Our journey carries on as I feel the temperature dip.

"What are these stomping grounds you're so eager to see?" I ask the sword.

It glows with excitement, "I had one bearer, Jonah, who pushed me to the limit.

"The armies of the mountain folk were arrayed against us. The fighting seemed like it would last forever. Those were good days.

"You could learn a thing from Jonah. Fight for the fun of it."

My lips make a line.

We carry on as the mountain range looms over us.

"I'm not used to hunting this tundra," I complain as I go without a meal.

"Once you learn the true power of cultivation, you will be able to live on the chi of heaven and earth."

I look about as I clean up camp.

"That doesn't help fill my belly right now."

"Ah, little mortal, great things take time."

With a sigh, I continue treading upon the path.

Around noon I come upon a small village.

The villagers are friendly. And, I'm able to purchase a second cloak.

I don the fur-lined article and purchase some food for my journey.

The road leads ever Northward and I savor the warmth of my purchase.

A pass between two mountains sees us to a checkpoint.

The guards look vigilant as they examine me.

"For what reason are you entering the Rungi territory?"

I look placidly at the man. "Just wandering."

The guards look from one another to me.

"You are aware of the insurgents, are you not?"

I look at the sword.

"Don't look at me, boyo. This is all news to me."

"I wasn't aware," I say.

The guards shrug, "They're not fond of strangers to the land. Be careful, if you're still going."

I nod as I am allowed to pass.

"Where are we headed anyways?" I ask.

"It should be around here. The land wasn't called Rungi in my time. But, the battlefield should be nearby."

Our search leads us off the beaten path.

What I find, I can hardly comprehend.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Crater lakes and mountains cut in half at odd angles.

"Yes!" the sword says excitedly. "Jonah knew how to get a job done."

"All this," I ask, "was done by you?"

"Well," the sword says defensively. "There were others. But, mostly, it was me."

I look at one of the mountains. It has a sharp wedge that cuts into its side.

"How is that possible?"

"Silly mortal. You haven't seen anything yet."

The ancient battlefield looks pockmarked like the face of the moon.

I take a moment to absorb the reality of the weapon I carry.

"Are you satisfied now?"

The sword glows, "Yes. Thank you, bearer."

I turn us back to the road, the ancient destruction left as it was ages ago.

A town is found nearby and I enter its streets.

The faces I see aren't hostile. Rather, they seem anxious.

Men and women move hastily to their destinations.

"These people," the sword says, "need to calm down. They're acting like the town's about to blow up."

No sooner does it say that, than a building before me explodes.

"Damn," I hear as I fall to the ground.

Wood and shattered glass settle on the ground.

"What the hell was that?" I hear myself ask.

"Black powder," the sword notes.

"Powder did that?" I find myself stunned by the notion.

"I hardly think that matters right now."

My eyes find a man's bloody figure in the wreckage.

I rush over and find the man breathing.

The clutter comes off of him and I look into his confused eyes.

"I-" he gasps. "I can't feel..."

His ragged breathing comes to a subtle end.

Blank eyes look up at me.

The local guard arrives and commands the gawkers to disburse.

"Out of the way," one of the guards says to me.

I am cordoned off and pushed back.

"The rebels," someone spits.

"Why would they blow up Jesse's business?"

Some mournful looks are shared.

"Doesn't matter why. They're terrorists. The army needs to come in and scour the city."

Several voices echo the sentiment.

Whatever the masses want has nothing to do with me.

I depart from the scene and navigate through the population center until I find an inn.

The rate is lower than in the South and I find a quiet space to decompress.

Other than with the bandits, I've never watched someone die.

It was such a transient experience. He lived one moment. And, the next he didn't.

"You gonna be alright, partner?"

I look up to realize that I'm not alone.

"Yeah. It's just..."

"I know," it says. "It's one thing to die in battle. It's the risk you take when you pick up a weapon. But, to die like that.

"It's sad."

The sword is surprisingly sympathetic in a moment like this.

"Buck up, boyo. You just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."

I nod as I leave most of my things in the room and put the sword on my belt.

The innkeeper is polite as I walk out into the dwindling day.

A tavern is nearby. And, I take up a position at the bar.

"What'll you be having tonight?" the bartender asks.

"Just an ale, please."

The man nods and fills a mug with something bitter.

"You new in town?" the man behind the counter asks.

"Just traveling through."

The man wipes a mug, "You'd best get out of town quick."

I look over my drink at him.

He holds up his hands, "It's not that I want you gone. It's just the New Liberation Front..."

The bartender can't finish his thought before someone comes up from behind me.

"Screw those guys," the man says.

"Liberation from what? Society?"

I don't express my confusion.

"I know, Scott," the bartender says to the new man. "The empire's been good to the Rungi territory for a hundred years.

"These liberators are self-serving radicals. Most of them are the land-holding elite."

The room goes silent.

Scot looks around the room, "He's just calling it as it is."

I see several heads nodding as they go back to their conversations.

"What do you mean," I ask, "by land-holding elite?"

In a lower voice, the man says, "Just what I said. The landowners want to throw off the empire's taxes.

"Does nothing to help the common folk. And, we're the ones who get caught up in the middle."

I feel my understanding of the circumstances I've wandered into has grown.

The night grows long as the strong drink begins to take its toll.

"Good talking with you," I say to the bartender and Scott.

My feet are steady. But, it takes no small amount of focus to keep them that way.

"You alright, partner?" the sword asks.

"I'm- hic- fine."

The sword chuckles.

"I'll never understand humans and their desire to poison themselves."

I smirk, "Some things you will never know, my friend."

"My friend?" the sword mocks. "High praise indeed."

"Blame it on the booze," I say dryly.

My trip to the inn is uneventful. And, before long, I collapse into my soft bed.