~ Jasper ~

The following morning, Jasper walked into the local barracks sporting a slight migraine. When he arrived in Rosemary, he was expecting a somewhat relaxing stay where he used his time to search for information. However, in that regard meeting Dioica turned out to be both a blessing and a curse, the latter of which was on full display the previous evening with the bureaucrats. At the end of it all, he slept like a rock.

While he was willing to sleep on the floor, Dioica had insisted that he at least take the couch, and by that point in the night he was too tired to argue over it. By the time he fell asleep, Hazel still hadn’t returned from her excursion, though after he woke up Dioica reassured him that she had in fact come home eventually. While he was reassured by the fact she didn’t get hurt the previous night, he couldn’t help but worry that she was still upset today, and that it would lead her to doing something rash.

Jasper looked around the mess hall in the barracks. He could immediately tell that there wasn’t a lot of upkeep going on, as there weren’t very many soldiers sitting at the unpainted wooden tables around the room and they all seemed like they hadn’t slept at all. It also seemed like the entire room hadn’t been cleaned in months, as the tables were covered in stains from old food, and each smelled lightly of rotten eggs. Seeing no other choice, Jasper took a seat at the closest table and begun waiting.

While he was the one that had come up with the plan, the local guard captain was the one in charge of executing the greater operation, as Jasper would be busy keeping the attention of the orc tribe directly on him. The plan wasn’t scheduled to start until mid-morning, so Jasper was busy waiting alongside all the other soldiers despite being the lynchpin of the plan.

“Hey there,” a voice interrupted his thoughts.

Jasper looked up to see a young soldier, only a couple years older than him, looking at him with a grin.

“I haven’t seen you around these parts before,” the soldier continued, “You just visiting? We’ve got something going down today, so it’s going to be pretty busy.”

Jasper held out his hand professionally, his hand remaining neutral.

“I’m Reishi. I’ll be assisting today.”

The soldier’s eyes widened.

“You’re Reishi?” he repeated, “I thought you’d be a bit older, to be honest.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” Jasper replied nonchalantly.

“My name’s Lamb,” the soldier introduced, “I guess I should welcome you to the Rosemary guardhouse, though as you can see it’s not the most comfortable environment.”

“You say that like you’ve been to others,” Jasper commented.

“I’m, uh, not actually from Rosemary,” Lamb admitted, “I’m actually from Lavender, the capital of Argentis. I was sent here a year ago by my superior for ‘training purposes.’”

“Is that common around here?”

Lamb shook his head.

“No, most of the soldiers here are residents. Many are actually volunteers. Rosemary was having a goblin crisis about a year ago, and I think my superior just wanted to send anyone down here to help, mostly just to say that he did. He’s the type who tries to move up the ranks with the minimum effort possible. I suppose I just drew the short stick on this one.”

“Do you miss your hometown?” Jasper asked.

Lamb looked away.

“I had a girl, you know? We were talking about getting married, and then I got assigned here. Just a few weeks ago I got a letter from her saying she found another guy and that I should move on.”

Jasper winced. While he had never dated back home, he knew secondhand how difficult it was to break off those kinds of relationships, and he knew firsthand how difficult it was to lose someone that he considered family.

Lamb sighed and turned to face Jasper.

“Enough about me, though,” he concluded, “Tell me about yourself, Mr. Reishi. Other than your name and your supposed skills we haven’t heard a word about you around here. Heck, there’s even a rumor floating around that you’re not all you’re cracked up to be. So, what say you?”

Jasper rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

“Well, I don’t really have much of a story,” he began, “For the last three years I was training under the swordsman Lingzhi Goldbreeze, until he passed away about a month ago. Then I came here.”

“Lingzhi Goldbreeze?” Lamb repeated, “He’s a legend! I wouldn’t call being his last apprentice ‘not much of a story’.”

“He was an old hermit when I met him. I bet he was pretty rusty by the time I started.”

“Still,” Lamb insisted, “His technique was still impeccable, wasn’t it?”

Jasper smiled a bit in response.

“It was,” he conceded, “The man moved as gracefully as a dancer but as deadly as a viper. I always wondered if I was capable of half of what he was.”

Jasper closed his eyes in thought.

“He was telling me that I was pretty close to his level before he died, but I don’t think I’m capable of many of the things I saw him do.”

“He was the master of Wind Step, right?” Lamb inquired, “What was it like?”

Wind Step, apparently, was the name of Lingzhi’s wind-based technique where he sped up his body by propelling it with wind magic.

“I didn’t see him do it very much. He showed me a couple of times for short periods, and I saw him do it one time in battle. Still, it was a sight to behold.”

Jasper sighed in blissful reminiscence.

“It was as if the air itself became his ally. I wasn’t particularly close at the time, but I could still feel the wind change direction around me and move toward him. His already quick maneuverability became a blur, and what grace his style had disappeared and his movements became fierce yet efficient, focused more on defeating his enemy than keeping his form steady.”

“Holy crap,” Lamb breathed, “Can you do it too?”

Jasper shook his head.

“I don’t have wind affinity,” Jasper admitted, “I couldn’t do it even if I wanted to.”

“What affinity are you, then?”

Jasper held out his right arm to his side, and immediately Formed his sword. Lamb’s jaw dropped, his eyes wide with shock.

“What in the world was that?” Lamb exclaimed, “Your sword just…appeared! As if it was always there, and yet you didn’t have it just a minute ago!”

“It’s called Formation,” Jasper explained, “Apparently it’s a form of extra-elemental magic that allows me to create solid objects so long as I continuously feed magic into them.”

Jasper brought his sword toward Lamb.

“This is the sword that Master Lingzhi wielded,” Jasper described, “Well, I suppose it’s nothing more than a copy. The original broke in two around the time he died, and I buried it with him.”

“Still, it’s a beautiful recreation,” Lamb praised, “I would never have been able to tell the difference.”

Realizing something, Lamb looked up at Jasper excitedly.

“You said this magic was extra-elemental, though? I thought that was a myth!”

Jasper sighed in exasperation.

“Yeah, apparently it was. But Master Lingzhi seemed pretty certain when he saw it.”

Stolen novel; please report.

“How did you even figure out how to do it?”

“Accident,” Jasper replied flatly.

“Oh, come on, don’t give me that,” Lamb insisted, “Give me more details!”

However, at that moment a call interrupted their discussion, which Jasper silently thanked.

“Attention, everyone!” the voice yelled.

Jasper turned his attention to the front of the room, seeing a man in uniform standing tall. It was safe to assume that this was the captain they were waiting for. Jasper could immediately see how he became captain; he had an intimidating and commanding presence that demanded respect, and his build indicated that he was quite experienced in combat as well.

“I will now go over the plan for today’s attack on the nearby orc tribe,” the captain announced, “But first, I would like to introduce a guest and the centerpiece of our strategy. He is a traveler who happened to be in Rosemary yesterday and offered to help with the hostage crisis. Reishi, will you please stand?”

Somewhat uncomfortably, Jasper rose. He immediately felt all eyes turn on him.

“A bit younger than I expected,” the captain loudly muttered, “No matter. Reishi’s role here is to serve as bait. As he is supposedly a prodigious warrior, he has offered to duel the chief of the tribe in single combat, according to orc tradition.”

“Duel the chief?” a voice called out, “That’s suicide!”

“No one short of Goldbreeze could manage such a feat!”

The captain held his hand up.

“It’s funny you mention Goldbreeze, as Reishi here happens to be his disciple.”

“Seriously?!”

Murmurs began to spread throughout the room, and Jasper grew increasingly anxious at all the attention thrown his way.

“Anyway,” the captain continued, “Reishi will challenge the chief to a duel, which will undoubtedly draw the attention of the entire tribe. That should leave the hostages relatively undefended. The rest of us will then lead a decisive assault on the tribe’s prison area, where we will free the hostages and escape. Some of you need to stay behind and evacuate the village, in case Reishi is killed and the orcs decide to retaliate.”

“What happens if Reishi wins?” one soldier asked, “The orcs aren’t just going to let him escape after killing their chief.”

“We’re counting on there being chaos following the chief’s death,” the captain answered, “That should give him a window to escape. Now, does everyone understand the plan?”

Agreement could be heard in the mess hall, and the soldiers began to stand up and make their way toward the door. Jasper moved to follow them when he heard a voice.

“Reishi, a moment.”

Jasper turned to see the captain waving him over.

“I want to ask you something,” the captain requested, “Are you sure you can do this?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know it’s too late to turn back now,” the captain continued, “But you’re still young, probably not even twenty. Are you sure you want to risk a long life on this?”

Jasper looked him dead in the eye, before sighing.

“Captain, my entire reason for living right now is revenge. Anything that can help me find the man who killed Master Lingzhi, no matter how dangerous or foolhardy, is worth it in my eyes.”

“And you think that helping us will grant you the information you seek?”

Jasper paused for a moment.

“I have no leads right now. Any assistance, any goodwill I can gain from this is beneficial to me, even if I have to settle for a future favor.”

The captain gave him a scrutinizing look, almost as if he was peering into the boy’s soul. Jasper shuddered at the intensity of the glare. After a moment, the captain sighed.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be complaining about the help,” he admitted, “I just wanted to make sure you’re ready for whatever happens.”

“I still vividly recall the last time I lost a battle,” Jasper stated, looking at his left hand, “I’m only alive because of the merciful, or perhaps sadistic, nature of the person I fought. I won’t make the same mistakes again.”

The captain nodded at him, then exited the mess hall. Jasper followed to find the entire local regiment waiting out back.

“The orc village is about ten kilometers to the east,” the captain announced, “It will be approximately two and a half to three hours before we reach our base camp.”

The captain looked over at Lamb, who was in the front row.

“Lamb, you’re in charge of the evacuation,” the captain ordered.

“Yes, sir!” Lamb acknowledged.

“Reishi,” the captain looked at Jasper, “You’re the distraction.”

“Yes, sir,” Jasper nodded.

“Groups have already been assigned. We’re heading out now!”

Over the next three hours, Jasper followed the captain’s group through the forest. While there weren’t any large trails blazed in the direction they were going, it was clear that the brush along the path had been cleared out from time to time, likely by the orcs that regularly attacked Rosemary. He could tell that this wasn’t the case for most of the forest, as overgrowth seemed to be an issue.

Eventually the group managed to reach the base camp, which was more of a light clearing that was about half a kilometer from the edge of the orc village.

“The tree cover should hide us for a little while,” the captain explained to the group, “But we don’t have long before Reishi heads out, and after that we’re heading behind him.”

“Actually, captain, I’m ready to go,” Jasper offered.

The captain gave him the same scrutinizing glare as before, but relented.

“If you’re sure,” he conceded, “Just don’t die out there, you hear me?”

Jasper nodded, then turned in the direction of the camp.

It didn’t take long to reach it. A wooden wall protruded from the ground, which was notably the same color as the trees surrounding it, easily masking its presence. Jasper circled around to find the gate, and easily did. He noted its use of metal hinges when he entered.

“Looks like they’re not quite as uncivilized as some make them out to be,” Jasper whispered to himself.

As soon as he reached the gate, he heard a gruff voice call over the gate.

“Who goes there?”

Jasper stood tall at the challenge.

“I am Reishi, and I represent the village of Rosemary!” he called.

A moment of silence followed his declaration, followed by the gates opening.

“Please enter.”

Jasper walked into the village and immediately noted the difference between it and a human village like Rosemary. While Rosemary heavily utilized masonry for its building material, it seemed like the orcs favored untreated logs, as if they had simply cut down the tree and thrown each log together. It seemed less elegant, though perhaps it had its own effectiveness in comparison.

Jasper didn’t have long to dwell on the architecture, as a rather intimidating orc guard marched up to him, sporting a superior grin.

“I trust you have brought the money we’ve asked for?” he pretentiously inquired.

“I wish to speak with your chief,” Jasper returned diplomatically.

The orc’s grin disappeared, and a sneer appeared on his face.

“Our chief does not have time for the likes of you,” he retorted, “All we want is the money we asked for, and we’ll return your friends.”

“I’m not giving any money to an underling,” Jasper insisted, “Too much potential for ‘accidentally losing it’ before it reaches the chief.”

“I’m not sure I like what you’re implying, human,” the orc declared.

“If you want any money, you’ll do as I ask. I’m sure it’s not that hard to squeeze me into the chief’s schedule, is it?” Jasper questioned, “I’m sure he won’t be happy if you turned away a person who just might be able to get him what he wants.”

The orc glared at Jasper, and clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Fine,” the orc gave in, “Come with me.”

The orc turned around and began to walk deeper into the village, with Jasper swiftly following along. Eventually they reached a slightly larger hut than the others, and the orc nonverbally signaled Jasper to wait a moment while he headed inside. After a minute or so, a larger orc exited the hut and sized up Jasper. Jasper assumed it was the chief.

“So, you’re the one that has my money, are you?” the chief commented.

Jasper looked him dead in the eye.

“No, sir.”

A commotion could be heard from behind the chief, and Jasper could see the wide eyes of the orc that led him over.

“The truth is, I have business with you, Chief,” Jasper continued.

The chief tilted his head, confused.

“I believe I told you humans that all you needed to concern yourself with was to fulfill my demands. Don’t forget, we have hostages, and you don’t. You aren’t in a position to be making the rules.”

“I believe once you’ve heard what I have to say, you will change your mind,” Jasper insisted.

“Guards!” the chief called.

At once three guards surrounded Jasper, their spear tips to his neck.

“If you have no money, then I have no intention of letting you leave here alive,” the chief declared, “But I suppose in my magnanimity I shall indulge your one request. What ‘business’ do you have with me?”

Jasper held his gaze and narrowed his eyes at the chief.

“I challenge you to a duel.”

The commotion rose as more and more orcs began to surround the group. The chief, for his part, simply looked amused.

“You challenge me, do you?” he laughed, “Do you know who I am, or how I got to this position.”

“I don’t know, and frankly I don’t care,” Jasper replied evenly, “But I challenge you nonetheless.”

“Boy, I can tell that you handle yourself well,” the chief complimented, “But I am the strongest of the villagers here, and I know for a fact I can handle any human on this continent.”

“Even Lingzhi Goldbreeze?” Jasper challenged.

The chief paused, scrutinizing Jasper for any hint of a plot. Seeing nothing he deemed suspicious, he simply shrugged.

“Him, I am not so sure about,” the chief conceded, “But Goldbreeze was a once-in-a-lifetime warrior that was so notorious even we who do not interest ourselves with human gossip are aware of his might.”

“Also, he was your neighbor,” Jasper murmured.

“Yes, that too,” the chief looked somewhat embarrassed, “But what is the point of this questioning? Surely you don’t mean to tell me you could match him?”

Jasper stood straighter at that.

“I was his student. If anyone could, it’s me.”

The chief’s eyes widened slightly at hearing Jasper’s proclamation, and the boy knew he had hit gold.

“I see,” the chief muttered, “I believe you think too highly of yourself, lad. But nevertheless, we owe the old man a bit of revenge after all he’s done to trouble us. I will indulge your duel, and I believe old Goldbreeze will not be happy with how we send you back.”

The chief waved his arm, and the guards pinning Jasper backed off. Beginning to feel the pressure, Jasper smirked.

“Sounds like there’s some bad blood between you guys and my master. Why don’t we make this an event?”

The chief smirked back.

“I believe my subjects are going to enjoy watching the old man’s apprentice go down in shame.”

The chief tilted his head back.

“Members of my clan! The time has come for us to taste revenge against our greatest enemy!”

Following his cry, orcs from around the village began to pour into the center of town, where the duel was being held. Before long, Jasper could see what must have been the entire village encircling the combatants.

Good, he thought, Keep your eyes on me, morons.

“The terms,” Jasper called, “If I win, the hostages are released by whoever your successor is with no further conditions.”

“Fair enough,” the chief replied, “Not that it will happen.”

“If you win,” Jasper pointed, “You get the village. In its entirety.”

The chief sported a toothy grin at this.

“Sounds lovely,” he purred, causing Jasper to shudder slightly.

An orc from the sidelines brought the chief his weapon, which Jasper observed was a large greatsword.

“Now, where’s your weapon, boy?” the chief asked, “I’m honest enough to give you one if you were foolhardy enough to come without.”

It was Jasper’s turn to smile.

“Don’t worry about me.”

Reaching his hand to the empty scabbard on his left hip to focus his mind, Jasper immediately Formed his master’s sword.

“Now,” Jasper declared, “Let’s begin.”