Chapter 74: Hunters

“A nullification ability?”

Allan sounded skeptical, and Leo didn’t blame him. That kind of skill was equal parts rare and coveted—for good reason. In fact, he was pretty sure the only other person he knew of who had an ability like that was the Sovereign of Zelyra, which spoke volumes.

He nodded. “It looks like it only works on skills that target him directly, though. I could still use [Sprint].” He frowned, thinking back to the encounter.

“He had some kind of skill that let him teleport too, I think, or it might’ve been an escape ability.” The latter was probably more likely; if it was pure teleportation, he would’ve used it during the rest of the chase, but instead it had only appeared when he’d been trapped.

Leo pulled out the arrow he’d salvaged and held it out for the others to observe.

After letting them inside, Lenore had led them back to the changing rooms they’d gotten ready for the masquerade in. They hadn’t passed by anyone else on the way; the counter was deserted. According to Lenore, all the workers had hidden away during the attack, and any lingering customers were kicked out earlier.

“He used a bow and arrow to shoot the ward stone,” Leo explained. “It was a distraction. He stole the fragment during the Echo attack.” His brows furrowed in contemplation. “What I don’t get is how he knew the Silence would appear tonight in the first place.”

“It might’ve been a lucky coincidence,” Allan suggested. “He could’ve planned on shooting the noble, but when the Silence appeared, he used the chance to stay hidden.”

Leo could see that. In the aftermath of the attack, Noah Suchet’s dead body would draw much less attention than if he’d been a singular dead noble exiting the auction.

The [Fragmentholder] glanced over to Lenore, who was studying the arrow intently.

“Do you recognize it?” he asked hopefully. If anyone would know, it would be the information broker.

“I might.” She straightened and met eyes with Spade, raising an eyebrow.

“You want to explain? If I do, it’ll cost you.”

In response, Spade gestured at the arrow. Leo handed it to her, and she turned it around in her hands, inspecting the jet black feather and finally nodding and passing the arrow back. The [Fragmentholder] watched her warily.

“So?”

“I don’t have a name, but there’s a bounty hunter who works in southern Avel with arrows like that.” She cocked her head. “If I remember right, his personal skill negates skills and spells that target him directly. Sends some kind of notification if anyone’s got an ability like that.”

That would explain the staring at the masquerade; his personal skill must have picked up on [Judgement] when its passive ability was active.

Leo frowned, thinking. “Does it tell him what the abilities do?”

The [Executioner] shook her head. “I don’t think so, no. It just blocks them.”

Leo nodded slowly. That was good, at least. If he was hunting fragments and knew what [Judgement] did, that would’ve probably turned Leo into one of his targets.

“How do you know this guy anyway?” the [Fragmentholder] found himself asking. Allan snorted.

“She probably used to work with him.”

“Close, but not quite. We did run in the same circles, but he was a loner. Never took a job with anyone else if he could help it.” The [Executioner] nodded at the arrow. “That’s the odd part, actually. You said he took the fragment, correct?”

Leo nodded. “Yeah, the whole mirror.”

Spade hummed, leaning back a little in her chair. “From what I heard, he wasn’t the ambitious sort. Would take a job, get paid, and leave. He doesn’t strike me as the fragment hunting type.”

“You never know, fragments’re kind of a special case, right? Most people would be at least a little interested.” Leo certainly had been. If someone had the skill to get a fragment and knew where one was, why wouldn’t they go after it?

“Perhaps. But you did say you saw him run towards the upper district.”

Leo paused, considering the words. He ran through the information in his mind.

The man was a bounty hunter. The auction had been for the highly affluent, and only a select few knew about the fragment’s existence and what object it was hidden in. His brows furrowed. Allan soon voiced his growing conclusion.

“You think he was working for someone.”

“It’s likely, yes.”

Leo groaned. Great. Just when they were making progress. If the guy really was working for someone, then they’d have to figure out who if they wanted to find out where he’d taken the fragment.

Leo glanced over at Lenore. “You know who it might be?” While he wasn’t eager to be in the woman’s debt again, at this point he’d take a hit to their funds for any information she had.

To his dismay, Lenore shook her head.

“I can’t help you there; you’ll have to ask someone else. If it makes you feel better, that bounty hunter’s name is Asher, though apparently he never goes by it. Most just call him “the hunter.” Consider it some free bonus intel for the, ah, added hassle tonight.”

Asher. It was good to put a name to the fucker’s face, at least. Small victories.

Speaking of the auction, Leo reached over to where they’d left the painting propped up against the wall and handed it to Lenore. She didn’t hesitate to rip off the wrapping, revealing the painting still perfectly pristine on the other side.

“Ah yes, this is exactly it.” She sounded pleased. “Though the frame is too gaudy for the piece. I’ll need to get it changed before I hang it up,” she added, clicking her tongue. Leo shuddered at the idea of having that thing on the wall. He must not have hid his disgust well, because Lenore raised an eyebrow.

“I see you don’t appreciate true art,” she said. “All the South cares about these days are pretty landscapes, and don’t get me started on the Empire painters and their portrait obsession.”

She tapped lightly against the painting. “This? This is raw, undistilled emotion. Makes you feel alive, doesn’t it?”

Leo frowned, hazel eyes shifting between the painting and Lenore. It certainly elicited emotions, that was for sure, just not particularly pleasant ones.

“I guess,” he said slowly. The woman snorted and shook her head. Tucking the painting securely under her arm, she rose from her seat.

“Well, considering how late it is, I don’t mind letting the three of you stay the night. You look like you’re about to keel over.”

Leo opened his mouth to argue. The more time they wasted, the harder it would be to find the fragment in the end. The earlier they hunted it down, the better.

The dull ache in his leg and the pain in his hand, however, were a stark reminder of reality. He’d barely recovered some mana and his stamina was still dangerously low. A quick glance at the party stat sheets showed him Allan and Spade weren’t much better off.

The streets would be crowded with officials investigating the attack, and they had no leads. Running aimlessly in the night would do nothing but tire them out. Better to rest, then look at the situation again with fresh eyes in the morning.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

That, and a part of him was curious if Sol would appear tonight. They’d seemed to come to an agreement during their last meeting, as vague as it was, and he couldn’t help but wonder if the man would know something about Asher or the fragment. It was certainly worth a shot.

Slowly, Leo nodded. Allan’s eyebrows rose, appearing genuinely surprised that the [Fragmentholder] had agreed to rest for the night. Leo winced internally. Maybe he had a bigger problem with not knowing when to rest than he thought.

Lenore gestured at the room around them, still cluttered with clothing racks and other assorted knick-knacks.

“There’s some blankets and pillows in the corner, help yourselves. I’m guessing you’re not stupid enough to try stealing anything.”

Leo scowled at the pointed remark. The woman grinned, giving them a final casual wave before exiting the room and shutting the door behind her.

It didn’t take long to find the blankets in question. They were worn, some barely more than a few scraggly threads loosely connected together, but Leo had dealt with far worse. Combined with the crates and discarded furniture crowding the room, it almost reminded him of Sindrey when he and Allan would sleep in random abandoned areas back before they’d finally settled on the one “house.”

Leo closed his eyes, allowing his breaths to steady. It was easier than he expected to fall asleep despite his mind still reeling with the events of the day and plans for tomorrow. Exhaustion didn’t wait for anyone, it seemed.

Sure enough, he soon felt the familiar pull of sleep taking hold.

[??? has activated the [Dreamscape] spell]

—

The first thing he heard was the sound of crashing waves. When Leo opened his eyes, he was met with the same lush garden and clear waters that he’d seen during his last encounter with Sol.

He snorted. The ??? in the [Dreamscape] notification confirmed that Sol wasn’t his actual name, but he’d already known that.

Leo turned and made his way towards the distant white gazebo. The sun was bright and the sky perfectly clear again. He wondered if this place was always like this, blessed with perfect weather, or if Sol was just reusing one particular memory.

The marble columns of the gazebo soon came into view. Seated at the circular table was Sol, looking exactly the same as he did during their last meeting.

Leo realized belatedly that his own clothes were still bloodstained and torn. Maybe because he now knew how the spell worked, he was unconsciously projecting a more true-to-life version of himself compared to the first time it had happened. He’d have to test it next time, see if he could alter his appearance in the dream.

Sol looked up from the book he was reading as Leo approached—how did books even work in a dream like this anyway?—opening his mouth in greeting. He paused halfway, however, brows furrowing in concern as he took in the former [Thief]’s appearance.

“Are you alright?”

Leo snorted and plopped unceremoniously down on the opposite chair. “Rough night,” he muttered.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Leo squinted at the man. He looked genuinely sympathetic, but he could also look however he wanted in the dream.

He sat back, thinking. They’d made a tentative agreement for information in exchange for observation or whatever Sol was calling it last time, but he wasn’t sure how much that would hold if he tried asking about the fragment in Alnwick. That, and Leo wasn’t too keen on giving away possible location details.

He decided to ask something safe first, something that wasn’t directly related to Alnwick or Asher, to see if and how Sol would respond.

“Hey, you know a lot about fragments, right?”

“As much as I believe is currently possible, yes.”

Leo hummed, choosing his next words carefully. “We—I, uh, passed by this village. The whole place was trashed by fragment hunters.” His fingers clenched at the memory. He could easily remember the smell of decay.

“The villagers’ chests were ripped open. Like they were looking inside the bodies. Can you really dig a fragment out of someone like that? I mean is that the only way if they’ve already absorbed it?”

It was a question that had been nagging at him for a while now, ever since fighting Sonia on the Glass Lake. So far they hadn’t run into any other [Fragmentholder], except Sol of course, but it was likely that whoever Asher was working for would already have absorbed the fragment by the time they found them. They needed to know how to deal with that.

Sol was quiet for a moment. Finally, he shook his head.

“No, it’s possible to remove the fragment by focusing.” He raised his hand and demonstrated closing his fingers into a fist. “Simply hold out the hand you used to absorb the fragment initially and imagine it materializing in your palm. Once it reappears, it will remove the [Fragmentholder] class and any other abilities gained as a result of it.”

Leo frowned. Was it really so easy?

Sol chuckled. “I can see you don’t believe me. You’re free to try it yourself when you wake up. Provided it’s the same fragment, reabsorbing it will restore your abilities, so there’s no need to worry about losing your progress.”

Leo could see that becoming an issue if someone let a fragment go but managed to get it back. His mind churned as he processed the information.

On one hand, it was a relief that there was a way to remove fragments harmlessly, but this method would require the [Fragmentholder] to willingly give it up. If they refused to remove their fragment, then…

“…Does the other way also work?”

“It does.” Sol’s voice remained calm and matter of fact. He pointed to his chest. “Once absorbed, the fragment typically rests near the bottom of the sternum, though it’s embedded quite deep into the chest cavity.”

Leo swallowed, watching the man warily. “Sounds like you’ve got first hand experience.”

The other [Fragmentholder] didn’t respond, simply leveling Leo with a steady gaze. The lack of a denial spoke volumes, and Leo found himself speaking again before he could think better of it.

“You know, with all your talk of peace and avoiding bloodshed and all that, I would’ve thought you’d practice what you preach.” It came out sounding more bitter than he’d intended.

“You misunderstand.”

Sol’s voice remained smooth and calm, but something about it sent a chill up Leo’s spine.

“It’s true that I would prefer to avoid needless bloodshed, and I will take every measure I can to prevent it. But that does not mean I will not resort to harsher methods if there is no other choice.”

Leo swallowed, throat suddenly dry. He carefully nodded his head. It was suddenly abundantly clear to him that the man across the table was far more powerful than him, was basically confirmed to have a core fragment, and had already proven himself capable of ridiculous long range magic.

Leo cursed his impulsive mouth, shoulders tensing as he gauged the man’s reaction and readied himself to drain his mana and escape if necessary.

A few moments passed, only the gentle breeze and distant waves providing any noise to break up the silence. Finally, Sol sat back and Leo released the breath he’d been holding.

“I’m not a fan of this method either,” the man said in a softer voice. He smiled. “I’m glad you seem to feel the same way.”

“I mean, it’s kind of a normal reaction,” Leo mumbled. The idea of ripping someone’s chest open wouldn’t even cross most people’s minds, that’s how gruesome it was. Sol shook his head.

“You’d be surprised.” His eyes shifted to the side, watching the clear waves push and pull on the horizon.

“Most of the [Fragmentholders] I’ve contacted have been far more keen on violence. Power seems to attract certain types of people.” He chuckled. “Actually, of the [Fragmentholders] I was able to get a hold of a second time, you’re one of the only ones I’ve managed to have a civil conversation with.”

Leo stared at the man. If their first encounter had been “civil,” he’d hate to see what the others had been like.

Sol continued gazing calmly out into the illusory ocean, eyes filled with distant memories. Leo suddenly found himself wondering if the man was lonely. He shook the thought away. That was ridiculous, he told himself. He barely even knew the guy.

Sol turned back to Leo as the next breeze whistled past. “Was there anything else you wanted to ask me?”

The [Fragmentholder] straightened. This was it. If Sol didn’t know about the fragment directly, he might know a spell or some other way to locate it. The question was how much to reveal.

He decided to play it safe, keeping specific locations and names vague and only describing what had happened in rough terms. If Sol knew about the fragment, he’d be able to identify it based on the context clues.

When Leo finished, however, the man shook his head.

“I’m afraid I have no idea who that could be. There’s currently too many [Fragmentholders], and admittedly I don’t pay as much attention to those who only possess minor fragments.”

Leo’s shoulders slumped a little. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“If I had that arrow you described, I could use a tracking spell on it, but I’m afraid such a thing is impossible at a distance. It would require the object’s memories, and a dream recreation would not contain them.”

Leo nodded, about to thank him anyway for the effort, when something in Sol’s words made him pause.

Object’s memories. Why did that remind him of something?

His brows furrowed. Quickly, Leo ran through the events since arriving at Alnwick in his head, combing through them, searching until he found what he was looking for.

His heart beat faster. It was a stretch, and he was probably wrong, but it was better than nothing.

Leo shot up, his chair falling behind him. “I have to go,” he blurted out. Sol looked up at him with faint amusement.

“I assume you have an idea?”

Leo nodded. “Yeah, something like that. Thanks for the help.” He paused, glancing around at the tranquil garden surrounding them. “Uh, could you release this spell?” He’d rather not drain all his mana again.

Sol glanced up at the sky, humming to himself. “It seems it’s already daybreak. Yes, that would be prudent.” He waved a hand, palm glowing a soft, warm yellow. In the distance, the flowers at the edge of the garden suddenly dissipated, scattering away into glowing lights. The next row followed, then the row after that, the wave of lights steadily approaching the gazebo as the [Dreamscape] faded.

“Good luck, Leo,” Sol said when the columns of the gazebo began to scatter away. “I hope you’re successful in your search.”

Leo’s fingers clenched into a fist, and he nodded.

“I hope so too.”