The darkness and peril of the forest didn’t outweigh the thought of finding Niklas any longer. Although it might not be an intuition of truth, Rafa felt much more capable of going out on his own with a nice new pair of leather gloves, like they could stand between him and death.

“Let’s head inside,” Ardler said with the third spare pair of leather gloves in his hand. “You’ve done wonderfully.”

“Alright,” Rafa said, looking eastward. He put a hand on the knife at his side. After all the help this old man had given him, should he leave? Disappear?

Ardler opened the door to his cottage. “Come on, lad.”

Rafa crouched down, walking out of the radius of the shining torchlight. He tried to keep footsteps as quiet as possible now that the darkness guarded him from prying eyes.

The old man took a step inside, not noticing Rafa’s break away from the light, the house. This bought Rafa a small amount of time before he would notice.

Sneak to 2

Rafa turned and pressed onward, past trees and bushes. The bottoms of his feet met leaves and sticks as he skulked in the direction Ardler had pointed earlier, toward the second pond, the second doorway. He stood up, but still walking at a slower pace as to not disturb the sleeping wood, hoping everything in it would stay asleep.

Rafa thought of Niklas—tricked into all this by some spirit from another world. The desire to save and protect kept him going as he traversed the pathless route east, eyes looking for a large rock mentioned by Ardler.

He’d traveled a short amount of time before a flickering light presented itself from Rafa’s righthand side coming from the darkness. Revealing bushes and leaves overhead, men carrying torches walked in a group of ten, all next to each other in rows.

Rafa crouched down and stopped moving. His head shot left to right, then he crept between a few dense bushes, twigs poking at his neck.

The group walked without a word between them, getting closer and closer. They all wore hoods covering most of their faces—all the same color as the robe in his inventory.

Rafa’s hands trembled as the group of strangers neared the bush where he hid, heading north.

Sneak to 3

The light from their torches now shone into the bush, illuminating some leaves and sticks near Rafa’s face, the shadows of them all hovering, moving left to right as they passed. Rafa couldn’t help but plead within himself that none would see him.

Sneak to 4

The hooded figures didn’t stop their march. Rafa let out a sigh of relief, and shifted in his crouched stance, still hiding, the sole of his foot scratching against the ground. He froze, the sound of his movement louder than he expected.

At the back of the group, one hood stopped. They didn’t hold a torch, and were one of the shorter individuals within the ranks. None of the others halted, only the one in the back.

Rafa’s eyes went wide as he watched the dark-robed being stand still, only lit by some of the remaining light from their group, disappearing at a fast pace. The robed one turned toward Rafa’s hiding spot, listening.

It felt like he analyzed a thousand thoughts within a moment of realizing he was in danger. Rafa remembered he was being hunted by any follower of Inis because of some vision. Maybe he could fight this person, in the dark, with a hurt arm. The drum of Rafa’s heart wouldn’t slow down.

“I know someone’s there. Out.” the woman’s voice said. A sound of a blade being drawn from its holster pierced Rafa’s ears.

A gut reaction, Rafa pulled out his small notebook. Within a moment, a dim light shone within the bush, and he scrambled to his feet.

“Stay where you are!” the woman said as the bushes rustled.

Rafa stood, the top of his hood reflecting its shape from the moonlight bouncing off of it. A split-second decision took root in his head on what to say at that moment: “Sister.”

Personability to 4

The woman held the point of her sword out toward the fellow hooded follower of Inis. “Who are you? I don’t recognize you from our band.”

“Well,” Rafa said, “I’m from a different—band.”

The woman didn’t say a word. She lowered the weapon, replacing it in its holster at her waist. “Why were you in the bushes there? Which band do you hail from?”

Rafa cleared his throat. “One farther north. You might not—”

“Elith Wood? Graz? Heiler?”

“Graz.” Rafa said. “You know your way around the land well, don’t you?”

Personability to 5 - Choose a Milestone

Rafa got a jolt of adrenaline, as if any fatigue had disappeared altogether. The wonderful sensation of inspiration passed within moments.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“I do, yes. I’ve been up there many times—a beautiful countryside indeed.” the woman said. “Your band received the vision as well, I’m right to assume?”

“We did. That blasted wrong one,” Rafa said, his voice almost cracking.

The woman gave a moment of quiet to watch Rafa’s silhouette. “Yea…” She took a step forward.

Rafa matched her step, but backward.

“What was your name again?” she said.

“Vellucci.”

“I don’t believe you.”

A man’s yell screeched behind Rafa’s ear. Fingers dug into his upper back and shoulder. A hand. Rafa spun around, fueled by ceaseless adrenaline. He spotted a weapon in the assailant’s hand and grabbed hold of it, yanking the handle from the man’s grip.

The hooded woman yelped out of fear, drawing her sword once more.

Rafa swiped the staff at the old man’s legs, sending him into the air parallel to the ground. His body plummeted downward, landing on a shoulder. “Blasted!” Ardler groaned.

Rafa’s injured arm stung with a vengeance.

Quarterstaff to 5 - Choose a Milestone

Rafa froze as Ardler rolled off his shoulder and onto his side, letting out another whimper, unknown goods rolling around in his leather backpack strapped behind him.

“Ardler, of course.” the hooded woman said. “Imbecile.”

“I’m so sorry,” Rafa said, extending his hand to help the old man off the floor.

Ardler used the help to scramble to his feet. “No. No. That one was on me. I shouldn’t have tried to spook you.” He rubbed his hand in a circular motion on the muscles in his back.

“How do you two know each other?” the woman said.

Rafa glanced at her. “I’m his—”

“He’s my apprentice,” Ardler said. “No need to worry about him. He’s just another one of us.” The old man smiled wide enough to be seen, even in the dim glow of the moon. “Say, Tali, would the meeting be soon, then?”

“They’re all preparing as we speak. Will you be joining us, apprentice?”

Rafa’s heart sank. A meeting in who knows where, out in the darkness of this forsaken forest. The moment was too much, but he had to act like nothing was wrong as they spoke, like they weren’t on their way to his death—but perhaps Niklas would have been led there?

Ardler interrupted the silence. “Yes, he’ll be joining us.”

“Her plans, they’re taking shape finally. Aren’t you overjoyed we are the generation Inis came back for?” Tali said. “We’re the ones that will get to see her in all of her glory and power—no longer hiding in the shadows.”

“Oh, of course. A blessing to all that sacrifice their life to her, and death to those that do not,” Ardler said.

Rafa shuddered.

“Are you cold?” Tali said.

“Y-yea, cold.”

“Then let’s head over, shall we?”

Ardler stepped forward, chuckling. “We will, of course, be meeting you there shortly. You go on ahead.”

Tali backed up as the small old man advanced toward her. “Okay… see you both soon.” She turned and walked away, sheathing her blade.

After Tali gained some distance from the two, Ardler straightened out Rafa’s robes, making sure there wasn’t a wrinkle. “No one’s bringing Inis’s favored one there but me.” He mumbled under his breath further: “She thinks she can get half the credit, hm?”

“I’m sorry I left—”

“Yes, I knew you would go to the other lake, looking for that bloody wrong one,” Ardler said, now straightening the hood on Rafa’s head. “You’re a good lad.” He reached into his leather sack, pulling out a small torch and a tin. Ardler lit the torch using the tools with ease, and they had light there in that wild wood.

Rafa comforted himself as he realized the robe would save him from most any encounter with an Inis follower. So long as they didn’t catch his face, he would be okay. “Thanks for the light.”

“Of course. You shouldn’t be going out here alone—wolves, tigers, and there are giant snakes you know. Terrible things.” Ardler said. He recomposed himself. “You still have your little journal?”

Rafa remembered the rush of blissful sensation that came with the creation of the leather gloves happening once again since then. He pulled out the book from his pocket and turned to the skills page.

Ardler watched with curiosity, holding the torch nearer to Rafa to allow for easier reading.

There stood the number one next to Personability, as well as Quarterstaff. The digit’s ink sung with color, pleading for Rafa to uncover its secrets. And so he tapped Quarterstaff.

Orbs erupted from the book as it hovered in the air, spread open. Rafa continued to feel drawn toward the sword icon, as opposed to the shield or bear trap. The impression of strength and power sent a ripple of indulgence through his body. He poked the sword icon, and the orbs disappeared with no further selections needing to be made.

“And the effect?” Ardler said, pushing the torch too close to Rafa’s hands.

Rafa pulled back, escaping the increased heat that Ardler was unaware of causing from the torch. “I’ll get to it. Take one step back for me.”

The old man obliged.

After tapping the number one next to Quarterstaff, it read: Two-Ton Swing added to repertoire. Rafa attempted to click on the milestone’s name, but nothing happened.

“Two-Ton Swing,” Rafa said.

Ardler smiled. “A good one, I bet. It sounds powerful. Want to try it out on me?”

Rafa raised a brow. “Really? I don’t think so. No.”

“I would be ecstatic to be bludgeoned by Inis’s child.” He took a bow.

Rafa empathized with the old man for the first time. He felt sorry for a being that felt its only worth was to be knocked over the head with a stick for some evil goddess. “Your life is worth more than that.”

Ardler didn’t respond for a few moments, holding a gaze at Rafa. The old man bolted forward, latching both arms around the boy. “That means everything to me, oh great one.”

“Watch the torch,” Rafa said, squirming out of Ardler’s hold.

“My apologies.”

“It’s alright, really.” Rafa turned back to the skills page, with one more milestone remaining: Personability. The same process occurred, and the three orbs floated above the pages. Rafa reached toward the sword icon once more.

“Would you not want to try a different one this time?” Ardler said.

Rafa stopped his finger just before contacting the shining orb. “Perhaps,” he started, “that may be a good idea.” The shield and bear trap icons were the other two options, and one was calling to him more than the other. Rafa tapped the bear trap icon, and the orbs vanished.

“That’s the one I would have chosen,” Ardler said. “It looks splendid.”

The milestone read: Persuasion increased when appealing to emotion, rather than logic.

It didn’t feel comfortable mentioning persuasion out loud, not at all. “Just some increased speed on this one. Nothing too special.”

“Could have been better. Forgive me for making you choose beside your instinct,” Ardler said. “So sorry.”

“I don’t know of anyone that doesn’t want to be faster. It turned out alright,” Rafa said.

“You are oddly graceful,” Ardler said.

Rafa noticed the old man’s unease. Was he being too nice as the chosen Death Lord? Perhaps he’d have to tone it back a bit. But, it would be no matter once he finds Niklas. They’ll be on their way to getting out of this foreign land together.

“And if I’d known better, I’d think you were the wrong one, being such a softy. You’re nothing like my lovely Inis,” Ardler said, smirking. “We have some things to work on before you present yourself to her, otherwise she might not like you.”

“…”

Ardler reached up and pat Rafa on the back. “Don’t worry! Come now, my little pupil, we should just make the ceremony in time.”

To Rafa, the old man marched in an arbitrary direction, toward some meeting place of evil. And with the thought of finding his friend, after all this, he followed.