel’s heart sank to the floor as he registered the Exalt’s words. This was practically a death sentence in its own right. Any battle that involved Mythics would be barely survivable for Legends. Let alone Adepts. If he ended up in the thick of things, then there was little chance he would be facing anything that wasn’t much more powerful than himself.
“Given your apparent immunity to Ichor, I expect you to help in clearing out certain areas. In particular, any more of those Spines that we might run across.” Exalt Harras grimaced as he thought of something. “We’ve always wondered why, as we got closer and closer to the homes of the various Broodlords, our mana would drain without even being used. Now we know. They likely have more of these structures further in the Desolate Lands.”
“It is unfortunate, but you are likely the only hope we currently have of clearing them out before they have fully entrenched themselves.” Exalt Harras grit out this last part with a glare towards Ezekiel as he said it. “I trust you have no problems with these orders.”
Ezekiel knew that this was not a question. But he did have one concern.
“Of course not, Lord Exalt, sir! But...” Ezekiel trailed off, just in case the Exalt intended to interrupt him. He received a raised eyebrow in reply, so he continued. “What if... what if I can’t fight off whatever it was that tried to kill me. I don’t think I’ll be able to fulfill your orders if that happens.”
“Then you die first, before we retreat if things turn bad.” Ezekiel felt a chill go down his spine at the Exalt’s words. “So, you’d better not fail us.”
“... Understood, sir. Are there any orders for me to fulfill right now?” Ezekiel asked.
“No. Go see your family. They will not be participating, so this will be the last time you see them, unless you return, untainted.” Exalt Harras waved Ezekiel out. “We set out at the end of the week. Be ready.”
Ezekiel said nothing this time. Just nodding as he turned and left the room. The other Hunters had all left to fulfill whatever Guild responsibilities they had. So, Ezekiel left to try and find his parents. He wanted to spend as much time with them as he could right now.
Given that he had received direct orders regarding his next mission, he knew that he couldn’t just run. His contract regarding his pardon wouldn’t allow it. There was also no chance of his family getting away if he deserted either.
“I think you need to worry more about what your family is going to say when they hear about this.” Shine’s words just made Ezekiel pause before holding his face in his hands as he leaned against the wall and groaned. He hadn’t even thought of that, and now, he had one more thing he needed to dread.
----------
----------------------------------------
“Absolutely not!” Ezekiel’s head was bowed as he listened to his father give his opinion on the Exalt’s Orders. “It’s bad enough that you went to the Cruor’s territory as part of your patrol and scouting. But to be brought into the thick of battle between two of the strongest being’s in the world? No. I don’t think so.”
Warren had, for the most part, recovered to the point where he was no longer bed bound. He was still somewhat emaciated from his treatment. Apparently, his recovery required the use of some of his less important mass, but he was walking around and performing light duties in the command center. The duo was currently in one of the small break rooms where Hunters and Mages would eat their meals.
If things went well, then it was likely that he would be recovered enough to take part in the assault at the end of the week. For now, however, there was a great deal of preparation to be made for when the final wave of reinforcements arrived. Apparently, the Exalt had gotten word that an additional contingent of the Empire’s military would be arriving in the next couple of days.
“Your mother has only just started recovering and is still adjusting to the fact that she’s missing an arm.” Warren’s words caused Ezekiel to flinch at the reminder. He had been utterly wroth when he had heard that his mother had nearly been assassinated by the sister of a traitor. “As it is, she won’t be participating in the assault, and if I’m lucky, I won’t be either.”
That brought Ezekiel up short, before he could reply. He had been under the assumption that every Legendary that was in the vicinity was going to participate in the battle. As far as he was aware, there was no exception to this rule for anyone that wasn’t somewhat crippled.
Unfortunately, his mother fell into that category. Although, it was possible that, with her Legendary constitution, she could regrow her arm. But to do so safely would take months of regular care and Life Magic.
“We are going to talk to the Exalt and figure out how to ensure that you will come with your mother and I to our new assignment.” Warren’s declaration was accompanied by him standing up from the chair he was resting in. Theo leapt from his perch on the small coffee table and landed gracefully on Warren’s shoulder.
“Dad, you won’t be able to change the Exalt’s mind! Going to him right now and trying to bargain-- Dad! C’mon; we can’t do this right now!” Ezekiel chased after his father as he left the small break room.
While Warren wasn’t moving that fast, he was still a Legendary Hunter, so there was little Ezekiel could do to hold his father back right now. Especially since he didn’t want to exacerbate any lingering injuries.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, just as they were turning around a corner down the hall from the break room, a familiar figure bumped into Warren. Seeing this, Ezekiel immediately dashed to catch his mother before she could fall to the ground. Reya snarled from the ground where she was following her partner. But calmed down when she saw who it was that had approached.
“Oof!” Evelyn said as she was caught by Ezekiel. She was able to walk around at this point. With the aid of a cane. But she wasn’t supposed to be outside the medical wing of the building.
“Mom!” Honey!”
Both Ezekiel and Warren were worried when they saw Evelyn nearly hit the floor. Warren immediately calmed down, and all thoughts of charging forward to see the Exalt flew from his mind.
For Ezekiel, his eyes couldn’t help but linger for a moment on the loose sleeve at his mother’s side. A part of himself couldn’t help but feel guilty. But that was a feeling that he quickly moved past. There was nothing he could’ve done, and if anything, he had saved his parents from suffering from the initial attack by the Broodlord.
So, instead, he settled for anger, and righteous fury towards the bastards that had prevented her from being able to heal properly. Given that they were connected to agents with ties to the Cult of Light, Ezekiel just added this to the tab of crimes that the Cult would be forced to pay later on.
“If it isn’t my big strong boys... It’s good to finally see you again...” Evelyn’s voice didn’t stutter as she spoke, but it was clear that the walk from the other side of the building had taken up much of her energy. “I heard that you were back... so I wanted to see you... I’m sorry you had to see me like this...”
Unlike Warren, whose complexion had returned to a healthy color that was full of life, Evelyn was much worse off. She was pallid and sweaty as she had clearly exerted herself. Her figure was even more emaciated than Warren, and her mana hadn’t recovered to the full levels that she was known to have prior to her injury.
It would naturally recover over time, but the effects of Ichor within one’s system were devastating under normal circumstances. Let alone when her body had been weakened so as to make the effects more extreme.
“Honey, you shouldn’t be this far from your room. You still need to rest.” Warren’s voice was gentle and caring as he helped Ezekiel hold Evelyn upright. “Let’s get you back to your room. We can talk more there.”
“I’m sorry... I just got excited when I heard that my son was back... Are you okay?... It seemed like you were in a rush...” Ezekiel didn’t answer his mother at first. He didn’t want to worry her. But it was clear she noticed something.
“We’ll talk when we get back to your room. This isn’t something that we should be speaking of in such a public area.” Ezekiel’s words were quiet and firm as he looked around.
Several people had noticed the small commotion that they were making. A couple of the people nearby moved to approach, while some Hunters and Scholars were looking on in curiosity.
He even noticed a glare or two pointed at him. Obviously, some people who knew who he was, and believed the bad rumors about the Void Mage.
But regardless of these people, the one that bothered him the most was the apparent officer with the Exalt’s coat of arms on his uniform. He was sitting in a room with the door open, being treated for a large cut running down his arm.
Ezekiel hadn’t originally noticed anything odd when he had left the break room. Shine, however, had been keeping up a more attentive awareness, and had alerted him of the man a couple seconds ago. Apparently, he hadn’t taken his eyes off Ezekiel and his father for a second. Not until Ezekiel had looked in his direction.
“Unfortunately, I’ve got some bad news.” Warren flinched and Evelyn looked worried.
Internally, Ezekiel could only sigh. He was getting sick and tired of breaking his parent’s hearts.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
----------
----------------------------------------
After returning to Evelyn’s room, Ezekiel explained what had happened to him during his mission. To say that Evelyn was shocked and upset was an understatement. While not as vocal about it as Warren was, Ezekiel still made sure that he knew where the closest healers were in case her condition worsened with the news.
While she hadn’t been in any condition to see him off, Evelyn had been informed of what Ezekiel was doing and where he was not long after waking up. At the time, Warren was still bedridden, and the two had shared a room for a little while as they recovered.
At the time, they had talked a bit about Ezekiel, and how he had grown and matured. They had lamented that they hadn’t been there to see Ezekiel grow and gather his power. How they hadn’t seen him make his breakthroughs and reach an unheard-of level for a Void Mage.
They had been so happy to be reunited with Ezekiel, even if that initial meeting hadn’t been the best. But they had been overjoyed, if concerned, given the conflict with the Cruor, to have him close enough to hold once again. Then the attack occurred, and the three were nearly separated forever.
“I don’t want you to go...” Was all that Evelyn said when Ezekiel finished his summary of what had happened, and what he had been ordered to do. “I just got you back... and we’ve barely spent any time together...”
At the moment, Evelyn was sitting in her bed with the blanket over her lap. Reya sat at her side, nuzzling into her as she idly pets the Legendary Spirit. It seemed like this was helping keep Evelyn calm, but it was clear that she was growing agitated.
To the side, Warren sat next to Ezekiel in a chair that had been brought in for him. Theo rested in his lap, accepting pets and head rubs much like Reya was. Ezekiel stood next to the bed, staying close to his mother, with Shine sheathed at his hip.
“I’m not going anywhere right now, mom. It’ll still be at least a week or so before the expedition to assault the Cruor happens.” Ezekiel held his mother’s hands to try and comfort her. The active woman who would scream and confidently stand firm as she protected her son was nowhere to be seen, and it broke Ezekiel’s heart to see her so weak.
“We can catch up as much as possible before I leave. I won’t be getting any missions, apparently, I’m too important to risk before the assault.” Ezekiel tried to placate his parents. He had indeed been taken off any rosters for missions before the assault. Exalt Harras had a specific use for him, and he wasn’t going to waste this opportunity to push the Cruor back.
“Why is this happening?... I thought that there... wasn’t going to be... a counterattack for some time...” Evelyn was starting to have difficulties breathing, and Warren immediately moved to her side to try and calm her down.
“Breathe, dear, breathe.” Warren rubbed his wife’s back to try and soothe her.
Unfortunately, it seemed like this news was affecting her worse than they had expected, and Evelyn was close to passing out.
“I’m getting a healer, hold her steady!” Ezekiel said as he rushed to the door.
The healer that rushed overtook one look at Evelyn and had Warren and Ezekiel leave the room. It wasn’t until several minutes later that Warren and Ezekiel were able to re-enter. The healer explained to them that Evelyn wasn’t in any condition to do anything strenuous right now, and that she had exhausted herself and nearly suffered an extreme shock to her system.
“I don’t know what the hell you were doing, but if this is how you’re going to act with our patients, then I don’t care about your relationship to her. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” The healer said, much to Ezekiel and Warren’s concern.
“We’re sorry. It’s just that we received some bad news.” Ezekiel said. “I... hadn’t thought that she’d react so poorly to it.”
“What could possibly be so bad that it would elicit a reaction like that?” The healer asked in confusion.
“I’m a part of the conscripted Hunters looking to be pardoned from my exile. But... even though I’m just an Adept, I’ve been included in the expedition to assault the Broodlord’s den.” The healer reeled back in shock at the news. This wasn’t something that anyone wanted to take part in, but it was obvious that there were a lot of Hunters that were going to be forced into it in some way or another.
The Guild Hunters would be going no matter what. It was a requirement of any and all Guild to have their official members take part in expeditions like this. The purpose of the Guilds was to enter the Desolate Lands and fight the Cruor, after all.
But, given the dangers, while Adepts would certainly be present, it was still considered to be a high-risk mission. If the Mythic Hunter, aka Exalt Harras, died in an expedition like this, then it basically meant that all the Hunters would die.
“I see. Well, that’s certainly a shocking piece of news... For the moment, I would say that you can remain with her, unless you have other duties.” Warren and Ezekiel shook their heads. “Then in that case, just know that I’ve knocked her out for the moment. She should wake up in a couple of hours, but the more bedrest she gets at this point, the better.”
“Understood.” The healer nodded his head and left, allowing Warren and Ezekiel to remain. A second seat was also brought in for Ezekiel to use.
The two fell into an uncomfortable silence. Neither knew what they should talk about right now. They had bigger things to worry about.
“I guess your dad’s accepted that you’re going on the mission...” Shine gently said as they tried to comfort Ezekiel. “Neither of them will be going, either, so at least you can take comfort in the fact that they’ll be safe.”
Ezekiel could only sigh internally, conveying feelings of thanks to his Spirit. The fact that his parents would be safe did help him relax. Just a little bit.
----------
----------------------------------------
After Evelyn woke up, to be safe, Ezekiel called one of the healers to have on standby, just in case, but it seemed that, although still opposed to it, Evelyn wasn’t as likely to freak out and go into shock again at the news. Ezekiel still felt horrible, however, and while there wasn’t any way out of his current situation, he could at least take comfort that he did have advantages that other Mages didn’t.
The fact that he seemed to be immune to the effects of Ichor, even when absorbed, was helpful in calming down his parents. Though they did initially freak out when he expanded on what had happened. As begrudging as they were to admit it, there was no denying that Ezekiel was likely the only one who had less than half as many worries as other Mages when it came to fighting the Cruor.
Unfortunately, after a little while, the healers entered on their own, and Ezekiel and Warren were asked to leave so that Evelyn could continue to recover in peace. Warren ended up being called for some additional duties as well, and so Ezekiel was left on his own for the time being. Though he did promise to come by and see his mother again the next day, as well as check in with his father as much as he could.
“I like your parents. I’m happy we got to meet them more this time.” Shine said as they left the building. “It was a shame that we got separated so soon after seeing them that first time.”
“Agreed. I just wish that I could be closer to them. It’s been eight years since I had to live without them, and that’s not including the fact that I already lived an entire life before this one.” While he had never once rejected the fact that Warren and Evelyn were his parents, it would be incorrect for him to say that there was a disconnect in their relationship. Both due to his maturity, and due to his time away from them.
“All the more reason to get through this fully intact.” Shine tried to sound confident, but it was obvious that they still had some worries. “For the most part, our job will be just to hide and make things explode. I don’t think we’ll actually have to take part in any major battles. Not directly, at least.”
“True enough. Though, I do wish that Exalt Harras hadn’t been so heartless with his decision. I was almost starting to like him. He’s obviously not like other nobles. But it’s clear that he still is one.” Ezekiel lamented the fact that Exalt Harras clearly thought of him as a weapon or a tool. He still treated Ezekiel better than the Inquisition, but it was obvious that they still had similar goals.
“Hunter Luminance!” Ezekiel turned with a hand on Shine’s hilt as he focused on the voice that had called out to him.
He was a few streets away from the command and medical center. The Guild’s gathering area was nearby, and he was hoping to meet up with the Wandering Titans. There shouldn’t have been anyone that cared about his presence at the moment.
Seeing the gentleman that Shine had pointed out to him just a few hours prior, Ezekiel did not allow himself to relax in the slightest. While this man didn’t have a visible Spirit nearby, the black hair and eyes denoted him as an Obscure Mage. Any Spirit he might’ve been bonded with could easily be hidden away from sight.
The most disturbing thing, however, was the fact that Ezekiel was unable to sense what Tier the man was at. This was an ability that wasn’t exactly uncommon, but it was also something that you didn’t try to hide unless you were keeping a secret.
“Keep your senses sharp. I want to know if this guy has a Spirit that we need to be wary of. Since he works for the Exalt, I’m hopeful that he isn’t an enemy.” Shine spread their awareness as best they could at Ezekiel’s words, but there was nothing they could find. Not even other people nearby.
“Is this guy a threat? Like you said, he’s wearing the Exalt's coat of arms.” Shine grimaced as they continued to look around, but still found nothing.
“Everybody is a threat. It’s whether or not they’re enemies that really matters. Also, we already ran into a fake coat of arms. For all we know this is just a means of getting us to lower out guard.” Ezekiel glared at the man as he came closer. He twitched his wrist ever so slightly. Just barely drawing Shine from their sheath.
The man stopped approaching, but only appeared to be amused at Ezekiel’s actions.
“Greetings, Hunter Luminance, I have orders from the Exalt to bring you to him. He had a few things he wanted to discuss with you before we began preparing for the upcoming expedition.” The man said. “If you’d kindly come with me, I can bring you to the meeting area.”
“Could this guy be any more obvious with his intentions?” Ezekiel couldn’t believe how cliche this guy was being. While he couldn’t be certain, given everything that had happened to him so far, he did not believe the man in the slightest.
“Hey, if this guy’s the real deal, then his uniform would have actual enchantments on it, right?” Shine directed Ezekiel’s attention to the coat of arms on the man’s chest. “I know the one we got had enchantments on it, but what are the odds that this guy has some as well?”
Ezekiel directed his gaze towards the man’s feet. The hem of his pants was hanging loosely off of his leg. An idea formed in Ezekiel’s mind.
“This might be a risk, but how well can you aim your Void slash?” Ezekiel slowly drew Shine further out of their sheath while also speaking to the man. “That sounds out of character from what I’ve seen of the Exalt. Out of curiosity, are you a Hunter?”
The man looked annoyed at Ezekiel’s words. But other than glancing at Shine, didn’t respond in any meaningful way.
“If you want, you can check my coat of arms yourself. I’m sure that you’ll be able to notice the differences between that fake that you were given and the one that’s on my chest. Also, no, I’m not a Hunter.”
Ezekiel couldn’t help but admire the man’s response. Angling Shine just right, an invisible blade of mana that only Ezekiel and Shine could sense extended outwards. It flew towards the man’s leg, but other than ruffling the hem of his pants, nothing happened.
“No... I don’t think that’s necessary. Besides, I’m confident I can escape any traps you might be setting up.” Ezekiel pushed Shine back into their sheath. At the same time, the man’s attention turned to his foot, having felt the ruffling of his pants.
“Where are we meeting the Exalt?” Ezekiel strode towards the man. “Also, where the hell is everybody? This area isn’t the most crowded, but there should still be people within range of my senses.”
The man turned back to Ezekiel.
“The Exalt will be meeting us at what still stands of the Cathedral. Apparently, there are some tests the Scholars wish to conduct before we set out.” The man turned and headed in the direction of the Cathedral. Ezekiel moved to follow. “As for why everyone is gone. It has to do with the nature of these tests, and the fact that we don’t want anyone overhearing us if we needed to discuss it with you.”
“We?” Ezekiel raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
The man just pointed upwards. As Ezekiel looked up, he saw a small figure flying at an incredible height. A chill went down his spine as he realized that it was obviously a Legendary that was watching over them. An Adept wouldn’t be able to react in time given the distance between them.
“As for the topic... It has to do with Ichor, and that’s all that I’m at liberty to say for now.” The man then put Ezekiel out of his mind. As long as Ezekiel was following him, he didn’t really care what else went on.
“You really need to work on your introductions and invitations. I fully expected you to be some shifty cult conspirator trying to bring me somewhere to kill me off.” Ezekiel’s tone sounded bland and boring. Nothing like what he was feeling right now.
“You don’t think they’re going to try and make us absorb Ichor, do you?” Shine sounded worried as they were brought to near panic at the thought. “That seems like a needless risk!”
Ezekiel couldn’t help but agree. But another part of him knew that it made sense for the Exalt to want to test Ezekiel’s limits before having him act as a primary component of any plans. Especially an assault on the Broodlord’s den.
Another part, small and dark and buried, looked forward to the potential chance to grow more powerful. Though it was mostly offset by the risk that would undoubtedly be involved.