Corin continued his nightly rounds giving his gift freely. His dreams varied each night. Could this have been the message that had been shown to the unnamed man? Corin wasn’t sure. He went back to the Inn. The morning crowd ate their meal and talked.

“There’s been another string of murders during the night.” One of the patrons said.

“They haven’t even finished uncovering the ones that were killed last night.”

“Those nobles from Fetahken brought a curse with them.”

Mathos came down the stairs. They had both changed away from their Fetahken guard’s clothes. They didn’t want to arouse any suspicion. At this point news had already spread about the fighting in Fetahken and the ancient dwarven monster that had been unsealed. They had both shared a few good chuckles together about that. Other settlements had been reporting similar murders with the victims picked clean straight to the bone.

Mathos joined Corin at a table and ordered a simple breakfast. The two ate in silence for a while. The food was bland, and nearly tasteless. They both ate the vegetable wrap that was similar to the one the caravan leader had provided them. There was also a stewed lamb dish that seemed to lack seasoning. The inn hadn’t been the best choice food wise. Every meal had tasted quite similar. At least the room’s beds were quite comfortable. The rooms were quite luxurious.

Mathos still felt a duty to join the guard. Corin had felt more of a need to hunt down the Fetahken city lord and his family. His days had been spent wandering the city, learning the land. When the recruitment day arrived Corin still went with Mathos. There were a few hundred that had come for the work. They had to spread amongst separate lines and they were processed through to the guard training. Corin watched a few men get rejected from his own line and then he found himself at the head of the line.

“And what brings you here today?” the stern man at the table said.

Both Corin and Mathos had talked about the story. If questioned they could at least share the same answer or at least something similar enough that it would work. The two had spent quite a few nights trying to perfect the story. Corin had learned Mathos’s side and Mathos had learned his.

“I’m looking for steady work, and I have previous experience with a weapon.” Stated Corin.

The man eyed him for a moment and wrote something down on a piece of paper.

After he wrote his message he asked, “And where did you get this previous experience?”

“I was a guard in Fetahken, sir.” Said Corin.

Corin could draw enough memories from the dead that he could weave a believable lie. He talked about the siege and how the mages used unknown spells to breach the walls. The man at the table held up his hand stopping Corin mid-story and scribbled a note on the paper. He passed the paper to the man and sent Corin inside. Corin waited for Mathos and the two went in together. They passed their recruitment papers on over to the man inside. The man sent them to individual rooms to get checked over by a healer. Corin was cleared and sent to another office. He was presented with a contract. Corin signed it and went to the next room where he was handed a uniform with a group of other men. The last room they found themselves with the other people that had passed the examinations.

The program was three months in total. Corin and Mathos had found themselves assigned to the same training barracks. Neither had been asked in depth for their story from Fetahken, and neither offered it. Both Mathos and Corin had a massive advantage over any of the other recruits. Many of the laws from Fetahken were quite similar to those in Nesu. They both had multiple lifetimes of experience under their belts, thanks to the dead that they consumed. It was easy to just learn the differences.

Corin and Mathos were both exempt from the basic weapons training and spent the time in the yards sparing with each other and a few other recruits. They had to closely watch their strength so they wouldn’t easily overpower anyone with their own physical abilities. They had also found that the hunger within seemed to grow as they lived close to others. They offset it with voracious eating. They would play it off as a side effect of their training. No one contested this, as they were seen the top of their classes both academically and physically.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Trainee Tyat, Trainee Lith, Forward.” A smartly dressed officer commanded.

Corin was using the assumed name that he had stolen from the man that protected the tunnel. They both came forward. The instructor lead them to separate rooms.

“Please take a seat Trainee Lith,” the man behind the desk said.

When Corin sat the man spoke again, “Can you please tell me about what happened in Fetahken?”

Corin started his tale. He kept it as close to the memories that he had taken. When it came to the fight at the doorway to the tunnels he talked about getting assistance from Mathos, and then escaping from the front of the city with a couple other guards. They said they stole supplies from the now empty mercenary camp that had been outside the city. They then got lost in the desert. The two imaginary men died, the mounts died later. They then talked about how they found the caravan that brought them back to the city.

—

The investigators sent the two guards back to the barracks.

“I don’t know if I believe their stories,” said Pyoja.

“I don’t either.” Said Rafas, “That Lith was supposed to be a trainer of some sorts.”

“He says that he had managed to fight off one of the creatures with the help of trainee Tyat.”

“It doesn’t sit right, he hadn’t tried to visit his city lord after showing up in the city.” Rafas replied.

They had talked more about the minor inconsistencies, but ultimately it wasn’t up to either of them. They just needed to compile the report and kick it up the chain. There was interest in the two especially with the large number of murdered citizens that had been found murdered. There had been evidence of the victims being killed and eaten. The worst case had been two individuals slaughtered in the bathhouse. They weren’t dealing with just some mindless beast. The money and personal positions that had been stolen from lead them to believe that it had been at least a living being. Pyoja had personally inspected the scene. He remembered the blood and shattered bones. The only way that they had identified the two was from a missing person’s report and the fact the owner of the bathhouse knew the closing attendant personally. Pyoja couldn’t connect any of the clues.

“I don’t think they’re any kind of murderers,” Rafas said, as he leaned back in his chair.

“Do you think the Tyat guy might have been a part of that mercenary band?” Pyoja asked.

“It could explain why they were both lying low,” Rafas said, ”Though that doesn’t explain why Lith didn’t try to reconnect with the lord.”

“I just don’t understand why they would have left from the front of the city,” said Pyoja.

“It really doesn’t make sense.” Rafas agreed.

“I find myself coming back to the idea that they had teamed up with some of the mercenaries at some point.” Pyoja said.

“I don’t know,” replied Rafas.

Pyoja continued with his report. He would find a courier. This was a personal favor after all.

—

“I stuck as close to the story as I could,” said Mathos.

“I’m not sure what they’re looking for,” said Corin, “I thought at first they were going to try to get us to stop the killing.”

“Speaking of killing, I’ll need to hunt soon,” Mathos said.

“How long do you think you have?” asked Corin.

“Two, maybe three weeks,” said Mathos.

“Me too, this is going to be hard.” Corin said.

They still needed to get used to the training schedule that would be their lives for the next few months. They were being watched just about the entire time. If they murdered someone, it would be hard to hide the evidence. Corin thought of Fetahken. The thought of the dead strewn about the streets had caused his mouth to water.

“I need to learn more about this section of the city.” Corin said, “Do you think there could be a hospital close by?”

“That’s an idea.” Mathos said.

“I wonder what we could get away with while we’re in training,” said Corin.

Mathos scratched his chin, “I don’t really remember my own training all that much, I was kind of lazy in Fetahken.”

Corin nodded, “Regardless of our needs. I think that we will get some unwanted attention by the city nobles.”

Mathos agreed, “I never liked working with them, though it might be an opportunity.”

They quickly ended their conversation. They had reached the barracks. It would be unfortunate if they were caught by some guard trainee. The men inside were taking time to rest. It was getting closer to their lights out. Corin started reading a book that he had picked up. He had committed himself to finding out more about mage history. Something inside him drove him to find out more about the region.

Mathos joined a card game with a few others. They certainly weren’t gambling. Anything that was lost in the game was purely just a coincidence. They kept stakes low. It was only a friendly game, just to get to know one another.

When lights out was called the guards went straight to sleep. Corin started to dream again of the broken battlefield and the spikes that had broken through the ice underneath.