With only two sons left, I thought my future looked bleak. However I couldn’t be more wrong, as they turned out to be the best thing that this world has gifted me.
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An unbridled flame crackled under the crown of a lavishly green tree. Its smoke rose up in the sky, past the leaves and clouds, drifting away with the night’s icy wind. Streaks of moonlight slittered through the canopies, barely illuminating the shadow-obscured forest. A big piece of meat sizzled over the open flame, its fat dripping down on the charred wood.
Around the small campfire sat a boy, whose red eyes stared motionlessly at the campfire, and a white wolf-like canine with yellow eyes. Neither said a word or made a fuss, but they enjoyed each other’s company to the fullest. The wolf placed his snout on the boy’s leg, looking at him with puppy eyes. With a light chuckle, the boy placed his hand over the canine’s head, patting its fur with a tender expression.
“Wait a bit more, Onyx, I can’t eat it raw.”
“Arf!” I ken!
The boy sighed, then laughed and leaned back on the tree, watching a second smoke trail rise up a dozen or so meters away. It’s been a month already and they still act like I’m a stranger. I seem like a goddamn stalker more than a traveling companion!
The duo were, of course, Kai and Onyx, still separated from Yasa’s group, as per their agreement. Though he hadn’t expected them to actually keep their promise of completely isolating him. At least nothing attacked us so far… If I were alone I bet we would have fought a monster or a group of bandits at least three times. Kai lamented his situation, but he was glad he had some sort of company. Even if they don’t want anything to do with me.
Onyx licked his snout, staring at the piece of meat with widened eyes. It was big, though not sufficient for him to be full. Yet, for Kai, that amount of meat would not last him two days.
After it finally finished cooking, he cut up a small portion for himself, enough to fill up a plate, and he lay the rest for Onyx in a dust-free earth bowl. The Obborik didn’t stand on occasion and immediately began devouring the still sizzling meat. Kai took his time, though, and looked into the distance at the barely visible fire of their companions.
He gulped, his appetite almost completely fading. To think that walking with people who know the real you could feel worse than lying to them. Despite that, he took small bites and chewed slowly, in stark contrast to Onyx who finished the entire thing except the bones. Ultimately, he ate his portion, then put everything away and returned the earth to its normal state. Cuddling up to Onyx, the two fell asleep together, one more fulfilled than the other.
They rose the next day before the sun had any time to appear. The early morning chill woke Kai completely, though, as he had no winter clothes and Onyx couldn’t serve as a warming pillow while they walked. Despite that, though, he couldn’t help but stare at the backs of his companion. A weird sense of lodging for belonging rose up within him. He never travelled with other people before, besides Orphelia’s carriage which he couldn’t count. That time it was easy and painless, this time, though, he felt the consequences of his choices. I should have walked alone…
Yet the time for tears had long since passed. Yasa and the rest were as stuck to him as he was to them. Kai didn’t mind it much, though, as he didn’t have the need to pull out his sword thus far. Except for the times when he trained to replicate Ivan’s sword techniques. Flicking his wrist, he pulled out his father’s sword. Its purple shine stood out compared to the rest of his attire, yet he felt that it somewhat fit. Before, the sword rejected him completely. It went as far as becoming a slab of glorified dark meta, making it so Kai couldn’t use it. Well besides the one time he used it as a bat.
What could have been the catalyst for this? He asked himself, though, the reason, at least to him, was pretty obvious. It responded to him after he drank blood, after slaughtering the gobelins, and when he so desperately called out to it. What kind of curse did my father put on it… it even acted on its own, almost as if it had a… spirit. His eyes widened, and he took a closer look at it, trying to feel for any sort of mana vibration. Something that wasn’t normal, like the silver sword’s beast spirit. I wonder what sort of beast spirit does it have? Dad must have hunted down a great monster for it… or did he find it like this? Argh, so many questions!
Yet, no matter how much Kai wanted to know its history, his father was dead, and so was his mom. The sword couldn’t speak either, so all he could do was wander and think as he followed behind the group.
He flinched as the first ray of sunlight kissed his skin, but quickly calmed down. Regardless, he pulled out his mask and stored away the sword. The fox mask he had bought to replace this one had crumbled away into pieces after he slammed into Barhm’s house. Kai had no other choice but to fix up his old one the best he could. Now, it looked like a deformed fox rather than a melted, burnt piece of material.
Better than nothing, He sighed and strapped it to his face, then hid the long silver hair behind the hood of his cloak.
…
Chattering echoed in Kai’s ears as they neared a tall wall made of sharpened logs reinforced with planks. A few tall towers sprouted from the ground, reaching past the wall. They served as both scout and archer towers, each of them having about three armored men. A longbow adorned each of their backs, accompanied by a quilt of beast bone arrows. Their vigilant gazes scanned the inside as well as the inside of the city, like eagles looking for prey. Yasa and her group marched toward the gate, with the former giving Kai a sighthead nudge.
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He followed them, of course, though not without apprehension. Despite having visited so many cities before, the anxiety of entering a new place couldn’t be easily erased. They passed without any issues, safe for giving their guild-issued or government-issued ID Cards. Kai didn’t dare give his own, lest his false identity be put on a waiting list. Not that the fox mask and shady appearance helped him much in that regard.
Even Yasa cringed at the thought of being found out after doing about as much thinking as Kai did. However, it was far too late to take it all back so the group could only hope that nothing bad would come of it.
After finally stepping onto the city grounds, with little idea as to why, Kai glanced at the surroundings. The city had a similar architecture to Nivero, with lavish buildings and flowers that decorated every corner. A wide market area stretched across several streets, with bars and inns sprinkled in between. By any means, this city, like the previous two he visited, was a city of trade.
He got a chance to look more closely at it though as Yasa quickly pulled him away. “We’re going to have a talk with the local army and the city lord. We can’t have you roaming around them, and let’s hope they didn’t have time or couldn’t bother to send word to everyone about you.”
After having said that, she left, disappearing into the crowded streets. Kai stood by himself in the middle of the street, watching the three depart like an abandoned dog on a rainy roadside.
Well… now what?
…
The Obborik-Vampire duo tiptoed around the market, looking with little interest at each stall, though not stopping at any of them. Eventually, they made their way toward the center of the city, though, besides a very large, empty area, it didn’t differ much from the rest.
That would be so if it weren’t for a large arena planted in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by people. In front of it stood a booth with a few guards. Inside, a man who seemed to be in his twenties played with a coin that people paid him. Above the window frame, is a single, large, and detailed painting of a plant.
Blood Flowing Stalk? Kai thought, getting closer to have a proper look. In this area? No way.
«A plant that lives in the mountains past the Dwarves» Kai recalled the words in Ania’s book. «This plant is red like the scorching earth, yet, unlike plants of similar color, it doesn’t hold life force. Instead, it is filled to the brim with mana of incredible purity. Unfortunately, using it in anything is difficult, as controlling the mana is a challenge in and of itself.»
His interest in the plant reached a peak as he thought about all the mana he could absorb. Even if I only manage ten percent, that would be quite a qualitative improvement… maybe even a breakthrough! Taking a look at his core, a smile broke out on his face as he saw that his core was fifty-three percent refined. To think I managed to do that much in just three weeks, from thirty to fifty-three. Although… He rubbed his ring and sensed that the amount of mana plants he stored had all but completely depleted.
He approached the middle-aged man with apprehension. The smell of bad alcohol and dried medicinal plants inundated his nostrils. Peeking past the man’s shoulder, he saw several sealed boxes and even more plants sitting out in the open. A frown decorated his face at the sight, though he kept his mouth shut. “How much for the Blood Flowing Stalk?” Kai inquired, bothering the, what he assumed was, a vendor.
“Can’t ye read?” He pointed toward a piece of yellow paper nailed to the side of the stall. Kai’s face flushed red in embarrassment.
«Daily Contest! Win a Blood Flowing Stak as the big prize or Fifty Gold Coins. There will be seven rounds per day. Each round consists of a set of eight participants fighting, last one standing wins.
Entrance fee: Five Gold Coins
Rules: None
Details about the plant: It comes from far away and it’s good for making potions. If you know, you know.»
Kai raised a suspicious eyebrow after reading the flyer and glanced back at the man, whose appearance didn’t exactly invoke trust. “Is the Blood Flowing Stalk real?”
His question painted furrowed eyebrows on the man’s face, and he stood up, irritated. “Why do these people all ask the same stuff?” The man muttered under his breath and turned to grab one of the sealed boxes. Kai walked closer, and his eyes lit up as the man opened it.
Within the case sat a small, crimson-red stalk adorned with transparent vein-like threads. Its still intact roots pulsated with life, and five to seven leaves vibrated slightly as a breeze blew past them. Kai took a whiff of the air, the plant’s mana-rich fragrance sending a small euphoric jolt throughout his being.
“That’s enough staring.” The man closed the box shut and put it back in its original place, then sat back down. “Five Gold to join, winner takes all”
Kai reached within his ring and inspected his finances, but a pit formed in his stomach as he took out the bag of money. Seven Gold Coins… Ten Silver Coins and Thirty Coppers… That’s… incredibly poor. He sighed inwardly but then considered that it wasn’t so bad. For the average man, such an amount could feed him for a week or two. Yet, for Kai, who always needed medicinal plants, it wasn’t much. Especially so when he used to buy supplies for Barhm.
I hope I didn’t screw him over too much…
Placing the five golds on the man’s stall, he got a participation ticket in exchange. “Next round starts in thirty minutes. We need an even number of contestants. If the number is odd one of you will be admitted automatically to the next match. Got it?”
Kai nodded stored away the ticket and sat on a bench to the side. Onyx accompanied him, and the two looked at the crowd. Trying to judge who would be his opponent was difficult, as almost everyone had some sort of weapon in their possession. Oh well, I hope it won’t be too difficult.
The sun-kissed his skin as he waited, though not one more person decided to join the fight at that time. He almost grew bored of waiting and decided to head toward the arena, considering time was almost up. Yet, in that moment, a familiar-looking person caught his attention.
His head was decorated by straight and long blonde locks of hair, which perfectly complimented his ocean-blue eyes. He wore a rattling set of thin, silver armor which only served to protect his vital areas. Underneath it, black and gray humble, yet luxurious-looking clothes hid his pale skin. A large bow adorned his back, alongside a sword tied to his waist. His perfect appearance was destroyed by a scar that ran down from his chin to his neck. It gave him a mysterious identity that made one question what he went through.
No way, is that… Léandro?!