“GRAHHH!”

*BOOM*

A body came flying through the air, hitting the side of the Hunker like a cannonball.

It was that Authority 7 Pugilist from the Yeon Guild. The Captain wasn’t able to kill him in the first battle, so he left before coming back again in a later battle for a rematch. He seemed to be getting his ass kicked once again.

But, when he landed on the Hunker, my neck tingled as I stared blankly.

It folded under his body, the tank warping before flying off its wheels and into the air.

I watched as the door, that was once right in front of me, flew a small distance away. The entire tank rolled a few times before gradually coming to a stop.

And then, the pugilist clawed his way out of the metal. When he emerged, his eyes fell onto me who was now standing out in the open, frozen.

Seeing the gun in my hand, he smiled brightly.

“You! Get over here and die, you fucking American!”

He snarled and threw his body toward me. My coat’s abilities activated, but even in slow motion, his hand moved too fast for me to react to.

I watched, feeling my soul leaving my body as if to try and avoid that monster in human skin.

But, right as he was going to grab my head in his huge hand, I saw a line of silver arrive to the side.

The pugilist’s eyes went wide, and I saw blood bloom from his wrist.

He had been relieved of his hand, pulling away with a scream.

But that hand was still heading toward me, even if no longer attached to its owner.

I tried to tilt out of the way, but those fingers still graced the right side of my head.

*Slice!*

“Argh!”

It felt like I was slapped, heading to the floor as I felt a jolt of pain go through my head. At the same time, I felt a horrible sting where my right temple was. I already knew what happened.

“Fuck! What are those nails?!”

I touched where I felt the wounds, and blood dripped down my fingers when I pulled away.

The nails of that pugilist were as sharp as knives! Was there any part of a knight’s body that couldn't kill me?!

Now, there were some lacerations across the side of my head. Not only that, but the stinging I felt only got worse as my headache became manageable.

There was some foreign power that was making it hurt, probably the power of Vigor that knights wielded. I’ve heard that at higher levels they can emit some. It was how Plex made himself invisible, and swordmasters could use it to release blades from their swords.

Now, this power ate at my wounds, making it hurt much more than it should. And that was just a scratch from that man.

Of course, he was in a much sorrier state.

“AHH! My hand!! You son of a bitch!”

“John! Let me handle this meathead!”

The Captain dashed in and appeared before me, yelling out those words as if I was even able to do otherwise.

With that, I ran away while the Captain drove that pugilist back. With one less hand, there was no way he could win now.

And that was basically the end of the battle.

Not long later, our knights killed every last warlock and enemy fighter, not allowing anybody to retreat.

By now, the sun was setting, so it was getting darker and cooler. Nobody even cheered when the battle was finished. They were just that exhausted.

As for me, I overlooked the Hunker that had served as my nest for the past several days.

It was crumbled, now only a pile of metal. The two warlocks that had been inside those turrets were now piles of meat somewhere inside the debris. They had died instantly, not even to an intentional attack.

I thought, if I had been any faster in boarding it in order to take a small rest and grab some food, I would have died without even knowing how.

Everything would have been over, just like that. This new life of mine would be finished, and everything I’d built up so far would have been for nothing.

And I would never have returned to Rayla, who was worried and waiting for me back at the Capital. She would have been left alone, and I would have caused her grief that she may never have recovered from.

It was a sickening feeling, one that terrified me more than anything. And for a moment, I thought that perhaps this kind of life wasn’t for me, that I was better off just sticking to some ordinary job in the capital while leading a life away from all forms of hostility. The thought that I could so easily die like that, despite everything I did to avoid it, ate away at my mind.

But then, I looked around at everyone else.

Those who survived did so in part because of me. I played perhaps the largest part in securing the lives of those in this convoy than any other person here aside from the Captain. Without me, they would have suffered far more casualties. It was why the Captain had emphasized my importance after every single battle we fought. I was making a very real and noticeable difference.

And soon enough, I would be putting this skill of mine to work not against people, but against beasts who threatened the entire human race of this world.

In short, the sense of duty I felt overruled my fear. The thought of being able to turn the tides of any battle and save the lives of my allies infected my mind, turning fear into strength that brought out a deep sense of valor.

After that, it was like the pain I felt turned into fuel for that fire.

I couldn’t say that this was inspiring a sense of purpose in me. These battles were between mafias, and I wasn’t a part of one. I was hired muscle. I was doing this for money and to earn a reputation with figures of authority. Very little of this was something to be proud of, not that it was something to be ashamed of either.

But through these battles, I knew I was growing. It would only make me better so that when the day came that I turned my guns against the true plague of this world, I could do so with even greater violence.

And I would save more people. That way, perhaps I could avoid praying for the dead as much as I have been recently.

Standing before the Hunker, I bowed my head and thought of those two warlocks who I had almost joined in death, wishing that despite everything, they would find peace.

……

…

We arrived at the City of Joffrun.

Our convoy was missing a hunker and a truck, along with most of the cargo that had been lost with the destruction of those two vehicles.

But all things considered, the trip was a massive success.

That Pugilist had died to Plex after he almost killed me, and we either decimated or repelled every army that came our way. We had many casualties, at least a third of our forces dead and everyone being injured in some way. But we had made it.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

At the very least, we killed much more than we lost. And since the majority of the cargo had arrived in good condition, the job was a resounding success.

Despite how conspicuous it was, all the trucks aside from the other Hunker rolled directly into this city.

I sat atop one of the trucks, getting a good look at this city.

It wasn’t as grand as the Capital, that was for sure. But it had its own charm to it. I couldn't be impressed because the Capital was basically the greatest center for humanity’s prosperity in this world, but that didn’t mean new things weren’t cool to see.

This city had one massive palace at its center, one that seemed to act as a hub for all kinds of business. In fact, there was one massive road that led straight to that palace in the city center from the gates we entered through. The road was straight and nearly 2 miles long. I could also see thousands of people and wagons occupying it.

And as our battered vehicles drove down that road, we pulled plenty of heads. We were already conspicuous without looking as beat up as we did, so the scars of battle that littered the trucks only added to it.

And then there was I who sat above everyone’s head. You could see my torso wrapped in bandages from beneath my coat and my arm hanging in a sling.

Not only that, but I occasionally took puffs from a cigar.

“Cough… I’ll need to get used to this.”

After letting out a breath of smoke, I felt my lungs spasm before I muttered those words.

This cigar wasn’t some kind of drug despite what it looked like. I had actually been surprised by its existence when the Captain came around and handed one to me.

It was basically a revitalizer. The cigar was made from some special magical materials and infused with a bit of Vigor. This made it almost medicinal in nature, capable of relieving the pain from wounds and helping the body recover with the fortifying power of Vigor. My Recovery Pills were basically the same thing, except the cigar could last much longer and was more potent.

They weren’t cheap, but with the money I was about to receive alongside my savings, it wasn’t much.

I learned where to get more from the Captain, who said it was actually a product created by Apocryon and bought by the Tavera Family, giving them sole rights to produce and sell it. The cigars were a popular product of theirs, especially among Knights due to their infusion of Vigor.

Not only that, but these cigars were part of the reason for this trip. Apparently there was a vital ingredient that could only be found near this city, so securing the production of the cigars required them to invest in this place. This convoy contained the investment, though there was naturally much more to it than just that.

Anyway, I decided I would buy some when I got back to the Capital.

While thinking of that, we eventually made it to Joffrun’s black market.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time nor interest in exploring this city. After the convoy linked with their headquarters, I went to go meet with the Captain.

However, upon arrivinig in the central area of their headquarters within this foreign black market, I saw that he was speaking to someone, and one that seemed rather noble.

It was a woman, and just by looking at her I could sense deep power. It was definitely above Rayla, so she had to be at least Authority 9.

She had ashen gray hair and wore dark robes accentuated with purple. Her face was sharp, yet there was an undeniable air of maturity around her.

She almost looked familiar, but I wasn’t in the mind to care much about that.

“Just watch yourself within my city. I don’t want another war like that anytime soon. Cross a certain line, and I’ll be forced to do something about it. At the very least, keep things discreet.”

“Of course, Duchess. My Patriarch also sends his good graces and wishes to hold a discussion with you. I hold his contact information, if you would like it.”

“Very well.”

Agreeing, this Duchess exposed her Aerial and touched it to the Captain’s, exchanging information.

Then, he gave a small bow.

“Thank you, Duchess.”

“Sure. Be sure to… Who are you?”

Suddenly, the Duchess turned toward me, who had been lingering to the side.

Surprised that she was bothering with me, I just nodded to her.

“My name is John, Duchess.”

“You look injured, John. Summoner?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Hmm, young and Authority 3. Are you enrolled in the Magisterium?”

“I am.”

“I see.”

She nodded, and suddenly, the Captain chimed in.

“Duchess, John is an exceptionally powerful Summoner that the Patriarch personally hired to help us defend the convoy. His potential is great.”

“Well, Authority 3 can’t do anything for me right now. Nonetheless, I will keep in contact. Please settle yourselves with haste. I don’t enjoy my city being chaotic.”

“Of course, Duchess.”

“And John.”

She looked at me.

“Remember the name Talerria.”

“Yes ma’am.”

With that odd request, the Captain and I exchanged goodbyes with her. She left the markets, and I finally got to speak with the Captain who sighed.

“She runs this city, yet has a major hand in the operation of the black markets here. We cooperate witht her directly. Anyway, how are your wounds, John? You were pretty battered after that last battle.”

“Eh, I’ve never been afraid of scars.”

I smiled while remembering the aftermath of the battle.

Because the healer was stretched to his limits, anybody with superficial wounds was forced to either wait or just heal normally. Despite that, I had actually been offered to get healed considering my contributions to the convoy, but I had turned it down.

The healer checked me anyway though, and when he discovered my broken arm, he didn’t let me refuse treatment. At the very least, he forced me to get my arm realigned, which I decided wasn’t a bad idea.

So the bones of my forearm were successfully repositioned, and through magic, secured in place and the fracture fused. After that my arm was wrapped with a splint and hung in a sling.

Recovery pills and the cigar in my mouth helped all my other wounds take care of themselves. However, there was one wound that wasn’t as easily dealt with.

The wound from the Pugilist’s fingernails was infused with destructive Vigor, creating two lacerations on the left side of my head. The lacerations went from my temple beside my eyebrow to the back of my head above my ear. It looked like I had been clawed by a monster, and that wasn’t really far from the truth.

And because of the Vigor, the wounds weren’t easily healed. In fact, until now I wasn’t sure if all the Vigor was actually gone. The lacerations had begun to heal, but they were taking much longer than my other wounds.

Plex told me that it would leave a nasty scar, but it wasn’t like my body didn’t have plenty of those, so I didn’t mind.

After assuring Captain Ignov that I was fine, he went on to once again praise my work. It was like he wanted to make sure I wouldn’t leave without knowing how important I was to their success.

I felt weird receiving all the compliments, especially since people died. It barely felt like a success right now.

In the end though, he settled down and I told him about my intentions to leave.

“Of course, John. You’ve earned both rest and your paycheck. Here, I wrote this up a couple hours ago.”

Suddenly, he took an envelope out of his coat pocket, handing it to me.

It was sealed with wax and the symbol of the Tavera Family, with some slight modifications. It was probably a personal seal.

I took it with curiosity.

“When you get back to the Capital, hand that to the Patriarch. He’ll pay you out then. And don’t worry about the kill counts. I think you’ll more than appreciate the bonuses I’ve stipulated.”

“Alright.”

I nodded and stashed the envelope. I trusted the Captain’s word, so I didn’t feel the need to verify anything. And if I was being honest, I would be fine accepting nothing more than the base pay without the kill count bonus.

It was odd how going through hardship made you more of a generous person, not that I still wasn’t raking in coin from this job anyway.

“Oh, and here. For your travels.”

Reaching into his coat once more, Captain Ignov pulled out another item.

I recognized it rather quickly.

It was a metal cigar case. It looked brand new, its faces made with deep gold and engraved with dark red designs. The red designs were of roses and leaves, and the colors were so vibrant that it seemed like an actual painting.

“This is one of our signature cigar cases, owned by many high profile elites within the Kingdom since its the best of its kind on the market, along with the best looking. It's designed to preserve the magical potency of those cigars. Go ahead and use it.”

“...”

I was silent as I pressed a latch on the side of the case, popping it open.

On one side of the case, there were five loops to hold more cigars, three of which were filled. And on the other side there was a fancy lighter constructed from an entire White Crystal as well as a cigar cutter.

After closing it, I looked back toward the Captain.

“Is it alright for me to have this? How much are these?”

“Well, you can’t really buy them, otherwise they wouldn’t be very valuable. Besides, I don’t think the Patriarch would mind. We give them to friends of the Family and circulate them among Elites and Royalty. And you, John, are a friend of the Family. If not, you wouldn’t have been called to help us on this trip.”

“Oh. Well, I guess I can only give my thanks.”

It was feeling like an honor to receive this cigar case, as odd as that was. I wasn’t sure how to respond except with a thank you.

Captain Ignov smiled and smacked my shoulder.

“You’re a good one, kid. Better than Plex, I reckon.”

“I heard that.”

Suddenly, Plex appeared beside us, causing the Captain to click his tongue.

“Sneaky as always. By the way, I could’ve handled that brute from Yeon by myself.”

“Yes, but then I wouldn’t be getting paid for his head.”

“And that’s why John here is better. Go on and get out of here. The Rails leave in about 3 hours, so you better head over and get a ticket.”

With that, Plex and I said our goodbyes, leaving behind the Captain who was now assigned to this city. I also made sure to get the man’s contact info for my Aerial. Networking was always important.

After that, we went to the junction for the Rails, or trains as I knew them. These Rails didn’t leave very often because there weren’t many of them, but we didn’t have to wait for long before snagging a ticket and boarding.

Just like that, I completed my job and was on my way home.