Part 1

- JULIE BLUESCALE’S POV -

He never spoke a single word.

The trail back south until we reached the edge of the forest. The journey to the city. When he left to deliver the strange, magical cube to his employers. The days of rest that followed. The whole time, Raphael never opened his mouth nor uttered a single word. Not even when Ballarak received the letter from the dwarven king as prophesized by the woman. He did not even react when I read him the letter of a certain “Robert Wolf” stating that he was searching for our dad. It was mortifying seeing him like that.

He ate when it was time to eat. Showered, wrote in his book, trained his sword arm and his body as if nothing happened. Yet he never spoke, never showed any emotion besides the uncaring, uninterested, unfeeling and cold expressionless face. The only shift that marked the passage of time on his seemingly unchanging face was the two circles under his eyes growing blacker by the day. His sleep schedule had already been messed up due to all the guard shifts he took during our journey but now, he simply stopped sleeping altogether. Rarely he closed his eyes and when he did, it was at most for one hour before he would wake up sweating buckets and fear almost glowing in his eyes. His lips would part in a silent scream…It was horrifying. Horrifying to watch my brother mentally maimed yet struggling alone without asking for help. Horrifying to know that other than helping out with little things like, cooking breakfast, bringing him water when he trained and the such, I was utterly useless. Horrifying to know that the only times he spoke were during the night, and there were no kind words that he uttered. He begged and pleaded for his innocence, asking forgiveness for his actions and expressing how regretful he was about them. Even though there was a wall between our rooms, his screams kept me up at night.

Raphael’s silence went on for two weeks all the while we lived under Alarick’s roof. It was nice not having to pay for a room or sleeping under the stars. A good change of pace and a chance to rest, if not for the mood darkened by Raphael’s behavior. It was also a good chance for me to advance in my studies. Something that Alarick enjoyed greatly. I had no way of knowing for certain but I had the feeling that Alarick despised loneliness yet was very picky about his acquaintances. Unexpectedly, after those two weeks passed, Raphael spoke again during lunch.

“I think it’s time to leave the elven lands-” Raphael said in a monotone voice and an emotionless expression as he alternated words with chunks of food “- Our father’s not here, our injuries are healed and, thanks to you two robbing that room blind, we have enough gold for the journey. I do not see any reason for us to linger here any longer”

The silence that followed was almost as painful as the two weeks of silence that came anticipated it. None of us answered him or spoke with each other. We simply stared at him as he leisurely went back to eating the meal in front of him. The painful bit of it was how uncaring he was about the fact that I, and the others, waited for him to speak. It felt like a blow to the stomach, understanding how little he cared for it…for us, maybe.

“So he does speak, eh?” Replied Ballarak in a way-too-strained tone that seemed to mimic his usual joking one. And yet, Raphael did not even deign the dwarf of a look, much less of a word. He simply kept doing what he was doing as if the words did not reach him.

“Is there a need to leave so soon?-” Asked Alarick in a serious tone, glaring at Ballarak for a brief moment before renewing his pursuit of an answer from my cryptic brother “- I do not mind sharing my home with you and you are welcome to stay as long as you feel the need to. Do you have to leave at this time?”

“We do” Raphael answered bluntly. Not rudely but simply lacking any sort of emotion.

“May I know the reason for this rushness of yours?” Pressed on the elf.

“No-” Again replied my brother bluntly “- Our goal is to find our father. He is not here thus we leave. End of story”

“I see there is no convincing you-” Sighed the elf as he swirled the crystal-colored cup filled with water and watched the rays of sun bounce off of it “- Then, may I suggest taking a couple more days to gather the necessary supplies? I have a few things left to teach Julie personally and pointers to give so that she has the necessary knowledge to study by herself during the journey. Two days would be enough for that”

“...Are you two fine with that?” Raphael asked, exchanging a quick glance with me and Ballarak as he spoke.

“Yes, though I’ve got a suggestion of me own!-” Said Ballarak as he regained the conviction and cockyness he lost the last time he spoke and got ignored “- How ‘bout we buy ourselves a carriage with two horses? Is easier to sleep in at night, comfortable to travel ‘round and cheaper than three horses. What ya say?”

“You know how to coach?” He asked as he fixed his gaze on the dwarf.

“‘Course I do, pa and ma were merchants, remember? I’ll teach ya how to if ya don’t know!” Ballarak replied with a wide smile crossing his bearded face.

“Fine by me then, so long as we have spare money for the travel” Said Raphael before digging back into his plate, wordlessly saying that he was done with the conversation.

“For sure!-” Gingerly said the dwarf “- Saw a nice one being sold in the city. Probably used but seemed in good condition. I’ll give it a look tomorrow morning!”

And just like that, the dwarf, the elf, and I began discussing the various topics regarding our travels. Maps, provisions, horses, cities to visit, and cities to stay away from. In a couple of hours, we had made a list of all we needed to acquire all the while Raphael kept his silence and listened to our conversation.

Two days later, in the morning, I was sitting inside the wagon covered by a beige cotton cloth as Raphael and Ballarak sat at the front, leading us out of the town’s gate.

Part 2

- RAPHAEL BLUESCALE’S POV -

A full month on the road was nothing to scoff at considering that never once we spent a night in an inn in order to save on gold. It’s not that we didn’t have much but considering the weekly cost of provisions(for us and the horses), city entrance taxes, and the ship we had to board to leave Esden, we chose to save when possible. That meant no cozy beds in fancy inns, no scrumptious meals and no rivers of mead. We could have picked up quests along the way but for the sake of time, we chose not to and instead make do with the money we had. However, we did give a ride to whoever was on our same road in exchange for coin. Thus finally, for the delight of each one of us, on the morning of the fortieth day on the road, we reached our destination. A mid-sized city on the western coast called Hespera.

Hespera was widely known as the hub for smuggling. Unlike what I first thought when we decided along with Alarick to make Hespera our destination, the coastal city was nothing like a slum full of cutthroats and bandits. To my surprise, it was rather clean, although the tax necessary to gain access to the city was two times higher than what I thought was the norm for the elven lands.

Hespera was built inside a bay hugged between two high cliffs of naked stone. A few buildings even snaked their way up the side of the cliffs using high palisades and beams dug into the stone. It was a curious sight, seeing the city from above where the gate was and looking down onto the descending bay. It truly was a curious city, a mix between the many cities we had been previously and a pirate’s cove. Even the architecture seemed out of place intriguingly. The elven freedom and liberty with the shapes along with its keen sense of closeness to nature clashed with the need for harbor-style structures, ships, and a more rigid grasp on the streets’ layout for a fluidity of goods when moving cargo. Thus, from the moment we crossed the gate, it was easy to see the random, confusing streets in an elven style mixing with the squarish and more grid-like layout akin to human cities.

“So, now that we’re here, what do ya say we do?” Asked Ballarak as he gave a large nod to the two soldiers guarding the inner side of the gate before prodding the horses to walk.

“A ship is our priority, right?” Intervened Julie as she dropped the book she had lying on her lap and pushed her head out of the curtain-like cloth.

“An inn is a better choice” I replied without really realizing that it was the first time I uttered a word since last night’s dinner.

“What? Really?-” Asked Julie surprised and excited “- I thought you would want things done faster”

“Sure he wants!-” Replied the dwarf in my stead as he turned his head slightly so that Julie could see his wide smirk and knowing glare in his eyes “- But the grumpy old man here’s smart. Ya ain’t getting on a ship just ‘cause ya asked ‘round. It takes time for one that carries ya where ya want to come by. Tricky thing finding a captain trustworthy enough for the job, ‘specially since grumpy here’s a picky one. Ain’t that right?”

“Indeed-” I replied plainly, forcing myself not to sigh at the mention of the nickname Ballarak had begun calling me for a while now “- I fear few ships will want to ferry us to Hadoc due to the recent rumors”

“Ya talking ‘bout what that merchant said?” Ballarak asked as his expression darkened just slightly.

“Is that the whole thing about ‘brewing war’ the chubby man talked about?” Julie interjected while not deigning us a glance in favor of the sights around her.

“Yes” I replied plainly.

“Rumors-” Sighed the dwarf “- that’s all they are, but sailors care much ‘bout em so few will want to make the trip. Ya’d have less trouble finding a ship to ya homeland”

“So we’re going straight for Migur?-” Asked Julie with a sonorous longing in her voice but also a tinge of fear and anxiety “- Or just the War Lands in general?”

“We’ll see-” I replied elbowing Ballarak towards a sideroad where a large ‘INN’ sign was affixed “- We’ll look for an inn first, then we’ll see”

We settled for an inn called ‘Cat’s lucky paw’, sold horses and cart separately, took a stroll around the city just to get a feel for it, and finally took the rest of the day off. The following days were mostly filled with leisurely activities and searching for a ship to carry us was only a task of second importance. With enough money not to worry about the consequences of our spending, Julie was able to explore the city to her heart's content and sleep in a comfortable and warm bed rather than in a bedroll in the back of the cart. It put a smile on my face, though small as it was, seeing how joyous and eager she was to drag Ballarak around the city. It was especially fun seeing the sturdy dwarf being used as a chaperon for the sake of the little girl. It painted a nice picture.

However, there was a sadder side to the apparently joyful days in Hespera. While, surely, Julie’s goal in exploring the city was to satisfy her youthful curiosity, she also sought to spend as much time as possible with Ballark. The reason for that was rather simple. While the topic never formally came up, the girl knew that Ballarak was not going to follow the two of us to our homeland. There was no doubt that he was starting to miss his family. Julie knew that and, while she did not want to admit it, she resented the idea. While traveling with the dwarf, she had grown attached to him. Their relationship was similar to that of an uncle and his niece.

He wanted to dote on her, spoil the daughter he always wanted to have. It was something he could not possibly do anymore. Ballarak’s wife was not young anymore, the chances of her getting pregnant again were slim and his only son was already a grown-up. That was the reason why I left the two of them alone. I enjoyed the loneliness, the silence of my room more than I should have…along with the company of no slim number of bottles. Alcohol was something I had always evaded almost to a religious level, something I desperately tried to stay away from. Alas, reliving the moments of my brother’s death and my torture over and over and over and over and over again hundreds of times in the span of an hour caused me to break. I knew I had there was no mistaking it. I spoke less, I ate less, and I trained more all the while my grasp on my emotions seemed to lose rigidity. It felt as if I grew colder after meeting that woman. Even my own approaching mortality seemed to scare me less, almost to the point that it didn’t bother me.

One night, after three days of incessant exploration, Julie fell asleep right after stuffing herself full at dinner. Stumbling sleepily toward her room, she left Ballarak and I alone on the ground floor where tables filled with patrons drank and ate to wash away the fatigue of a day’s work. There was silence between us, the taste of alcohol numbing both our mouths and a serious look portrayed a dark, thoughtful expression on the dwarf’s face.

“In the end, ya got seduced by the alcohol too, eh?” The dwarf said as he gestured to a serving girl for a refill for both of us.

“I don’t have much to live…I’d at least like my nights filled with dreams rather than nightmares” I replied nodding as the girl exchanged the empty mug sitting on my side of the table with a new one filled with fresh and frothy mead.

“Aye, I can understand that…Drugs don’t help then?” Said the dwarf after moistening his mustache with the golden liquid.

“They do-” I replied with a sigh as I mimicked his actions “- but they only slow the process. It has no fixing…Not that I know of, at least”

“What do ya plan to do then?-” Said the dwarf as he slammed the wooden mug on the table spilling some of the mead in doing so and looking at me straight in the eyes “- And I don’t mean where ya go and all that…What ya plan to do ‘bout ya illness?”

“Belza is known for its priests” I replied plainly as I leaned back and swung my chair slightly.

“So holy magic’s ya best bet?... Tell me the truth, Raphael, how’s your arm doing?”

“...I could stab it from side to side and I would feel nothing…If it keeps progressing in that manner, I’ll be losing it soon” I replied to the uncomfortable question while stealing a few depressed glances at the arm holding the mug.

“Are ya showing a strong front for the lass or do ya really not fear death?” Asked the dwarf seemingly keen on laying bare my true nature and thoughts after months of travel.

[I was not mistaken then…today might really be his last night with us] I thought surprisingly feeling a meek pang of hurt in my chest.

“...We are brought to life, grow, live and, when the time comes, we finally die. Then, we join the Circle and a life starts anew from a piece of ourselves. Or at least that’s how is supposed to be here…There’s no proof, no certainty other than the fact that once we die, we cease to exist. I do not know what lies beyond my grave and fearing the unknown would only lead to a life lived in the grasp of fear. When I die, I die…nothing more than that. So no, I’m not putting up a front. Can’t say I really like the idea of dying but a battle against death is a battle lost already” I replied absentmindedly as my mind wandered back between my death, my attempted suicide as an infant and the curse sucking away at my life.

“If I didn't know ya, I’d take ya for a crazy-ass monk!-” Said the dwarf with a wary, almost forced laugh to hide whatever emotion he was truly feeling “-...I’ll be leaving ya in a day or so”

“I know” I replied plainly, avoiding his gaze as I fixed my eyes on a crack on one of the wooden beams on the ceiling.

“Been asking around town for a captain while I was out with the lass. Turns out there’s this one lad who’s got a ship and is looking for a crew going to Fortenova. Crazy bastard wants to be paid and have help ‘round the ship but he’s the only one making that journey” Ballarak said as he twirled his mug around.

“Then we’ll pay him a visit tomorrow”

“...Try not to die while the lass’ around…she…she may not recover” He said with a sad tone…almost begging me not to.

“I don’t plan on dying until I’ve brought her to my father-” I answered as I called the lady trotting around the tables for a refill “- Plus, there’s someone I really want to kill”

“Eh, that’s more like it!-” Replied the dwarf gaudily before fixing his eyes on me and turning, once again, dead serious “- I’ve been meaning to ask for a while now. That time in Belluth’s house when ya slept for a whole week. Ya spoke to someone, in ya dreams. Screaming, begging, shouting at him…Sorry but it got me curious and I’d curse myself if I didn’t at least ask. Who was he?”

“...That man, uh-” I replied as I recalled the lake of blood that kept appearing in my nightmares and the old man dressed in refined noble clothes hovering atop it. I recalled the conversation and the deal we made as I recalled his parting words “- There is no answer that would truly satisfy you, Ballarak, so I’ll answer in the same way he introduced himself: The man of doors”

Part 3

The cold morning breeze, apparently a common thing on the eastern coast, blew on my face softly carrying a strong scent of salt and waves with it. Last night’s alcohol and that morning’s Dragon tears played a bit with my head, making my steps wobbly every once in a while.

Julie was ahead of me with Ballarak by her side struggling to keep up the young girl’s pace. It was her first time exploring that part of the harbor and she seemed ecstatic once Ballarak told her he found us a ship. To my surprise though, when the dwarf told her of his plan to catch a ride to a town on the west and then a ship back home once we left the elven lands, Julie didn’t seem dejected or sad. Instead, she took the new quite maturely. So much that Ballarak admitted to feeling slightly dejected when the girl didn’t cry her eyes out and begged him to say. It was fun seeing the burly man blush.

Since Hespera developed around a single bay, its harbors were built in order of importance from the center, where the wide main road led, to the outer sides of the bay. The one we were currently on was the fourth to the right and was known as “fishermen cove” due to the large number of fishing vessels that docked there. The harbor was a maze of wooden jetties, some even fitting up to three vessels while others barely fit one. Surprisingly there weren’t only fisherman ships but even other, at times fancier at times not, vessels. One such vessel was our destination.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Is that the ship you were talking about?” Asked Julie while excitedly pointing to a ship taller than the rest and painted in gaudy red, green, white, and black colors.

“Yep-” Replied the dwarf with a chuckle “- A brig with two strange wheels on the side and painted in weird colors. That ‘bout sums it up, yes?”

“That ship looks sooo COOL!-” Shouted Julie with so much excitement that it made her jump “- It’s so weird and different from the other ships! Why is that?”

“The guy I talked to said something ‘bout the captain being a…mhh, let’s say not completely sane? Not in a bad way, though. Lad said something ‘bout him being strange and quirky but a nice enough man. Apparently he-” Began to explain Ballarak before a tall elvish man with broad shoulders, a dark ponytail, and a stern look on his face bumped the dwarf’s shoulder with his waist “- Oy! Watch ya steps ya oaf!”

“What did you just call me?” The elf replied threateningly with a deep, rumbling voice.

“What? Ya deaf? I called ya an oaf! I may be short but I ain’t no lightweight so the fuck ya bumping into me on purpose for ya leaf-muncher?!” Shouted the dwarf as he grabbed my sister’s wrist and pulled her to the side away from the elf.

I saw the elf’s intentions before he even acted upon them. He did not even try to answer back at Ballarak using words like any civilized person. Instead, I saw almost in slow motion, the very moment in which he grabbed the dwarf’s shoulder with one hand and prepared a fist with the other. Unfortunately for him, I reacted before both parties, the elf and the dwarf, could move any further.

Thanks to the fact that I had taken my dose of Dragon Tears just recently, the mana stored inside my body was much more than I had been used for the past months. Unfortunately for the elf, my control over it was lacking in finesse because of the lack of practice. In a split second, after boosting my speed, I was upon the bickering couple. I saw the elf’s eyes trace my movement but his body was much too slow to follow. Grabbing the elf’s hand on Ballarak’s shoulder I yanked him towards me and downward. At that speed, there was no way for the elf to keep his balance. The next second, my knee shot upward toward the elf’s jaw. I could see almost crystal clear the moment his eyes rolled back into his skull. Then, for good measure, using my free, yet numb, arm I brought down my elbow upon the other side of the hapless’ jaw. He hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, with a vacant look in his fully white eyes and his tongue lolling out.

“Everything alright?” I asked as I turned my head toward Ballarak and my sister, completely ignoring whatever fate had in store for the unconscious elf.

“Uh? Oh, right…yes. I mean, yes I’m fine-” Stuttered the dwarf as his eyes darted from mine to the motionless elf lying on the ground “- I mean, I could have done that myse-”

Before he could finish his phrase, I was forced to shut him up with a kick in the chest that caused him to roll back a couple of meters and drag my sister along with him. On my part, I had to roll back too to evade the blow. As I jumped up and raised my head, my eyes flew from the hooded elf carrying a heavy-looking staff to the spot where we previously were now scorched black by flames.

[These guys don’t fuck around-] I thought as I fixed my gaze on the elven mage [- Should I just kill them?]

As people began to gather around us, the hooded man began to shout something in a strange language and point his staff at me. Not wishing to know what the man was chanting, I had to quickly judge the situation. Ballarak and Julie had the smart idea of falling back to the side and away from the brewing fight, which was something I was really glad they did. As for the crowd around us…I found myself not caring in the slightest. If they were to be caught in the crossfire it wouldn’t bother me at all. My only thought, then, was what would a guard think if they saw the scene. Thus I chose to keep my sword sheathed.

With a quick motion, I moved to my old position where the elf still lay unconscious. The hooded elf shouted once again and I felt the hum of mana being emitted softly from his staff. My original plan was to use his, clearly, comrade as a shield but I was not quick enough for that. Instead, I grabbed the elf’s leg and spun in place two times before throwing the dead weight at the mage. His surprise was clear the moment he was forced to stop his spell because of the impact. Clearly not being physically fit to withstand the blow, or quick enough to dodge to the side, the mage fell backward.

It would not take him long to free himself from his companion’s weight so I had to move fast. I dashed forward, closing the gap between us in a few strides and losing my hat in the process. I planned to knock him out with a kick before he could stand up but what I failed to notice was that he was still clutching his staff in his hand and was not pointing it at me. A set of three thin projectiles made out of fire flew rapidly at me. Two missed me entirely, most likely due to the mage’s awful position, the third, instead, was about to pierce my stomach if I didn’t squat down to my hand and feet like an animal.

In that crouched dog-like position with the speed boost still coursing through my legs, I propelled myself forward and closed the remaining distance. The elf was just about to sit up when I was above him after a four-limbed jump. My knee stood a palm away from his nose. The next second, I felt the crush of bones. His nose broke instantly, the blood gushing from it drenched the clothes over my knee, and the elf, with his eyes rolling back into his skull, fell backward onto the stone pavement with his legs still under the weight of his companion.

What happened next was what I could only define as instinct. I had not planned to draw my sword or any of my knives in fear that the city guards may see me as the perpetrator of the aggression. Alas, my body moved on its own with a fluidity and swiftness I could not recognize. The clangor of metal against metal sent an eclectic shiver through my arms and down my spine.

The sword, whose tip stood quite literally ten centimeters away from my face, was a wide-bladed claymore whose weight felt like a stone on my shoulders. The woman wielding the blade was of elven origin too but, unlike her two companions, had a strange vibe around her. She had long, blond hair tied in a high ponytail, bright red eyes filled with vicious intent against me and facial features too sharp and too studied that gave off an air of fakeness. It felt as if her beauty was a facade. Before I could linger more on her appearance, the weight on my blade heightened so much that I was forced to bend my knees and elbows slightly. That gave my opponent the leeway to insert a strike of her own. Namely, a headbutt that landed right on my brow followed rapidly by a kick in the stomach.

The stalemate, and thus my position, had been compromised in turn forcing me to dash backward a few steps, putting some distance between me and the swordswoman. A pang of pain coursed through my abdomen, causing me to instinctively clutch it with an arm. A thin trickle of blood fell from my injured brow, bathing the corner of my eye in crimson and tracing two lines over my cheek. The woman took advantage of that moment of hesitation to check on her companions. I allowed her the chance, a tiny bit out of courtesy but mostly out of a hunter-like need to study my prey. For that is what she appeared in my eyes: a prey.

She seemed to sense the change in me and jumped over her companions. Momentarily keeping only one hand on the sword, she began undoing the knot keeping her cloak in place around her neck. With careful sidesteps, I began to circle around her. She did the same. The crowd, now having formed a somewhat full circle around us, acted as a sort of arena, a boundary from which neither of us could escape.

We exhaled once. Both of us in unison. Then, our blades clashed.

The quick clash followed by the deaf clangor of metal ringing in my ear and the sparks resulting from it, spurred the onlooking crowd to cheer. Our blades were guard against guard with her blade, with the advantage of the longer reach, resting a few centimeters away from my shoulder. The woman smirked wolfishly and pressed down on my guard using her surprisingly great strength of arm. Having half-expected a move of similar fashion to the one that worked before in her favor, I boosted my strength through the use of mana, not at full capacity but just enough to overpower her. She did not expect me to force her blade to bend back. Stunned by the suddenness of her failure, the woman failed to notice how my rear leg was now moving toward her side. When she did, it was too late. She could not avoid the blow nor block it.

Her wolfish grin turned into a grimace of pain and it was now my turn to smirk and go on the offensive. To follow the kick, I spun in place using the only leg I had on the ground as a pivot and struck the woman stunned by surprise and pain on the shoulder with my heel. This time, though only half-readily, the swordswoman was able to block using her forearm. Cautious of retaliation, I jumped back and took two steps in the same direction.

She did not take long to recuperate her focus and stance, thus suddenly, the woman began sprinting at me holding the claymore with both hands and letting it rest on the iron pauldron-wearing shoulder. The diagonal swing that followed was so brutal that I dared not to parry. Quickly side-stepping to the side I tried to retaliate by going for her wrists since she now seemed very careful about her body. Alas, my move had been read through and our blades clashed again midway.

The two of us, then, began to exchange blows…brutally. There was no beauty in our swordplay, no order, fanciness, or rules. It was the pure exchange of tens upon tens of blows with the intent to kill. Neck, chest, arms, and thighs were our main focus, for both of us. It was no surprise that after the first couple of minutes of that brutal exchange, both of our bodies had more than a few superficial wounds here and there. Fists, headbutts, and kicks were also inserted between swordplays every once in a while, making it hard for the opponent to read the other’s move.

Not before long, a smile, one truly genuine in comparison to those I showed my companions during the past month, appeared on my face. A similar one crossed the woman’s thin, red lips. Soon, the more our swords clashed, I began to realize the similarities between our sword styles. What followed was the realization that, while she focused on strength and I on swiftness, our styles were basically the same. The brutality of each strike, the aim to kill in as few moves as possible, the lack of fancy moves and twirls…our swords moved freakishly alike. As such, soon after the pain from the countless small wounds and the fatigue of the continuous onslaught began to stack up, the stalemate came.

There were now two meters between us. One step was enough to cover it for both of us. The crowd, in its excited and expectant silence, had bated breath while ours was ragged. Her red eyes were fixed on mine. My blue ones were fixed on hers.

I could see, with unbiased clarity, the focus solidifying in those red orbs. Her intentions were made clear to me. While she seemed to enjoy our exchange, her plan was to put an end to it with her next move. Her knuckles whitened around the hilt of her sword. To win, I had to follow her example.

I let my one good hand free from the sword and began to flow mana through it. I could feel the electricity starting to crackle under my fingertips, forming little, thin threads of energy connecting each one to the next and to my palm. She did not seem to notice. Her focus was solely on me. Solely on my eyes.

In unison, our chests expanded under the order of our lungs. Our bodies leaned forward slightly. Our knees bent, readying for the final dash. Then, like a stretched rubber band approaching its tension limit, we sprung forward. I was already picturing the outcome of our clash as I was sure she did too…and yet, no clangor followed, no pain on my shoulder caused by my attempt to withstand her blow. My body had stopped on its own, instinctually, as so did hers.

Between us now stood a fourth elf. He was tall and broad, cloaked and hooded in a long brown mantle that covered the entirety of his body. On one hand, he carried a rapier with its tip placed against the woman’s throat. On the other, a long dagger placed against my throat.

I could tell even from that minuscule and extremely brief exchange. I had no chance of besting him.

“I’d suggest you drop your weapons-” The elf said with a deep-sounding voice filled with a militaristic and authoritarian tone that made my body rigid “- and I mean both of you, my lady”

A second of silence went by in which I, and most likely the woman too, valued my options. That second was all it took me to come to the conclusion that I had no chance of escaping this alive if I were to oppose the man. My sword and the woman’s claymore, then, fell to the ground as our hands rose to our sides.

“Why did you stop me?-” Asked the lady with anger in her voice yet careful not to sound too bossy or too loud “- I know I could have w-”

“Cease this!-” The man replied sternly, making the woman stiffen simply with his tone “- Unlike how you thought, the best you could do if I had let the two of you fight further was to injure this man…Before you ask, this man is a mage. Why he did not use magic is beyond me, but know that, when you were preparing to end the fight, he was also preparing a spell of his own of which magnitude could have killed you”

The woman’s eyes met mine for the first time since the fourth elf placed himself between us. There was fear in her eyes, surprise and disbelief even. When I did not react to her questioning look she seemed to want to press the matter further but a single glare from the stern elf shut her up before she could utter a word.

“Now then-” The elf said as he glared at me from the corner of his eye “- may I know the reason this fight began?”

[Lying or exaggerating seems an awful idea…I don’t like this one bit] I thought as I clenched my teeth knowing that some of the more stuck-up elves are rather racist, especially against dwarves.

“So?” The elf asked again, this time in a more threatening manner as if to warn me from thinking of a made-up excuse.

“The black-haired elf over there-” I said pointing at where the other two elves were lying still unconscious one over the other “- He bumped into my friend. When he reacted, your companion tried to punch him. I knocked him out and the mage began to attack me. When I knocked the mage out, it was this girl’s turn…that’s all”

“Is that true?” The elf asked shifting his gaze from me to the woman.

“I have no idea-” She replied while attempting to avoid the older elf’s gaze “- I saw him attacking…Ehm, I saw him attacking our mage and stepped in thinking he was an enemy. That’s all”

“Mhh...Considering their personalities I do not find this explanation strange-” Said the man thoughtfully before lowering both his weapons and fully turning towards me “- Very well. I’m sorry for the commotion caused by my companions. Do I take it that the dwarf back there is the friend in question?” He asked pointing with a long, slender finger towards Ballarak.

“Correct” I replied sending Ballarak a careful glare.

“I would like not to involve the city guards in this scuffle. Would monetary compensation suffice? Let’s say…one gold coin?” The elf said towards the approaching dwarf as he dug into his cloak and produced one shiny gold coin clutched between two fingers.

“I ain’t keen on having guards ‘round too-” Replied Ballarak “- One gold seems quite the exaggeration but I take it ya’d think of it as an offense if I were to just say is all water under the bridge, yes?”

“Indeed-” Answered the man with a slight nod of his hooded head “- I would think you plan on speaking to the guards if you were not to accept”

“Then I accept the coin-” Said Ballarak as he grabbed the gold from the man’s fingers “- and think of ya friend’s offense well repaid”

“Thank you for your understanding” Replied the man with a courteous bow before gesturing to the woman to grab her sword and follow him.

Rapidly, the two of them took their two unconscious companions and fled the scene. The three of us did the same while the crowd that had gathered around us began dispersing. What bothered me the most as we stopped on a hidden sideroad to let Julie bandage my wounds was how the girl’s eyes never left mine the whole time until she left. There was something strange about her and it bothered me to not know what it was.

[Eh, who cares…not like I’ll ever see her again] I thought as Julie began her streak of scolding for my recklessness and all that.

A couple of hours later, after we rested in a tavern and let the situation regarding the guards outside diffuse, we began to make our way back to where the ship we were supposed to take was.

The ship’s name was “Avel’s Blessing” and it was written with large letters and awful calligraphy on the side of it. The wooden hull was painted with green, red, and white stripes separated by a thinner and undulating black one. Two colossal cog-like wheels were placed at each side of the stern and were connected through a series of ropes and smaller wooden cogs to a room inside the hull. Between this ship and the one capable of sailing through the desert, I struggled to think of which was the stranger.

A man dressed in fancy-looking clothes akin to those that a noble would wear yet covering them with a long black coat rugged enough for it to look as if it belonged to a bum, was carrying boxes and barrels up the catwalk. Upon seeing us approaching he seemed to squint his eyes before beckoning us forward.

“Oohh! Yes, yes! You are the lad that fought those three elves on the street some two or so hours ago-” The human captain said “- Quite the good show lad! Shame I betted against you with Daies, lost me twenty silvers you have!”

“Are you Captain Corbin?” Ballarak asked.

“In the flesh my bearded friend-” The captain said with an extravagant bow along with several twirls of his hands “- at your service”

I took a moment to analyze the man. He was a human seemingly in his late thirties with tanned skin and rough complexion. His eyes were grey and shiny like pebbles bathed by a mountain river, yet lively and feisty like a cat’s. He had neck-length hair that he wore in a rat-tail that fell to the side of his broad neck and over his chest. It was tied up with a piece of golden rope and two red pins depicting a sword. His black hair, bleached by the sun, had streaks and tufts of neon green that surprisingly looked quite natural. Under his nose was a messy black mustache while his cheeks were covered in a short stubble. He wore many rings and even more bracelets. Gold seemed to be something he truly liked since at least two of his teeth were made out of it.

“My friends here are looking for a ship to take them to Fortenova-” Ballarak said as he pointed at us with a thumb from beyond his shoulder “- I’ve been told ya are willing to do the journey”

“True, true-” Replied Corbin tapping on the wood with his heel “- I do be growing bored of the elves…tell ya what, big boy-” The captain said as he pointed a ringed finger at me “- Are you willing to help around the ship?”

“I do but my sister won’t” I replied bluntly thinking it better to set boundaries before he could take advantage of us.

“Aye-” He replied with a satisfied hum “- It wouldn’t feel right to have a lass working…True, true. Are you willing to fight if the ship’s ever in danger?”

“I do, but my priority will always be her safety” I replied once again bluntly.

“As it should be…True, true…Say, any of you know how to cook?” The captain asked while raising his eyebrows and curling his lips downward in a clearly questioning expression.

“I do”

“Then you are on board!-” he joyfully replied with a clap of his hands, making his rings clang with each other “- One gold coin and the both of you get a spot on the mighty ‘Avel’s Blessing’! I’ll give you one room each and there’s no need to pay for food so long as you cook me at least a meal a day. What say you?”

“I’m on board captain-” I said shaking the man’s hand “- When do we leave?”

“Help me carry those boxes down the hold and we’ll be ready to leave!” The captain said as he proceeded to ignore everything else besides the barrels and boxes stacked precariously on the jetty.

Surprised by the suddenness of it all, I began helping Captain Corbin, basically doing most of the work while he barked orders left and right. Julie and Ballarak, not wanting to get roped into hard labor, went back to our inn to close our tabs and gather our things. A couple of hours later, the hold had been filled, the captain was making some last-minute checks, I was drenched in sweat and Julie was crying in Ballarak’s arms. The poor girl had been holding the tears back for days and now that the time to say goodbye had come, the damn broke. It took the dwarf twenty minutes to calm Julie down and another twenty to properly say goodbye before my turn came.

“This happened a lot faster than I expected honestly-” The dwarf admitted a little bashfully “- I thought I had more time to think of a better way to convey my words”

“Hard time with farewells?”

“Not really-” Ballarak shrugged “- Just gotta tell ya some serious stuff”

“I’m listening”

“Right, right, piss off ya cunt! I’m trying to be all serious here ya asshole, don’t ruin the mood!-” Shouted the dwarf “- Ehm…Bah, whatever! Listen, ya don’t realize it but thanks to ya I think I’ve got my old spark back. ‘Specially with that last fight against the elf lass. Blew me off me boots, it did!... What I’m trying to say is that I owe ya. I owe a lot more than I can repay. First, ya save me life, then ya get me ‘round the continent even though I’m clearly a dead weight to ya, and finally ya give me the spark I’ve been looking for years! Fuck! That’s not something I can repay ya easily so here’s the deal. My door’s open, always. Once ya’re done with the father’s business come visit me at my forge, I’ll give ya the best sword the four continents have ever seen! One suited for ya and only for ya!”

“Sound like one hell of a sword” I replied with a chuckle.

“It ain’t a joke, Raphael. It ain’t a joke-” Ballarak said with an expression that truly spoke volumes of his seriousness “- I’ll forge ya a sword and I’ll make it so that ya will never need another sword…so stay alive”

“It’s not something I can promise lightly-” I replied matching the dwarf’s seriousness “- But I’ll give it my best shot”

“That’s enough for me, Raphael, my friend” Ballarak said as he stretched his hand to me, waiting for me to grab it.

“Farewell, Ballarak, my friend” I replied, clutching his hand in mine and shaking with as much strength as needed for him to feel it.

His blurry figure waving at us from the wooden dock was the last thing me and Julie saw before the red sails of the “Avel’s Blessing” brought us away from the bay. Away from Hespera. Away from the Elven lands and the Esden continent.

That was the last I saw of my dear friend Ballarak.