“Kato’s condition…? We can heal him.”

While standing at the bathroom door, Emily using the facilities, Iliana came out of her room. We were in a hallway branching at the top of the stairs, there were 6 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms. I stood by the far-left door, my bedroom to the right, Iliana’s bedroom across, Maggie’s to the right of Iliana’s.

“Hey Bona. You and Emily cooling off?” What a stupid looking smirk. I thought to myself.

“Emily needs pants as soon as possible. Maggie free to talk anytime soon. I wanted to talk to you guys before heading out. See what’s going on.”

Iliana looked away and signed. “She…, can’t. Not right now. Believe me, she wants to, but maybe give her some time to come up with a way to explain. And I already took care of everything while you two were sleeping. Emily’s clothing should be coming in sometime tonight, Freya is having one of her knights’ shop for us.”

“Maggie needs time huh? Thank you for everything Iliana. Sorry you had to fight someone.”

“It’s okay. We came here to fight monsters, from other worlds, right? What’s knocking a bad guy out now and then. Or…,” She looked at me before shaking her head. “Well, me and Aggie are going out for a bit. What will you do?”

“Since our talk will be postponed. I’ll gather information, tips from the knights about interrogating that rapey bastard, then visit Victor and Freya before asking to speak to him.”

“I see. Are you going to… tor-ture him?”

“I don’t know yet. You think I could?”

“Yeah. I don’t know you anymore.” Iliana gave a distant smile. “Aggie may not either, but she still…, will, wait till we talk okay? It is getting late, I’m gonna check on my sister. Bye-bye.” She walked off with a goodbye wave towards Maggie’s door and knocked before walking in.

“Good-bye.” I said to the empty hallway.

“Bona? Is there anyone else out there right now?” From the bathroom door came a small frail voice.

“Is that the voice of a specter I hear? Em, it’s clear. You done?” I had my back to the door, standing in front of it 2 feet away, the hallway was rather wide, turning my head to the left to speak behind me.

“Don’t mess with me. And yes.”

“Open the door then.” I turned to face the door as I heard the lock and latch click open.

Emily was trembling, almost as if she were shivering. Her eyes cautiously looked around me, and as she leaned out, they cautiously took in the entirety of the hallway. I reached out and grabbed her left hand pulling it from the wall. She closed her eyes, pulled both of her hands to cover her ears, as my grip was not sure, her hand easily slipped from me. She stood, shivering, covering her ears, breathing slowly similar to someone trying to control a slowly building nausea. She breathed in, held it, then breathed out, swallowing hard.

“Bo-Bona, I can’t. Uhhhh, I…” I grabbed her left hand again and pulled it away from her ear, leading her towards the room.

“Keep your eyes closed if you have to. I’m getting you back to the room.”

“Noooooo.” I pulled her with little resistance to the room, feeling the trembling in her hand, the sweat from the fear of something I couldn’t hear, I couldn’t see, but she could.

I led her to the bed, she sunk down into it, burying her face again, wrapping the pillow around her ears. It’s possible Emily had no more tears to cry, because instead of crying, there was a calm rhythmic breathing as if meditating.

Regret ate away at what was left of my heart. What do I do? No one wants to be like this. Who can I bring her to? Who can fix her? As I left the room waving an invisible good-bye, my day started, my desire to save her family, and in hope, save her.

“It depends, what is it that you want from them? I have read if you want information you treat them with kindness. If you want proof, torture, if you want them to rat someone out, sometimes you do both at the same time.” Knight Angelica advised.

“Yes, that man, I heard about what happened on SD 14. How low of a man to do such despicable things. You were acquainted with the victim? I say cut the man’s precious dick off. But, questioning him to take down a peddling system and unfair employment run by his blood. Hmm…, if any advice is feasibly usable, it would be to make him believe you are on his side. Unfortunate as that maybe. But if he believes you can help him, then he should be willing to throw his family in front of the court.” Knight Tenzin advised.

I found Cassius training with a bow in his hands and decided to ask him as well, despite our bad start. I walked up to him not trying to sneak, he glanced at me and scowled before going to retrieve his arrows. I stood at the spot he marked on the floor waiting for him to return, looking at his equipment.

“What do you want, rat?”

“Hmm? Long bow, about 72” long, looks like a 16-strand string made from sinew, that sucks, stuff stretches like Laffey taffy, and no shelf.” Cassius gave me an annoyed look and drew an arrow from his back quiver, while shoving me off his mark and turning down range.

He pulled the bow up, rested the arrow on his closed left fist, pulled the arrow back while stretching his left arm out and breathing in, then aimed and breathed out releasing the arrow just before he finished exhaling. The arrow hit just to the right of the red circle painted onto a thick circle hay bail. “You haven’t answered me rat.”

“The prisoner Freya is holding, he attacked my assistant, Emily. I want to question him to bring down the man in charge of him. Any tips?”

Cassius scoffed before answering. “I have no answer for you.”

I looked down range, we were about 15 meters from the target. I figured I’d take a gamble and see if I can win some useful advice. “Let me use your equipment? If I hit the back of your arrow within three shots, would you give me an honest answer?”

“Ha, accomplish that, I’ll address you properly. But if you miss, we spar, and you let me beat the shit out of you. Got it?” Cassius looked eager as he handed me his bow and a wooden arrow.

“May need a free shot. Every bow is different, I want to know how it feels before getting serious.” I stuck the arrow into the pocket of my buckskin pants and grabbed the bow to examine it further.

“Sure.” Cassius said with a mocking smile. The handle of the bow didn’t fit well in the palm of my hands, pulling the string back a little told me it was around 90 pounds at 28” draw. Next, I swung the bow over my left shoulder, sandwiching my shoulder between the string and handle, pulled the arrow out of my pocket, examined it, and started spinning the arrow in my hands. The arrow had a slight bend in it, but not detrimental, the three feathers were large uncut feathers, 4 inches about in length. The arrow tip, a single edge broadhead, felt weighty, if I had to guess the Front of Center balance point it was properly close to 10%. For practice arrows, they seemed fit for hunting/killing, maybe in this world you practice with what you will use on the battlefield.

I equipped the bow, sliding it off my shoulder and into my hand, went to an open stance, sticking my left foot slightly farther left causing my body to face the target more than stand in line with it. “May not need it.” I felt rather familiar with the bow already, and the arrow matched my set up, other than it being wooden, slightly heavier, and with a slight bend, I just needed to adjust my form to cope.

I held the bow aimed at the ground, nocked the arrow to the string, placed the arrow on my fist, to the left of the bow, and while picking up the bow, I pulled the string and pushed the bow out at the same time trying to touch my shoulder blades together. I held three fingers underneath the nock of the arrow, mainly pulling with my middle hook, stared at the back of Cassius’s arrow, and as soon as the tip of the arrow, and the length of my draw were where they needed to be, I released the arrow. My style of shooting was called instinctive, like throwing a baseball, look where you want your arrow, and in one smooth motion, you shoot the arrow quickly down range “without aiming”.

I watched as the kinetic force of the string snapping to a stop sent the arrow down range, saw the archer’s paradox flexing the shaft of the arrow before it straightened out and with a loud crack, spilt Cassius arrow before sticking in it from the friction.

Cassius stood biting his lower lips, fighting back a snarl. “Well, I’ll be damned. Without a second to aim your shot. Your stance sucked, no breathing technique, you…, how?”

“Please don’t forget the deal. Here, it’s a good bow, hand shock is not bad. Sorry about the arrow.” I handed the bow back.

Cassius grabbed the bow and cleared his throat. “Okay, questioning the man who attempted to kill Knight Victor, and bring harm to your assistant. If it were me, I would find out what kind of man he is, what does he like? Power? Money? Land? If you can forge some way to show him you can offer these things, his information may prove more valuable. His information’s value is the price for your offering. I for one do not believe in torture, in hurting him for answers. A man who knows nothing suddenly knows a lot if it will ease his suffering.

“That man is an easy read, he seems simple from the details I received on the assault. It’s possible you may not need much to persuade him. Try to befriend him, speak to him casually. The simple lose their security around fools. Casually show yourself a fool, offer him something he wants, and one can only hope his information is worth its weight in gold.”

“Hmm, I’m seeing a common pattern, be kind, lie to him with something he wants. Thank you, Cassy.”

“Uhh, your welcome, Warrior.” Cassius looked back towards his spilt arrow and shook his head in disbelief.

Walking off, my heart still felt heavy, my resolve felt unsure.

I decided to go and talk to Alvin, he has proven to be a light, a man worth trusting, someone who wants to help, genuinely. Clarity was necessary, a path unseen by the inexperienced, if he can lead me to it, then there will always be a foundation I can find a footing in, a wisdom to seek.

I exited the high residential area, Tor sat by the gate, it opened freely from the inside, but locked on the outside. Tor’s face looked exhausted, in truth, I don’t believe he noticed my presence. “Tor, keeping guard?”

“Huh?” He flinched, hand on the wall, ready to jump up. “B-, ahh hummm, Warrior Bona, how is he? Victor, ahh, Knight Victor number 2?” Tor relaxed, looking at me concerned.

“Thanks to your quick feet, Freya has him in a stable situation. Did anything happen? Any signs of trouble out here?”

“No. I hear a lot sitting here. The city isn’t in a good place with all the Terrarum refugees. To be honest, this is not the first incident. Man, these freeloaders would harm a child for their own greed. Talk about waiting in blood. But…, not all of them are bad. Look, just be careful out there, they maybe following you.”

“Yeah. See ya.” I don’t think he has slept since last night. But as long as he can keep doing his job, I couldn’t care less.

Freya was currently with Victor, in the morning a messenger advised us training would be put on hold today, Julie made rounds to the three of us keeping us informed. I was glad to hear I wouldn’t have to skip out on training, granted the day was nearly over already, so it wouldn’t be worth it to show up so late, but it was a relief to know I was not skimping on any responsibilities.

I entered the shop, heard the greeting ding, ding, ding of the handmade bell, and walked right through the black leather curtain to the back room. Alvin was in the middle of stitching something together, I stood behind him, playing with an ingot.

“Make yourself at home, not that you need the invitation.” Alvin continued his work undisturbed by my presence. “Younger Ms. Amana came in earlier in the morning. That reminds me. Ms. Famulus with you?”

“No.”

Alvin set down his large leather stitching needle, stood up from his workbench and walked over to me. I turned to greet him, but suddenly felt something soft punch me in the face. The power of Alvin’s punch was so severe that I nearly did a back flip, my feet reaching Alvin’s head before feeling the impact of the cold, hard stone floor on my shoulder blades.

My eyes felt as if they were rolling in my head, if this were a cartoon, I wouldn’t be surprised to see three yellow birds flying circles in my vision. I didn’t understand the reasoning, it was only 3 days since my last visit, he told me to just come straight back here if he wasn’t in the front and there were no other patrons. We talked for some time about our crafts, about electric tools, about chainsaws, about techniques yet to exist in this world. Did I offend him?

Planning to get up and confront him, the thought crossed my mind, why did he ask if Emily was with me, and why did he only act when I said she wasn’t.

“Mr. Gallio, you are negligent. I don’t know how you’re keeping those sisters happy; do you truly believe Ms. Famulus wants to be couped up in that room?” Alvin sounded concerned, his voice deep and soothing. He stuck his hand out towards me, I grabbed it and pulled myself up, rolling my shoulders, he tossed some padding aside.

Patting my but I replied. “Emily, huh?” After rubbing my face and grimacing, I continued. “You almost killed me so you could give me advice? I mean, ow, seriously, ow.” I caught a glimpse of his solemn countenance which sobered me up. “Emily? You haven’t seen or met the girl and your already punching guys for her. Is there anybody you don’t care about?”

“Right now, your odds are looking pretty good, dumbass.” Alvin patted my shoulder before walking beside me and leaning on one of the workbenches. “When I was an adventurer, one of my party members, a girl, suffered a bad injury, it pushed the fight out of her. Gladly she was fully healed, and that night around the campfire, she confided in me, saying her body can’t do it, the fear ate her resolve, draining her strength, stupid girl still wanted to fight. Hated not being normal, not being able to help her kingdom, her comrades. Morning after, our party had a meeting, about her.

“I stood up for her desire to fight, she looked pissed off at me. Afraid her trauma would hold our party back…, forget that, if she wanted to fight, it doesn’t matter if there is trauma or not, her true desires will overcome it. Crying over something rather than facing it head on is not good for anyone. Ms. Famulus needs help, not pity. Keep her with you, drag her out of that room, you show her this world still has good in it, and protect her from the bad.

“If she sees that you are willing to put up with her trauma, her desire to serve you, to serve others, to bring joy, and laughter to others will overcome what is messing her up someday. I asked Ms. Amana about her when she told me what happened, Mr. Gallio, those girls love her, and she is close to you, I wouldn’t be surprised if she loved the lot of you back. Help her. You hear? Or I’ll strike you till you are nothing but a puddle on my floor.”

“Do…, do you really think it’s okay to force her? Emily says she can hear him, imagine him behind every closed door. Alvin, I don’t know if I can put her through that. Maybe it’ll just take time for her to heal?”

“Time…? I didn’t know if I could put my party members through the hassle of protecting someone who couldn’t fight anymore. But I couldn’t deny her will, fighting to help others. Her pushing herself away from the frontlines wasn’t going to help her achieve anything, maybe some time away would have help, but I think it is time wasted…. What of your Ms. Famulus? Does she have something to achieve, to fight for?”

“She…, well, she wants to leave the room, but she doesn’t think she can. Says the fear of it, how it hurts her…, Alvin, she can’t.”

“And my comrade thought about fighting and said she couldn’t. You can’t keep using that excuse.”

I thought about my conversation with Emily earlier, was there any desire in her words? “Emily said she couldn’t wait for me to meet her family.”

“Okay. And what else?”

“And…,” that’s right, when I asked her to keep her smile, to stay the Emily I knew. “Emily did say that as long as I am beside her, she promised she won’t lose her happiness. But repeated that she doesn’t think she could leave the house.”

Alvin took some time to come up with a response. “I can only assume her desire is to be near you for the time being, to use you for strength till she no longer needs to siphon strength from you. Just keep her close, give Ms. Famulus her reason and means to be happy, and if it isn’t you, urged her to find it. I am not all knowing, but I understand no one wants to be held back by trauma. Like a steel with its impurities, she needs to be thrown in the heat, then smacked till the emptiness is gone. It is your goal, if you are her strength to bring her to the heat and hold her down as the void inside of her tear its way out. Protecting her, guiding her, being her anchor.”

I nodded, looking him in the eyes, seeing how resolute he was in his words. The girl he stood up for, if she brought this on, what happened when he brought her into the furnace to forge her porous resolve. “That comrade of yours…?”

“She ended up saving my life, ha, saving the party’s life…. Now, come back to the front, I have a gift for you.” Alvin walked to the other side of the black curtain, I followed. It seems he said all he needed to say on the matter. I’m glad he’s not stretching it out more than it needs to be. I hated when something that could be said in 2 minutes is stretched for 30.

When we got to the other side of the curtain, he reached under the counter pulling out a baseball cap made of leather, with a thick formed leather pad for the bill. He dyed the hat in his best attempt at making a highlander camouflage with dark green, white, green, and black.

“No freaking way.” I grabbed it from him and tried it on, this world didn’t have Velcro, but Alvin used a belt friction system to adjust the hat. It fit perfectly with the right length bill.

“Hats on the house as long as I can sell others like it. And wipe that stupid look off your face.”

“Ahhhhhhh…,” I sounded like a happy kid making happy sounds.

“Can I sell it…? HEY MR. GALLIO!” Alvin raised his voice.

“What, oh, selling the design, why ask me?”

“Your design.”

“Oh,” I pulled the hat off and looked it over, admiring it. “Yea, sell it.” I quickly put the hat back on. “But not this one!”

“Yeah, I can’t sell dirty products.” Alvin chuckled and walked back through the curtain. “Oh, armors and weapons are getting done, don’t hold your breath. You’re probably still waiting on the archery stuff, but this is a blacksmith shop, and the wacky designs you all gave me is taking me some time to master. Can’t give inferior products. Can’t sell ‘em either.”

I followed him, remembering why I came here. “Say Alvin. I’m going to question someone, interrogating them you can say. All the knights I’ve spoken with are saying kinda along the line that I should play nice and pretend to be willing to offer him something in return for info. What would you do to get answers out of someone?”

Alvin sat back down at the workbench and picked up his needle before answering. “Hmm. I never interrogated anyone. To tell you the truth, I have never fought another person outside of practice, or fist fights. Bandits were not a big deal, it was the monsters, the creatures from the portals. I can’t offer you any advice that would be from experience. Though I have heard people tend to make up answers when being tortured, so torture is often not a good method. I don’t think I could ever torture another man. I know you could without thought, I heard about the kid you killed. Don’t bother me none, I may have done the same if that was my daughter, or someone I cared about.”

I stood in appreciation of his acceptance for a few seconds before Emily’s story came to mind. “Oh, speaking of creatures from another world. Have you heard of any that can eat a man and take on his image and memory? Possible even his physiology?” I thought about the physiology as it was obvious from Emily’s story that the creature felt the pains of heartbreak.

“Hmm, I haven’t, I fought giant creatures, things calling themselves goblins, ogres. Even fought in one of the portal assaults. There are these beings in the silhouette of men, black as shadows, hands of razors, kill one and they burst into freezing air, kill enough without mana protection and Freya says your cells burst, rending your fingers useless. But never a creature that consumed a man and took on his form and life.”

“I see. Thanks, I’m going to check on Knight Victor.” I turned from him and headed for the curtain door.

“Hey, Mr. Gallio?”

“What’s up?”

“Don’t blame yourself, what happened to Ms. Famulus, and to Victor. It wasn’t your fault, don’t hate yourself over your choices. But learn from them, don’t ignore what you can learn from. What happened that night, well, just say me and Freya are real close, and I know she doesn’t blame you. In fact, I bet she’s thankful towards you.”

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

“Right. Thank you, Alvin. Oh, and I don’t…, I can’t keep Maggie or Iliana happy, it’s possible that we may go our separate ways.”

“Ha, good luck with that. Goodbye Mr. Gallio.” My back felt sore as I left that shop, but my heart felt lighter. Emily wanted to stay the Emily I knew, her promise to me was that she would stay happy. I truly hope she wanted to fight her ailment, to stay the annoying Emily she was to me and the girls. Maybe that was the thing she wanted to achieve, a purpose to focus on amidst the haunting trauma. I happily adjusted my new cap and started the long walk back to Freya’s home.

“Hey, you? Who are you? The mana around you doesn’t feel right.” A man dressed in leather armor, no visible weapons, short, cropped hair, a large beard, and a questioning face walked towards me from a few feet down the road. He was leaning against the wall of what seemed like a restaurant, maybe a pub. He stepped within 5 feet from me, standing at about the same height, 5’11”.

Ignoring him, I pressed on, he blocked my path. “You? You Terra Trash. Your people have been nothing but trouble these past years. The mana around you is letting off an unpleasant aura. Murderous, deceitful, my comrade lost her life in this city we call home to you fucking refugees. Who are you? What is your intent?”

“Buddy, you need a kiss? It sounds like your lonely. I am new here, but I can try helping you find the red-light district. Also, that’s how you curse in this language, it sounds just as vulgar in my language.”

“Red light district?” He shook his head. “Never mind your foreign words. Answer the question. What is your intent, and identity?”

“I am the real Slim Shady, and my intent is to stand up when asked to. That is all, nothing less, nothing more.” I said proudly and smugly.

He looked angrily confused, clenching his teeth, then yelled. “You play me for a fool! Sword! …Shield!” Suddenly the air hissed, that familiar refracting light showed up around the man’s hands. The obvious sight of the refracting lights formed into the shape of the man’s sword, and shield. He stepped into his swing as the last of the sword came into existence, I let off a deep sign as his sword aimed for the top of my head.

Stepping to the left, the wind drift from the power of his swing blew up the sleeve of my buck skin shirt. He quickly twisted his body and whipped his sword hand back attempting to hit me with the sword hilt. I grabbed the man’s wrist and threw his arm above my head. Knowing I didn’t have time to use mana, I decided to head for a more cowardly but quick end and grabbed the man’s face digging my index and middle finger into his eyes.

My intent was to gouge them, but he was quick, his shield smacked into the wrist of my right hand sending a shock through my bones causing me to let go. He backed off, covering himself with his shield till he regained his vision as I shook my numbing hand.

“Such underhanded tactics. Terra Trash, coward!” Poking his face above his long, kite shield, he blinked hard a few times and locked onto me.

I got into a martial arts stance and urged the mana that I was speaking to it using my body, my arms. Activate, this is my motion, my means to tell you, I want that blue silhouette, that mana image that erases all existence with everything it touches. I stood sideways towards the man, right foot slightly farther back, knees slightly bent, arms at 90 degrees, open palmed, hands around center chest. I never understood the wide stances in karate, or in other forms of martial arts, therefore I adapted other forms and practice torquing my body for more power in my strikes. But my focus was always mobility, I learned what I could from the dojos in city, but realizing their impracticality, I did my own research and mixed different styles. Anything to get my mind off the toils of young love.

“You mean to fight me bear handed. I don’t know your intent, but my comrade is gone, my intent, my purpose is to stop your people from causing this kingdom further trouble…. She was a kind person!” The man rushed me before I could answer. I pictured it in my head, the kick, I didn’t know if the mana would react, but I aimed to kick the sword as he swung it down, or jammed it forward, erasing it, destroying it. If this didn’t work, his sword would cut or stab me, maybe with his power, it would be enough to delimb.

His sword rested atop his shield, possibly to thrust, based off his first attack, I believe he is more accustom to swing attacks than stabbing, but I honestly didn’t have enough experience to know for sure. I stood watching his every move, discerning the next, knowing this is a bad habit, someday I will have to fight without the ability to patiently discern. But right now, this is all I know, this is my first real fight with an armed opponent. I couldn’t judge by his weapon which he would do, if it was a knife it would be easier, tanto means stab, clip point means slice. With a long sword, both options are equal in power, and devastation.

Thankfully, in the 2 seconds I had to monitor his body, I saw his elbow raise and pulled back. From that, he’d most likely raise the sword for a downward slash. I placed my weight on my back foot, ready to quickly shoot the weight up front, and twist my left foot to torque my body and add momentum to my back foot for an upward kick. When he closed the distance enough for his sword to strike me, I waited and sent my body into the motion, stopping with my feet nearly 5’10” in the air. Though I timed it right, the man stopped, backed stepped, and continued putting distance between us before my kick could hit.

“That was a mana spell? I felt it, but I saw nothing. What are you up to?!” He didn’t see it, maybe it was too fast? But I did, the blue silhouette of mana, a beautiful sight that invoked a feeling of having god as a partner.

“Maybe you should get your eyes check, hurt them recently at all?” I said mockingly as I got back into the stance. But then I had an idea, a way to counteract his precognition of my mana uses. “Okay. I’m done.” Smiling at the man, I returned to a relax position.

“I’m not, you cannot be trusted.”

“I get it, you lost buddies. I don’t care. Shoo, go away.” Shooing him only confused and angered him further.

“Holy father, I pray for strength to strike down the enemy that wishes harm on your servant! Offer this humble farmer your strength to slay this sorrow bringer!” The man loudly exclaimed.

Poking a finger in my ear I replied, “Indoor voices please.” He rushed me; I could sense from the 9 feet distance between us that he was erupting with power. The mana around him sounded like a fire ablaze. His footsteps were heavy, but unobstructed by the newfound heaviness. Quickly but steadily, he walked forward, though his speed was different, it seems he was in the same form as previously, with his sword resting on his shield, slightly hunched. My goal was to trick him, if he could sense that I was using mana, because I prepared it ahead of time. What would happen if I used it last minute?

“Terra Trash, I will avenge the lives your people have taken!” His voice sounded amplified, maybe the mana not only strengthened him physically, maybe it effected his entire body inside and out.

I stood with my feet shoulder width apart, my hands inside my pocket, facing him. His sword seemed to float in the air as he took his final step adding momentum into his swing. When his sword began the arc towards my shoulder, quickly I twisted my right foot 90 degrees, stepped forward with and twisted my left just the same. Then bent my arms 90 degrees picturing the mana silhouette leading my movements while standing sideways to him, I saw the blue mana in the shape of my left elbow, saw it eviscerating the man’s sword, my elbow appearing as he finished his swing.

Will the sight ever grow weary, that enveloping blue glow of mana flowing ahead of my body. Since the size of my elbow was the area of effect, only a small portion, just below the middle of the blade was erased, the tip of his sword fell and hit me in the right bicep, cutting into it deeply before falling to the ground.

Before he could react, with my right hand that was by my chest, pulled far back as my left elbow was fully extended, shot forward punching through the man’s shield, and armor with the first knuckles on my fingers, blood from my wound splatter on his shield. If this was a fight without weapons, the moment it made impact, I would’ve gone for a grapple, either pulling the opponent in or pushing them to throw them off balance. But instead, I only went to hit him with those four first knuckles of my hand and pull it back before they were bashed by his shield or slashed by his broken sword.

I felt the heat evaporate as he released the mana he was borrowing from the atmosphere; I felt his skin tense up from the gravity the mana inflicted upon him.

“H-how did you break through my mana? Ugg. I’ll kill you.” The man’s right arm was still holding its position sitting at the end of his swing, swiftly I pulled my arm out through the hole the mana punched through his shield. I thought the man’s life was about to expire, but looking at my hand, there was only a small amount of blood covering my knuckles. The man fell to his knees, dropping his shield and broken sword. His left shoulder, just below the collar bone had three deep bleeding holes, and one small superficial wound with some blood oozing out of the thick leather armor chest piece.

The man glared at me, I slowly walked over to him, “I’m not from Terrarum.” He spat at my feet.

I aimed a hand at the top of his head and chin to twist his head when I heard a shout coming from the door by the wall the man was standing at. “Lucius! Hey stop! You’ve won!” A soft feminine voice yelled while running towards us, I looked up at her confused, still moving my hands toward Lucius’s head. She stopped, quickly bowed her head praying, I stopped watching her, suddenly a trail of light led to us, and in an instant I felt her hands on my wrists, she stood beside Lucius.

“Please, we…, we lost someone to a refugee from Terrarum. Lucius was just looking for a fight because he was there…”

“Tabita, STOP!” Tabita released her grip as Lucius smacked my hands with his right hand. Shifting his weight to the right, he stood up, Tabita looked at me, and I just blinked slowly rubbing my left hand.

“He…, he’s just hurting right now. Please stop fight…,”

“Quiet!” He raised his right hand to smack Tabita, before he could I grabbed his arm. Tabita flinched, ready for the strike to land, when it didn’t she looked up cautiously. Realizing I instinctively protected her, I quickly let go.

“Trifecta?” I called out to the woman.

“DON’T TOUCH ME, TERRA TRASH!”

“Shush you baby. Trifecta…,”

“Please no more. He’s drunk, he needs rest. An-and time to deal with what happened.” She clasped her hands together apologizing and asking me to stop fighting.

“I have already dealt with it. You heard me, I have my purpose, my…, my…,” Tabita grabbed Lucius’s right shoulder and budded her way in front of him pushing me back. If I was an enemy, she has completely left herself open. I considered whether it was worth it to rid myself of the two of them or move on.

“No, you haven’t dealt with it. Remember what you said…, to me, to Echo?”

Lucius slowly began sobbing. This wasn’t worth the time I was wasting, I decided to continue on my quest to save Emily and her family. I walked past the man grieving some person he could not protect, past his friend, past his broken equipment. Then I smiled thinking about my baseball cap as I used an index and middle finger to adjust the cap on my head.

“I need to get stronger; I need to free Terrarum. We can’t save them like this. I know Echo was only trying to help, but we can’t…, not…, not with refuge. But I hate them!” I heard Lucius breaking down from behind me.

“Sober up okay… Come, let’s get you home. We are done with the tavern for the rest of the day. And if you ever hit me…, ah, I’ll wait till you sober up. Come on.” Tabita probably pulled him up and started walking off towards wherever they were lounging.

I decided to jog back towards the gate, the craftsmen district was slightly farther than the shopping district and the time was getting late. I left Alvin’s shop around 5:20pm, that scene lasted nearly 8 minutes. My next stop is Victor’s room. Hopefully, he has woken up.

“I know…, but every time I see him, I can’t help but imagine who else? I still trust that me and Illy are important to him, that he won’t hurt us, but the idea that he could kill someone so young in such a horrible way. I didn’t know he…, could.” Arriving to Freya’s home, one of her servants led me to the room where Victor rested, and from the other side of the closed door I heard Maggie’s voice.

“Do you think what he did was not necessary? Was it evil?” Freya sounded as if she was asking a rhetorical question.

“I don’t think it was evil…. Necessary? I don’t know. What if I had to…, kill someone? It is too conflicting, this world, this….”

“Aggie, hey, we are not here to hurt people. We are here to protect this kingdom till we can go home.”

“But aren’t we here to stop people, to kill people…. Besides, Bona had to protect Emily….” If any time were good to interrupt it would be now, before the conversation became invested. Knocking on the door, I waited for the invite.

“Come in.” I heard Freya announcing.

Opening the door, I walked into the room to see Victor lying on a bed with a towel over his forehead, asleep. Freya sat on the edge of the queen-sized leather bed, Maggie and Iliana sat in Freya’s grey matter covered bone chairs. Two of the three were looking at me as I entered.

“How is Emily’s hero?” I asked Freya as I walked in waving at them.

Freya turned her body to look at Victor’s face. “He has fallen asleep again. Victor should recover. What brings you here? And the blood on your arm?”

“Came to check on you, and him. Blood was from a scuffle with someone, but I took care of him.” I said showing the dried blood on my hand.

“I think we should go, Illy.” Maggie tugged on Iliana’s sleeve.

“No, we should…”

“Please.” Maggie urged staring at Iliana.

“Okay. Bona, Freya, um…, we are gonna head home now.” Iliana said uncertainly.

I signed and walked further into the room, the girls stood and started walking out, Maggie kept Iliana between her and me. “Hey, Maggie, Iliana, we need to talk. When I’m done, I don’t care if you’re ready or not, but there is something you’re not telling me. We can’t keep up this charade.”

They kept walking for a few more steps when suddenly Maggie yelled. “I KNOW!” She clenched her fists, staring at the ground. “I know there is something wrong between us, but it isn’t easy, B-Bona. I….” She grunted and ran out of the room.

Iliana tried to grab her, but Maggie was too quick. “Aggie, hey come on. He’s trying to fix things; don’t you get it?” Iliana ran after her older sister.

Freya sat on the bed lost in thought. “Perhaps…. Humans are difficult, I wish I studied more than the human body. The mind isn’t a stable place, a good man is soiled by one bad deed. But your bad deed was not unnecessary. Still, this will prove difficult, too difficult for me to aid. What will you do?” She looked up at me, still pondering her own thoughts.

“Knight Freya, are you well?”

“Hmm. The shock has passed. But no matter the many times I’ve seen it, the death of a friend, of a comrade is hard to bear. Life… well that statement would be wasted on you.” She gave a weary smile.

“Do you think you can find a place for those two girls to live here in the city? I’ll continue living up in Mirk’s palace. I think, to benefit them, it would be best if they could train without me, and if they still want to fight your war, then they would work better together. I never should’ve believed that I could keep them from being broken by this world, or by me.”

Freya looked at me for a few seconds before replying. “Your hat? Alvin?” I nodded; Freya signed exasperatedly. “I don’t think Maggie hates you, I feel she still wants you in her life. The question that I cannot stop thinking of is, what isn’t easy? She doesn’t deny the problem, but maybe the difficult thing for her is the solution she has already found.”

“Warrior Bona, don’t…, don’t push them away.” Victor croaked. “She woke me, but her yelling sounded lost, not vulgar, I think she is fighting something inside of her. I don’t know what issue you sprouted up, but Warrior Bona, losing a friend is not easy when they are close to you.” Victor sounded exhausted, his eyes were still closed, his breathing was slow and steady, but it seemed his stamina was not fully recovered. But Freya healed the swelling, and his broken nose, I couldn’t see his left shoulder where the dagger was embedded.

“I see. In my world we have a saying. If you love someone, let them go. If they loved you back, then they will come back. If they don’t come back, then it was never meant to be. Knight Freya, I want to separate. I truly believe they would be better off, if not…, well we can cross that bridge when we get to it. Also, why do you think I caused a problem Vic…tor?” I adjusted my hat and took a seat in one of the chairs.

“Emi-ly…? H-how is she?” Victor asked.

Freya perked up when Emily was mentioned. “Yes, your assistant, I heard from the girls.” A fire blazed in Freya’s eyes.

Remembering the words of Lucius, I was curious if every citizen felt a dissatisfaction towards Terrarum refugees. “Freya? What is your opinion on the refugees?”

“Hmm. I don’t hate them…, never mind me Bona. Emily is she well? And was it a refugee that hurt you?” Freya gave me a concerned look, but the façade couldn’t hide her look of distaste.

“Okay, it isn’t important what you think of them. I honestly couldn’t care less about every soul in this city minus a handful. It was an adventurer named, Lushes or something….” I shrugged my shoulder. “Emily isn’t in tip top shape, but she seems to not have lost herself. She is as human as ever. Playful, insightful, and I can’t help but think that she’s cleaning my room, trying to serve me as best as she can.” I spoke blissfully with my best poker face. I never played poker because I was bad at it.

“Was she injured? Does she need my assistance?” Freya quickly asked.

“No. It is as you say. If only you studied more than the human body. By the way, how did you learn so much? In my world we knew so much about the body because of our technology. This world shouldn’t have access to such high-tech equipment.”

“I’m glad to hear that she is well…. And Lushes? You mean the idiot adventurer Lucius, he isn’t dead, is he? He may have a temper and lacking in skills, but he is a good man.”

“Yeah, everybody is a good person, I get it. I would’ve killed him all the same if it wasn’t for his friend budding in. But no, the guy is alive and well. May need some new equipment, but barely harmed.”

“Good, I’m happy you didn’t kill him. His party is working hard to help the refugees.... My knowledge? Bona, can we wait, I want to explain it to the girls as well. It may be important for your future endeavors.”

I know Emily mentioned the Adventurer’s legacy when I asked her about Freya’s knowledge, and how citizenship is determined, but she didn’t explain. It seems my question will go unanswered again for now. “Okay.”

“Bo-books. Adventurer, the first adventurer. Read…, his story.” Victor gave me a tip through his exhaustion.

“Yes, that will offer more context.” Freya replied while patting Victor on the arm, urging him to rest. “Now, is there anything else you need Bona? I heard you asking my men about the prisoner. I’m glad one of my knights were conversing with Tor when those two showed up, I heard Emily looked like a walking spirit, she needed both of them to aid her home.”

“Yeah. Emily is our little damsel in distress. Please, when she shows up, don’t treat her like she’s broken, no one wants that treatment. Now, the bastard. Knight Freya, I wish to interrogate him. Emily’s family is still in the Palace’s workers house where Warren is. Emily says the prisoner was pointed out to be Warren’s brother. I want information, how is Warren given so much authority…? Victor, do you recall anything that may have been said? What exactly transpired?”

“Freya….” Victor swallowed hard.

“Do you need a drink my friend?” Freya asked, he made a weak attempt to shake his head.

“Take, him. Show him, everything.”

“What? Show me. How?” I turned to Freya looking for an explanation.

“Historian’s spell. A mana spell that brings you back to a person’s past, depending on the caster, you can see everything that the mana saw, heard, or experienced around a specified target. Target being a person. It takes a toll on the caster; I can hold it for at least 17 minutes. At the moment, I don’t know, I used a lot up tending to Victor.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

“First, stand up and sit beside me. Let’s get rid of those chairs to preserve some of my resources.” I obeyed and when I sat, she grabbed my hand and Victor’s.

“His guards? Just how much influence does Warren have. Hmm?” I couldn’t help but flinch at the sound when Victor was hit. And felt an unsettling anger as they treated him like furniture to rest on. Desire to slowly crush every bone in that man’s body for what he told Remus to do, for his fatherly love towards Kato as Emily suffered built inside of me, apparently pouring out into the mana.

“Bona, calm down. You’re starting to turn the mana around you blacker than a beetle. What information did you garner?” Freya looked ready to pass out herself. From my seat about 2 feet from her, I could feel the heat bursting around her.

“Well…, nothing helpful really. Apparently, Emily is causing trouble for Warren. Warren had her followed, when she figured she was being tagged, they went for the kill. Warren’s brother has city guards under his belt, and even has power over where the guards patrol. That Remusk fellow felt like he was using mana himself when he smashed Victor with that bag, so they have some capable fighters unlike Katoast and those other thugs. Hmm?”

“Yes…, in-indeed. I can’t get any information for your interrogation from what we saw. H-how do you plan to deal with him?”

“I plan to use his love for Katoast against him. Do you think you could play along? Maybe heal his ankles or hands to show off your power. Then we lie, tell him his son is alive, and we can heal him. Ahh…, we use the historian spell, bring him back to see me crushing Katoast’s jaw, flipping him and him passing out. I can explain that I didn’t finish him, that I brought Victor to you for healing, and the guards found him alive and are treating him somewhere. And if he co-operates, we get you to heal him.” Freya looked at me horrified.

“Building a father’s hope up for information. What…. Please tell me, what you plan to do when he finds out?”

“About Katoast’s true diagnosis?” Freya nodded. “Dude doesn’t have long to live; I don’t mind him hating me in what short time he has left. Wait, poison…, nah. He could just give false information that could backfire thinking he’s making an ultimate sacrifice. Also, I should’ve said something a lot cooler when I showed up.”

“I see. Well, we can’t just let you kill him Bona. He is under my watch.” Freya seemed to be gaining more composure as we spoke.

“Are you feeling better after pushing yourself?”

“Hmm? The mana effect, it doesn’t take long for the crushing gravity and heat to leave me, but if I used anymore the effects would worsen. I think it’s because of how long I have lived. Maybe the mana is doing something to my old body. But I recover quickly and can use mana again sooner on little rest without overworking myself. Though continually doing so will put me out of commission were some time.”

“You leave me with so many questions Freya…. You know, you can’t stop me from killing him.”

“Ha, just as Maggie said. After what she saw…,” Freya paused, looked off to the side and stood. “Never mind, she should explain. Come, I’ll bring you to the prisoner. Please don’t kill him yet, let me set things up. Then I will help you. Victor I will be back.” She started walking towards the door, I stood and followed her. Victor replied with a faint, “Understood, Knight Freya.”

“Can Emily be there?” Freya stopped and turned to face me.

“What? You want her to see his death? Will that calm her trauma?” She seemed interested in this idea, seeing the person who hurt you killed before your eyes as a remedy for psychological trauma. Maybe a remedy only capable in this primal world.

“See his death? I am planning on having her involved in his execution.” I smiled mischievously at her.

Freya nodded her head. “I see. Can she? Honestly, I see no good from it, even having her present may not be a good idea. Don’t lead her down the wrong path.” She turned back and started her walk again. “All I can ask is you consider my counsel. I can’t stop you, or her. But if she does not want any part, what will you do?”

“Leave it be at that point. Not too much to look into.”

“I see. You must consider Emily as different from you. Get her opinion on matters concerning her before acting. I should say that goes for all your comrades, present and future.” Freya continued speaking as we walked through the hall lighted by the sconces on the walls.

I felt something akin to pre-interview jitters, I guess you could call it, pre-interogation jitters, nervous, nervous in the sense that I will fail to gather any useful information and fail to save Emily, and her family. Because if harm came to her family, I know Emily will never be the same.

She felt like a little girl forced to grow up. Why does she want me to call her by a nickname? Because her father did. Did she used to lay her head in her father’s laps and cry about broken hearts. Did he pat her head to console her? Has losing her father stopped her from being more mature, always looking for something to fill the gap left in his absence.

Can a person stop growing when they lose one person, one friend, one parent, sibling, girlfriend, boyfriend, or their own sanity? In my case, I grew, or did I devolve? I can’t let Emily be like me, but I can’t chain her to my own ideals of who she should be. Freya has a point; I need to think about what could be good for her from her perspective. I would be satisfied in slowly killing the bastard that hurt her, but what of Emily, what would Emily have to do to be satisfied, to grow?

Can a person grow when forced to? Even if they lost their father to supernatural, unexplainable circumstances? Even if they lost their sanity, hearing voices, seeing imaginary figures in the shape of their nightmares outside every door? Alvin says force her to face her trauma, Freya says to consider what Emily wants. What do I say?

Screw it, let her suffer, I have had enough.

You are someone I want to protect, stay with me.

You bring me joy. Please don’t let one trauma take away my joy.

I’m losing Maggie, and Iliana, don’t let me lose the Emily I knew.

You’re coming with me, anywhere I am you are. Understood? I don’t care if you can hear voices, see things that are not there, I’m doing this for your own good.

Are you not sick of it? Stuck in here. Take my hand and I will try to lead you to a kinder world.

Revel, little sis, mother, Pastor, and God, what do I say? Who am I to the people that matter to me? How far am I willing to go? How far should I go?

“We are here. Beyond that door lies the makeshift dungeon I had Alvin make for when my knights lost a bet. It is fully secure, and the most uncomfortable thing you could spend a night in. Cold, damp, quiet.” Freya stood in the middle of a room that looked like an armory, the door she pointed out was on the back wall. She turned towards the left of the room from the door we entered and began walking towards it. “First, wash the dried blood on your arm and hand…, sorry, I forgot, let’s see the wound.” Freya stopped and turned towards me, walking towards my wounded right arm.

Freya rolled my short sleeve back, “You fool, the cut is deep, somehow clotted, I’m closing and cleaning it now before you wash up. If we plan to win him over with kindness, present yourself better. Borrow a shirt from a locker, that door is the washroom,” she pointed towards the wooden door we were headed towards, “clean yourself before you present yourself.” Freya’s mana spell lighted my arm in a warm amber glow. I felt a tingling sensation, and an extreme warmth that was comforting surround the cut.

When Freya finished healing my arm, I couldn’t help but think she is overexerting herself. “How much further can you go? Honestly, I’m surprised you aren’t creating your own world by now. What have you been through, Knight Freya?”

“I have been through many trials, but don’t overburden yourself in my affairs. Remember, do not kill that man.” She pointed a finger at my face.

“Okay, I promise I won’t kill him. You have my word.”

“Your word? Tell me Bona, are your vows any good?”

I was silent for a few seconds wondering that myself. “I’ll leave that for you to decide.”

“Then I decide it is. Don’t prove me wrong Warrior. I’ll stay out here while you talk with him, when you’re ready for your machinations, call me in. I think I will have recovered enough to heal him and use the Historian’s spell for a minute, perhaps two.” Freya sat by the door, there was a bench to the left of the steel studded door leading to the dungeon.

“Okay. And you only need to show him a few seconds, it didn’t take long to crush that jackass’s jaw.” Freya pointed towards a locker as I looked around for one to steal a shirt from, the shirt I was wearing was my last, minus the one Emily wore. Opening the locker, my search began through a wide selection of items, speaking silently to myself as I scrummaged through it, “Okie dookie, shirt, pants, ooo, a belt, nice pair of leather boots. Ahh, yep, still got the cap, alrighty then.” I backed off from the locker, closing it and waved at Freya as I walked into the washroom.

After cleaning myself and dressing up, I stepped out, Freya sat resting her head against the wall, her eyes closed. I walked over to the door beside her and pulled it open.

“May the mana guide you, Bona.” Freya said wearily.

I planned on making a stupid Star Wars joke but decided against it. I only hope I could save Emily, her family, and figure out how to fix things with the girls.