ã€ŠBrewer Kingã€‹


 001

    Sanjay ¡°San¡± King walked along a trail path, the sun was beginning to set in the west, hidden partly behind a veil of clouds, and he was almost to the spot where he would camp for the night. The only noise along the trail was the slight clinking of metal carabiners attached to his pack and the crunch of his boots on the path.

    The air was cool and moist, without the threat of possible rain that was alway so common in the Pacific Northwest. Mary would have loved it, he knew. She had always loved camping and hiking; it had been something San had never really understood until they had begun dating.

    She had taken him on his first hiking expedition, an overnight hike that was supposedly easy, but left him sore, blistered, and aching from the miles they had walked. Suffice to say that he hadn¡¯t been up to snuff that night when they shared a two person tent.

    San smiled at the memory and continued walking along the trail. It had been years since he had walked this trail, nearly two now, the last time had been with Mary. She had loved the long hikes and multi-day treks into the wilderness.

    Her love for the outdoors had eventually infected him. He had never understood the reason people loved lugging pounds of stuff to just sleep under some trees. The wilderness had always seemed like a wild and unpredictable thing, full of bears, bigfoots, and those creepypasta stories about stairs in the woods or creepy ass monsters.

    Perhaps that was what love was. Learning to love the thing your partner loved so much and then making it apart of yourself. San hadn¡¯t like camping in the beginning, but it became a thing Mary and he started to do every moment they had the time. When university was out, they would camp, if the weather was good, they would camp, if they had some down time and there was nothing to do, they would camp.

    The gear had been prohibitively expensive in the beginning. San remembered the backpack and sleeping bag he had packed on his first few overnight camping expeditions. The cheap tennis shoes he had worn then had left him hurting and aching in a few miles. He had grown stronger the more they had gone out into the wilderness and he had collected more and more gear slowly over those years.

    It also turned out the woods and wilderness weren¡¯t all that creepy or terrifying. There were no monsters in the trees, there were no murder cults ready to kidnap unwary hikers, and there were no demonic monsters prowling the undergrowth. It was just nature, full of bugs, animals, and the constant smell of life being recycled.

    Falling asleep to the rustling of leaves and the nighttime chirps, croaks, and songs of animals was the best kind of ambient noise. Waking up to the sun peaking over the tops of trees and mountains; the feel the brisk morning air as you prepared your coffee over a small camp stove was something he cherished. Also, waking up beside Mary as they snuggled on the sleeping pad, wrapped in their blankets and just lazing around until the world around them lit up and their stomachs and bladders forced them to leave the comfort of the tent.

    Those had been the best of times. San smiled sadly as he reached the spot he was going to stop at for the night. The trail was one that wasn¡¯t used much, a narrow thing that was for the more experienced people to attempt. He was alone as he reached the campsite, there weren¡¯t many who were willing to take the three days of hiking to reach the area.

    The half a dozen times Mary and San had made the trek, they had only come across one group. That had been an interesting night of swapping stories and making friends int he middle of nowhere. When dawn arrived, they had separated and Mary and San had headed deeper into the forest.

    The camping spot was a slight plateau, there was a cleared area of nearly a hundred feet circumference that was surrounded by trees on the west, but to the east it opened up to a glorious view of mountains and the rest of the national forest. In the morning, the sun would rise over the mountains and bathe the land below in a deep blue that was almost black, before the golden light touched the tips of the towering trees. It was Mary¡¯s favorite sight and the reason they traveled three days to see it.

    Over the years, fellow campers had carved a series of wooden benches that faced the east, allowing people to watch the sunrise in comfort. San didn¡¯t head to the campground, instead he walked to the benches and stared across the dark valley below.

    The world was being swallowed by darkness and the sun reflected off the western clouds for a brief moment, like a beacon flashing its last warning. Night was coming.

    San didn¡¯t mind the dark. He could set up his tent in a howling rainstorm if he had to. He stared into the oncoming night and took a deep breath. He had made it this far, he might as well go all the way.

    He fumbled with his pack and pulled out a heavy glass quart bottle. He turned the bottle in his hand and smiled down at it. It was the product of nearly three years of work and as he looked out into the darkness, there was no one to enjoy it with.

    While San had learned to love Mary¡¯s own hobbies, from her ¡®getting back to the basics¡¯ of making her own soap, harvesting honey, and all the other things she claimed made one appreciate the effort and value of something. San hadn¡¯t minded, in fact some of the activities he did enjoy. Yet, when it came to the hobbies that San was devoted to, Mary had a less than stellar view on them. The one thing that San had loved more than hiking, was brewing.

    He looked down at the bottle in his hands, it was a heavy item to bring on a seven day hike and he had begun to feel the heavy weight pulling him down in the last day or so. But the bottle did represent the work of years of dedication and trying to master the craft.

    His grandfather, the original Sanjay King, had introduced San to the art of brewing when he was twelve years old. It was why San loved it so much, the hours they had spent while they brewed beer had been times that San remembered vividly. He still remembered the first time he had tasted wort or the first beer he had brewed by himself.

    San ran his thumb over the paper label of the bottle. In the dim light, he could still make out the logo of bottle displayed.

    King Brewery and Distillery

    His grandfather liked brewing, but it wasn¡¯t a passion. It was done more because Sanjay King was cheap and liked to do things on his own. San¡¯s own father was ambivalent about the whole thing, claiming his father didn¡¯t have the focus and dedication to actually do it for a living. Sanjay had made a lot of beer in his life, but a lot of it had been¡­ winging it and doing whatever he felt like doing.

    San on the other hand had grown to fiercely love the craft and had spent all the time and energy he had to make his dream come true. The fact that he lived and grew up in Seattle, Washington had been a blessing, as the rise of craft beers had sold him on his lifelong goal.

    Then he had met Mary¡­

    San took a slow breath and cracked open the bottle. He could smell the alcohol wafting out of it. He loved beer, but one thing he had learned was that just loving something didn¡¯t mean it would last forever.

    Beer was great, but there was also a market for distilled spirits. San could love brewing, but that didn¡¯t mean the sales were enough or consistent that he could lay his entire future on it. He had seen many great breweries fall by the wayside as they weren¡¯t able to adapt and change to the times.

    San brought the bottle to his lips and took a healthy swig. The notes of fruit and vanilla hit his taste buds, followed by the sharp taste of the whiskey as he swallowed. San didn¡¯t know how many gallons of the single malt whiskey his distillery made that he had consumed, but it was an old friend. He felt the warmth spreading across his chest.

    King Whiskey - single malt

    San looked at the label and with his thumbnail peeled it off. The paper gave way to his nail and soon all that was left was the glue residue and the label fluttering in the slight breeze. He watched as the white labeled fluttered along the tops of the short grass and then vanish among some bushes.

    San took another drink, shivering from the chill in the air. The bottle was heavy in his hands as he screwed the cap back on. He had to admit that it wasn¡¯t the best single malt on the market, but it also wasn¡¯t the worst. It sat in a nice mid-range that appealed to plenty of people and therefore was able to sell fairly well.

    I should have brought a beer, he thought. Distilling was a commercial venture, while beer making was a passion. With the bottle in his left hand, San dug around in his pack once more, bringing out another object.

    It was no glass bottle, but it still gleamed in the last remnants of light. An lump of metal, rounded and curved to fit a hand.

    San looked down at the revolver in his hands. A Taurus 605, a gift from Mary¡¯s gun loving father. The weight was familiar and comfortable in his hand. He didn¡¯t have anything against firearms, but it was something he had never really grown up with. Mary¡¯s father had been very happy to introduce him to the world, practically dragging him off to the shooting range whenever Mary and he weren¡¯t on a hike or when he wasn¡¯t constantly working in the small brewery and distillery he had started.

    Those were good times, he realized. The best of times. It had been nearly six months since he had seen Mary¡¯s father¡­ San shook his head and took a deep breath. He took another swig from the bottle, inhaling as the alcohol seemed to evaporate on his tongue. It both cleared his head and dulled the emotion that was welling up.

    He took another breath, then opened the cylinder of the revolver. The box of .357 rounds shook slightly in his hands as he began to lead each shell into the weapon. He shook his head again, wondering why he had brought an entire box of ammunition when only one would have done. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    It was one of the things that Mary has always accused him of; overpacking, taking too much stuff on their hikes. In the beginning it had been a problem, mostly a physical one; since he had hadn¡¯t been in shape to go more than a few miles on a hike. But over the years he had gotten stronger and even if he did overpack, it wasn¡¯t a burden. Mary had loved the idea of packing as little as possible and counting every ounce she added to her pack.

    Of course, once she realized he could carry a larger burden, he had become the unofficial pack mule. San smiled at the thought and snapped the cylinder close. He looked at the bottle in his hand and took another swig. Courage, right?

    San closed his eyes and tightened his grip on the bottle and the revolver.

    A wind began blowing and San felt himself flinch as it wasn¡¯t the moist and chill air, instead it was cold and dry. It prickled against his skin and San shivered as the wind pierced through his light waterproof jacket and T-shirt. He opened his eyes and blinked.

    The clouds were gone. San looked up at the sky, it was suddenly very dark. Even with the sun setting, it didn¡¯t get so dark so fast. He blinked, feeling the soft edges that the alcohol had given his sense, but that faded as he realized he knew none of the stars in the sky.

    He was no astronomy hobbyist, but over the years he had learned to tell what star was what and many a night had been spent with Mary looking up at the stars. San felt his grip on the bottle of whiskey slip as he stood up and stared at the sky.

    The bottle bounced off his leg and landed, not with a crack, clatter, or breaking of glass, but with the crunching noise of snow. He looked down and saw that there was an inch of snow on the ground. He immediately began shivering as the cold creeped through his clothing.

    ¡°What the hell,¡± San muttered. He turned to face the campground and stared once more.

    With hundreds of people walking a trail, camping in the area, the campground he was to spend the night in had a cultivated look to it. Deadwood had been picked clean, the wild growth had been pushed back, and clear trails and some signage had been placed to warn people about various things. Everything from what not to do, to the path that lead to the small stream where they could collect water.

    San stared not at the campground he knew, but instead at wilderness. It wasn¡¯t the wilderness he had known, the Pacific Northwest was a temperate rainforest that produced very thick and dense forests of fir, pine, and adler. San had always thought they were ancient forests, but Mary had pointed out many places where it was second or third growth, with the real ancient trees having been harvested long ago.

    The trees were wrong, although San could make out some pine and spruce in the dim light, the rest¡­ everything else was completely different. There was a dusting of snow everywhere, as if it had suddenly become winter. The trees were also massive. San had thought he had seen big trees before, but he stared up at conifers that were thicker than he was tall and seemingly towered hundreds of feet above him.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± he muttered again, feeling the slight rise of panic in his chest. He fumbled for his pack and pulled out a flashlight, 800 lumens lit up the darkening forest around him.

    ¡°Where the hell am I?¡± he asked.

    He felt the cold hand of panic gripping him as he panned the light around. Nothing was as it had been moments ago. His light fell upon the spot where he had been sitting; the bench was gone.  Instead there was only the bottle of whiskey lying on its side in the snow.

    There were no footprints either, San realized. If he had walked here, there should have been footprints. Yet the snow was undisturbed, except for the spot he had been moving around in. He could see the sharp outlines of his boots in the snow, but nowhere else.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± he asked once more.

    The trees towered over him, the land around him was extremely dark, and the only light came from the flashlight he held. For the first time in years, since the first time Mary and he had hiked, San felt a tremor of fear run through him. The forest before him didn¡¯t feel right, it wasn¡¯t the welcoming national forest he had traveled through, where there were always signs of people. He felt out of place, a stranger in a dark and unwelcoming forest.

    ¡°What the hell,¡± he muttered one last time.

    The revolver in his hands slowed the fear that began to overtake him, but it didn¡¯t stop it. He shivered as the wind picked up once more, sending icy shards against his exposed skin.

    Somehow, San realized, he had ended up in some strange forest. With a strange sky. And the season had changed from fall weather to winter. San shivered and looked back at the sky. The stars were clear and bright pinpricks of white against a velvet sky of black and deep purple. He could see light wisps of clouds far above. None of the stars were familiar.

    It was the shivering that finally shook San out of the fog of confusion and shock. Everything might have changed around him in an instant, but he was going to freeze to death if he didn¡¯t make a fire or found shelter.

    He grabbed the bottle of whiskey off the ground and shoved it into his pack. The flashlight and revolver remained in his hands as he moved briskly toward the shelter of the massive trees. The cleared area he stood in didn¡¯t have any wind protection and the thick foliage had prevented an accumulation of snow at the base of the trees.

    From his pack he pulled out his fire starting bag, it held a random collection of cheap Bic lighters, waterproof matches, even cheaper cardboard matches, and a ferrocerium rod. There was also a small pack of tinder and kindling that Mary had always made sure he carried. One never knew when they would have to start a fire in a hurry and having dry tinder on hand was important.

    San used his flashlight to uncover deadwood and twigs, although much of it was soaked from the snow. It did not seem that the snow had just fallen, as it crunched under his boots as he dug around for kindling. It had fallen many days before and the cycle of slight melting and refreezing had made it hard and brittle.

    He unpacked his camping trowel and used it to dig a fire-pit, finding loose stones to encircle it and then igniting the tinder and kindling. His hands were shaking and he could feel the cold numbness in his fingers, even through the leather gloves he had put on.

    The fire cracked and sputtered, as the less than stellar kindling smoked and tried to ignite. It took a few moments, but the wet kindling began to burn and San shakily put his hands over it, regaining feeling in his fingers.

    ¡°Damn, its cold,¡± he muttered.

    The wind had died down a bit, but San could still see the thick plumes of his breath every time he exhaled. He didn¡¯t have a thermometer, but it had to be below freezing. Maybe in the teens or lower.

    Once his hands had recovered somewhat, San got back up and began pulling in broken branches and large pieces of wood. He unpacked his folding camping saw and got to work on the branches.

    The small fire and the work got his temperature and blood up. Rain had been his biggest worry and he had packed extra ponchos and rainproof coverings, but nothing that would help him against the freezing temperature.  He had a pack of emergency mylar blankets, but they would not insulate him against the cold.

    As the fire began to grow, San pulled out the small amount of clothing he had brought along. Mostly extra underwear and a couple of t-shirts. Every little bit helped.

    His rumbling stomach made him aware of another need he hadn¡¯t fulfilled. San dug through his pack and began heating up snow he collected in a titanium cup. In the other campsite there had been a small stream that he could have collected water in, but he wasn¡¯t about to go exploring in this place just yet.

    Water would be an issue. He carried a two liter water bladder in his pack and a one liter water bottle, but his last stop for water had been a stream that morning. He had a small pump filter he used, along with back up chlorine tabs, but if there were no streams that left melting snow for water. San looked down at the half a liter cup and dug into his pack for a half a liter sauce pan he used for cooking.

    San felt a trace of a smile on his face as he set up the small rack to hold the two pots. Mary had been a bit of a pyro, always insisting that they make campfires, when they could, and not bother with the propane/isobutane canisters and cookstoves.

    San felt the small isopro cookstoves were just far more practical. He had brought along two canisters, as there had been a no campfire rule in effect. He had to admit he had overpacked for the hike, especially when this was supposed to be his last night.

    With that thought, San looked down at the revolver that sat within arm¡¯s reach. He stared at the silver weapon and felt his hands begin to shake. He had been close, he realized. He had been very close, but why hadn¡¯t he gone through with it?

    Maybe it was curiosity. He had looked at the sky and saw stars he had never seen before. Nowhere was there the constellations that Mary had taught him. It was very different, perhaps it wasn¡¯t even Earth at all.

    He chuckled softly at the thought. There had been the time before he began hiking and camping with Mary where he thought the woods led to strange and terrible things. Perhaps he had walked through the woods and ended up somewhere else, maybe even sometime else.

    The water began boiling and San waited the three minutes recommended for high altitudes. Normally snow melt was fine, but San didn¡¯t know how long that snow had been out there. He waited and then poured the hot water into a titanium one liter water bottle. He could feel the hot water through the metal and tucked it into his jacket as he piled more snow into the sauce pan and cup.

    San watched the fire and felt himself nodding off. His eyes closed and his breath began to even out, then there was a loud crack that echoed in the very silent night.

    His eyes snapped open. He reached for the revolver. His hands were shaking as he casted about looking for what had made the noise. It wasn¡¯t the firewood cracking, it sounded like something big and heavy breaking a branch. The strangeness of the forest roared back at him suddenly. He wasn¡¯t in the well traveled wilderness of Washington.

    He felt exposed. A thick pile of winter stripped brush half surrounded his camp, along with the tall, ancient tree trunks that narrowed the places something could come at him from; he felt as if there were a million eyes upon him.

    The revolver was a comfort and as he felt around his belt loops, he felt the can of bear mace at his side. If there were a bear out there, the fire should dissuade them and the bear mace and revolver would make them regret their decision. San hoped.

    He sat in silence for a long while, the only noise was the cracking of the fire and the water at a roiling boil. San cursed and pulled the cup and pan off the fire and winced as the hot metal caused his leather gloves to smoke slightly. He set the water aside and kept an ear out for any other noise coming from the forest.

    The silence was unnerving. He added more wood to the fire and peered at the dark spots between trees and among the thorny brush. There seemed to be nothing out there.

    Yet the feeling of being watched weighed on him. He could almost feel the eyes on his back, some creature just waiting to strike out at him.

    The wind began to pick up a bit again, blowing the smoke into the tree line, San coughed as it blew into his face. He shifted his position and shivered as the wind bit into his thin jacket and layers of clothing. He decided he would take out the mylar emergency blanket.

    As he dug through his pack, he watched as the smoke coiled around the tree trunks and moved into the darkness beyond his camp. That¡¯s when his eyes landed upon an oddity, the smoke about ten feet from him moved around something, parting as they struck an unseen figure.

    San paused in his digging and stared, the smoke billowed and there was a clear spot where a monstrous creature sat, staring at San and his fire. San blinked, the smoke moved around the figure, but he could not see it otherwise. It was either transparent or invisible to his naked eye, but the smoke revealed it.

    The details weren¡¯t clear, but the creature was thick and squat, a large void where the smoke did not reach. San could make out legs and a giant head, but that was about it.

    He eased his way back to the revolver and picked it up. He tried not to stare at the absence of smoke, but he couldn¡¯t help himself. The monster seemed to have realized it could be seen and then moved.

    Color and form filled in the blank area within the smoke. San saw black fur and gleaming claws; he saw the wet yellow eyes staring at him and the gaping mouth full of teeth.

    He could only stare in horror as the beast snarled and leaped at him.

 002

    02

    The beast lunged at San.He was paralyzed for a brief moment as the creature closed the distance between them.He saw his death coming, the glistening maw, and the cruel yellow eyes.For a moment, San sat there awaiting it, but that moment past by and he jerked himself out of the monster¡¯s path.

    Pain blossomed across his right shoulder as the creature missed him, but the bulk of the monster shoulder checked him and threw him even further.Hot water scaled his arms and he crashed into the two pots of of water; the revolver fell from his hands.

    San cursed with the pain, but didn¡¯t wallow in it.He scrambled to his feet and turned to face the monster.

    It was an animal he had never seen before. Mary loved nature documentaries and was obsessed with dogs and wolves; the creature looked like a wolf, but just barely.It had a triangular snout, two deep set yellow eyes, narrow pointed ears, and the curved horns of a ram.The fur was thick and matted black, glistening in melting snow and its own oils; the legs were short and stout, but ended with sharp talons that could rend flesh.

    San wrinkled his nose, there was a deep and thick stench that surrounded it. Like musky dirt and something rotting, a graveyard smell.Its massive shoulder hunched as it peered at San and then the fire.

    The revolver was nowhere to be seen, so he fumbled for the bear mace at his belt loop.The can shook in his hands as he raised it at the monster.The creature wasn¡¯t as big as a bear, but it looked just as dangerous.San had never had to use the mace before, but it was always something Mary had made them carry, just in case. The habit had stuck with him and now he was thankful for it.

    ¡°Get out of here!¡± San shouted, his voice a little shaky.He raised his arms wide and tried to look bigger than he was.Never approach it, don¡¯t run away, make yourself look bigger, those were the suggestions that Mary had given him if he ever came face to face with a bear.They were more scared of you than you were of them.

    The yellow eyes peered at him and the black gums around the creatures mouth curled back, revealing its yellow vicious teeth.It did not seemed to be scared of him or worried that it might be in danger.

    San dropped his arms and raised the bear mace.He could see the creatures muscles beginning to tense as it prepared to leap for him.His index finger held the can upright and he depressed the trigger with his thumb.Nothing came out.

    San cursed as he realized he hadn¡¯t removed the piece of plastic that prevented the trigger from depressing.The monster leaped at him.San jumped out of the way, but his leg was swatted and it exploded with pain.He collapsed not far from the fire as the creature skidded across the snow and immediately turned toward him.

    The monster roared in annoyance and then bunched up its shoulders once more.San pulled off the safety tab and leveled the bear mace at the creature.With his last attempt having done nothing, there was no fear in the monster, it didn¡¯t jump this time, instead he pushed forward, crossing the distance between them slowly.

    It opened its mouth once more and roared; San pulled the trigger.The reddish haze of the bear mace filled the air, right into the open mouth of the creature.The roar choked to a stop and the creature snapped its mouth close with an audible crack, San could almost see its eyes widen in shock and surprise. A moment later it began to gag and snarl, clawing at its face.

    San didn¡¯t stop, he sprayed more of the mace into the creature¡¯s face as it forgot about him and writhed in distress. The second attack was too much as the monster wheezed and snarled, thick ropes of saliva and mucus running form its mouth.It gave San a bleary eyed look and let out a keening noise before scurrying off back through the brush.

    He could hear it crashing through the woods, the snapping of branches as it rushed away.San sat down heavily, his hands shaking and breathing ragged. The bear mace still hung in the air and he moved away from it, taking a moment to shiver in the cold breeze that lay beyond his shelter.

    What was that thing? It didn¡¯t seem to be any animal he had ever seen, not that he know a lot about animals.Surely something that could turn invisible would have been on a documentary or something.San shivered. The creature hadn¡¯t been afraid of fire, it hadn¡¯t been afraid of him.

    The air cleared and San went back to his fire, shivering and rubbing his arms.His leg ached and he looked down to see a shallow cut along his calf.It wasn¡¯t deep, but he didn¡¯t know what diseases the creature carried. He dug through his pack and opened the first aid kit he brought along.

    He cleaned the wound, used a antibiotic cream on it, and then used the bundle of gauze to wrap it.The calf pained him, but he could still move around fairly well with it.San looked at the wound, if he hand¡¯t been faster, it probably would have taken a bigger chunk out of him.He had a decently supplied first aid kit, including some sutures, but San didn¡¯t think he could have patched himself up while fending off the monster.

    He had been closed to death, twice in the same night.San looked at the fire and wondered why he had chosen to live.Why hadn¡¯t he just let the monster kill him? His eyes moved back toward the black sky once more, he could barely see the stars through the tree foliage and the light of the fire, but those stars. They were so different from what he knew.

    He had to be somewhere else. The monster proved that, there were no creatures like that on Earth. No creatures that could turn invisible.Was it magic? Was it evolution? San didn¡¯t know, but a part of him wanted to find out.A part of him wanted to know what this place was.

    Light reflecting off of metal caught his eyes.San crawled over to where his pack lay in the mud of the hot water and saw the revolver lying under it.He brushed off some of the mud and checked the weapon.The bear mace worked, but the odds were far better if he had another weapon on hand.From what he understood bear mace was more of a deterrent against an animal that wasn¡¯t a threat. If a couple of hundred pounds of bear was going to attack, then the mace was not going to stop it.

    Surprise and shock had been in his favor. The monster didn¡¯t seem to have ever encountered anyone with bear mace before.

    San shuddered as he looked into the deep dark woods. The monster was still out there, once it recovered, would it be back? Perhaps it wanted revenge. He had watched plenty of movies about killer animals in the woods, stalking their prey and jumping out when the protagonist thought they were safe.

    He stared out into the darkness and it was a long night.

    ***

    The sun was rising when San jerked awake.He had dozed off when this world¡¯s version of false dawn began.That had oddly comforted him as it meant that there existed space and cosmic dust outside of this strange world.

    He shivered as he saw the fire had dwindled in the hour he had fallen asleep.The sun was rising and San got to his feet.He grabbed the bear mace and the revolver, his boots crunching against the hardened snow.

    The sight before him was similar to the one he had come to see.There was a dark valley below him, the land still shrouded in twilight.The sun rose above distant peaks far to the east, much larger than the ones he had seen the evening previous.This definitely was not a forest in Washington.

    The sky was clear, no clouds at all.San surveyed the area, snow was a thin dusting on the ground everywhere, the trees were still massive and ancient looking, and if he looked hard enough he saw the snarling face of the monster in every shadow.

    He couldn¡¯t spend another night in this place. He had to find shelter, food, and maybe other people. There would be other people in this place right? He might be on a world where he was the only sentient life.That would suck.

    The sun rose and began to illuminate the valley below.San was surprised to see how much land there truly was that had been shrouded in darkness. The trees were tall and ancient, the forest thick with old growth trees that swallowed up everything.For all he knew there could be an army down below and he would never even know.

    He looked down at his wrist watch, an old gift from his grandfather, and saw that the time was almost ninein the morning.He knew he had arrived when the sun had set, with the time of the season, that meant about nearly seven in the evening.Were the days longer here?

    It didn¡¯t matter, he was cold and alone. He needed to find shelter and soon. The trek off this plateau wasn¡¯t going to be easy.If he were in another world, that meant there were no trails to follow, no guide posts to show him the way.He took out a compass from his pocket and felt some relief to see that the rising sun was east and not some different direction.

    He returned to his pack and found the binoculars.The cliff edge was now basking in full sunlight and even with the cold air, San felt warmer and more confident. There were no dark places for the monster to hide, although if it could turn invisible, it could hide anywhere.

    The valley below was still shaded by the mountains to the east, but as San panned along it he spotted what looked like a river.He could see where the trees thinned a bit and an edge of a slow moving river amidst the snow.

    He would need water and where there was water, there was usually people.He looked around the thick and primeval forest, hopefully there would be people.

    Breaking camp was quick and easy, although San was going to regret not having a fire anymore. He hoped the trek through unbroken wilderness would keep him warm enough, if not, then he would freeze.He buried the fire pit and loaded up his pack, making sure to keep his revolver out and the bear mace on hand.

    He managed to make another liter of water and mixed it with the water in his water bottle, then dumped it into the bladder in his pack. The water was warm and it soon bled through the fabric, keeping his back warm.

    From his back, he pulled out the short camp knife he always carried. It was a six inch sheathed knife that was used for general chores around the campsite. He clipped it onto his belt.

    The dark forest beckoned him and San entered it.

    ***

    Going downhill was a dangerous prospect.In a normal well trod trail, it wasn¡¯t too bad, but the rougher less traveled trails meant there were more debris, loose rock, and many other things that could catch the foot and send you tumbling down a steep slope.

    San was careful, moving slowly as he descended down the plateau.Enough years camping and he could figure out the correct path to take so as not to entangle himself and potentially sprain, break, or shatter a bone.With that monster out there, any injury would mean a death sentence.

    He traveled north as the entire east side of the plateau were steep cliffs. He could have tried going south, but north felt like the right direction to go.The sun was out and shining bright, although most of the time he was under the canopy of the massive trees, where the air was cold and dry.Snow crunched under his boots and although he kept an eye out, he saw no signs of other animals. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    It was eerie, as if the entire forest was holding its breath, waiting to see what he would do. Or waiting to pounce on him.San felt an itch in his back as if something were watching him.It wasn¡¯t too hard to figure that the monster had recovered from being maced and was now tracking him.

    San came to a steep slope, the ground was sparse, with thin trees and scree covering the slope.It was a definite hazard, the loose stones could cause him to tumble down the slope and to his death.Yet he could see into the valley below, the slope lead to a large open pasture that lay covered in snow, but also was dotted with what looked to be grazing deer of some kind.It was the first animals that San had seen besides the monster. If the deer were there, that would mean there were no predators about.

    He could continue north, but it turned into more cliff and steep sides once more.This appeared to be his only chance to go down into the valley.He scouted the slope and found an area that was mostly small loose stones, toward the bottom of the slope there were bigger rocks and boulders.

    The forest gave up a long five foot heavy branch. It was fairly straight and San spent some time cleaning it up, as he took a break for lunch. He hadn¡¯t eaten breakfast, until he found some food or caught something, he would have to save his trail food. They were the only non perishable foods he had.

    Three days no water, three weeks no food.San wasn¡¯t afraid of starving to death, he carried a small collapsible fishing rod that he had used two days before at a campsite. He hadn¡¯t caught anything, but he also hadn¡¯t been really trying.In addition, at six feet and nearly two hundred and fifty pounds, he had a fair bit of mass on him to survive with.

    Going down scree slopes was one of the things Mary took great pleasure in doing.San was always scared about wiping out and tumbling down the slope, but Mary had nerves of steel and a wild streak.The best way down the slope was using a trekking pole, but San didn¡¯t use one.Instead he cleaned up the branch and walked to the edge of the slope, feeling a bit of vertigo as he looked down into the snow covered valley.

    The danger was falling forward.If he fell forward he would go tumbling, he needed to keep his weight leaning backward so if he lost his footing he would fall on his ass and not down the slope.The branch he dug into the loose rocks and leaned against it, keeping his booted feet parallel to the slope.

    Slowly he took a slight hop downward, the loose stones beginning to move under his weight.Going down scree was simply a matter of controlling the slide downward.San had freaked out the first time he had ever tried it, the sudden moving of the stones under his feet and the feeling that he was falling had unnerve him enough that he had nearly tumbled down a slope. It had been a good thing Mary had been there to coax him down, like some scared child he had barely managed and profanely announced he would never do it again.

    The rocks slid and scattered under his boots, he leaned back as much as he could on the branch as it dug into the scree behind him.The third leg kept him balance, more secure, and prevented him from falling on his ass.

    The air was dry and cold as he sucked wind, a faint breeze began blowing and he could feel it on his cheeks. Despite himself he grinned as the rocks slid under his feet. He grunted as a larger piece of rock stopped his descent.He slowly moved out of its way and then felt the scattering of rocks coming down the slope behind him.

    San looked back up the slope and froze.

    He could not see what had shifted the rocks above him, but he could see that something was coming down the slope after him.There were four noticeable depressions in the loose stones, as if a heavy weight was in that area.The rocks moved and San cursed, the damn monster was after him again.

    It didn¡¯t make sense, animals were either nocturnal hunters or not.The beast had tried attacking him during the night, so it had to be nocturnal, yet there it was once again. Invisible to his sight, but completely real regardless of what his eyes told him.

    He couldn¡¯t rush down the slope, unless he wanted to injure himself. He couldn¡¯t reach for his gun as he held onto the branch, so he kept moving as fast as he could without endangering himself.

    The monster seemed to have the same problem, as it slid down the slope a few feet, scrabbled for purchase and kick more rocks down onto San.It didn¡¯t seem to know how to navigate the loose rock and was taking its time.San made use of its caution and widen the distance between them.If he could get into a secure spot, he could take the creature out before it got to him.

    He was near the bottom of the slope, where the large boulders began, when he heard a loud screech and snarl.San barely managed to turn his head back up the slope when a small avalanche of rock, debris, and a snarling matted fur creature slammed into him.

    He lost hold of his branch; the rocks slid out from under him and he was pitched forward by the weight that slammed into his back.He cried out as he began tumbling.

    Pain bloomed along his left side as he slammed up agains the base of a boulder.The pain was intense and he snapped his eyes open, gasping for air.Rocks and dirt rained down around him and he could hear the wheezing of some animal beside him.The thick stench of wet fur, earth, and rotting meat filled his nostrils and San began digging himself out of a pile of loose rock.

    He staggered to his feet as the monster began to stir.It was visible now, the yellow eyes snapped at him, the yellowed teeth flashed.It tried leaping, but the rocks under it¡¯s back paws slipped out and the creature fell heavily on it¡¯s belly.

    San would have laughed if his life hadn¡¯t been in danger.It was like those cat videos he would watch for hours, the deadly hunter falling flat on their face.Instead of laughing he fumbled for his revolver, cursing that he had placed it in a velcro pocket of his cargo pants.

    The first shot missed the creature and San¡¯s ear rang with the retort.He could hear the sound echo loudly in the silent forest, a moment later he heard the stampeding noise of the deer that had been grazing in the field below.

    He didn¡¯t manage a second shot as the beast plowed him over.It wasn¡¯t trying to kill him, instead it was fleeing, from the noise or from the embarrassment it had just endured.San was thrown aside as the creature bolted away from him and was lost within seconds among the boulders.

    San sat down in the loose rock. His left side ached badly, but as he gingerly touched it, he felt nothing broken.His shoulder ached, his ribs were bruised, and his hip was protesting his movements.

    The sun was overhead and he was protected from the breeze; it would have been a nice spot to rest in the sun warmed rocks, but instead he began to shiver.It was adrenaline.Mary¡¯s father, a former Marine, used to talk about it a lot.How after a fight he¡¯d begin shivering as if he were freezing. Then again, as he was sitting in half melted snow, he could actually just be freezing.

    San slowly got up and limped to the boulders, keeping the revolver out and steady.The beast might have ran off, but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t lying in wait somewhere.One didn¡¯t have magical invisibility powers if they weren¡¯t an ambush predator too.

    He clamored to the top of a boulder and looked down in the pasture below.He could see the churned up dirt and dead grass from the deer that had been grazing, but as he used his binoculars he noted the clawed prints of the beast on the snow.

    The creature had headed north. San looked east and decided to head south. The river was there somewhere and maybe the beast had had enough of trying to kill him.That tumble down the slope hadn¡¯t hurt San too much, but he was almost at the bottom. The beast on the other hand had been less than half way toward the bottom, that was a long tumble.

    With the near death tumble and attack, San decided it was a good time to rest.In the sun warmed rocks his muscles eased their protesting and he drank water.He could feel his pack had lightened since this morning. He should be running low on water by now.

    There was always snow and the isopro stove, but he would wait to see if he made it to the river first.

    ***

    With the sun out, the forest was more alive than it had been on the plateau.Birds were chirping and fluttering around, small dull colored birds that San didn¡¯t recognize.After so many hours hiking, he could tell what most birds were, but these ones were different.They had the same bird shape and feathering, but they had brightly colored beaks and their eyes were large and crimson.

    They were also too small to easily catch and this late in the season he doubted they would have eggs he could steal.He continued on, the forest was thick, but it seemed more livelier than the one he had just left behind.The air was slightly warmer and the heavy trees didn¡¯t allow for the wind to gust too much.There was a slight breeze, but walking generated enough heat to keep him comfortable.

    The river came into view after two hours of trekking. He constantly stopped to listen if anything were following, not that he was any kind of scout, but the chirping birds would quiet if a predator was around.He heard the chirping of the birds and a strange chittering that came from a furry puffball with skinny legs that sat in the trees.This world¡¯s version of a squirrel.

    San took a break at the banks of the river.There was a fallen log that he sat on as the sun began heading west and plunging the valley into shadow. He guessed he had maybe a few more hours of daylight before he had to find a place to shelter for the night.With the beast out there, he wasn¡¯t looking forward to it.The creature seemed to have a problem with him and was not acting like any animal he knew.

    He filled up on water in the river.It was cold, with thick sheets of ice floating by. San had brought along a pump filter with him and set one end into the water and began pumping water into his water bladder.In a few minutes he was done and took a tentative sip from his water bottle.It was cold and tasted like water.San shrugged and put away his equipment.

    The river didn¡¯t roar or move quickly, it was slow and lazy, but San didn¡¯t know how deep it would be.The river flowed to the north, the old adage that rivers flowed south was never a real thing. Eventually they all lead to the sea, supposedly, but based on the geography of a region, rivers could flow in any ole direction they pleased.

    The valley was laid out in a south to north direction, he could see some distant mountains to the north but to the south there didn¡¯t seem to be any. If there were civilization around, it would be around water.If there were people, they wouldn¡¯t want to live in the deep ass forest where invisible monsters lurked.

    San stood up and decided to head south. The beast had went north, so it wasn¡¯t as if he had much choice.

    He moved upriver, noting the trees, the birds, the puffballs, and some fish that swam in the waters. Although he was hungry, he knew he could skip a day or two before he needed to really dig into the remainder of his food.He would have stopped and tried fishing, but the threat of the monster was still a worry.Finding shelter was the first priority and he needed to do it soon. Already the valley was shrouded in heavy shadows, although this close to the river there was plenty of light; the forest was already preparing for twilight.

    The trees were looking like the place to stay the night, it would be cold and miserable, but it was better than lying on the ground waiting for the monster to take him.The temperature was beginning to drop as evening arrived and San was already beginning to shiver.He could heat up another liter of water and use it to warm himself for the night.

    As he was deciding upon a tree to spend the night in, San spotted something. In the distance and on the other side of the river he spotted a dock.

    With his binoculars, San peered at the man made structure.It was a sign that there were people out here. The sight made him grin.Then he paused, what if they weren¡¯t human? He was in a different world with different creatures, what if there were no humans here?

    San pondered on the thought for a moment and shrugged. He was being chased by a monster and there looked to be shelter ahead.He would take his chances.

    That left him with the biggest challenge. How to get across the river.

    San looked at the water, there was ice still floating in it. Large chunks that were nearly the size of him and pretty thick too.He watched as some debris floated by, branches and a tree trunk. The river wasn¡¯t fast moving, but there was a lot of junk in it.

    Plus it would be cold as hell.

    He was already shivering and if he tried going across now, that would be risking hypothermia at a minimum.He dug through is pack and checked his tinder, it was enough to make a single fire.He had collected some dry twigs and other kindling on his journey to the river, but that wouldn¡¯t be enough.Within in an hour he would be losing daylight.

    San began untying his boots.

    San had brought plenty of sealable plastic bags with him, along with another dry bag that was useful for keeping his clothing in during rainy weather.

    He emptied his water bladder and container, stuffed everything into a dry bag and stood shivering and naked at the edge of the river.

    ¡°Hopefully no one sees me,¡± he muttered. ¡°They¡¯ll understand that it¡¯s just the cold, right?¡± He chuckled and then hissed as his feet sank into the mud. ¡°Fuck!¡±

    He continued forward, the bank dipped suddenly and he was plunged chest deep. The breath was blasted out of him and he nearly tried scrambling back out.Logic won out and San kept moving forward, he was a good swimmer and the current of the river wasn¡¯t too strong.He paddled across the water and heard a growling behind him.

    San managed to turn his head to see the monster at the banks of the river. It prowled back and forth, flickering in an out of invisibility.The yellow eyes locked on him and it growled, deep and angry.

    ¡°Fuck you!¡± San shouted and cursed as a large chunk of ice hit the back of his head.

    He focused on his swimming and dodging the oncoming debris.After what felt like an eternity he pulled himself onto the dock.It wasn¡¯tthat big, about twelve feet by six feet, with posts to tie up fishing boats or something. Maybe it was someone¡¯s personal dock.

    He was shivering badly, but he noted the path through the trees. He slipped on his clothes after using a towel to wipe off as much water as he could.The cold was settling into his bones and he pulled out the mylar blanket and wrapped himself in it as he staggered down the path.If there was nothing or if it was too far, he would just make a fire and wait until morning.

    The path was swallowed up by darkness as the foliage overhead blocked the remaining sunlight.He was about to pull out his flashlight when he saw an opening ahead.He staggered forward and entered a massive open field.

    In the center of the cleared area, perhaps a mile distant, was a castle.San stared at it for a moment as he began to shiver violently.

    A castle? The sun reflected off the upper most spire and San could see a curl of smoke rising from a chimney.

    Fire.

    San shuddered and staggered forward to safety.

 003

    03

    The cold creeped into his bones and San could not stop shaking.He trudged forward, staggering and nearly stumbling in his haste to make it to the castle.The exertion should have warmed him, but he could barely stop shaking from the cold.

    He moved through long abandoned fields, the stalks of some kind of grain brushing against him and being crushed underfoot.The cleared area around the castle were fields, he realized.He didn¡¯t see any tractors or farm machinery, but he did noticed thatched buildings standing among the fields.They did not appear to be in the best of shape, with sagging roofs and one partially collapsed.

    He had to chuckle.He was brought to some strange world filled with invisible wolf rams and now it turned out the place was on par with the Dark Ages.Would he be burned as some kind of witch if they saw the gear he was carrying?

    San didn¡¯t care. He needed shelter, from the cold and from the persistent monster.

    He looked up at the castle. It wasn¡¯t really a castle, he realized. It was a motte and bailey style fortification.The keep upon the motte, a large mound of stone and earth was made of stone and wood.It was a rectangular block of a building, but in the center rose a long spire that was topped with an onion dome. He saw no guards, no people, no lights or anything that showed the keep was occupied.

    The bailey, or the small village at its base, was surrounded by a twenty foot wooden wall.As with the keep, San saw no one manning the walls or any sounds of activity within the village.

    He would have stopped right there and turned around, but the scent of smoke wafted toward him. He shivered even more at the thought of some place warm.The sun was beginning to set now, the cleared and open space of the fields around the keep were growing darker.Soon twilight would descend and he would be both out in the open and without a place to warm up.

    There wasn¡¯t much of a choice in the matter. San shivered in the mylar blanket and trudged forward.There had to be someone in the village and if there was, hopefully they¡¯d be kind enough to share their fire.

    He approached the bailey, there was a fairly large ditch that began at the base of the wooden wall. In the near dark, San couldn¡¯t see the bottom of the ditch and that sent a shiver down his spine.A well worn road led to the entrance of the village, a wooden bridge led into the open gates of the village.

    San stopped again, trying to peer into the village proper.He couldn¡¯t see anything but the darkened shapes of buildings and the lighter shade of the well trod road.The wooden bridge looked to be sturdy but without any guard rails along the side.No, it wasn¡¯t a bridge.It had been a drawbridge at one time, as San noted the thick iron bands that held the remains of rotting ropes.

    He looked up at the walls once more.They were still empty, but he could almost feel a presence watching him.

    Squashing his nerves, San marched across the bridge and through the open gates.He saw that they were thick wooden planks backed with metal bands, heavy duty.Why were they open then?

    The oncoming night didn¡¯t illuminate much of the village as he entered.He could make out buildings, but like the structures out in the field, many were half collapsed, their thatched roofs caved in or walls crumbling.

    He wanted to call out, but he kept his mouth shut.The village was abandoned for a reason.Either disease or something terrible occurring.People did not just leave what looked to be a resource rich environment for no reason.Disease, drought, or war were some of the reasons to ditch a place. San looked behind him and shuddered, there were also monsters in this world.

    The scent of smoke lured him onward.San followed his nose as he stumbled through the village. The dark gaping holes in the huts could hold anything, monsters, demons, witches, and whatever haunted the deep dark forests of fairy tales.

    He saw light.It came from the seams of a door in a hut along the main thoroughfare.San increased his pace and was soon standing before it, he could hear the crackle fo fire and smell the woodsmoke.

    Banging on a stranger¡¯s door in the middle of the night was a sure way to get a gun drawn on you, but maybe there weren¡¯t guns in this world.A sword? San was willing to take the risk.He banged his fist against the wooden door.

    ¡°Hello? I need help!¡± he cried.His voice sounded shrill in his ears and his teeth began to chatter. ¡°Help!¡±

    The door creaked open under his barrage.San stopped and saw that there was no door knob or anything, just a leather cord that secured the door.

    The room was dark.San stopped at the threshold. Hadn¡¯t he seen light? He had smelled woodsmoke.Yet as he looked into the room, it was dark and not much warmer than the air outside.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± San muttered.

    ¡°Ha¡¯katavo?¡± a voice said.

    San nearly screamed as he saw a figure within the hut. The shape of a man was standing near the door, his eyes glinting in the dying light.

    ¡°Ha¡¯katavo?¡± the man said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means,¡± San said.

    Of course being transported to another world wouldn¡¯t mean that the locals spoke English or even Punjabi or the little Spanish he knew. It was a different world, therefore different languages.

    ¡°I need help,¡± San stuttered, his teeth would not stop chattering. ¡°I need help.¡±

    The man stepped forward and San saw more of him.He was short, about five and a half feet, his skin was creased and worn, and a thin gray beard haloed his face.He was dressed in an ornate robe, thick beads around his neck and heavy bracelets on his wrists.He looked San up and down.

    ¡°Ko kivana takov?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m freezing to death here, buddy,¡± San said.He wanted to push pass the man and enter the building.What was the point though, there was no fire in the room that promised him relief.He decided to leave and find an abandoned hut.

    Light began to fill the room, San blinked and saw that the light was coming from the man¡¯s hand.San stared, mesmerized as the man lifted his hand and laid his index finger on San¡¯s forehead.

    Warmth blossomed in his head, it spread down his neck, and settled within his stomach.It was a hot ball in his midsection for a moment, before spreading out across his chest and down his arms and legs.San gasped as the cold that was rattling his bones began to dissipate.It wasn¡¯t gone, but the dangerous bite seemed to have vanished.

    San shuddered, leaning against the doorframe of the hut. He took in long breaths, his head dizzy and his legs weak.

    ¡°You should build a fire,¡± the old man said.¡°It is cold and this old man wishes to feel the warmth in his bones.¡±

    ¡°You speak English?¡± he asked.

    ¡°A trader¡¯s trick,¡± the man said. ¡°Many Tongues.¡±

    San blinked in bemusement as the man turned and entered the hut.The door was left ajar so San followed the man in.The hut wasn¡¯t any warmer than the exterior, San felt himself begin to shiver once more.The deathly bite of hypothermia seemed to have been blunted, but that didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t occur again.

    The hut was a single room, nearly sixteen feet by sixteen feet.In the center was a fire pit, surrounded by brick and with a cast iron pot lying in old cold ashes.San looked to the man to see he had seated himself on the floor and watched him.

    It appeared he was waiting for him.A pile of firewood sat next to the door on the interior and San stepped toward it.He took a moment to close and secure the door shut, plunging the room into more darkness.He took off the mylar blanket and his pack, dumping them by the door and grabbed the firewood.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    It was dry and covered in a fine layer of dust.San looked to the man again and saw he was still watching.There was a small pile of tinder and kindling by the firewood, San took them and knelt by the fire pit.He brushed away the rusted cast iron pot and removed the ashes.

    He was beginning to shake again, from the cold and from the unblinking eyes of the old man.What was he? Who was he? What had he done that took away the intense cold that San had been feeling. Why wouldn¡¯t he make a fire himself? In fact, where was the fire that he had smelled and the light he had seen?

    The questions jumbled in his mind, his fingers were fumbling as he tried to strike the Bic lighter.It sparked and finally a small flame was produced. Nerves shook his hand as he ignited the tinder and blew on it.

    The wood was very dry and immediately caught fire.The blessed warmth began radiating as San built up the fire.He wanted to toss all the wood into it, but stopped himself.He stripped off his gloves and warmed his hands.The skin ached with the warmth, both painful and welcomed.

    ¡°Ah, it is good to feel the warmth again,¡± the old man said.

    ¡°What are you?¡± San asked.¡°Was that magic?Is that how we¡¯re talking? Is that how you removed the cold from me?¡±

    ¡°Inquisitive mind,¡± the old man said.

    In the light of the fire, San could make out more of the man¡¯s features.His face was narrow, his nose long, and he had high and sharp cheekbones. The loose hair on his head had a reddish cast to it, but was streaked with gray.The eyes gleamed in the firelight, intelligent and melancholy.

    ¡°A fire burns in all mankind,¡± the man said. ¡°But there are times when it goes out or when the fire is stolen.¡± The man stared at the fire, his eyes focused entirely upon the flames. ¡°Then all there is only cold.Such cold.¡±

    San didn¡¯t say anything, waiting for the man to continue.

    The eyes snapped onto San.

    ¡°Rest, child. The night is cold and dangers lurk in the darkness. You made this fire and have warmed an old man¡¯s bones. You are welcomed in my home. Rest.¡±

    San was going to refuse, to demand questions about what this place was, but as the man spoke he could feel his eyes growing heavy.He had already been exhausted, from the sleepless night, from the trek, from swimming across the freezing river.The sudden exhaustion was overwhelming.

    The old man was right, he needed his rest. The monster wouldn¡¯t follow him here. He was safe.

    His eyes closed and there was darkness.

    ***

    San awoke to the sun streaming in through a window.He could feel the warm light on his skin.He stared at the wooden crossbeams of the hut, the old wood, stained dark with countless years of woodsmoke.He hadn¡¯t noticed it the night before, but now it was clear as day.

    He lay on a small mound of straw and the furs of some animal.It wasn¡¯t a proper bed, but San realized he felt completely rested.It was as if a great burdened had been lifted off his shoulders.He sat up, rubbing his hands against the stubble that was forming on his cheeks and chin.

    There was noise coming from outside of the hut, the sound of people.San scanned the room, looking for his benefactor, but the old man was nowhere to be seen. He didn¡¯t know what to do for a moment, should he leave? Should he wait for the old man?

    Instead he rose to his feet and set aside the blanket of cloth and fur that he had been wrapped in. The hut was warm, the fire he had built was still burning, hot and cheery.San crouched before the fire and warmed his hands over it.

    He listened to the noise outside.It was the noise of people going about their business, the cries of animals, the shouts, laughter, and talking of people.San decided to see what was happening.

    The door creaked as he exited and as if he¡¯d flipped a switch the world suddenly went silent.San stepped out of the hut, ducking the low entrance, and stood there.People who had been going about their day stopped; every pair of eye upon him.

    San was paralyzed, not knowing what to do once more.He tried smiling.The people watched him, as if waiting for something.

    ¡°Hi,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m San.Uh¡­ nice to meet you.¡±

    An arm snaked around his own. San nearly flinched and pulled back as the limb was suddenly very cold.He looked down to see a reddish haired woman holding onto him.She looked up at him, a smile on her face.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so warm,¡± she said, her smile widening.

    It was as if whatever held the people back was broken, they all stepped forward, smiles on their faces. He was hugged and his hand shaken. The people he didn¡¯t know suddenly pulled him forward, peppering him with questions and laughing as if he were a comedian.

    San felt dizzy; the world was spinning. The people took him down the streets, to a large building filled with more people.The doors of a hall opened up, revealing a feast laid out upon low tables.More people were gathered and cheered as he arrived.They, like the other townspeople, began peppering him with questions, not even waiting for him to answer before asking another.

    Children scurried by, their laughing haunting among the chorus of adult voices.San felt hands touching him, people commenting on how warm he was. He was confused, everything didn¡¯t make sense.

    He sat before a low table, a cushion under him and the people surrounding him. The feast was laid out before him, great slabs of meat on the table, dripping with juices and the fat still sizzling.

    ¡°Eat. Eat. Eat,¡± the words pounded in his ears.

    A thick slab of meat was place before him on a wooden plate. A knife set beside it. San looked at the meat, his stomach suddenly gurgling with hunger. How long had it been since he had last eaten anything.He was so hungry now.He reached for the meat. Then the smell hit him.

    It was a foul and rotten odor.The stench of death, of meat gone bad.San gagged and pulled away from the table. He tried to move, but the hands of the people around him grabbed him. They clung onto him, telling him he needed to eat.

    San struggled but the hands were iron hard and so cold.He felt his skin prickling at the cold, even through his shirts and jacket.His skin ached and he began shivering.

    ¡°Let me go!¡± he cried, but the hands only grew tighter.

    San jerked and fought.

    Then an intense pain exploded in his leg.San screamed.

    And opened his eyes.

    ***

    He jerked awake in terror to find that he was lying before the fire pit in the hut. The air was smokey and cold, the door he had secured closed was swinging open. San gasped and sat up, only to freeze as a pair of wet yellow eyes glared at him.

    The monster had arrived.

    Pain was throbbing in his leg. He looked down to see the claws of the monster laying on his leg, the pant legs had been ripped and a small wound was visible.The monster looked at him and then the eyes flickered to the door.

    There was another noise in the night. A wheezing, the sound of some sick creature trying to breath.San stared at the open door. He could hear it, the crunch of snow, the thumping of something heavy moving.Coming to the door.

    The monster removed its foot off his leg and continued staring at the door.It began to snarl, but made no noise.The monster then moved back, putting the fire between it and the noise.

    What would scare the monster?

    San didn¡¯t know and he didn¡¯t want to find out.He jerked toward the open door and slammed it shut. He used the leather cord to secure it and then skidded back toward the fire.He grabbed more wood and tossed it upon the fire, the heat surging and sparking.

    He fumbled in his pockets and pulled out the revolver, holding it in shaking hands as the noise grew louder outside of the door.

    ¡°It¡¯s so cold,¡± a voice said. A child¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Let us share your fire,¡± another said.

    San shuddered.They were voices, but they didn¡¯t sound human, they didn¡¯t sound real. It was as if something were imitating a human voice.

    ¡°Open the door, we are so cold,¡± another said.

    He heard a thump on the door.It sounded wet and sickly.The air grew colder and the smell of rotting meat filled the air.San gagged.The smell was everywhere, it clawed at him.

    ¡°I just want to be warm,¡± another voice cried.

    ¡°Open the door.¡±

    San was beginning to shake violently.The cold, it was so damn cold again.The fire beside him seemed to do nothing to hold it back. San shuddered and grabbed another log to toss on the fire.It did nothing.

    ¡°Open the door.¡±

    There was no pleading in the voices now.There was no asking. They were demanding.

    ¡°Open the door.¡± The voice turned harsher, deeper, full of malice.

    The door shook as something struck it. San stared at it, the door was barely worth the name. It was made of thin planks of wood, woven together with reeds, on leather hinges.A thin cord was all that held it in place. It wasn¡¯t a defense.

    He kept the revolver trained on the door, the fear and adrenaline churned through his veins as whatever lurked outside continued to bang on the door.

    The monster with him began to emit a low growl.San had almost forgotten the creature was with him.He glanced at it to see the monster was in the far end of the hut, crouched low, its eyes locked on the door.

    The thin door shattered and San let out a yelp of fear.He froze again, seeing a fleshy appendage enter the hut, it was splotched with purples and greens, the color of bruises and rot.The smell was awful and San gagged again as it assaulted him.

    A mouth, full of sharp teeth opened on the appendage, it made a wet sucking sound, saliva and liquids dribbling from the misshapen orifice.San stared as he watched what looked to be a face trying to push its way out of the appendage, a human woman¡¯s face stretching the skin.

    ¡°The fire is so warm,¡± it said.

    That was enough for San.He raised the pistol and fired.The bullet hit he human face, it erupted in blood and bone, a thick black sludge that covered the threshold. A hideous scream of pain sounded from outside of the hut and the appendage snapped back in a flash.San¡¯s ears rang from the shot and he moved further away from the open door, colliding with a wall of matted fur.

    The monster and San eyed one another and then they both stared out the black hole that led outside.There was the sound of stomping; the voices, high pitched, began wailing. They screamed and moaned, calling for help, calling for him to warm them, to share his fire with them, to join them.

    San clenched his mouth shut, he wanted to close his eyes, cover his ears, but the monster lurked out there.It screamed and raged, thrashing and slamming into buildings.

    The cries did not stop.Not until the sun began to rise.

    The fire continued to burn, San tossing everything that could burn into it.The monster stayed motionless the entire night, occasionally flickering into invisibility, and crouched low, ready to run or attack.

    San held onto the revolver and stared out the door as the darkness slowly lifted and finally the screaming stopped.

    He decided to get the hell out of the village.

 004

    The wolf ram didn¡¯t have any hesitation in leaving the hut as San did.It gave him a look; then pushed its way through the threshold and vanished among the other collapsed huts of the village.

    San knew he should leave, but he was also terrified. What was the creature that had come in the night? It reeked of death and rot; San had no doubt that it was reason the village lay abandoned.What had he walked into.

    The fire crackled and San got to his feet. He hadn¡¯t unpacked his pack, the only thing out was the mylar blanket.He folded itup and shivered as cold air wafted in from the busted threshold.The sky looked overcast and cloudy, he could hear the wind whistling in the distance.The strange dream he had that night still lingered, the memory of the thick slices of meat made his stomach rumble and he realized it had been nearly a day since he had last eaten.He was also out of water as he had dumped it to lighten his load.

    He winced as he walked, looking down at his tattered trousers.The wolf ram had awakened him from the nightmare he was having.It had done so by cutting into his leg with its claws.San shuddered at the memory of those thick deadly claws and how dirty they were.

    He sat down and pulled up his trouser leg.Beneath the tattered cloth was a long jagged scar that ran across his shin, but beside it were the new additions made by the wolf ram.He looked at the healed injury, running his finger along the thick line of the hypertrophic scar.He shook his head and focused on the new injury; he cleaned the leg wound and wrapped it with gauze.

    He looked at his dwindling first aid kit.As the pack mule of the group, San had always carried the first aid kit, a large pack that had everything from eye drops to water purification tablets to suturing needles.He felt a dull ache in his leg, but he ignored it.

    The hut only reinforced that he was in medieval times in this strange world.He doubted they had access to aspirin and the like.Of course, they seemed to have magic so aspirin might be something they didn¡¯t need.

    San rubbed his forehead where the old man had touched him.He didn¡¯t feel anything different.He pulled out a small mirror, but he didn¡¯t see anything different.He only saw himself; shaggy unkept hair, dusky skin, dark eyes, and two days of growth on his cheeks and chin.

    ¡°Disgusting creature,¡± a voice said.

    San had his revolver out in an instant, his hand shaking as the old man from the night before appeared in the hut, sitting on the floor.His eyes weren¡¯t on San but focused on something in the corner.

    Without moving the gun off the old man, San looked to see where the man was looking. He saw a clump of black matter in the corner, the smell finally reaching him. Wolf shit.

    ¡°What the hell was that thing last night!¡± San demanded.¡°What were those voices!¡±

    The old man turned to San. The sunlight didn¡¯t seem to touch him, he realized.He wasn¡¯t as ¡®real¡¯ as he¡¯d been last night, where San could see the color of his clothing and skin. In the early morning light he seemed faded, as if the color had been leeched from him.

    ¡°It is my shame,¡±the old man said.

    ¡°Tell me what the fuck it is,¡± San said. ¡°Tell me straight.¡±

    The old man didn¡¯t meet San¡¯s eyes, instead his focus was on the fire.¡°Many, many decades ago, the last Kerrethan Emperor ceded this land to the Mage Chief Hazalban.We at The End of the World had raised our levies and marched to fight in the Blood Succession Wars; ten years we fought for the Emperor and in the end we were recognized by the Empire.¡±

    The old man smiled for a while.¡°The times were tough, but the land was rich and the people hard workers.We built this great keep that you see on the motte.All the strength and power we could gather, we gathered here, in this place.But the Empire is a land of constant wars, of constant feuds between nobles and Blooded.Our young men and women were called to arms, any that reached adulthood would have to serve, that was the price for this land.

    ¡°We were proud to serve, but after many years, less and less of our children would return.Many died in the wars of the Empire, many more choose to live in the great cities of the South.Slowly the tribes and peoples of this great forest began to dwindle, our strength began to fade, headmen in far flung villages no longer sent tribute or taxes.¡±

    The old man looked to San with sad eyes.

    ¡°When we were at our weakest, when the crops had failed once again, the Mage Chief decided to bring forth a creature to protect us, to help us regain our power, to make us whole once more.¡±

    San stood transfixed by the story.He looked out the door and toward the keep on the hill.In the daylight it looked like a near ruin, the walls were scorched and the plaster crumbling, the windows were dark and empty holes in the walls, and the tall spire was leaning ever so slightly, ready to fall.

    ¡°You¡¯re the Mage Chief?¡± San asked. ¡°You brought forth that creature?¡±

    The old man turned to face the fire again. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Are you a ghost or something?¡±

    The old man let out a dry chuckle that held no mirth. ¡°I am cursed for my arrogance and hubris. I have destroyed this great city and brought forth a horror that killed all that resided here.¡±Tears began to form in the man¡¯s eyes, they moved down his cheeks and dropped, disappearing before they reached the ground.

    ¡°What are those voices?¡± San asked.

    ¡°The dead,¡± the old man responded. ¡°The Flesh Horror you saw last night, that tried to enter this place, that is what killed all that lived here.No, not just killed, that would have been a mercy. It trapped their souls within it, to give it power, to make it grow.¡±

    San shuddered at the words.

    ¡°You are a stranger to this land,¡± the old man said. ¡°You did not speak our tongue nor do you look like any of the people that live in this land.You have an aura around you, one that shows a great power has done something to you.¡±

    ¡°You touched my head last night,¡± San said.

    ¡°No, my power has faded. All I can do is tricks and simple magics,¡± the old man said. ¡°A great power has brought you here, do you know why?¡±

    San shrugged. ¡°No. I was out hiking and the next thing I know I was in the woods to the west of here.¡±

    ¡°I had thought¡­¡± the old man trailed off, looking back at the fire.

    ¡°What¡¯s with the fire?¡± San asked. ¡°The voices said they were cold and wanted to be warmed.I had a dream, they were trying to feed me rotten meat or something.¡±

    ¡°Each season that passes, the Flesh Horror takes more of their soul, more of their fire. It will snuff them out one day, until then, they will always feel the cold.¡±

    ¡°Why? Why did you do this?¡± San asked.

    The old man looked at San and then back at the fire. ¡°Because I wanted greatness.I wanted to raise my people up from these woodland savages, into something that the Empire would see as equals.¡±

    San crouched down in the threshold, facing the fire.He could feel the cold wind prickling his back, seeping though his jacket.He had been so cold last night, the old man had taken it away.Now those poor souls that had been killed by the Flesh Horror felt something far worse.

    ¡°How many did it kill?¡± San asked softly.

    ¡°Too many. Far too many. I lost control of it. I was the first to die,¡± the old man looked at his hands. ¡°Three hundred and forty five. Men, women, and children.¡± The tears ran down the old man¡¯s face once more.

    ¡°Men. Women¡­ children,¡± San looked down at his own hands.¡°How¡­ how do I kill it?¡± he asked.

    ***

    San walked the dead streets of the village. Every creak, groan, and clatter sent his heart racing. He wanted to return the warmth of the hut and rest. Two nights of little sleep were taking their toll and he moved sluggishly and his head was aching.

    It might have been caffeine withdrawal. For all his overpacking, he had forgotten to bring along coffee or caffeine tablets.The biggest mistake he had committed.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    The Flesh Horror was a nocturnal creature. The sun was its enemy and it refused to leave the sanctuary of the keep.San looked up at the stone building, it¡¯s vacant windows and crumbling facade hid the true horror that resided within.

    The houses were nearly all collapsed, the old man had said it was nearly five years since the Flesh Horror had been summoned.It had killed everyone that same night, so many people.The rest, those that had survived had named this village a cursed place and no one came around anymore. Why the Flesh Horror hadn¡¯t left, the old man did not know.

    The Mage Chief wanted to be what historians called Great Men of History, who gathered tribes, formed nations, and stood when the world was ready to fall.He had built up the forest tribes and tried pulling them up by their bootstraps, to become equal with the Empire to the South.

    People did insane things for power, San thought. Everything he built was destroyed.He tied himself to this Empire and it killed his people. He tied himself to this Flesh Horror and it killed all those that were left.

    San did not feel any pity for the man.He had done this, he had trapped those who still believed in him, innocents, men, women, and children. San sighed as he neared what the old man had called the barracks.

    The building was intact, although it didn¡¯t look like anything military he had ever seen before. It looked more like a horse stable with extra walls.The door had been smashed long ago, the tell tale dark splotches still staining the stone floor spoke of what had occurredSan entered the building, it smelled of dust and disuse.

    The room was filled with straw pallet beds, lined up against one wall, and not much else.He walked through the room, the glassless windows agape and blasting in cold air as the weather outside began to turn.San took a moment to peek out the window, seeing the sky now full of darkening clouds.A storm was coming.

    He found the soldier¡¯s cache of weapons, a portion of the roof had collapsed and five years of rain and snow had turned the iron weapons into a rusted mess.San picked through them, there were some chainmail shirts, a couple of swords, axes, and spears, but they were all rusted and ruined.

    San hoped the other end of the barracks held something better.There was a second storage area and although the roof was still intact, the items stored thee were of little value to him.Old cloth, tools to repair gear, and random stuff piled into wicker basket containers.San nudged one with his foot, only to see a the tiny skull of a mouse clatter out.He stepped back, the floor beneath him giving slightly.

    He immediately jumped forward as the ground gave a loud crack and groan. San looked where he had stood and saw the handle of a door.He bent down and pulled it up.

    A rancid smell hit him, not the wretched stench of the Flesh Horror, but something that had gone bad over the years.There was a sturdy staircase that lead down and San shrugged.He pulled out his flashlight and revolver, and entered into the basement.

    The air was cooler within the basement.He saw that it was better built than most places.Care had been taken to set the stone walls in place, to mortar them tightly, and to secure it from weather.San panned his light around and saw that it was a root cellar of some sort, a place where food had been stored.

    There were amphora stacked everywhere, large two handled clay pots that seemed to be the medieval version of storage totes.The nearest amphora was cracked and its contents had spilled out, San flashed his light over it, seeing grain.It was oddly surprising to see simple grain, he figured being in a different world would have led to some different kinds of foods.San shrugged and pulled the stopper out of the clay pot.Inside was more grain.

    There were a lot of pots, but he noted some looked different than the others.He might be able to now speak the language of this place, but that didn¡¯t mean he could read it.San stood before a darker amphora and on it was red lettering, it almost looked Chinese.

    There were five of the dark amphora and they all had the same red character on them. San looked at the wheat amphora and it was marked in black and all the pots stacked with it had the same mark on them.He perused the pots and noted five different character types.One of wheat and the four others were unknown.

    The darker amphora and another set with green lettering had to hold some kind of liquid. Where the other pots had a wooden stopper plugging the tops, the two amphoras were also sealed with wax and some kind of hide to prevent possible evaporation.

    ¡°Beer and wine,¡± San said as he approached them.He knew a bit about history and the world ran on beer and wine from the days the first people planted grains.It was one of those things that always fascinated him, the question of wether humans had settled into a farming lifestyle to grow grains to make beer or not.

    As a brewer San¡¯s opinion leaned toward the former.He knew plenty of people who were amateur beer archeologist, trying to recreate ancient beers.He had never dipped his toes into that water, but it was an interesting topic.

    He approached the green lettered amphora.There were twelve of them, sitting on sand in a small boxed in area.San looked at the sand in confusion, but noticed that the bottoms of the amphora were narrow and buried into the sand.

    His camp knife made quick work of the wax and hide that covered the clay pot.The stopper wasn¡¯t wooden, it was cork or something similar, and it felt greasy on his fingers.He managed to fish it out without cutting it up and was rewarded with a rank stench coming from the clay pot.It was neither beer or wine.

    The tip of his knife was dipped into the liquid and San saw a pale golden liquid drip from the blade.Oil.It was some kind of vegetable oil.Maybe olive oil.

    It made a sort of sense. Even his grandmother used a lot of oil when she made foods from her homeland.Everyone used oil for cooking, San assumed it would be doubly so in times where calories were hard to come by.He wrinkled his nose at the smell and pushed the stopper back in. The rancid oil was what he had smelled when entering.

    The second amphora was wine, but wine that was so bad that it had become vinegar.The seals weren¡¯t strong enough or over the years had failed, so much of the wine had evaporated. San stoppered the pot and prepared to leave.He didn¡¯t know if the grains were still good, he wouldn¡¯t mind a simple meal of them.It would cut back on the need for him to eat the trail food he had packed.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a face.San flashed the light and nearly cried out in horror as a twisted, grey fleshed creature stared back at him with hollow eyes.He stumbled back, tripped over a raised stone, and fell on his back painfully. The revolver clattered from his hands, but he managed to keep hold of the flashlight.

    ¡°Ow, fuck.¡±

    San groaned as he got back to his feet, snatching up the revolver and then shining the light back at the figure he had seen.It was a body, which was behind a stack of amphora in the corner.He approached it and saw that it wasn¡¯t just any person, it had been a soldier.

    The leather and chainmail of their armor was rusted and fused with the flesh of the dead man.His face was mummified mask of fear and terror.San panned his light across the man and stopped.In one hand the man held a one handed axe and leaning against the wall was a spear.He moved the light around some more and found a shield against the wall.They all seemed to be in good condition.

    San grimaced and got to work, prying the axe from the dead man¡¯s hand.The cracking of bone and mummified flesh caused him to gag, but it was over in a few minutes.

    He looked down at the man, wondering if he should feel sorry for him or not. It looked as if he had hid from the horror that had befallen the village, but then again what could have the man done against the Flesh Horror.

    San looked at the dusty axe in his hand. What did he think he would do against the Flesh Horror?

    ***

    The wind was howling as he exited the barracks.He carried a wicker basket he had looted from the storage room, stuffed with what cloth and materials he could find. The air was frigidly cold and cut through his thin jacket.He hustled back toward the old man¡¯s hut.

    He hadn¡¯t asked about the hut and why the Mage Chief had been within it. It seemed like the home of the man, the supposed ruler of this place.Yet, what kind of Chief lived in asmall hut?

    The fire was thankfully still burning as San entered.He had managed to fix the door somewhat, replacing the torn hinges and propping up the door.

    ¡°The fire is what it fears.¡±

    San flinched at the sound of the voice.The old man sat on the floor again, staring at the flames.San added more wood to the fire. One thing he had noticed was that there was plenty of fire wood.It seemed every household had a stack of several days of wood before their homes, in the years since, they had been undisturbed.

    ¡°I thought it fed off the fire of the people?¡± San asked.

    ¡°The fire of the soul feeds it, but fire burns flesh.¡±

    ¡°So I have to burn it to a crisp?¡± San asked.He looked at the door as it shuddered from the buffeting winds. ¡°In the middle of a snow storm?¡±

    The old man said nothing, instead he continued staring into the fire. Hunger was beginning to gnaw at San, so he began preparing a simple meal of ramen.Snow was beginning to fall and provided the water he needed.

    Fire was the key.There was plenty of firewood in the village.If he could get it into the keep, he might be able to burn the whole place down before the Flesh Horror took another stroll out into the village.

    He looked to the door as it rattled from the wind.The air was freezing and San could feel the drafts from the unmaintained hutthe snow and wind would be a problem, if the keep was in the same condition as the rest of the village.

    Only if he had gasoline. A molotov. Movies and television had pushed the false narrative that liquor was highly flammable.San had his bottle of single malt, but the alcohol content was only forty-five percent. Not enough to burn effectively.

    There was also the wine within the basement of the barracks.But he suspected that like the first amphora, the years had allowed the alcohol to evaporate.So that was fairly useless.

    San finished his ramen meal, in the chilled air, the hot meal warmed him.He picked up the axe he had taken from the dead solider, the wooden haft was dried and cracking, but seemed solid and the metal head was slightly rusted, but not too damaged.The spear was in similar condition, all it needed was some maintenance.

    Morning passed into afternoon as San and the old man sat in the hut.He had found maintenance equipment in the storage room, a sharpening stone and a clay pot that looked to be a mixture of beeswax and oil.Mary¡¯s father had made it a point to show him how to care for weapons, the man had been a gun nut.They had spent an afternoon or four oiling his guns and San had been lectured on the ways to keep his weapons from being damaged.

    The knowledge didn¡¯t fully apply to the spear and axe he had found, but a small tidbit of knowledge he had gained was that ancient peoples had used oil as a rust preventer, everything from olive oil, fish oil, and linseed oil, although the most known was lanolin, which was obtained from sheep wool.

    The barracks held a lot of vegetable oil, so it would seem he would have more than enough to keep the spear and axe in decent shape.Perhaps he could drown the Flesh Horror in vegetable oil.Deep fried Flesh Horror.San chuckled at thought as the fire sparked and sizzled.

    Then an idea began to form.

 005

    05

    The wind howled and hard frozen pellets of snow pelted San as he moved down the empty streets of the village.The clouds had thickened and darkened, but the storm was taking its time.

    He passed the barracks and took a deep breath as he looked up the road toward the keep.The stone and wood building dominated the area, its empty windows gave the visage of some great beast looking down upon the village.It was where the Flesh Horror lived. It was where it spent its days before coming out at night.

    San shivered again, but not from the cold. He took a step forward, hesitating and second guessing his actions.He needed to see the keep, he needed to see what he had to work with.Fire would destroy the monster, but he needed to know what lay within the keep.

    The Mage Chief didn¡¯t want to talk about the creature anymore.The ghost or whatever he was, just sat in the hut, staring at the flames.The sadness and misery that wafted off of him was enough to drive San out of the hut and into the beast¡¯s maw.It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t understand what the man was feeling, it was that San knew all to well what the man was feeling and seeing it, only made him remember the pain even more.

    He trudged up the incline toward the keep.There were scattered weapons and armor cast about as if abandoned, but San didn¡¯t think the wearers had voluntarily left them behind.The massive gates had seen better days.The hinges had nearly rusted solid, keeping the doors open and the Flesh Horror free to enter and exit.The thick wooden slabs that made up the gate were weathered and cracking, the metal bands reinforcing them rusted and in a few spots the bolts had failed and the bands were coming loose.

    The walls were as tall as the village; nearly twenty feet high and about eight feet thick in some areas.It wasn¡¯t the massive defensive structures that San had seen in illustrations or inrandom history documentaries.There were castellations along the walls, large enough for a man to hide behind, but for the most part the walls themselves were made of wood and stone. The fortifications were designed to stop raids by other people or monsters, not to withstand a long term siege.

    The wind was kept at bay by the still standing walls.As he entered the main courtyard of the keep, a smell began to suffuse the area; a stench of rotting flesh.San grimaced and continued forward.He had the axe he had found, but he doubted that it would do much against the monster, there was also the revolver, but again that wouldn¡¯t do much.

    He hadn¡¯t seen the creature, but San knew it was massive.It had only pushed an appendage into the hut the night before, but San could tell there was much more that he hadn¡¯t seen. Something that large shouldn¡¯t be able to exist, not in the barren wintry landscape of this place.

    The Chief had claimed he had summoned the creature and it seemed to feed off of the ¡®fires¡¯ of the people it had killed.Some kind of soul powered flesh demon. And San was walking right into its lair.

    The keep loomed up before him, the bottom floor was made of rough stone covered in chipping stucco or plaster, there was a set of wide steps that led toward a torn open door.The remains which lay scattered about the courtyard. The smell of rotting flesh was oppressive but San continued onward.

    He had never seen a keep up close before.San had once met a man from Scotland during a conference, the man had talked about the old fortifications and ruins of a bygone era.His summation was that they were cramped, dark, and probably hellish to live in during the winter.

    There were definite signs that the monstrosity moved in and out of the keep, as the ground was churned up and a grotesque slime trail of what looked to be blood was embedded deeply into the stone.San gagged and continued forward.

    He entered the entryway, it was a wide hall with a railless staircase that wound counterclockwise to the second floor.The hall was smeared with the same substance that was covering the courtyard; it vanished into a darkened room beyond.San assumed the monster lay in that direction.The stairs themselves were dusty, but seemed unused.

    San panned his flashlight around and then decided to head up the stairs.They were made of stone and seemed solid as he walked up them.

    The second floor was filled with narrow halls and wooden doors. San approached the first door and pushed it open. Cold air blasted him as the door creaked open, the gaping holes of the windows letting the wind enter.The room was possibly a bedroom of some kind, there were rotting remains of furniture, damaged from the weather, and not much else.

    San closed the door and continued to the next room. This room didn¡¯t have any windows and was dark, but San noted that the items within seemed to be somewhat preserved.There was a small bed, a desk, and candles, several of the wax variety and others that were long pieces of coiled twine that sat in an iron holder.

    As they were dry and still seemed usable, San pocketed them.He knew his flashlight wouldn¡¯t last forever.

    The rest of the second floor was equally sparse.Where the wind and weather hadn¡¯t rotted the furniture, there wasn¡¯t much to be had.San moved up to the third floor.

    The rooms on the third floor were larger and probably once more ornate.But like any penthouse suite, they had large windows and sonic views, which all led to the rooms turning to rot.

    The biggest find was a dusty fur cloak within a wooden chest.The closed container had prevented the clothing from rotting and San thankfully pulled it over his shoulders. It was designed or a smaller man, but San didn¡¯t care.Walking around in a thin jacket and three T-shirts hadn¡¯t been keeping him warm. The keep wasn¡¯t much warmer than a walk-in refrigerator.

    Weather and water, San realized, was the only thing that seemed to be destroying the keep.There were no signs of insects or rodents, besides the mouse skull he had found.The grain within the barracks hadn¡¯t been touched, the wool-like fabric of the clothing he found hadn¡¯t been eaten by insects.Was the Flesh Horror keeping everything else away?

    The final room was the Cheif¡¯s chambers.San had to work to open the door, as the rusted hinges barely gave.The howling wind greeted him and he stared at the big hole in the wooden walls.He hadn¡¯t seen the damage as it lay in teh opposite direction of his arrival.He shivered in his new cloak and looked around.

    The bookcase was the first thing that garnered his attention.A large library of books had once graced one wall, but as he looked at them San realized that water and weather had worn them to trash.The first book fell apart in rotting pages.The other volumes had swollen and contracted over the years, the ink running and leaving nothing of value behind.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    There were other items within the room of interest. A long table that once held what looked to be potions and actual glass bottles.Most of it was destroyed, the clay and glass bottles littering the floor and what looked to be old blood smearing the surface.

    Upon a collapsed bed of straw and cloth, San saw two items.One was a leather bound book and the other was a basket hilted sword in a scabbard.They caught his attention for they were the only clean items in the room.Everything else was covered in a layer of dust, mud, or the snow that was beginning to come down.

    He picked up the book first, seeing that it wasn¡¯t in the same condition as the other volumes, even though it lay in an exposed area.The leather was supple and marked with arcane stamps.He opened the book and saw pages upon pages filled with tightly written script and diagrams.Although he could speak the language of this place, it appeared he couldn¡¯t read it.

    San tucked the book into his pack and then picked up the sword.As a child, San had a fascination with swords.He recognized the weapon as a broadsword, a single handed weapon with a long straight double edged blade, made for cutting and thrusting.He knew they were used mostly by calvary, a forerunner to the calvary saber.

    It was a heavy blade, San hefted it in his hand, taking a experimental swing.He was expecting somekind of magic to work, but it didn¡¯t seem that it was a magical sword he had found in the ruins of a wizard¡¯s castle.Although as he noted that blade was still sharp and hadn¡¯t suffered any damage from weather, that seemed more than magical enough.

    San took the weapon and left the room.It held nothing else but rotting clothing and more rotting books and scrolls.He would have taken the unbroken bottles and clay containers, but he didn¡¯t know what had been within them before.The last thing he wanted was to be poisoned by some residue left behind in the containers.

    There was a wooden staircase that lead to the fourth floor and possibly the leaning spire he had seen, but the stairs were damaged and warped.San decided he had done enough exploring and headed back down the stairs and entryway.

    The smell had lessened as he rose within the keep, but as he reached the entryway the smell was overpowering once more.He followed the residue on the floor, entering what looked to be a dining hall, with a massive fireplace on one end and broken doors that lead to a kitchen and side rooms.The slime trail lead to the wide entrance way of the kitchen.

    He leaned the sword against the entrance and took out his revolver.With his flashlight leading the way, San entered the kitchen.

    The smell was practically physical, causing San to tear up and nearly vomit.The room was covered in a thick layer of sludge, thick and ropey, it covered the walls and the floor.He gagged again and panned his light to see that there was a large hole in the floor across the room.

    There appeared to be stairs that led down into a basement level.San cautiously walked across the layer of sludge, feeling his boots squish into the mass, leaving behind wet and sickly footprints.The stairs were thankfully mostly clean, but the odor that arose from the hole was ferocious.How something could smell even worse was beyond comprehension.

    San crouched at the landing of the stairs and panned his light into the darkened room below.He couldn¡¯t see much beyond trash and more ropey sludge that covered everything below.He had enough.

    The monster made its lair in the basement, that¡¯s all he needed to know.He quietly backed out of the room, taking caution to watch his step and constantly check behind him. Once in the main dining hall, he could almost breath easier, although the stench was still heavy.He quickly reached the entryway, grabbed the sword, and left the keep. Taking long, deep breaths of the freezing air.

    The wind was howling again and snow was beginning to fall.San shivered in his cloak and faced the wind, trying to drive the stench out of his nose and mouth.He shuddered as he looked back into the keep entryway, feeling as if a million eyes were upon him.

    ***

    The amphora were heavy and San struggled to lift them out of the basement of the barracks.He grunted, shivered, and cursed as the storm raged outside.Sweat dripped down his back, but the rest of his body was freezing. It was an odd feeling, to be hot and cold at the same time.

    He knew he had to warm himself up; even with the exertion of moving the amphora, he was still on the verge of hypothermia. The day was nearly over and he had to move the items from the barracks before the Flesh Horror stirred.

    It was madness, he thought. To stay another night in the village that the creature prowled, one that had killed hundreds.San tried not to think on it, but he knew he was mad. It was one thing to try and kill himself, it was another to be consumed by that monster and have his soul feasted upon.

    Which brought him back to the reason he was doing it.The soul.He wasn¡¯t a spiritual man.His grandfather had been Sikh before immigrating to America, his father hadn¡¯t been into religion, and that had been passed onto San.Mary¡¯s people had been Christians; a big part of her life had been going to church events. Although by the time Mary and he had met, she was more or less agnostic.

    But the Mage Chief, the ghost that was haunting the hut, that was real. He had spoken to San, he had talked to him, it was not a hallucination or madness.The Chief was real and he was also dead.

    That meant there existed a soul. A spirit that lived on after the body died.San shivered at the thought of what it meant.Not for himself, but for the people that the monster had killed.He was not a religious man, but the souls that monster fed on had to be freed.He had to kill that creature.

    San looked out of the busted barracks window; at the snow and wind that had made it difficult to see more than a dozen feet.If there was a soul in this place, then that meant there were souls on Earth, right?That meant that one day¡­ one day he would see Mary again, and Julia, and little Sanjay.

    He blinked away the tears and got back to work.

    ***

    ¡°If its so big and powerful, why does it not just tear this hut down with me inside of it?¡± San asked the old man.

    The Mage Chief Hazalban glanced up from the fire. He looked more haggard than before, as if existing seemed to be leaching whatever life-force he had.

    ¡°I grew up in this house,¡± the man said. ¡°When I was very young, this village was so tiny. A dozen families lived here, hunting, fishing, and occasionally going to other villages to trade when the Trader came in the spring,¡± the man¡¯s eyes glittered in the firelight. ¡°When I was twelve winters old, I was tested by a traveling Mage; I had power within me.He took me, purchased from my father like I was an animal. We went South, to the Empire, to the great cities that surround the Great Inland Sea, that ply trade upon the Sheltered Sea and lands beyond.

    ¡°There for a decade, I was taught Imperial Magics. I was to be a battle mage, to fight in the wars against the enemies of the Empire.But then my master was killed, great politics I had no idea of were in play, shifts of power, changes in favor from the Emperor.They tried to kill me too, so I fled, back to the only place I knew of. My home.¡±

    The Mage Chief looked at San, eyes sadden. ¡°I learned my mother had died, my brothers and sister too, but my swine of a father still lived. People spoke of how the money cursed him, made him spend it all on Empire wine and left nothing for my mother and siblings. When I returned, I killed him.I cast his ashes into the river and I fixed up this hut of ours, to honor my family, to remember where I came from. Then I began to unite the tribes.

    ¡°This house is warded. The fire burns and it keeps evil at bay. That is the blessing of this house. For as long as the fire burns, evil will not step foot within.¡±

    San stoked the fire and watched the old man. He shivered and seem to shrink just a little more.

    ¡°Will the fire be enough?¡± San asked.¡°Will it be enough to kill it?¡±

    ¡°Fire cleanses all,¡± the old man said.¡°When you are done, when the beast is dead, burn this place. Burn it all down.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± San asked.

    ¡°I sought glory and power,¡± the old man said. ¡°I wanted it so badly, that my name would forever be remembered.But all I have wrought is horror beyond imagining.Let my name fade and this land heal.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t get to do much burning if this storm keeps raging,¡± San replied.

    ¡°The storm will end in the morning, it shall be bright and sunny,¡± the old man said.

    ¡°A good day to kill a Flesh Horror.¡±

 006

    06

    Playing the pyromaniac never interested San as a child.He knew plenty of his friends who loved to blow things up, burn items, and all around try to be edgy by playing with fire.The only flames that interested San was the fire that burned beneath his brew kettle.

    Now he was tasked with killing a monster with fire and then burning a village to the ground.He could recall one childhood friend who would have loved to be in his position.

    As evening approached, the storm had stopped; the howling wind suddenly ceasing. It was as if someone had flipped a switch or perhaps the storm was afraid of the Flesh Horror that walked about.

    In the momentary reprieve, San collected more firewood.Stockpiling a large amount by the door and on the other end of the hut.If the Flesh Horror decide to knock on his door again, he would make sure that the fire could keep burning all night.

    He wasn¡¯t entirely trusting of the Mage Chief¡¯s claim that the hut was warded, but it seemed the flames did keep the Flesh Horror away the night previous.In any case, San brought as much wood as he could back to the hut.

    As he approached the hut he saw a familiar shape appear on the streets.His heart stuttered to a stop for a moment as he looked at the yellow eyes of the wolf ram.It¡¯s dark fur glistened with melting snow and its breath billowed in the cold air.

    They stared at one another for a long moment, then San moved.He marched toward the hut, his breathing heavy and trying to keep his movements natural.After a moment the beast followed him, meeting him at the door of the hut.

    It didn¡¯t attack, it only watched as San opened the door and entered.The beast followed him into the hut before San could close it.The creature walked to the other side of the room and flopped down with a grunt.

    San set down his bundle of wood and watched the creature.It stared at the fire and breathed slowly.It was a wild animal, one that had tried attacking him the first night he arrived, and had followed him from the plateau.Yet it lay by the fire, like some domestic dog.

    ¡°It will not attack you,¡± the Mage Chief said, suddenly appearing.

    ¡°Why? It¡¯s a wild animal.¡±

    ¡°Even wild animals are not monsters.They know when to set aside their grudges,¡± the old man replied.

    ¡°Right. That only happens in Disney movies,¡± San replied before occupying a spot away from the wolf ram.He kept his revolver in hand and took the bear mace from his pack.

    A ungodly roar filled the night.The wolf ram perked up and growled softly.San looked toward the door.He could feel the air suddenly change, a thick presence permeating everything.The Flesh Horror was on the prowl.

    San took out the axe he had found and set it beside the revolver. There was also the spear leaning against the wall of the hut, if the Flesh Horror wanted to try to push in another sickening face; he would stab or chop it.

    ¡°Ah, I had wondered where that went,¡± the old man remarked as San unwrapped the broadsword he had found within the keep.

    ¡°Yours?¡± San asked.

    ¡°No longer. The dead own nothing,¡± the man said.¡°It is a good weapon. When I came to the aid of the Emperor, he gave me that weapon.It is poor payment for the ten thousand lives that he took in his wars.¡± The old man sighed. ¡°It is enchanted.The blade will never rust, it will never dull.¡±

    ¡°Magic¡± San said.It was odd, he was speaking to a ghost and about to kill a summoned monster from nightmares, but the idea of magic was difficult for him to wrap his head around.

    ¡°Magic,¡± the old man replied.

    San pulled out the leather bound book.The old man¡¯s eyes widen at the sight.

    ¡°He did not take it,¡± he said.

    San opened the book, looking at the arcane symbols on the pages. ¡°Who didn¡¯t take this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Azalobana,¡± the old man replied. ¡°My grandson.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°A tomb of magic. All the magical knowledge I learned and discovered in my years.My son did not have the power within him, but my grandson¡­ he did.No, he has the power.¡±

    ¡°It sounds like this book is important,¡± San replied. ¡°Why would he leave it behind?¡±

    ¡°I came to my senses,¡± the old man said, ¡°when I summoned the beast. I realized the madness I was committing, therefore I fought it, to hold it back, to give my grandson the time to flee with the villagers. I failed.¡±

    ¡°Is he still alive? Your grandson?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps.There were other villages, other places he could go with those who managed to escape. I do not know.¡± The man¡¯s head hung at the words.

    San flipped through the pages of the book. The symbols were meaningless to him.Power did not intrigue him, not if it lead to the man who sat before him. San wondered what kind of madness gripped the old man to summon such a creature.His nation was falling apart and to bring back order, he would summon such a monster.

    It was insanity, but that was the world he had arrived into.A place of magic and monsters; and it appeared that magic created some monsters too.

    The roar of the Flesh Horror filled the air and San shivered.The wolf ram growled, but didn¡¯t get up.The old man looked toward the door and only sadness filled his gaze.

    ¡°I was foolish,¡± he said.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San replied. He closed the book and made sure the revolver was still close by.

    It was going to be a long night.

    ***

    Dawn arrived.San watched as sunlight brightened the hut.The night had been long, but he had managed to take a couple of naps.The Flesh Horror prowled the village, but this time it had not come to the hut.It howled and raged in the distance, never coming close to them.

    Perhaps being shot by the revolver or the presence of the fire kept it at bay, either way San was glad it had decided to prowl elsewhere. The voices from the creature still haunted him, it would be a long time before he would forget that.

    With the rising sun, San rose.He fished the pan of boiling water from the fire and drank it down.The hot liquid warmed him, the bouillon cube he had flavored it with tricked his mind that he had consumed something substantial.

    Food was an issue. He had originally planned for a seven day hike, well, four days if he had followed through with his plans, and it had been two days since he arrived to this world.He had rationed his food and the years of drinking beer, eating out, and being relatively unhealthy in the last six month had packed on a few extra pounds.He wasn¡¯t about to starve, not yet, but a few granola bars, ramen packets, and jerky wasn¡¯t going to last him long.

    There was the grain stored in the barracks. The oddity of this place meant that the grain should still be safe to consume.There were no insects, no rodents, or any kind of animals in this place.The presence of the Flesh Horror seemed to keep everything at bay.

    San pulled on his leather gloves, checked his new cloak, and headed out the door; followed by the wolf ram.

    ***

    San was thankful for the medieval times of the village; it allowed him to collect a massive amount of firewood from all the buildings and homes. When wood was the only fuel source, a lot of it was required just in normal everyday chores.

    The Flesh Horror was a good as a snow plow, although it left behind a snail trail of fetid droppings and half frozen fluids that San could only shudder at.During its nighttime prowl, it had cleared most of the streets of the snow that had fallen, providing San with an easy route to the keep with his firewood.

    Although not a cook or chef by trade, San knew the dangers of grease fires.When he had been a child, his grandfather had nearly ignited his kitchen when he left some grease unattended on the stove.Suffice to say that grandmother was more than pissed and he had been banned from ever trying to cook again.Even the beer brewing he loved was relegated to the deck.

    The amphoras of oil was a chore to move, lifting them up from the basement was easy, but carrying them nearly a half a mile to the keep, all uphill, was backbreaking.There were signs of wagons and other animal drawn vehicles, but San saw nothing that resembled a wheel barrow. He would haveasked the wolf ram, but the beast seemed more interested in lying in the snow drifts than helping.

    The keep might have been made from stone, but that did not mean it wouldn¡¯t burn.San had some building experience, mostly from helping Mary¡¯s father build some random project he was working on when they visited. His side of the family was strictly pay someone to do it, not DIY. Timber building relied on two things, dry timber and something to prevent it from rotting or absorbing too much moisture.Any kind of old building was built of timber that was bone dry and slathered with enough pitch to turn it into a candle within moments.

    All that was needed was a big enough flame.

    By afternoon, San had dragged all the amphora to the keep, along with countless bundles of firewood.The plan was simple, build several fires, cook the oil until it caught fire, then watch it all burn down.One thing he had found was that iron pots were common in every household.

    He set three fires.One in the kitchen that was covered in the sludge of the monster.San layered plenty of firewood on the ground and set two iron pots of oil under a large flame.The second fire he built was within the massive fireplace; lying disused was a large iron pot that made things easier for San.He built a roaring fire within it and added as much oil into the pot as possible.The chimney had been unmaintained for years and already the smoke was beginning to fill the rooms.If he were lucky, perhaps the chimney would catch fire also.

    San built the last fire in the entryway of the keep; between the main door and the staircase.He heaped the last of the firewood, trashed doors, and anything flammable within the entryway.

    By then the first pots were beginning to smoke and flame.San reentered the kitchen and using the eight foot length of the spear, pushed over one of the pots.It rushed down the stairs and into the basement area.A moment later the oil and the scattered firewood caught fire.

    San backed away from the flames and grabbed a clay pot that he had filled with water.He threw it and began running.He heard the shattering of the pot and then the roaring of fire as the water interacted with the grease fire.

    Never throw water on a grease fire, that was one thing that had always been drilled into his head after his grandfather¡¯s accident.

    The combination of burning oil and water spread the flames across the kitchen and down into the basement.San gagged on the smoke and the stench of the place, he barely managed to stagger into the grand hall before he heard the screeching roar of the Flesh Horror.

    San knew he was running out of time.It wouldn¡¯t just hang around and allowed to be burned to death.San shouldered his spear and raced for the exit; before leaving he noted that the fireplace was already covered in flames from the burning oil.

    The entryway was smoky; the oil beginning to burn and the fire already spreading to the layered firewood.San coughed and pushed his way to the exit. Thick black smoke followed him out, stinging his eyes and blocking the view into the keep.

    Thick oily smoke billowed from the gaping windows and exits of the keep.San spat the taste of smoke from his mouth and headed across the courtyard to the gates.He had done what he could, if the beast died now then that was good. If it didn¡¯t he had no idea how else to kill it.

    An earsplitting screech filled the air and San hurried toward the gates.The creature was still alive and that didn¡¯t bode well for him.There was a crashing sound and San saw in horror as the monstrosity that haunted the nights burst forth from the entryway.

    Flames enshrouded a massive creature of tentacles and rotten purple flesh.The only comparison that San could make was an octopus, but instead of the bonelessness of an octopus, this creature was thick and bulging, its skin stretched across its frame like plastic wrap.

    Even with the heavy smoke in the air, San could still smell the horrid stink coming of the monster.It struggled in the entryway of the keep, blood, liquids, and pieces of flesh ruptured from the monstrosity as it struggle to escape. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Then a massive red, madden eye latched onto San.It paused for a moment, staring at him as the flames seared its body. Then it jerked forward, screaming louder and with more determination.San knew he was screwed. He turned and raced for the gates, if he could get to the hut it would keep the monster out, right?

    With a thunderous roar, the Flesh Horror pulled itself free of the door, leaving behind a sickening pile of blood and flesh.Once free, it used its dozen tentacles to propel itself forward with incredible speed.

    San turned to see several tons of rotting flesh barreling down upon him.If he continued out the gate, he would be run over by the creature.Instead he rushed toward the wall, where a thick pillar of stone rose up against the wooden walls, upon which a platform for walking was elevated.San threw himself into the small space between the wall and the pillar, at the last moment remembering he still carried the spear.He lowered the weapon as the Flesh Horror charged at him.

    He expected to be crushed to death, the flaming monster collided into the wall with the force of a truck.But before it could hit him, the newly sharpened spear punched through the distended flesh and two thirds of the weapon¡¯s length was lost within the monster.

    The reaction was immediate and deafening.The Flesh Horror screamed in pain as its momentum forced the spear deeper into its flesh, then it jerked back with amazing speed.Thick black blood gushed from the wound.

    San was reminded of the time he and Mary¡¯s father had been making sausages.One of the sausage casing has torn and the meat being stuffed into it had been pushed out of the hole from the pressure being placed upon it.The same occurred with the Flesh Horror, the hole that the spear created was a pressure release.Black blood, chunks of flesh, and other horrid material geysered out in a vomit inducing fountain of vileness.

    What the monster released was not only disgusting but also flammable.San staggered back as the vile offal rushing out of the monster burst into flame.The wailing grew louder, this time San could hear the other voices. The screams of men, women, and children that it had killed and captured.

    San stared in horror as faces and hands seemed to push against the distended flesh, as if figures were trying to escape from within.The voices of the dead joined the monster in its wailing as it stumbled across the courtyard.San could only watch in slack jawed fascination as the Flesh Horror slammed itself against the wall of the keep in its mad dance of death.

    Staying in the courtyard was courting for death.The keep was already a pillar of flame, the heat and smoke coming off the building would suffocate him in minutes. The crazed ramming by the Flesh Horror was only weakening the walls.San turned and ran for the gate.

    One moment he was running and then the next he was flying.Pain exploded across his back as he crashed onto the dirt floor of the courtyard.He gasped and the world spun around him.A thick meaty tentacle hung over him, a face forming and screaming at him.

    San rolled out of the way as it slammed down, he cursed as the sword he had attached to his riggers belt caught between his legs.He freed himself and scurried back as the tentacle mindlessly slapped the ground, trying to search for him.

    He pulled the blade out of its sheath and held it before him.The most experience he had with swords was using wrapping paper tubes to fight with his brothers or pretending to be Jedis with long pieces of stick.Most of those had ended with someone getting hurt and a long and painful scolding by his mother.

    The tentacle raised off the floor, the face forming once more.Before it could scream again, San slashed with the broadsword.A thin line opened up across the forming face and from it seeped black blood.San jerked back and away from the fountain of foulness that exploded out of the creature.The smell was almost enough to make him drop his weapon and faint.

    He fought against the vileness and staggered out of the gate. Fresh air filled his lung and San spat out smoke laced phlegm.He turned back to the keep and saw that the Flesh Horror was a bonfire of burning meat and bone. The crooked spire of the keep tilted even further and then the entire roof seemed to get sucked into the keep.San turn and ran as the collapsing structure exploded as the roof collapsed.Smoke, fire, and dust bloomed outward as San dodged off the inclined road that lead to the keep and pressed himself against the wall.

    The heavy wooden walls shuddered, in a few areas the walls bent outward as they were struck by debris.San hunched and covered his ears as he was enveloped in smoke and dust.He choked on it and felt himself going faint.

    ***

    San gasped as he woke up.He coughed.His throat felt like sand paper, his lungs ached, and his mouth tasted of vomit.He sat up slowly, groaning as his entire body ached with exertion and pain.

    He could hear the roaring flames of the burning keep.The dust had settled, but the smoke was rising high into the air in what almost looked like a mushroom cloud.San grimaced as he slowly got to his feet.He limped toward the inclined road that lead back to the village, noting that he had dropped the sword when he had ran.The silver gleaming metal sat in the middle of the road, the only thing not covered in dust or blackened by smoke or soot.

    San looked back at the keep, it was a towering inferno.The sharp crack of baking stone and the occasional explosion as walls or other heavy support collapsed were the only sounds.San coughed raggedly and looked back at the village.It stood as it always did, half ruined and snowy white.

    The wolf ram sat on the road, halfway between the village and the walls of the keep.San turned to the creature and grinned slightly.

    ¡°We did it,¡± he said, letting out a laugh.

    The wolf ram let out a growl and San turned back to the keep.He stood there gaping for a second as a man shaped creature pulled itself out of the fire.The flesh was dripping off its form, revealing the blackened skeleton beneath.The first thought that San had was of the Terminator.

    The figure screamed and then ran at San.It was fast, faster than anything made of burned bone and dripping flesh should have been.San barely had time to raise up the sword before it was on him.Its boney hands stabbed him in the ribs and San cried out as he felt it punch through his clothing and tear his flesh.He doubled over in pain and knew he was dead.

    A snarl shook him out of his pain as the wolf ram suddenly appeared.Its massive bulk and weight pulled down the skeleton creature, dragging it to the ground where it was shook and gnawed upon, the animated skeletal head within its jaws.San lighted his grip on the sword again as the wolf ram yelped as the skeleton stabbed with its boney hands again.

    With a shout and just as the wolf ram finally released the head, San sliced down the blade.It connected with the vertebrae of the neck just above the clavicle, separating the head from the body.The skeleton shuddered and then went still.

    San brought the sword down on the skull once more and pulverized it.He kept swinging at it until the blood running down his side began to weaken him.Finally he collapsed to his knees and breathed raggedly.

    He realized he was freezing.The heat from the burning keep was barely felt outside of the walls, but the sunny day had turned dark once more. San looked up to see thick clouds in the sky and the wind beginning to pick up. As he took one last look at the skeleton; he saw a glimmer of something reflected within the bone shards. Using the tip of the broadsword, he pushed aside the skull bits and uncovered a blue gem that was a large as his thumbnail.It glowed with an internal light and San couldn¡¯t help but be mesmerized by it.He reached toward it and picked it up.

    It was warm in his hands.He didn¡¯t know what it was, but he stuffed it into his pocket and got to his feet.A whining noise caught his attention, the wolf ram lay in the muddy snow, blood pooling beneath it.San limped over to the creature, noting several deep slices into its body from the skeleton.

    Already the wind was getting fierce and the temperature seemed to have dropped by twenty degrees.The wolf ram would die out here.

    San undid his cloak and worked quickly.

    ***

    The heat of the hut was painful against San¡¯s chilled skin.He cursed as he dragged in the wolf ram, half wrapped in his cloak.The cloth was bloodied and stinking of wet wolf ram and blood. But then again it had already stunk of rotting meat and foul smoke.He deposited the creature by the fire and staggered to his pack, painfully removing his soaked leather gloves.His numbed fingers dug around for the first aid kit he carried, the big kit that Mary had always made him bring along on their hikes.

    ¡°Hold on, boy,¡± San said.

    ***

    ¡°You¡¯ve done well,¡± a voice said.

    San jerked awake.He sat beside the wolf ram, the smell of its wet fur and blood filling all his dulled senses.A two half full bottle of whiskey tumbled from his hands.The heavy glass bottle making an audible ¡®thunk¡¯ in the quiet of the night.

    ¡°It¡¯s dead?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Was that skeleton you?¡± San asked. The thought had come to his mind as he worked on the wolf ram.Why was there a skeleton in that fleshy monstrosity? The only connection he made was that the Mage Chief had summoned it and they were connected.

    The old man nodded. ¡°I tried to contain it, by subsuming it within me. By taking its power, but¡­ but I was weak.It overpowered me, used my flesh and my bones to remake itself.¡±

    San shuddered and looked down at his bloodied hands.He hadn¡¯t even washed after he had sewed his own wounds up.Nothing he had done was sanitary, he had made liberal use of whiskey and antiseptic wash to clean the wounds before sewing them up.The wolf ram had lost a lot of blood and was mostly unconscious through the entire ordeal.San on the other hand had to use a small mirror, a head lamp, and a lot of cursing to stitch up the cut the skeleton had made.

    Who knew what horrid germs the beast carried.The was a monster of rot and death. San could only hope that the wound would not infect.He had some antibiotics, but if he was in a medieval world, it was better saved for when it was really needed.For now he would wait and see.

    San unscrewed the bottle and took a long gulp.The heat from the alcohol burned his throat and settled like a lump in his stomach.

    ¡°What now?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Now, you get my thanks,¡± the old man said solemnly. ¡°I thank you from the bottom of my heart, for freeing my soul and for helping those you had no ties to. I thank you.¡± Tears dripped down the man¡¯s cheek as he stood up and then knelt down before San, his head touching the floor in a deep and profound bow.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± San said. ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±

    ¡°With my body destroyed and the Flesh Horror gone, I am finally free,¡± the old man said.¡°I can finally find rest.So can those that were taken by the creature. Thank you.¡±

    San nodded, unable to say anything.

    ¡°I have one more task, if you please,¡± the man said.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The book. The tome. Please, if you can, find my grandson. Azalobana.Give him the book.It is Bound by Blood, so only he can use it.¡±

    ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°I do not know.But there is a road south, there are villages there, he might be among them.¡±

    San nodded without saying anything.He had to leave this place anyway, perhaps he could find the boy out there.It was not like he could use the book anyway, not to mention if magic ended up creating things like that Flesh Horror, then he didn¡¯t want anything to do with it.

    San thought for a moment and then pulled the blue gem from his pocket.

    ¡®What is this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Power,¡± the old man said. ¡°The condensed mana of the monster that you killed.¡±

    ¡°Mana?¡± San asked. ¡°Like in a game?¡±

    ¡°Consume the gem and be blessed with power,¡± the man said.

    San looked at the gem and frowned. ¡°What kind of power?¡±

    ¡°It depends on the person,¡± the old man said. ¡°Or luck. The gods are fickle in the power they grant via mana.You may gain the power to manipulate mana, you may become far stronger than normal, or you may be able to imbue mana into items.Many say that it depends upon the person, upon who they believe they are, and what they want.Others claim it is a toss of the die and the gods laugh at us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather pass,¡± San said.

    ¡°You slayed the beast, you gain the prize.Only from the monstrosities that come from the Void carry them.Rare is it that one comes across them.The more you consume, the stronger you become.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San said, thinking back on the video games he had played.How many hours did he spend as a youth on them? Grinding levels and seeking the best weapons and armor for his characters. ¡°That¡¯s the problem. Once you have the power, you might just want more and more.There¡¯s no end to it, there¡¯s no reason to have power for power¡¯s sake.¡±

    ¡°It will save your life,¡± the old man said. ¡°The Horned Wolf will survive the poison that fills its body, but you are only human. You will succumb to it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m poisoned?¡± San asked.He gingerly touched his wound and he could almost feel heat coming off of it.Already it was beginning to fester.He looked to his medical kit and the antibiotics within.

    ¡°It is a magical infection,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°Well, I doubt the Flesh Horror has ever heard of a Z-pack,¡± San said. He moved and gasped in pain as fire lanced up his entire side.He could now smell it, the sickly sweet smell of rotting flesh.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have much time.¡±

    San cursed and looked down at the gem.He tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it. The hard pebble nearly lodged in his raw throat, but instead of choking on it, it seemed to melt into him.A cold sensation enveloped his body.The heat of the wound subsided and San blinked as a message appeared.

    Sanjay Elias King

    [Brewer] Level 1

    -Sanitize I

    He touched his wound and didn¡¯t feel any pain. San pulled up his shirt and saw that the bandage was still there, but the wound had sealed up, without even a scar.

    ¡°How?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Magic,¡± the old man replied.

    ¡°What is this screen? It¡¯s like a video game. I¡¯m a level 1 [Brewer].¡±

    The old man smiled. ¡°A gift of the gods.They cannot tell you who you are, only reveal what is truly in your heart.¡±

    ¡°So, I believe myself to be a brewer?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And I can sanitize things?¡± San chuckled.¡°What a power.Beware, criminal for I will sanitize you.¡±

    ¡°If that is the power you are given, then it is what the gods deem you need,¡± the old man replied.

    ¡°Seems a shame. I wanted to be Superman,¡± San smiled and touched his side. ¡°The wound is gone, is that normal?¡±

    ¡°You have been changed by mana.You will find that you are stronger, faster, and that you heal from wounds easier,¡± the old man said. ¡°That is the true gift, and it only grows as you consume more gems and level up.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San said.If it took killing a monster like the Flesh Horror to gain a level, he wasn¡¯t about to rush into the life of adventure. ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡±

    The old man got up, grunting slightly.He looked¡­ healthier. His skin darker, his hair glossier, as if several decades had been stripped from him.

    ¡°I must go,¡± the old man said. ¡°Please, burn this village, find my grandson, and live long and prosper.One more thing.¡±

    ¡°Another quest?¡± San asked.

    ¡°No, a gift.¡± The old man reached forward and touched San¡¯s head.He felt the hard calloused hand of the old man and then a sharp pain filled his head.

    San gasped and clutched his head. ¡°What?¡± he asked, confused.

    ¡°You are not of this land, therefore I have given you the spell: Many Tongues.It will help you when speaking to those of this world. The second is the spell: Fire in the Night. It is the fire you have built here, the fire that kept the Flesh Horror away.Any fire you light with that power shall keep all things of evil and otherworldly at bay.They are not grand gifts, for my own power has waned, but they will serve you well.¡±

    ¡°I can do magic too?¡± San asked, wincing as the pain in his head subsided.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    San smiled at the words. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said.

    The old man nodded and headed to the door.San walked the old man to the door.Opening it for him, even though San didn¡¯t think the ghost needed to use a door. The manwalked out into the cold night and began to fade as he walked down the empty streets.

    San was about to close the door when he heard a voice.

    ¡°Mommy!¡± a young girl cried.

    San watched a small dark hair girl run across the snow toward a woman holding a baby.The dark hair and the high cheek bones caused the breath to stop in San¡¯s throat.The woman reached down to grab the girl with one hand as she held the dark haired baby boy.

    ¡°Mary?¡± San walked out into the snow.The cold air tingled across his skin and he stared at the woman.She looked up at him and smiled for a second.

    San blinked and saw that the woman wasn¡¯t Mary.Her face was slightly wider, her eyes larger, and her hair the reddish color that the Chief also had.She smiled at him, mouthing the words ¡®thank you¡¯ and then walked off with the children.San stood there, watching as ghostly apparitions of men and woman slowly walked through the village and then finally faded away.They all turned to him, one by one and said ¡®thank you¡¯.

    San secured the hut door, unrolled his sleeping pad, took out his sleeping bag and crawled in.He stank of smoke and blood, but his spirits were high as he finally went to sleep.

 007

    The monster was dead, San had gained a level, he had powers now, which was an oddity, but more than that; San finally had a good night¡¯s sleep since he had arrived. He awoke as the sun was high in the air, the wolf ram lay panting beside the fire, a low groan coming from it.

    San sat up to see the yellow eyes staring at him, the wolf ram was still in pain, but from what little San knew of veterinarian medicine, which was none, he looked well enough.The poison that would have killed San didn¡¯t seem to be effecting the creature.

    ¡°You okay, buddy?¡± San asked as he pulled himself out of the sleeping bag.He wrinkled his nose at the smell that assaulted him.He had been exhausted the night before and the smell of smoke, dust, gross monster stink, and everything else he had been through still lingered upon himself and his clothes.He needed to fix that soon.

    He found the iron pot that he had tossed aside the first night he arrived.It was a good three gallons in size with the interior very rusted.He checked the pot and decided that it was still usable, then he went outside and scooped up some clean white snow.

    San looked around, he felt the clean air in his lungs.The keep was a smoldering mess on the hill; the great keep was now reduced to a pile of rubble that still sent up a white pillar of smoke.San wondered how long it would continue to burn.

    Shivering from the cold, San re-entered the hut and placed the pot onto the coals of a fire and stripped off his jacket and clothing.The closest thing he had to a bath had been the dip he took in the river to cross it.That water had been freezing and full of floating crap.

    He looked at his rainproof jacket and was relieved to see that it hadn¡¯t suffered any damage.There was blood on it, his own, but the boney hands of the skeleton hadn¡¯t torn the jacket.The exertion of moving the amphora and then setting all the fires had left him sweating buckets, he had unzipped his jacket under his cloak.The three t-shirts had been wearing on the other hand had a long tear in everyone of them.They were also covered in his dried and hardened blood.

    San pulled off the shirts and looked at them.They were cheap swag he had obtained from various breweries and suppliers over the years.One thing Mary always complained about was his giant pile of shirts that he got for free. San smiled as he inspected the rip in the fabric.The boney hands of the skeleton had been blade sharp, the fabric was neatly sliced open, a simple enough chore to mend. He carried a mending kit in his pack, another sign he had overpacked for his journey.

    His hiking pants were a mess, the fabric from mid calf downward was ripped, exposing a large chunk of his leg until his boots started.The nylon fabric was too shredded to try and fix.If he were out in the wild for too long, he feared frost bite or injury to the exposed skin.

    The cloak he had found in the keep was a blood soaked mess also.The wolf ram¡¯s blood had soaked into the cloth, dyeing it a deep black color.San picked it up and saw that although it was covered in blood, it was still serviceable.He would just have to clean it throughly.

    There was no great need for San to leave the village.There was the old man¡¯s quest, to find his grandson and give him the tome of magic, but there was no rush to find the kid.He would eventually have to leave, staying in the dead village just wasn¡¯t going to cut it.There was a world out there and for the first time in a long time, San felt like he needed to see it.

    The water was beginning to boil and San took out a travel size bar of soap from his pack.He dunked the shirts into the water, let it simmer for a bit and then pulled them back out and began scrubbing them on a flat piece of stone.The water was already a reddish color, from the rust and from his own blood.

    He stopped as he looked at the water.Didn¡¯t he have a power?

    Sanitize.It was the fundamental part of brewing.Fermeting beer was basically a giant pot of sugar water, yeast turned that sugar into alcohol, but bacteria also loved that sugar water too.He had suffered through many contaminated batches of beer when he had first been honing his craft.There was nothing worse that spending four hours brewing a beer and then several weeks of waiting it to ferment out, only to discover that it had been contaminated.

    His grandfather used to not care about sanitizing his equipment.He had used any old thing that he could find to boil his wort and then tossed it into a bucket to ferment.For the most part it came out okay, for the most part.

    San placed his hands on his soapy wet t-shirt.The suds were red with his blood and he could still smell the smoke and stench from the Flesh Horror on it.From what he understood, a lot fo the foul odors that embedded themselves into clothing were due to bacteria.If he sanitized the shirt, would it become odor free?

    He sat there and willed the shirt to be sanitized. He tried to feel some kind of power within him, tried grasping at the idea of the clothing being cleaned. It didn¡¯t work. San sighed and looked down at the dirty, bloody shirt. He held his hands over it and relaxed. Perhaps if he didn¡¯t try to push it, if he just let it flow¡­

    A felt warmth in his hands, a slight tingle as if the limb were falling asleep.San opened his eyes to see that the shirt began to have a faint sheen around it, like there was an internal light shining from within it.He stared for a long moment, a stupid grin on his face, as the blood, soap, and other particulates began to rise off the fabric and disappear into the air in small flashes of light.

    Afterward, he had a wet t-shirt, still ripped, but completely cleaned.San laughed, looking to the wolf ram and showing it the shirt.

    ¡°How fucking cool is that?¡± he asked. The wolf ram grunted and closed its eyes.

    He spent the day boiling water, sanitizing his clothing, mending them, offering the wolf ram water and some jerky, then cleaning himself, and finally checking his gear.Before he knew it, night had fallen once more.

    He was exhausted and had a slight headache forming.He hadn¡¯t seen a mana bar or anything in the screen that had appeared, but he guessed that there was a limit to the amount of times he could cast the sanitize spell.He still grinned at the thought.

    There was no more fear of the Flesh Horror so San exited the hut as the night settled onto the village.He chewed on a granola bar, his dinner, and watched as a strange moon rose into the clear sky. The air was bitterly cold, but the sight of the moon was breathtaking.It was far larger than Earth¡¯s moon, its surface a pocked mess of craters and shadows.

    He stared at it for a long time, until the cold forced him back into the hut once more. The wolf ram was gingerly sitting up, watching him from its place across the fire.

    ¡°Nice moon,¡± San said, settling back down before the fire.He fumbled in his pack and pulled out his smartphone.It powered up and he looked at the image on the homescreen.It was Mary, Julia, and baby Sanjay.He stared at the image for a long moment, the well of grief and pain was still there, but it wasn¡¯t the festering sore it had been for the last six months.

    He traced the curve of his wife¡¯s face and then those of his children.Julia would have been three by now, little Sanjay would have been one.He felt tears on his cheeks, but there wasn¡¯t the hard painful grief that had sent him on the hike to kill himself.There was pain, but it was manageable.

    San turned off the phone and tucked it back into his pack.He sat staring at the fire for a long time before adding more wood and laying down on his sleeping pad.The wolf ram grunted in its sleep and whined.

    He stared at the wooden beams of the roof for a long time, until sleep finally claimed him.

    ***

    The iron skillet was hot to the touch and San carefully lay the roti down upon it.The somewhat round lumpy piece of dough stared up at San as he grinned.

    He had gone back to the barracks and pulled out one of the amphora of grains he had seen.There was a heavy grinding stone in one of the houses, along with some brass and iron cookware.Whoever lived there had been a cook of some sort, the house had been a trove of much needed utensils.

    Smoke began to rise from the flatbread and San flipped it over, nodding as he saw the small spots that showed the bread was beginning to burn.He held his chilled hands over the fire and looked at Wolfram as she watched him.

    The wolf ram had been with San for the last three days.He discovered it was a she and had decided to just name it Wolfram.She was still recovering from her injuries and would occasionally leave the hut to do whatever wolf rams did.Yet every night she returned and lay down on the other side of the fire.

    San had to keep telling himself that it wasn¡¯t a domestic animal. The wolf ram had tried killing him only days before and had stalked him to the village itself.It was only the fear of the Flesh Horror and then its wounds that kept it from returning to its original nature.San had no fantasies that the wolf ram would become his stalwart companion as he traversed the world.

    It was a predator and San was just a walking dinner that it had yet to get around to eating. But for now, Wolfram played the part of the stinking giant dog as it watched San try his hand at making roti flatbread.

    His grandmother made it far better, using some magic to cause the tortilla to puff up like a miniature balloon of flour.Every people around the world made tortillas, if they had a grain that could be made into flour, they would add water and salt, then cook it up.

    The grains weren¡¯t wheat, from what San could tell.It was a type of barley or rye.Although it didn¡¯t appear to be wholly the same as the malted barley he used when making beer.It was close enough that he called it barley.

    He had ground the flour and found a clay pot of salt in one of the homes.He was glad for the find, the rest of the containers had been broken over the years and their contents spilled out.Although insects hadn¡¯t gotten to it, wind and rain had.

    ¡°I can see myself making some decent beer out of this,¡± San said as he picked up the tortilla and practically shoved it into his mouth.It was tasty; the few days with little food was taking its toll.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Wolfram seemed to enjoy the hot tortillas also, taking half of every one he made.San was glad to see the creature wasn¡¯t an obligate carnivore, that took some pressure off of when it would eventually try to eat him.He doubted there were much game in the land that was willing to stay within a short range of a hungry beast.

    The roti bread was going to be the only food he had now. He had spent an entire day grinding the flour, wondering how people manage to do that every day.There should have been some kind of animal driven or wind driven flour mill, but he hadn¡¯t seen any.The flour he had developed was coarse and gritty, but it was food.

    He packed the flour he had made into several Ziplock bags he had carried.There was always need for the gallon sized bags and San managed to fill three with flour and wrapped them in a trash bag to prevent them from getting wet.The rest of the flour he turned into tortillas or hard travel biscuits.It wasn¡¯t much, but it provided calories and energy he would need until he found another village or somehow found Azalobana.

    For the first time in months, San sat there wondering what he would do now.So long he had been in a haze of grief and misery.Everyday had been a painful experience, everyday had been a struggle just to make it through.He had lost many of his friends from it, even his business was failing because of his inattention.He had felt a sense of relief, of freedom when he decided to go on the last hike.He had made up his mind and the cloud of depression had cleared for a moment.

    Now he was in a new world, with magic, and healthier than he had ever been.Consuming the blue gem had healed his body of all the aches and injuries, even the scar on his leg had faded to a thin white line.

    The world appeared to be some kind of medieval equivalent, with magic.From what he learned from the old man, he was in a sort of frontier region outside of an empire. The Kerrethan Empire, which seemed to have lost its emperor? San didn¡¯t know the political situation.

    He did know that the old man had been the Mage Chief that had pulled together some forest tribes, but he was dead for five years now and San knew enough history to know that power abhors a vacuum.He didn¡¯t know if the forest tribes had broken apart once more or someone had pulled them all back under a singular rule, perhaps Azalobana had managed that. That would make the quest he was given a lot easier.

    But after that? San didn¡¯t know. He would find another village, make inquiries, and hopefully find a lead on the boy. After he finished that quest, the world was opened to him. Perhaps he would go South, as the Mage Chief claimed there were great cities there. Cities meant civilization, it meant there was enough food and population to support industry, enough to perhaps even support a foreign brewer¡­

    San smiled at the thought.

    ***

    On the fifth morning after the defeat of the Flesh Horror, San left the village.He kept the fire burning in the hut and carried flaming torches that he tossed into the remaining huts and buildings.The old, dried wood caught fire easily.Within in an hour the entire village was a burning pyre to the failure of a Mage Chief.

    He hefted his pack.It was far heavier than it had been when he first arrived.Not only were there the food he had restocked, but also the new tools; the broadsword, the cloak, along with an axe that he turned into a hatchet, some brass cookware, and a lot of old cloth that he used to wrap his legs and body with to keep the cold out.

    His water bladder was filled, his revolver had been reloaded, the sword hung at his hip for easy reach, even if he didn¡¯t fully know how to use the weapon, and the bear mace hung off his belt.He was ready to travel and as the thick black smoke of the village rose against the morning sky, he finally left the village.

    There was an overgrown road that lead south, into the woods and to lands beyond.The road paralleled the river, so he shouldn¡¯t be out of reach of water if he emptied his bladder.

    Wolfram shadowed him until evening, then she disappeared into the woods on wolf ram business.San was impressed at the healing ability of the wolf ram.She had been badly cut up from the skeleton, but after four days of rest, she had nearly healed completely.The cuts were still there, but there was no danger of them tearing open.

    He still told himself constantly not to begin thinking the wolf ram was his friend.She was a dangerous animal and already he had given her a name.That was a slippery slope into thinking she was just a massive dog with horns.

    The coming evening meant San would have to find a place to settle down for the night.He would have to make a fire, set up camp, and hopefully the other magical spell that the old man had given him, Fire in the Night, would keep menacing creatures at bay.

    He continued walking down the road, keeping an eye out for a spot to set up camp.It wasn¡¯t long before he smelled something in the air, woodsmoke.San looked around, he hadn¡¯t imagined it, there was woodsmoke in the air.He carefully walked forward, keeping his eyes peeled on the bushes and edges of the road.

    It wasn¡¯t the burning village he smelled, it was a possible cook fire.That meant other people.Hopefully other people, this was a fantastical world, for all he knew it might be a goblin horde or some crazed ogres looking to chomp on his bones.

    San had crafted a walking stick before he left the village, now he held it before him.He could have taken out the revolver or the sword, but if it was humans, he didn¡¯t want to scare them into thinking he was a threat.He tried to loosen the nervousness from his body as he followed the wood smoke.

    There was a screech, hair raising and high pitched.San snapped his eyes upward, realizing he had been passing under a large tree branch. From the branch dropped a figure wielding a curved club with a round head.

    San saw the man¡¯s face, a young man with dark eyes and a wild grin on his face.He dropped upon San like a stone, pulling him down and the club he held in his hands raised above his head and smashed down.

    Everything went black.

    ***

    ¡°I told you he wasn¡¯t a spirit or demon!¡± a voice said, the voice was male and it dripped with derision.

    ¡°We have no idea what he is,¡± a second voice said, more measured and reasonable.

    ¡°He¡¯s just a man, flesh and blood, not some Mage or spirit.¡± The first voice said.

    ¡°He¡¯s not of this place,¡± a third voice said.¡°A foreigner.¡±

    ¡°I say we kill him and return to the village.You know the stories about this place, only evil walks here,¡± a fourth voice added nervously.¡°I do not want to spend a night out in these woods.¡±

    ¡°Coward,¡± the first man mocked.

    ¡°We need to find out what he¡¯s doing here. We need to know about the smoke we have seen for the last days. What does it mean? Is the monster leaving the cursed city,¡± the second man said. He seemed the reasonable one of the bunch. ¡°Then we can kill him.¡± Or not.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like an Imperial,¡± the third man commented.¡°The gear he carries is like none I have ever seen.Not even Imperials have gear this fine.¡±

    ¡°I am the one who took him down,¡±the first voice said. ¡°I claim all his gear as mine by right.¡±

    ¡°As long as you give your tithe to the headman and Elders,¡± the second man said.

    ¡°They don¡¯t need to know about everything,¡± the first man said.¡°Especially this sword.¡±

    ¡°How are you going to hide that sword from them?¡± the fourth man asked. ¡°That is an enchanted item, you can tell by the stamp in the metal. The Elders will take it from you and give it to the best warrior in the village.¡±

    ¡°It is mine!¡± the first argued.

    ¡°Someone better wake him up, we need to get this over with,¡± the fourth man said.

    ¡°He¡¯s already awake,¡± the third man replied. ¡°He¡¯s been listening to us talk.¡±

    San opened his eyes to see four men standing before him.He lay with his back against the tree he had been ambushed from.He was still on the road and he knew that not much time had passed.

    The side of his head throbbed and he could smell the coppery odor of blood in the air.He winced as he touched the wound.At least they hadn¡¯t tied him up.He felt that his pack was still strapped to him, but he had been relieved of the broadsword and his hatchet.The bear mace still hung from his belt loop, it had been clipped to his riggers belt with a carabiner, something that the men probably never encountered before.

    ¡°A hit like that should have killed him,¡± the first man said.He was a lanky young man, no more than a teenager, with reddish hair that was a mess of braids and bits of metal.He wore fur clothing and was dressed far better for the weather than San was.

    The other three men wore similar clothing.The second voice belong to a big and older man.He wasn¡¯t much older, but he had a chiseled face of a man who was used to being in charge. The third man was thin and wiry, his face leathery and creased.He looked intelligent and wore clothing that was of better quality than the others. The fourth man was another youngish man, bushy haired and pale, his eyes constantly darting around the trees.

    They all carried long spears, a shield, and a short sword at their belts.The third man carried a bow across his back and a quiver at his hip.He also had a longer curved sword and carried no shield.

    ¡°You hit like a child,¡± the third man said, crouching before San.He crouched out of arm and leg reach, not giving him any chances to attack him.He leaned against his spear, watching San. ¡°Either that or he¡¯s stronger than he looks.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s big and fat,¡± the fourth man said. ¡°You hear those stories about the madmen in the woods that eat people to gain their powers.They say they come out in winter, when food is the scarcest, to eat their fill of those suffering from winter starvation.He could be one of them.¡±

    ¡°Child¡¯s tales,¡± the second man said, dismissing the man¡¯s fear. ¡®He is flesh and blood, not a monster.¡±

    ¡°But a foreigner,¡± the third man said.

    ¡°Aye, a foreigner. But that¡¯s beside the point,¡± the second man folded his arms.

    ¡°Say something, foreigner,¡± the third man said. ¡°I can see you understand us. You speak our language? Imperial?¡± The last word was spoken in a different language, but San realized he still understood it. The Many Tongues was still active, perhaps it would never be undone. San set the thought aside for the time being.

    ¡°I can understand you,¡± San said. ¡°Why did you attack me?¡±

    ¡°We ask the questions here, foreigner,¡± the third man looked to have experience in making people talk.San could almost feel the menace coming off of him.¡°What are you and why do you come from the cursed city?¡±

    ¡°City? You mean the village and keep?¡± San asked.

    San saw the butt of the spear coming at him, but he was so shocked by the act that he didn¡¯t move.Pain sprouted along the side of his head, he could feel the blood beginning to flow again from the wound.

    ¡°Speak up, creature!¡± the first man yelled. He pulled back his spear, ready to hit him with it again.

    ¡°Leave off, Savol,¡± the third man said.Annoyance laced his voice and the first man grumbled but set down his spear.¡°Tell us what we want to know, foreigner.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just going to kill me anyway,¡± San said.

    ¡°We can kill you or we can slowly kill you,¡± the third man said in a matter of fact voice.¡°Your decision. Either way we will get our answers.¡±

    The first man chuckled while the second man frowned, his arms still folded.The fourth man was looking into the trees.

    ¡°I was ready to die when I came here,¡± San said.His arms hung limply at his side, but he moved them slowly.¡°I¡¯m ready to die.I¡¯ve have seen horrors that no man should see and when faced with them, I did not flinch.¡±

    The third man scoffed, he turned to look at the second man, his head turning for a moment.

    San took the moment to jerk his hands to the can of bear mace at his belt.There was enough give in the carabiner to tilt the nozzle toward the men and his thumb depressed the trigger.This time he had kept the damn safety off of it.

    His aim was at the three men who were clustered together, the first, second, and third men.The spray hit the third man on the side of the head, then got the first and second ones directly in the face.They all began screaming, clutching their heads.

    San pushed himself to his feet and threw himself at the fourth man.He had been staring at his companions in shock and horror, the spear limp in his hands.San tackled him and he went down with a scream.He smashed down with his fist and the man¡¯s eyes rolled back in his head.

    He grabbed the man¡¯s spear and instead of using the pointed end, he slammed the length of wood against the back of the third man¡¯s head.He was still clutching at his eyes and didn¡¯t see the haft of the spear as it shattered against the back of his padded headgear and flung him into the snow.He didn¡¯t get back up.The first man had dropped the sword, so San barreled into him, throwing him off balance and forcing him to flop on his back with a terrified scream.San snatched up the sword and turned to face the second man.

    Tears ran down the man¡¯s face, but he wasn¡¯t screaming or shouting. Instead he had drawn his short sword and faced San, his shield out and ready for a fight.Danger oozed off of him, not like the third man, this one knew how to fight and was ready.

    The way the man held the sword and his slightly unfocused gaze showed he couldn¡¯t properly see him.But San still paused.He didn¡¯t have to fight them, but if he left now, they would track him.They knew this forest, they were from a nearby village, and if he tried to flee it wouldn¡¯t be long before they found him again.

    Was this the world? He wondered. Kill or be killed? He tightened his grip on the weapon.He didn¡¯t want to die.

    A high pitched chitter filled the air as the two stood across from one another.The second man tilted his head and listened. The chittering sounded again, this time closer and louder.San watched as the man visibly paled and fear crossed his features.

    San followed the man¡¯s gaze and among the trees he sawa bone white human face. It moved in a jerky manner among the branches, inhumanly fast and unnatural.Then San saw the body, a thick bulging mass of hair and legs.

    ¡°Food¡­¡± it hissed and the word was echoed by more voices in the trees.

 008

    The bone white face leered at San as it dropped from the trees, the body was a misshapen orb of hair with five jointed chitinous legs sprouting from it.He realized that the face wasn¡¯t the monster¡¯s head, instead it was a plate of bone that eerily looked like a human face.

    San saw the real face of the creature, underneath the hairy orb was a gaping mouth that dripped drool. There was a dozen eyes glittering in the waning daylight, sitting atop of stalks that sprouted from the top of the creature.The beast was hip height, smaller than Wolfram, but bigger than most dogs.

    ¡°Food¡­¡± the creature said, its voice was high pitched and inhuman.

    ¡°The Blessed Mother protect us,¡± the second man said, his attention focused upon the monster before them.

    The creature jerked forward, moving incredibly fast.San saw that its legs were tipped with hooked claws made for rending flesh.He reacted immediately, slashing down with the sword in his hands.

    The monster screeched, staggering back as a long gash opened along its body and a leg flopped to the ground.Green ichor pumped from the wound and it tried running off, making it only ten feet before it collapsed bonelessly to the ground.

    San breathed heavily as he looked back up into the trees.The chittering continued and he watched as more bone faces appeared in the branches.

    ¡°Get up!¡± the second man was pulling the first man to his feet, he was ghost white and babbling.They grabbed the third man who was beginning to groan in pain.San was glad he was alright, he had struck him pretty hard with the spear.The fourth man was mewling, his hands gripped around a bruise that was forming on the side of his head.

    ¡°Gather up your weapons. We¡¯re under attack,¡± the second man had retrieved his spear and was warily looking into the trees.

    The first man was still rubbing his eyes, walking toward the spear he had dropped, when a figure dropped down onto him.He began screaming as the creature began using it¡¯s claws to tear at the back of his winter coat. The second man was fast, slamming the spear into the creature and knocking it off the man. He followed up with a slash from his sword that cut deeply into the monster.It screeched and died.

    The first man got to his feet, the back of his coat was torn, but he wasn¡¯t bleeding.He snatched up his spear and stood back to back with the second man.

    The fourth man had gotten to his feet, staggering to join the others.The third man, on the other hand, was still groaning, sitting on the ground.San wondered if he might have suffered a concussion.

    ¡°What the hell are these things?¡± San demanded, still looking into the trees.

    ¡°Rippers!¡± the fourth man cried, there were tears in his eyes.He held his sword in shaky hands, the only weapon he had left.

    ¡°They¡¯re not supposed to be here,¡± the second man cried. ¡°They come from the Far North, the Desolation, where monsters live.They haven¡¯t been seen in these parts in generations.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all gonna die,¡± the fourth man cried.

    A ball of hair and legs fell from the trees, skittering toward San. He slashed with his sword, but it dodged the strike, seemingly suddenly moving in a different direction without slowing.A hooked claw slashed at him, but he managed to step back in time, just as another creature tried to fall upon him from the trees.

    San saw it and swung at the creature. The flat of his blade slammed against the hairy body and it screeched as it was batted away.He immediately turned and slashed down with his sword, as the first creature had tried using the distraction to attack.The beast lost a limb and skittered back, screeching.

    He heard shouting and yelling from the others, they were in a fight with three more monsters.The big man slammed his shield into one creature, knocking it off the fourth man, while the first man speared one of the creatures.

    San refocused on his own battle, he rushed forward and thrusted his sword into the body of the creature he had batted away.It moved sluggish, seemingly disorientated.It screamed and staggered away, leaving behind a trail of ichor as it bled out.

    The injured creature raced at him, San snatched up the spear he had brained the third man with and used the length and sharp point to keep the monster at bay. He backed up, realizing he was near the other four men.The third man was vomiting and trying to stand, but moved about drunkenly.

    A creature dropped down upon the third man, he went down without a sound.The long disjointed legs rose to strike down its hooked claws, but San threw the spear at the monster.It wasn¡¯t a good throw, the blade missing the beast but it was enough to distract it.The first man ran the monster through with his spear, kicking it off his friend.

    While his back had been turned, the injured monster raced at him.San barely had time to raise his sword, as it collided with him.He staggered back, the weight of his pack pulled him backward and he fell over.The monster climbing on top of him. He cursed as he felt the claws dig into his leg.The broadsword was between him and the monster, San turned the blade slightly and used his other hand to push the creature with the flat of the blade.The monster was fairly light and with a grunt of exertion, San threw the creature off of him.It bounded against the ground, hissing and screaming.The second man leaped forward and brought his sword down upon the creature, killing it.

    San groaned and rolled to his feet. He nodded his thanks to the second man and turned to face the trees once more. The lack of chittering set San¡¯s nerves on edge.The fourth man was sobbing, muttering prayers under his breath.The first man was helping the third to his feet, and the big man was scanning everywhere.

    The trees began rustling, the winter stripped branches of the oaks shaking as dark shapes moved among them.The chittering began again, this time far more than there had been before.

    ¡°There¡¯s too many,¡± the second man said. ¡°We have to flee.¡±

    San nodded, he could see the bone white pseudo faces among the branches. The monsters were wary now, with half a dozen of their kind dead on the ground.

    ¡°We need to get to a place without trees,¡± San said.

    The big man the fourth man, shaking him to get his attention. ¡°Help, Savol.Get Hazani up and moving.¡±

    The fourth man nodded and rushed to help the two others.They got the man up, San saw the unfocused gaze of the third man.Blood streaked his face.

    ¡°Are you a warrior?¡± the big man asked, adjusting his grip on his spear.

    ¡°No, just a brewer,¡± San replied.

    The man frowned and looked back to the trees. ¡°We¡¯re going to die here,¡± he said.

    San felt an odd calmness settle down upon him.He looked at the white faces and although he was scared, he didn¡¯t fear the death they would bring.

    He took a deep breath and then nodded to the big man. ¡°Yeah,¡± he said as he looked up into the branches.

    Pain exploded in San¡¯s calf.He cried out and looked down to see the spearhead of the big man¡¯s weapon sticking into his leg.He immediately collapsed as the pain weakened his leg.The sword dropped from his hand and he gripped the wound, blood already seeping through the cloth wrappings.

    ¡°We don¡¯t all have to die here,¡± the big man said.He looked at San sorrowfully, but grabbed the dropped broadsword and hurried back to his friends.¡°Run!¡±

    San held back his curses as he gripped his calf.Blood had soaked the cloth wrappings he was using to keep the cold at bay.The spearhead had been sharp enough to pierce through them and into the flesh.

    The chittering of the creatures pulled his attention away from the wound.The unholy monsters had scented his blood and they were now advancing as the others took the opportunity to escape.Unholy creatures¡­ San pulled his pack off in record time.

    His days in the village hadn¡¯t been idle.He had some remaining oil left over and had used it to make a torch just in case.It was a green branch with the head wrapped in a plastic bag.He had used some unprocessed wool, or something that looked like wool, and old strips of cloth, soaked in the oil for an entire day and then wrapped in a plastic bag to keep it from drying.

    He ripped the bag off and held the torch up.

    ¡°Fire in the Night,¡± he said. He thought back on the Sanitize spell he had used.He thought of the torch burning, of it lighting up and chasing away the monsters. ¡°Fire in the Night!¡±

    A bone faced monster dropped from the branches and raced at him.

    ¡°Fuck! Fire in the Night!¡± He yelled, but the torch didn¡¯t respond.San dropped it and grabbed the shield the fourth man had left behind.He raised it as the monster collided with him.

    His breath exploded from his lungs and he was thrown onto his back. The leg wound screamed in agony and he gritted his teeth as the hooked claws scraped against the wooden shield.He could hear more of the monsters dropping to the ground, their claws clicking against the ground.

    San pushed with the shield and the monster pulled on it. He released his hold on it and then shoved his hands into his jacket pocket.He got the revolver out and with a two handed grip fired a shot into the center of mass of the monster holding the shield. It let out a sharp squawk and then collapsed to the ground.

    The gunshot was loud and it caused the monsters to stop for a moment.San fired again, hitting the nearest monster.It screeched and danced away from him, a hole in its side spewing ichor.It died a few seconds later among its brethren.

    That didn¡¯t dissuade the monsters. Instead they tensed and then as one, began chittering even louder.

    Two shots, only three more left.

    He fired rapidly, taking two down and winging a third as it moved when he pulled the trigger.San cursed and snapped open the cylinder, the brass casings clattered to his lap and he felt his hands shaking from the adrenaline and fear.

    A braver monster rushed him, San cursed, dropped the revolver and tugged at the camp knife he had attached to his belt.He got the blade out just as the monster collided with him.He once again was thrown on his back as the creature got on top of him, the claws raised and ready to strike down.The underbelly mouth snarled and drooled on him.

    A growl filled the air and the monsters was viciously pulled off of him. San stared for a moment as he saw the outline of Wolfram in the twilight.Her massive jaws crunched into the body of the monster and she ripped it off of him.The monster screeched as it was tossed away, two legs ruined and a massive gash in its side.

    San was out of weapons. The knife was pathetic, barely six inches of blade.He saw the torch and pulled himself toward it. The monsters were held at bay by Wolfram, sensing a powerful foe in her. It was fear and surprise that kept them from attacking, but that would fade soon.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    He pulled a lighter from his pocket. He had thought he could light the torch with the power, just as he had managed to remove the blood and stains from his shirts.It was time to just use regular fire instead.

    The torch ignited, slowly at first, but as the flames crawled across the oil soaked cloth, it roared to life.San looked at the fire and had a thought.

    ¡°Fire in the Night,¡± he said again.This time he could feel it, the warmth of mana passing out of him and into the flame.It flared a blue color for a second and then returned back to the normal orange flame.

    The effect was immediate as the monsters began screeching again.The ones closest to him backed up, their claws out and flinching away from the fire.San raised the torch up high, causing the monsters in the branches to skitter back.He grinned and then cursed as his leg let out an agonizing blast of pain.

    Wolfram continued to growl at the monsters, her hackles raised.The torch wasn¡¯t going to last all that long.San guessed he had fifteen minutes.He would need to build a fire.He pulled his back over, leaned the torch against it, hoping that it wouldn¡¯t fall and burn all his supplies.He pulled out some bandages he had made from the cloth he had found in the village and wrapped it tightly against his calf.The pain was intense, but he pushed through it.

    It took a few moments but he managed to get himself into a standing position, his left leg throbbed and he could feel the coldness of the blood soaked bandages against his skin.It was painful, but he could put some pressure onto his leg.With one hand he grabbed his pack straps and with the other, he grabbed the torch.

    The monsters continued to hiss and chitter at him, they moved about the trees, their eyes reflected in the torchlight. But they didn¡¯t come any closer, they didn¡¯t attack.Wolfram responded with growls and snarls, sending the monsters into a chittering fit.

    San groaned as he limped.He spotted the spear he had thrown and paused to pick it up, that in itself was a painful experience.He used it as a cane as he slowly made his way down the road, in the direction that the others had fled.

    The torch was guttering, most of the oil and cloth already burned away.That¡¯s when he smelled woodsmoke again.San paused and peered into a space between two large oak trees.He saw the dim red embers of a fire.It was the campsite of the men who attacked him.

    San looked down the road where the others had fled.Behind him, he saw the glittering eyes of the monsters.San limped into the campsite, noting the abandoned packs and items of the men.He sat down heavily on a large stone by the fire pit and extended his injured leg.

    They had been in the middle of dinner, it seemed.There were dishes out, some kind of meat in wooden bowls and wild game spitted on a branch.There was also firewood gathered for the cold night.San helped himself to the firewood, tossing in the kindling into the fire pit.It began to smolder and San helped it out by dropping the flaming torch into it.

    ¡°Fire in the Night,¡± he said as the flames began to rise.The fire flashed blue once more and San grinned as the chittering from the monsters intensified.Perhaps the effect was based on the size of the flame?

    Wolfram seemed to calm down as the fire roared.She began sniffing among the packs and immediately set upon the abandoned food.

    In relative safety, San pulled the cloth wrappings off his calf, wincing as pain lanced through his leg.He saw the injury, a two inch gash that had been the tip of the spear.It was a wound to disable, not cripple. San was glad about that, if the big man had cut an artery or tendon, he¡¯d be screwed.He had instead just injured him enough to slow him down.The old saying of ¡®I don¡¯t have to outrun the bear¡¯ came to San¡¯s mind.

    He took out his first aid kit, found the small syringe within it and Sanitized it.He did the same with the bottle of water he had and then tried it on his wound, just to see if it would work.He didn¡¯t know, but the skin flashed with a bit of light that made him think it might have.He irrigated the wound, cursing as he did.Then using his flashlight, checked to see if there were any debris within it from the cloth and from his hiking socks.It seemed clean, there was no blood gushing out, just a slow leak.

    The stitches were quick and ugly, but he had a lot of experience with it lately.He cleaned the area with the last of the antiseptic and then wrapped it with the last of his gauze and more cloth wrappings. The calf throbbed and ached, but it would heal, if it didn¡¯t get infected.

    He popped a few aspirins and shivered as a bit of wind picked up in the cold night.His breath plumed before him and he knew it was going to be a freezing night, he could feel it in the air.

    The men had gathered a lot of wood; San made use of it, building the fire high and then setting out his tent.He hadn¡¯t used it in days, as the first night he had been worried about Wolfram attacking him and later he had sheltered in the village.

    The tent was a three man all weather tent that Mary and he used a lot.He limped about, setting it up and then sat down heavily when he was done.Wolfram looked up from where she had consumed the food of the men.She yawned and lay her head down on her paws, just like a dog.San shook his head, she wasn¡¯t his friend.

    San chewed on some cold roti bread.He looked up to the sky and only saw darkness, clouds had rolled in.Soon he watched as thick snowflakes began to fall.

    The fire was warm and he saw that the monsters had receded.Either because of the flame or the fact that they would get no prey tonight.San shivered, wondering about the other men.Did the monsters go after them?

    He tried to not think about it.They had attacked him, they had injured him so they could flee.They did not deserve his empathy or pondering. If they died to the monsters, then that was their fault.Not his.

    San built the fire up a little more.It needed to last all night.

    Exhausted and in pain, San fell asleep in the comfort of his tent.

    ***

    Morning came and San sat before the fire, boiling water.He had found some kind of tea among the possessions of the men and drank it slowly.It was minty, grassy, and delicious in his mouth.He knew it was tea, as there was a wooden cup with the dried leaves within it abandoned by the men.

    Wolfram yawned.San had noticed she had brought back a corpse of one of the monsters.It lay half eaten and half buried in the newly fallen snow.He grimaced at the sight, it looked more insect in the daylight and there was green ichor liberally splashed around the camp.

    San ate another cold roti bread and drank his tea.His leg still throbbed and ached, but he could put pressure on it.He knew he could walk and if he used the spear as a crutch, he could keep going.

    The monsters were gone.He suspected that the village the men came from wasn¡¯t too far.He remembered the fourth man saying he didn¡¯t want to spend the night out in the woods, that meant this was their first night out.That would mean they had traveled the entire day to get to this point, just as San had traveled an the daylight hours to reach this midsection.If he pushed himself, he might reach their village by nightfall.

    Then what? San didn¡¯t know. All he knew was that their village was a destination.He didn¡¯t know how they would react to his presence, if the four men¡¯s actions were common then he¡¯d be killed outright.

    They did steal his sword from him and he was also on a quest to find the Mage Chief¡¯s grandson.These people were the same as those that lived in the village, therefore they probably knew where Azalobana was.

    He realized he didn¡¯t have much of a choice.He couldn¡¯t stay in the woods, not with those monsters about.He needed his injury looked at too, just in case.Most of all he needed information.He needed to know more about this world and what it held.Interacting with other people had to be done, even if it was potentially dangerous.

    San finished his tea and roti, then he began stripping the campsite.The men had left behind some bedrolls, soft fur and leather that seemed to be water resistant.San bundled them up, along with some cordage, tools, and weapon maintenance equipment.

    He limped his way back to the battle site; the remaining corpses of the dead monsters were all gone.San found the shield the fourth man had abandoned and picked it up.He found a short sword also, dropped by someone.He took it back to the camp, used the cordage to bundle the pack and supplies onto the shield, then used some para-cord and carabiners to make a harness.He tested it out and discovered it wasn¡¯t too much of an issue to pull.He piled some firewood on and began following the half buried road.

    It had snowed, but not too much. The heavy overhanging branches kept the road somewhat clear of snow and the churned up ground from the escaping men and chasing monsters was easy to follow.

    ***

    San crested a hill, sweat dripping down his back and his face twisted with clenched agony. His leg was on fire and his back was beginning to ache something fierce.He stopped and breathed in the cold air.

    The forest had thinned considerably, he could see the sky through the conifers and oaks, but there wasn¡¯t much to see.The sky was overcast and a cold wind was blowing from the east.The snowfall the night before hadn¡¯t been much, it had softened the hard edges of the world with a thin blanket.

    That didn¡¯t mean he lost the track of the others, the ground was torn up enough for even his non-existent tracking skills to follow.It seemed the men had a tough night; San noted more than a few spots where blood had been spilled, human and monster.It looked like they were dragging one of their members, as a furrow was made through the snow.

    He had been following the trail all morning and now he saw where it lead.There was a large open clearing on the downslope of the hill.Where the trees seemed not to grow naturally.From his position he could make out a rough camp, beside a fallen log and a mound of brush and wood.He could see a rising wisp of smoke before it was snatched away by the wind.

    San adjusted his burden and continued down the hill.Wolfram trotted behind him, sniffing the ground. She would disappear for a few minutes and then return, almost playful in her demeanor.Again, San stopped himself from trying to make her seem more than she was.

    It didn¡¯t take him long to reach the campsite; he frowned at what he saw.The most obvious signs were all the blood.Red human blood mixed and frozen along with the green ichor of the monsters.He spotted many dead corpses of the creatures, not taken like the ones in the woods.Wolfram began nudging the corpses, sniffing and probably preparing to have lunch.

    There was a small fire still burning, a stack of sticks that would barely keep it going for an hour.Beside the fire was the bloodied body of one of his attackers.

    San leaned on the broken spear and saw that it was the fourth man. The young one who was scared.His bushy hair was covered in snow, his lips blued, and his eyes closed.The front of his fur coat was torn to shreds.Blood soaked the entirety of his clothing, caked and frozen.

    They had made a stand in this place the night before.San was impressed at how far they had gotten, especially when they were injured and helping one of their own who was concussed.San counted at least a dozen of the monsters, they had given more than they had taken.

    He moved to the log to set down his burden.It was odd, to have lunch and rest beside the abandoned corpse of a human being.But the world was different now and he could do nothing for the man.

    ¡°Blessed Mother, take away the pain,¡± a soft voice muttered.

    San looked to the bloodied man and saw his cracked lips moving.He was still alive.

    ***

    Snow and ice crunched underfoot as San walked through the night.The moon had risen and the night was bright, but it was murderously cold.He shivered and shook, it felt worse than after he had swam in the river.His teeth chattered and his leg was both on fire and numb.

    His burden moaned and groaned occasionally, telling San he was still alive.There wasn¡¯t much he could do for the man, but it had been better than what his friends did for him.He had been cut up badly by one of the monsters, deep gouges across his chest and arms.A lot of blood lost.

    The other men hadn¡¯t done much than put pressure on the wounds, it had stopped some of the bleeding, but not all of it.He supposed they thought he was a dead man and left him with a tiny fire as some weird act of kindness or shame.

    It wasn¡¯t the blood loss that was killing him, it was the hypothermia that came with it.The man was nearly entirely blue; how he continued speaking and muttering prayers was beyond San¡¯s medical knowledge.

    San had built up the fire, warmed his bottle of water, stripped the bloodied coat off the boy, and cleaned and dressed the wounds as best as he could.He used the last of the cloth he had, then cut up the blankets he had taken, and finally wrapped the boy in mylar emergency blankets.He used the water bottle, the brass cookware he had taken, any water tight container to begin warming him up.It was a long process.

    He had hoped to reach the village by nightfall, but caring for the injured man took all his time and effort.Not to mention his leg was screaming in pain as he tried working.

    The night had been cold, but San managed to drag the boy into his tent and they had been tent buddies for a night.In the morning, the boy looked better, as better as one could when they had suffered major injuries.He was still muttering prayers, but he wasn¡¯t about to become an icicle.

    San spent the morning building a travois to carry the boy.Using the cordage he had found to make a new harness; he left the makeshift camp before mid-morning.

    The traveling had been slow and painful, for San it was the pain in his leg, for the boy it was his injuries.San saw that some were bleeding again, but there was little he could do.He needed get him to his people.

    Wolfram had been with him throughout the day, but as evening fell she disappeared.He hadn¡¯t stopped much, figuring if he decided to stop and rest, he would never get back to moving.Exhaustion was clawing at his senses when night had fallen and then deepened.

    His wristwatch said it was seven in the morning, but the days and nights were longer in this world.Twenty-eight hours instead of the twenty-four. He suspected it was near midnight.

    A few more hours later he was about to collapse from exhaustion.He couldn¡¯t feel his legs anymore and his clothing was frozen nearly solid.He gasped and looked ahead, blinking his eyes as he saw the distant glimmer of light.

    It wasn¡¯t electrical light, instead it looked like flickering torchlight.San trudged forward, sensing that he was nearing the village.

 009

    09

    San awoke confused, he lay in a straw filled bed and the smell of woodsmoke and faint sickness filled his senses.He looked to the roof above him, still shrouded in darkness in the early morning, but clearly made of thatch and thick wooden beams.The room he was within was warm, but there was a chilly nip to the air.

    He sat up, looking at the small one square foot window that was installed high in the wall.It wasn¡¯t a glass window, but some kind of other material.San suspected it was horn, he remembered reading once that windows were made out of animal horn or oiled paper before glass became common place.He sat in a small room that was about eight feet by eight feet, more a cell than a place to rest.He stretched his arms and cracked his neck.

    Two days had passed since he had arrived to the village, dragging the fourth man with him. He had caused quite the stir, people shouting, yelling, and guards handling him roughly.He hadn¡¯t been killed, so that was a plus.His injuries had been cared for and there had only been a slight beating at the hands of a guard who had known the men he had fought.He had claimed he had set the monsters upon the men, that he was some kind of witch or demon.

    For two days he had been a ¡®guest¡¯ within the hospital of the village.San thought of it as a hospital, it was a fairly large longhouse that held over three dozen people within it.From what he had overheard and what the old healer who treated him stated, the village he arrived at was renown for their healers.Most surrounding villages sent their truly ill for them to oversee and heal, such that they had a dedicated hospital from which to treat and care for their patients.

    There was a knock on the door and it opened immediately, a short white haired woman entered.San glanced at the two armed men who stood by the door, his ¡®protectors¡¯ just in case another guard with family connections tried to attack him.

    The old woman nodded to him, setting a tray with two bowls of barley porridge on a small table and setting herself down on the bench along the wall.San got up and sat on a small stool across from the woman, sliding a bowl toward himself.

    ¡°Good morning, San,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°Yeah, morning, Amara.¡±

    ¡°Sleep well?¡±

    ¡°No nightmares, no pain, just wondering when I can leave.¡±

    ¡°You heal very quickly,¡± the woman took out a wooden spoon and began digging into the porridge.

    San did the same, taking out a stainless steel camp spoon he had carried with him.He preferred his porridge with milk and sugar, but the villages preferred theirs with a bitter herb and some kind of pickled vegetable.The meals were all the same in the last two days, barley porridge, but in the evening it was porridge with some jerky or meat chunks and a cup of sour beer.

    On a brighter note,the village elders or leaders had returned most of his items.He had been stripped of everything, even taking his boxers and socks, to have one of their shaman look him over for signs of being a demon.Then the elders and others had dug through his pack and examined everything, there was much shock and wonder at the items, but from what San could tell, none of it had been stolen.

    He was glad to have his sleeping bag back, the itchy woolen blanket they had given him hadn¡¯t been enough to keep the small cold room comfortable.He also had to learn to use a chamber pot to do his business, one of his guards tasked with taking it out for him.

    ¡°Must be the food you serve,¡± San said, taking a spoonful of the porridge.

    ¡°So you keep saying,¡± the old woman said.

    ¡°How¡¯s the kid?¡± San asked, as he had every time he met with the woman.

    ¡°Terrinath is doing fine.He will live and he will carry the scars of his stupidity for the rest of his days. Although, the scars he carries on his soul will take far longer to heal. It is not everyday one is abandoned to die by people who you thought were your friends.¡±

    San nodded, thinking back on the poor kid that was left behind.He too had been left behind to die while the others had escaped, but for some reason, San realized he had no hard feelings about it.

    ¡°Savol, Hazani, and Nexion will be fine too.¡±

    San nodded again. The first two names he recognized as the first and third men in the group. Nexion was the second man, the big man, the leader of the little group of scouts that had volunteered to see why smoke was coming from the Cursed City.

    Rumor, even for one locked away as San, was everywhere.The four men had volunteered to scout out the smoke, then they had come back only half a day before San arrived.They claimed they were attacked by a Mage that sent monsters after them.They claimed, Terrinath, the fourth man, had died bravely and allowed them to escape.

    They too were injured pretty badly. San had seen them momentarily before he was attacked by one of the guards.Nexion had long cuts on his chest, Savol had a broken arm, and Hazani was still reeling from a concussion and several deep cuts.The fact that they were all bloodied and beaten, nearly dead from hypothermia, while San was only injured from the spear thrust that Nexion had given him, had also fanned the flames that he was some kind of demon.

    Even poor Terrinath had been nearly killed through fear and suspicion.The three men had claimed he died fighting, but the fact he was still alive, only caused more fear to fill the village.San didn¡¯t judge them too harshly for their superstitions, there were literal monsters out there in the world.Creatures that could speak and capture souls, for all he knew there were some that would take the form of other people just to later kill them.

    Mostly everything had been resolved when Terrinath could speak again, albeit barely.He told them that he had been left behind, that the Blessed Mother had come to him and rescued him.San had to chuckle at being called the Blessed Mother, apparently the forest tribes¡¯ main diety.

    ¡°The headman and the Elders will meet today,¡± the woman said.¡°They will decide what to do next.¡±

    San had met the headman, briefly.Enough for San to tell him that the Flesh Horror was dead and the villagers souls were freed from the Chief¡¯s curse. The headman hadn¡¯t said anything, but left rather quickly.

    ¡°Returning my sword and being set free will be enough,¡± San said, smiling.

    ¡°You have over turned many things, lies and old hard beliefs have been called into question,¡± the woman said. ¡°You bring too much chaos, especially in this bitter winter.¡±

    San ate his porridge.From what San heard in passing, food was scarce even with winter barely beginning.Harvests had been difficult for the last few years, the weather bad, too much rain or too little, the river occasionally running with foulness that killed the fish or poisoned the water.Game had become scarce, the migrating herds of deer had not come, stripping them of what was supposed to be a guaranteed source of meat and furs for the winter.

    It was the hospital that was keeping everything together.Other villages sent food and supplies, to heal their sick and wounded.It was the healers that were keeping the people fed and alive.They were also the ones who kept San alive, who kept his gear safe, and whose support prevented him from being tied to a pole to die of exposure.

    Terrinath was the head healer¡¯s grandson.The old woman who sat before him, who shared a bowl of porridge with him because the guards would take it from him if he was alone.She was a soft power in the village and she used it to keep him safe.

    Her reasons were in part for saving her grandson, but also because he was strange and carried strange things.He was a mystery to her and the old woman wanted to solve it.

    ¡°What should I expect from the Elders and headman?¡± San asked.

    The old woman shrugged. ¡°Tovano, the headman, was a great admirer of the Mage Chief.He fought alongside him in the Imperial Wars, sent his sons and daughters to fight for the Empire.Nexion, who you know, is his grandson and the last of the ones we sent South to fight.Four years ago he returned, after the news of the Mage Chief¡¯s death.

    ¡°The issue is Nexion,¡± the woman said. ¡°Many claim he is a great warrior and soldier, but there are others who claim he abandoned his men to die to save himself while fighting for the Empire.This issue with Terrinath only reinforces those rumors, casting one of our warriors into a bad light.He is a level 1 [Soldier].¡±

    ¡°He has a level?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Yes, some who went South gained levels in the wars. Those that survived anyway.That was where I met my husband,¡± the old woman smiled at the memory.

    ¡°You fought for the Empire?¡± San asked.

    ¡°I am a healer and always have been,¡± the woman said. ¡°There are two ways to gain levels, one is through killing the unholy monsters that come into our world; and the other is through death.A lot of death.For every ten soldiers that die, the eleventh gains a level.¡±

    San raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Too many injured men and women came to my healing tent,¡± the old woman looked into the distance. ¡°I could not save them all, so many died. From their deaths, I gained levels.¡±

    ¡°Is it a guaranteed thing?¡± San asked.

    The old woman shook her head. ¡°No. I knew a soldier who fought for the Empire for ten years, in many battles.Survived where other men did not, but he never gained a level. Some called him cursed, others unlucky.He eventually died from drinking too much. Could never understand why he lived and never gained a level.¡±

    ¡°Now your people don¡¯t fight for the Empire,¡± San said.

    The old woman snorted. ¡°That is a good thing. Our people would have all died if they kept supporting the Empire with soldiers.We were fodder to them, allowed to charge heedlessly into battle with little weapons and gear.Just so we could die and the real soldiers would gain levels.¡±

    ¡°So how are you going to gain levels now?¡± San asked.

    ¡°The old ways; monster hunting,¡± she said. ¡°The world is filled with horrid creatures from Beyond.They must be destroyed and when they are destroyed, one gains the mana gem from their heads.Gain enough and you gain levels. A lot less people die that way, and it is the skilled and careful that gain levels, not just the lucky.¡±

    There was a knock on the door and it opened to reveal a young girl, around sixteen years of age.She carried a small tray with medical supplies.

    ¡°Mistress, it is time to change his dressing,¡± she said.

    ¡°Go ahead, child.¡±

    The girl quickly cleaned and checked San¡¯s wound.He was surprised to see that it was already healing, the days of strain he had put upon it fast fading.Pulling along a travois loaded with supplies and a half dead man had not done his injury any service.

    ¡°The unfairness of having levels,¡± the old woman said looking at his injuries.San raised another eyebrow. ¡°You don¡¯t fool me, boy. I know when someone has levels or not.If you did destroy the Flesh Horror, then you surely obtained its mana gem.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± San said.

    ¡°What is it you gained? Soldier? Warrior? Beast Slayer?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Brewer,¡± San replied.

    The woman laughed. ¡°Fine, keep it to yourself.¡±

    The girl finished up, bowed to the old woman and quickly left. The woman watched her go, shaking her head.

    ¡°Poor child.¡±

    ¡°Seems like a good nurse,¡± San said.

    ¡°Indeed, she is a good healer in training. Knows what to do, does not panic, and has steady hands,¡± the old woman said.¡°But she will never gain a level and be truly great.¡±

    ¡°No wars?¡±

    ¡°Her blood,¡± the woman said. ¡°When the Mage Chief died, the Pretender arose.He tried to gather up all the tribes again; Sofona¡¯s father rallied to the Prentender.He fought for him and was eventually killed in the battle where the Pretender was captured by the High Chief.The Pretender was then tied to a pole and left to die.Many see her as a supporter of the Pretender, especially in this village.¡±

    ¡°She can¡¯t leave?¡±

    ¡°To where?¡± the woman asked. ¡°All the surrounding villages support the High Chief.She is destined to only be a shadow of what she could be.¡±

    ¡°The High Chief wouldn¡¯t be Azalobana, would it?¡± San asked.

    The woman laughed. ¡°No. That foolish boy fled South when his grandfather died. Said he was going to learn as his grandfather did and return to slay the Flesh Horror. I guess someone¡¯s gonna have to tell him not to bother.¡± She laughed again and finished her porridge.

    ¡°Do you know where he went?¡± San asked.

    The old woman looked at him suspiciously. ¡°Perhaps. But most is rumor and the South is a big place, the Empire even bigger.Why do you wish to know about the boy?¡±

    San shrugged. ¡°Just wondering.¡±

    The old woman snorted.¡°Many say the sword in your possession was the one the Mage Chief carried. That you robbed his resting place of it,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°It was laying on a bed,¡± San said. ¡°The dead don¡¯t own anything, or so someone said.¡±

    ¡°And the book?¡±

    ¡°Just a little light reading,¡± San replied.

    ¡°Many say that it is a magical tome, although it appears to be blank.¡±

    ¡°This ¡®many¡¯ seems to be making a lot of unsubstantiated guesses,¡± San said.

    The woman laughed again. ¡°It is winter, child.There is naught but to gossip and weave during that time.¡± She stood up, groaning as she straightened her back. ¡°Come, we shall meet with the Elders and headman.¡±

    ¡°Now?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Do you have other plans?¡± the woman asked.

    ***

    The village was called Forest River, as it lay beside a river and sat on the edge of the forest.It was what San would have imagined a typical medieval village would look like, the houses were small thatched huts, there was a stout eight foot wooden fence surrounding the village, and beyond that lay miles of winter fallow fields and irrigation canals.

    San didn¡¯t know much about the history of the land, but even to this day there was a low-key state of war due to the death of the Mage Chief.The walls were newer, created within the last couple of years. From what the old woman said, occasional raiding parties from other non-affiliated villages would come.The Pretender had spent two years fighting for control over the tribes against the High Chief, and now three years later, the High Chief was finding it difficult to subdue the Pretender¡¯s followers.Leaving him to die of exposure, tied to a pole, was a punishment only given to those that were considered evil.

    The thought was only reinforced when San caught sight of a figure who was tied to a thick wooden post.He was raised nearly eight feet off the ground, thick bands of ropes around his legs, hips, and wrist. He was also naked and San could see much of his body was already frost bitten.

    ¡°Demon worshipers,¡± the old woman said. ¡®They come out in the winter, seeking blood and flesh.¡± She spat in the figure¡¯s direction.The dying man¡¯s head lifted up slightly, his unfocused gaze locking upon San¡¯s. He began laughing, his lips cracking and bleeding.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°Why blood and flesh?¡± San asked.

    ¡°There is ancient magic in blood, cursed magic.Only those evil use such magic. And the flesh? Because they¡¯re hungry.¡± The woman chuckled and continued walking through the village.

    San watched as a group of children began throwing stones at the dying man. They laughed and spat at him, before running off.

    The main longhouse was much bigger than the hospital, but built in the same manner. It was timber structure, made of thick logs and two stories. He saw actual chimneys rising from it and when he entered he was surprised to see polished wooden floor boards and brightly colored rugs.The main room was warm and light shone in from many small windows high on the walls.

    San had to remove his cloak, boots, and wash his feet with a damp cloth before entering.It was a strange ritual, but even the old woman did it. The guards who had been shadowing them, stayed by the entrance, spears and shields ready.

    ¡°A headwoman twenty five years back built this,¡± the woman said. ¡°She fell in love with Imperial buildings, had all these crazy ideas that turned out okay. At least we have the best longhouse of all the surrounding villages. Makes us very proud, even the Mage Chief spent several nights here, claimed it was better than his own keep.¡±

    The village Elders turned out to be exactly that. A group of seven old men and woman who sat on cushions and low seats.They were all grey or white haired, slightly hunched, and most of them were knitting or spinning yarn.

    A younger man, relatively speaking, with some red in his grey hair sat in the center of them.He was the headman.

    ¡°San the Foreigner,¡± he said.

    ¡°San King,¡± San replied.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my name. Or to be more accurate, Sanjay Elias King,¡± he said.

    The headman frowned and San figured he might have pushed it a little too far.¡°San the Foreigner,¡±the man said. ¡°We, the Elders of the Forest River village, have decided your fate.¡± San stood silently as the Elders stopped what they were doing and peered at him.¡°The Mage Chief was a powerful man, great in his power.There is no denying that, but like all men who seek power, it corrupted him.He was the forest tribes¡¯ greatest Mage, but he was also our greatest downfall.

    ¡°The Flesh Horror killed hundreds, it destroyed our greatest works and sent the tribes back on the path of war when there had been only peace between our villages for nearly forty years.¡±

    ¡°Many were sent to defeat the monster,¡± an old woman spoke.¡°Scores of warriors with levels and power gained from the Imperial wars.They did not come back.¡±

    ¡°You must be one hell of a warrior,¡± another old man said.He grinned at San, his eyes nearly swallowed by his wrinkled face.

    ¡°I am just a man,¡± San said.

    ¡°Who claims to have defeated the Flesh Horror,¡± the headman continued. ¡°Who carries the Sword of the Mage Chief and who bears his magical tome.¡±

    ¡°Who also returned my grandson that was abandoned,¡± the head healer added.

    Annoyance crossed the headman¡¯s face, but he did not say anything. A chuckle rose from the old man who had grinned at San.

    ¡°We have sent more experienced scouts to the Cursed City,¡± the headman said. ¡°What you speak appears to be true, the Flesh Horror is gone, the village and keep burned, and the animals that once avoided the place have now returned.There were sightings of deer in the forest once again.¡±

    ¡°The Curse of the Mage Chief might be lifted,¡± a different old man said.¡°Many years we have suffered from it, wars, disease, and bad harvests.¡±

    ¡°Nothing remains of the Rippers,¡± a woman spoke. ¡°The creatures that had wounded our boys so.¡±

    ¡°Sightings of a horned wolf were reported,¡± another man said. ¡°Bad tidings.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± San asked.

    The old man looked at San, his eyes squinted. ¡°The Rippers are beasts from Beyond. If those foolish boys had been in the right mind, they would have harvested the mana gems from them.The Rippers are not great monsters, but ten of their gems would have made any man, woman, or child gain levels. Instead they ran like children.If the horned wolf has consumed the Rippers bodies, then it shall also have consumed the mana gems.¡±

    ¡°They work upon animals too?¡± San asked, surprised.

    ¡°All life is changed by the mana gems,¡± the man said. ¡°Already the horned wolf is a dangerous animal, it is intelligent and solitary, if it has consumed the gems, then it shall be even more of a danger.¡±

    ¡°I pledged my spear to the Mage Chief,¡± the headman said.¡°When I was younger, I fought with him in the Imperial Wars.¡±

    ¡°We all did,¡± an old woman interrupted, causing anotherglare of annoyance from the headman.

    ¡°No one denies the power of the Mage Chief, nor that he ruled this land.But great men still fall and the void he left behind had to be filled.I still owe my allegiance to the man, not the idea of the man or his title, but the man himself.He saved my life many times.

    ¡°The High Chief rules this land now.He has placed a bounty upon the Flesh Horror, to give lands, cattle, horses, and weapons of iron to any who would kill the monster.¡±

    The headman was silent for a long moment, eyeing San.San didn¡¯t know what to think, he neither wanted nor cared for land and cattle.Mary might have, she always loved the idea of raising animals and the life on a farm.He had always preferred cities, the ease and accessibility to everything made life far more enjoyable.

    ¡°That¡¯s an impressive bounty,¡± San said. ¡°But I do not wish for any of it.¡±

    ¡°We weren¡¯t going to give it to you anyway,¡± an old woman cackled, causing another look of annoyance from the headman.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°You have shamed us all,¡± the grinning old man stated. ¡°We, who proclaim honor and dignity above all else, have been brought low by your actions. We, who since the days of my grandfather¡¯s grandfather, claimed we were the most honorable and bravest among the tribes have been shown our own lies.¡± The old man laughed and some others joined him. ¡°The folly of our pride and cowardice has been shown to all.¡±

    The headman was fuming, but he said nothing as the Elders spoke.

    ¡°The scouts that were sent,¡± another old woman said, ¡°their lies have been exposed.They abandoned one of our own, to die of exposure like some cursed criminal.You say Nexion attacked you, we have seen the injury and have spoken to the healers.It is an injury that will heal and one that wasn¡¯t meant to cripple, but to disable.¡±

    ¡°Doubly shameful,¡± the grinning old man said. ¡°That our brave warriors would act in such a manner.¡±

    ¡°All deeds, good and ill, are done on the battlefield,¡± the headman said. ¡°We all know this.¡±

    ¡°To leave men behind to be killed by the Creatures from Beyond, even such actions were never taken by the Imperials,¡± an old man said. ¡°You have heard the stories, that those the Rippers do not kill, they turn into one of their own.Their souls cursed forevermore.¡±

    Silence fell among the Elders as they mulled over the words.

    ¡°Your fate is your own,¡± the headman said finally. ¡°You shall be allowed passage from our village, a token given to you to show that you are not to be harmed by the others who have pledged their spears to the High Chief.You will go south, following the Trade Road, and out of our lands, never to return.¡±

    ¡°We seek to send you away, after your great deed,¡± the grinning man said. ¡°To hide our shame and protect our false honor.¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± the headman snapped at the old man.

    ¡°Do you wish to hear the lies we have woven to protect our village¡¯s honor and that of foolish boys?¡± an old woman asked.

    ¡°Sure,¡± San replied.

    ¡°You are not the Mage that attacked our boys.You are but a foreign adventurer, who got lost.The Flesh Horror was defeated by our brave boys, where they discovered it had been injured in battle against this Mage. Terrinath was not abandoned, but was captured by the Rippers, to be turned into one of them. You saved him, the Blessed Mother look favorably upon you, and brought him back to the village.¡±

    ¡°Great gifts will be heaped upon those boys,¡± the grinning man said. ¡°They shall be sung as heroes who have lifted the Curse.They shall bring much honor and supplies to our beleaguered village.Nexion shall gain great wealth and those that share his blood will benefit from it.¡±

    The headman turned purple with barely contained rage.Yet he did not speak.

    ¡°It is only because of the healers that you have not been killed,¡± an old woman stated. ¡°You have saved Terrinath, foolish as he might be, he is still the head healer¡¯s grandson and that life is worth much.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be given supplies, better gear, to head south.Ten days of travel in the spring will be twenty days in the winter, there you will find the Blackened Bridge.Seven days travel from there is the Barony city of White Tower.¡±

    ¡°Do you have a map?¡± San asked.

    The Elders laughed. ¡°Follow the Trade Road.Do not deviate from it, it shall lead you where you need to go.¡±

    ¡°My sword and book?¡± San asked.

    ¡°The Cursed City was burned by the Mage, there was nothing salvageable from it.Although the boys defeated the Flesh Horror, the Mage was powerful and forced them away by sending Rippers after them. They could not obtain the mana gem from the beast,¡± the grinning man said. ¡°You are a rich adventurer, rich enough to afford an enchanted sword.¡±

    ¡°I am free to go, then?¡± San asked.

    ¡°As free as any bird,¡± the old man said.

    ¡°You shall never return,¡± the headman added.

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    A pair of women in robes entered from a side door. They carried a bundle each.The first woman set it down and unwrapped the cloth, within it was the broadsword within its sheath.Beside it was the tome of the Mage Chief.

    The second bundle was the rest of his weapons.The bear mace, the revolver, the broken spear, and short sword he had found, along with the knives, saw, and other tools he had in his pack.

    ¡°Your tools and weapons are impressive,¡± an old man stated. ¡°You carry a pistol like those of the Imperial nobility.If our honor had not been stained so much, we would have relieved you of the weapon.It is not often the Imperials relinquish their hold on gunpowder weapons.¡±

    San raised an eyebrow at the words.They knew about gunpowder?He stilled his face, not showing any surprise.So much for introducing gunpowder and getting filthy rich off of it, he mused.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± San said.

    ¡°We should be the ones thanking you instead,¡± the grinning man said. ¡°There are few honorable warriors in this new generation, boys like Nexion have only been scarred by war.The vicious southern fighting for control of the Empire has only turned to cruelty and bloodletting, not honor and righteousness.

    ¡°You have lifted our curse and we cast you aside. We hold onto lies because our morale is so weak now, we heap praises on thieves and backstabbers because we cannot even face our own shame.I thank you, Sanjay Elias King.¡±

    ¡°You honor me too much,¡± San said. ¡°I only did what was necessary, the souls of the villagers needed to be freed.No one should suffer that existence.¡±

    ¡°Only if we were not so weak and corrupted, we would have you among us,¡± the grinning man said.¡°My sister and her entire family lived in the Cursed City, they all died there, taken by the Flesh Horror.You have my eternal gratitude, son.Let no man ever question your honor.¡±

    The old man bowed his head.He was soon joined by the rest of the Elders, although the headman only glared at them and then at San.

    The healer tugged at his sleeve and they got to their feet. The women who had brought in his weapons, rewrapped them, and then followed them out of the longhouse.

    The cold winter air hit San.There was a breeze and he took it in, a smile forming on his lips.

    ¡°That went well,¡± the healer said.

    San nodded and they returned to the hospital.As he passed the tied up man, San shivered as the man¡¯s crazed eyes latched on him again.The dying man laughed as he stared with unblinking eyes.

    ***

    The Elders and headman were true to their word.San received supplies and new clothing during the remainder of the day.He still had his tattered clothes, but the oiled leather and fur of the winter clothing he had been given was far better.

    ¡°Terrinath¡¯s father,¡± the healer said, ¡°married my daughter.He is a good leather worker, made those for you himself.He will gain far more riches now that the foolish boy is considered a hero.¡±

    ¡°It is fine,¡± San said.

    ¡°Not many would say such a thing. Power infects all mankind, to be Known is sought by all.Even I wanted to be known as the greatest healer among the forest tribes.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you though?¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± the woman smiled. ¡°But it is due to years of work and so much death.It is one thing that those who only dream of power never realize, power can only be obtained through death and misery.¡±

    San nodded as he loaded his pack.It was bulging now, more food and some clothing had been added.He had packed heavy before, but now it was almost comical in the amount of gear he had with him. The old healer had even supplemented his first aid kit, after she found out what it was.There was even a small packet of catgut for stitches.

    The fact that he could carry far more than he used to didn¡¯t escape his notice.He had been moving easily with his loaded pack during the fight against the rippers and he had been surprised at how light Terrinath and the load he carried were. Of course, over the hours of lugging him around it became nearly unbearable.

    ¡°When you leave in the morning, do not stop or rest until night has fallen completely,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°You suspect there will be trouble?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Always.You carry great wealth and you have shamed too many already.Many claim their honor can only be assuaged through killing.¡±

    The old woman¡¯s words stayed with him when he slept.He felt he should have been more angry, more outraged, but he wasn¡¯t.Although the village seemed like a nice place to live, he did not want to spend his remaining days there.Not when there were supposed great cities to the South and peoples he had yet to meet.

    Exploration and seeing new things had always been a part of him. It had only grown since he arrived to this world.It was one thing that Mary and he shared, the joy of exploring new trails and places.Now he could explore a whole new world, by himself.

    Sleep was uneasy and San awoke before dawn.There was a hint of morning light entering the small window.Enough for San to pack his belongings and ready himself for the journey.

    The winter clothing was impressive, warm and well fitted.He still wore his normal clothing underneath, but Terrinath¡¯s father¡¯s work was very good.

    The old healer was awake also.She watched as he exited his room, the guards had left the day before.Now that the citizens of Forest River had swallowed the new truth of their situation, they hadn¡¯t any anger or rage toward him.He was free to go and it would be a relief for many when he did.

    ¡°Safe travels, San,¡± the old woman said. She dug into her robes and pulled out a small bag.She handed it to him and San felt the clinking of coins. ¡°For your travels.I have not much need for Imperial coins, but it is still useful in the Barony Lands and beyond.Other villages will take the coin also.¡±

    San looked down at the small pouch of coins, he tucked it under his coat and into one of his jacket pockets.He dug around for a bit and then pulled out a small plastic sandwich bag.

    ¡°Here,¡± San gave the woman the bag. ¡°For your help and healing.¡±

    The woman gasped as she looked into the bag and ten small green mana gems reflected in the soft lamp light.¡°Why?¡± she asked.

    ¡°You are kind and you helped me.Give it to the girl, the other healer.The world needs more healers and skilled ones at that.¡±

    Tears glinted in the woman¡¯s eyes as she hugged San tightly. ¡°Blessed Mother watch over you.¡±

    San smiled and left the hospital. The morning air was bitterly cold, but he took a deep breath and headed for the gates.The dying man had been removed from the post, exposure having taken him before nightfall.San had heard the corpse had been burned and the bones would be ground up and tossed away from the village and fields.No one wanted his evil to spoil the hallowed-ness of the village.

    Guards were at the gate as he reached it, they peered at him and then at the large ornate badge he wore.The token the headman had mention was a giant colorful prize ribbon.It was stitched with colorful material, beadwork, and even some silver metal that made it glint in the morning light.The gaudiness of the ribbons was to allow people at a distance to recognize what it was.San hoped it worked and that the first person he met outside of the village wasn¡¯t going to kill him.

    There were other people already leaving the village, early morning hunters, woodsmen, and other workers who would be laboring around the village.He joined the small crowd, noting the looks and stares he received from the others.No one stood near him, but no one attacked him either, so San was pleased.

    The Trade Road was easy to follow, a slightly raised roadbed that snaked away from the village and headed south.He could see more forests and occasionally the glitter of light off of the river he was to follow.

    San glanced back at the village and then hefted his pack.The world was waiting and he was eager to see what lay beyond the horizon.

    ***

    Wolfram was no where to be seen.San couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of sadness at the wolf ram leaving.He had spent nearly three days within the village, it was far too long for a creature to wait around for its meal to come back out.It was better this way; he would not be able to explain why he was traveling with a dangerous animal that had consumed many ripper mana gems.

    He thought back on the camp they had come across, the abandoned boy, and the dead rippers.He had wondered if they were the same as the Flesh Horror, if they were considered monsters from the Void.It turned out they did have mana gems in their bodies and San had spent some time removing them.A dozen bodies, a dozen mana gems.

    He could have kept the gems, used them on himself.But what was the point? What would a level two Brewer do? The Sanitize spell was helpful, but truthfully San would be able to sanitize things without it.The power only made it easier, it wasn¡¯t something that he couldn¡¯t do without.Although he did enjoy the extra strength and stamina he had.

    Amara, the healer, would have better use of it.Her young apprentice would make a fine healer and that would be a benefit to the entire village.San was content with his decision.

    It was around noon when San realized he was being followed.He was no great tracker, but he did spot a figure in the distance as he crested a hill.When he looked again, the figure was gone.He walked a few more hours until he came to a T-junction in the road, with a small stone hut that was partially collapsed close to the river.

    San settled down in the leeward side of the hut, took out his camp stove and boiled some water to make tea.He ate some hard travel biscuits and jerky that he had been given and waited.

    It wasn¡¯t long before a figure arrived along the road.They stopped as they saw him and then marched forward.

    The stern face of Nexion glared down at him as he approached.He carried his spear and shield, also armed with a short sword and a club.San set the revolver down on the stones beside him, watching the man.

    ¡°Nice day for a walk,¡± San said as the man stopped twenty feet from him.

    ¡°San the Foreigner, I have come to challenge you to single combat!¡± Nexion declared.

    San turned off the camp stove and sprinkled the dried tea leaves into the steel cup. ¡°Why?¡± he asked.

    ¡°You have besmirched my honor!¡± he cried.

    ¡°I think you did that yourself,¡± San replied.

    Anger clouded the man¡¯s face as his grip tightened on his spear.¡°You do not know anything about war,¡± he said.

    ¡°Only what I watched on TV.¡±

    ¡°I did not abandon Terrinath lightly, I did it to save the others.He was going to die.You must be willing to sacrifice one to save others.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be glad to hear that when he wakes up,¡± San said, sipping at the tea.It was a more bitter variety than the one he had found in the camp.Amara claimed it was good for traveling, providing energy and warmth for hours.San enjoyed it, wondering if he could make some Kombucha out of it.

    ¡°Fight me, foreigner!¡± Nexion yelled. ¡°Fight me!¡±

    ¡°If you want to kill me, then go ahead,¡± San said. ¡°I told you before, I am not afraid to die.I once wished to die; I sought it and was prepared to kill myself, but things change. I don¡¯t want to die, but I do not fear it.¡±San looked at the man.¡°Killing yourself will solve none of your problems.¡±

    The spear trembled in the man¡¯s hand.His expression went slack for a moment and then tightened back up.

    ¡°I came here to kill you,¡± Nexion declared.

    ¡°You came here to die.The shame and guilt you carry brought you here, to die at my hands,¡± San replied. ¡°I can see the signs, I can see your own emotions tearing you up on the inside.Past trauma and current deeds flowing together, poisoning your mind until the only solution you can think of is death.¡±

    ¡°You know nothing,¡± the man whispered.

    ¡®Was it during the Imperial wars?¡± San asked. ¡°Were you forced to leave men behind to save yourself?¡±

    ¡°Silence,¡± Nexion hissed.

    ¡°The greatest burden is surviving,¡± San said. ¡°When those you love die, when those you promised to protect perish, then living on is a painful burden.Your death or my death will not erase what you feel. It is etched into your soul and you will have to carry it for the rest of your life and maybe beyond.¡±

    ¡°How then?¡± Nexion asked, his spear shaking. ¡°How do I overcome it?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t,¡± San replied. ¡°You live with it, you carry it, and maybe one day it will lightened or you will get used to it. Terrinath will live, I am healed.Life goes on.¡±

    ¡°They call me a hero, when I am not,¡±

    ¡°Then that is your punishment, for stabbing me, for leaving me to die,¡± San said. ¡°Bear it.Beg Terrinath for forgiveness and go on with your life.¡±

    The big man seemed to deflate, his spear drooping and his shield hanging from his hand.

    ¡°Come. Sit. Have some tea,¡± San said, turning on the camp stove again.He pocketed the revolver and began heating some water.

 010

    10

    Snow was falling in thick clumps as evening arrived.

    San walked through the snow and Wolfram followed at his side. The wolf ram had retuned after Nexion had left, the big man not saying much after they had enjoyed a cup of tea together.As he parted, he had given San a dagger.A beautifully wrought foot long double edged weapon.

    San had tried to refuse the weapon, but Nexion had been insistent. Finally San relented and bade the man goodbye.

    That had been a week ago.The Trade Road was an easy and comfortable path to walk, although it varied in its maintenance depending on the village nearby, but for the most part it was wide and easy to travelupon.

    As winter was settling upon the land, there was little in the way of travelers on the Road.He had some tense encounters with patrolling warriors, the token that he had been given just barely enough for him not to be stabbed and robbed.The forest tribe was honorable in most aspects, but flaunting wealth was not a good way to stay alive and being a Foreigner was frowned upon by everyone.

    San had used some old cloth and tried to hide the pack he carried and the gear he had.Although he carried sword, dagger, and broken spear visible, he still could reach the revolver and even bear mace quickly.The stops at the villages had been only to restock his supplies and buy some information, since no one wanted to talk to him for free.He had tried spending the night in a village, but the tense confrontation by the guards and citizens had forced him instead to find a place to hide for the night in the woods.There had been some men who had followed him out into the night, but he had managed to lose them or they had gotten scared of the woods at night.

    Caution was the word to live by.The land was fairly lawless when it came to people you did not know. Most of the villagers had never really left their homes, at most traveling to the next few villages or meeting with a traveling trader once a year.Anyone who they did not know for more than a few years was suspicious and untrustworthy.

    It also made them easy targets for blame and robbery.He had been blamed for the death of a herd of animals.A sheep like creature with an anteater¡¯s snout and long neck.Apparently the morning before he arrived, a herder had their animals killed and partially eaten.When San arrived, he was the man to blame and people were already shouting for him to be tied to a pole to die.He had immediately left after that, not stopping to rest during the night.

    It wasn¡¯t all bad though, some villages were more accepting of him. The further south he went, the closer he got to the Blackened Bridge, the friendiler the people became.They were used to foreigners and traders, they weren¡¯t as suspicious and accepted his tale of being an adventurer that had fallen on hard times and was returning to the Baronies.

    Being an adventurer was looked on favorably by the southern villages, every monster destroyed was one that would not plague them or their people.They had respect for the men and women who would willingly go into the deep dark forests and places where monsters dwelled.There was honor and courage in the occupation and the high price for mana gems was reason enough to risk one¡¯s life hunting creatures.

    The headman had claimed the journey to Blackened Bridge would take twenty days in there winter and ten days in the spring, but within seven days he was nearing it. The last village he had passed several hours ago claimed it was two days away.

    Six months he had spent in bed and eating nothing but junk and drinking his sorrows away.It had been nearly a year and a half that Mary and he had gone on a long hike, the last was before she realized she was pregnant again.To say he had been physically a wreck, was to put it nicely.

    The extra pounds and weakness had been shed since he had arrived. He estimated he walked nearly thirty miles a day, far more than he ever did even when he was at his peak physical fitness. This was through snow and mud, while carrying a hundred pounds of gear.

    The forest had thickened as he left the last village, the road curving away from the river and winding through a small valley.San found a spot where a copse of trees blocked much of the wind coming from the west and provided protection against the snowfall.

    Gathering firewood was quick and easy, Wolfram ran off somewhere and returned an hour later carrying a large furry animal.By then San had a large fire burning and was cooking his own meal of jerky, oil, and barley flour to make a hot soupy meal.There was salt, but San missed spices.Even simple black pepper would have been nice.

    Fat and salt were the only flavors he had tasted in his foods, perhaps he could make a barbecue sauce.Did tomatoes exist here?San pondered his food options as he ate, washing it down with more hot tea.He was gaining an appreciation for the travel tea that the healer had given him, the Tribes called it Walker¡¯s Tea, and they were willing to sell it to him when he arrived at their villages.He had purchased far more than he should have, but the woman in the last village had supposedly just lost her husband to illness and he felt bad.A few dozen copper Imperials weren¡¯t going to bring back her husband, but it would help her through the winter.

    Wolfram let out a low growl.San looked up from the fire to see a woman walking out of the woods.He tensed ashe saw what appeared to be a dozen eyes flicker around her head.He set his hand upon his revolver and watched as she walked toward him.

    She wore a heavy white robe, with a fur lined hood.Her dark eyes flashed in the firelight as she stopped before him.She carried no gear and didn¡¯t seem to have been traveling upon the Road.

    ¡°That is a hot fire,¡± she said, looking at him. ¡°Mind if I join you here?¡±

    ¡°Warm yourself,¡± San said. The woman flashed him a smile and sat down upon a wooden stump that he didn¡¯t remember being there. Her skin was pale white, not the bronze tone of the Tribes, and her hair was jet black.

    If she had lips red as rose, San would have begun looking for dwarves.

    ¡°I have not seen your kind before,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°Travel much?¡± San asked.

    ¡°I have been places.Seen things.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not from around here.¡±

    ¡°The Many Tongues you use is a clear indicator,¡± the woman smiled.San thought he saw sharp teeth, but as he blinked they were normal once again.¡°Not from this land.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± San stirred the small pot of tea he was making. ¡°Want some tea?¡±

    ¡°I do not¡­ drink tea.¡±

    ¡°Hungry?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But not for the food I have,¡± San said.

    The woman smiled again, the sharp teeth visible for a moment.

    San poured himself some tea and sipped it, watching the woman.Wolfram eyed her for a moment, but rested her head on her paws and closed her eyes.San had learned to trust Wolfram¡¯s instincts, she had helped him escape the group of men who were intent on robbing him before.If she wasn¡¯t worried about the woman, he felt he shouldn¡¯t be either.

    The woman held her hands out to the flames, rubbing her pale arms and hands.She shivered slightly within her thick robe.

    ¡°Cold?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Always.The winter is an unkind time.A time of death and slumbering,¡± she said. ¡°But in the coldest and shortest days of the year, life is formed.So that by spring, when the coldness has ebbed, life will be brought forth.¡±

    San only nodded as he sipped his tea.The woman continued rubbing her arms, her robe opened slightly, revealing bare skin beneath; the swell of her breasts, the smoothness of her stomach. San looked away.

    ¡°It¡¯s a cold night, Sanjay. It doesn¡¯t have to be. We could make it warm together,¡± she said.

    ¡°I doubt you¡¯re very warm,¡± San said.

    The woman chuckled. ¡°Do you not wish to lie with me? Do you not lust after me?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± San said.

    ¡°Most men do.Most men would tear at my clothes and take me to their bedrolls.¡±

    ¡°Most men,¡± San said. The woman smiled again.

    ¡°There is such sadness within you,¡± she said. ¡°Yet it is not cold and despairing as sadness usually is.It is warm and comforting, like a banked fire, ready to be ignited once again. ¡±

    ¡°My sadness will reignite?¡± San asked.

    ¡°No. The new fire that will arise will not be sadness,¡± she said.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Do you not wish to lie with me?¡± she asked again, her robe parting seductively.

    San shook his head. ¡°No.But you may warm yourself by my fire.¡±

    The woman watched him for a moment. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°Your fire is very warm.¡±

    ***

    ¡°It¡¯s a fucking horned wolf, I tell ya,¡± a voice muttered.

    ¡°What the hells would a horned wolf be doing out here? They only stick around the mountains to the north and east, and the deep forests,¡± another voice said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know, alls I know is it¡¯s a horned wolf. Bad omen, it is,¡± the first voice said.

    ¡°There you go again with your fucking bad omens.You could take a shit wrong and you¡¯d call it a bad omen,¡± a third voice muttered.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, mock me.When the horned wolf comes for you in the night and drags you away, don¡¯t expect me to come rescue you,¡± the first man said.

    ¡°I¡¯d pray to the tree fuckers¡¯ Blessed Mother before I expect your bad omened ass to come rescue me,¡± the third voice laughed.

    San opened his eyes.He yawned, his jaw cracking as he did so. The room was warm and it stank of unwashed bodies, old sweat, and woodsmoke.Badly made straw bunks lined the wall and San lay in one, his pack on his side against the wall and everything else covered.

    The laughing men eyed him, their noise suddenly stopping.The three men huddled around a small table, a fire burning in a fireplace beside them, and a clay container of what San could only call vinegar wine sat between them.The three had been drinking all night, constantly waking San up with their laughter and drunken cursing.

    ¡°Oy, Foreigner,¡± one of the men called.San remembered his name was Jaspen.He had a weathered face, a scar running down one cheek, and salt and pepper in his long greasy hair. ¡°It true that the tree fuckers up north finally killed the Flesh Horror?¡± he asked.

    San sat up, taking a moment to blink away the sleep.The story about the villagers of Forest River defeating the Flesh Horror had made it to Blackened Bridge before he even got there.San suspected someone traveling by boat spreading the news as he didn¡¯t see many people on the Trade Roads heading south.

    ¡°Yeah, killed it real good,¡± San said, rubbing his face and scratching his beard.

    San packed up his gear as the men returned to their drinking and cursing one another.He made sure he had everything before leaving the bunkhouse.He was glad to be rid of the place.

    Cold wind hit him when he exited the building, bringing the smell of woodsmoke, fish offal, and human waste.The combination of smells was disgusting, but San had gotten used to it in the day he had been in Blackened Bridge.The sun wasn¡¯t even up yet, a dull color on the horizon.

    His memory was a little fuzzy, he remembered a pale woman, a soft laugh, and then a day had been lost.He found himself walking on the Trade Road, Blackened Bridge in sight but not much beyond that.It was disconcerting, but as he hadn¡¯t lost anything or wasn¡¯t injured, he set the oddity aside. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    There were technically two towns called Blackened Bridge, the one controlled by the High Chief lay on the opposite side of a massive bridge from the one controlled by the Barony.It was the border between the two peoples, one side the forest tribes and the other the Barony.

    The Barony Blackened Bridge was an old Imperial fort, abandoned within the last century and taken over by the Barony of Sol Savanis, the baron who ruled at White Tower.It wasn¡¯t a massive fort either, more like a stone keep and walls, surrounded by alarger village with wooden walls. The home of several hundred men and women and soliders of the Barony.

    The forest tribes still considered the Baronies apart of the Empire, even though they had been free from Imperial rule before the Last Emperor had died ten years ago.From what San understood, the Baronies had been the frontier of the Empire, they had been conquered and settled by Imperial citizens over a hundred years ago.

    Then the Empire had waned, their borders shrinking, allowing the Barons to rise to power and take over the area.But Blackened Bridge continued to be a source of trade for the Sol Savanis Barony, it was only one of two bridges that crossed the Red River this far south.

    In the days San had traveled from Forest River, he had stopped at many of the forest tribe villages; in all that time, he had never learned the river¡¯s name.Everyone had just called it the River, but once he left the tribe¡¯s land and entered the Barony, he learned they called it the Red River. San suspected it was a joke at the expense of the forest tribes, due to their distinctive reddish hair.

    San had relinquished his token once he left the tribe¡¯s Blackened Bridge and merely got a bored nod from a half drunk guard when he crossed into the Barony¡¯s Blackened Bridge.

    He would have continued on his journey, but he overheard a couple of guards and learned that there was a trade caravan leaving the next day.Blackened Bridge was the only town for the next four days and the road was a well known trade route.There would be plenty of bandits on it, especially now as the last of the season¡¯s trade caravans were heading south.

    The thought of camping for the night was appealing, but this wasn¡¯t the Trade Road or the forests. There were plenty of people wandering around and being outside of the fires of the village would only mean a quick death at the hands of some thief.There were plenty of ragged destitute people wandering the village, the sunken faces of the starving and beggars.

    He felt empathy for the people, but that had to be tempered with the possibility of being murdered.

    The trade caravan was easy to spot. There was only one area in the village that could hold the wagons and animals that were leaving and even this early in the morning, the air was filled with cursing and crying animals.Two dozen people rushed about, last minute lashing and tying down bundles of what looked to be furs.

    A tall lean woman in a thick padded coat was yelling orders, she had a crossbow on her back and a sword at her hip.Beside her was a big man in a long brown coat, San could see he wore a cuirass beneath the coat and had an actual matchlock rifle hanging on his shoulder.

    San paused and eyed the weapon.He had never seen such a weapon in real life, but he had seen them in plenty of pictures. The big man had a bandolier of small pouches hanging across his chest and a metal helmet padded and wrapped in cloth to prevent frost burns.

    The big man saw San watching and his eyes burrowed into him.San smiled, hefted his pack, and walked forward.

    ¡°What¡¯s your business, foreigner,¡± the big man snapped.

    ¡°I hear you¡¯re heading to White Tower, I wish to travel along,¡± he said.

    ¡°We don¡¯t take passengers,¡± the man snapped.

    ¡°I can walk.Safety in numbers,¡± San replied.

    ¡°A big fucker like you, with that giant ass pack? You¡¯ll be slower than a half dead woolly,¡± the man snarled.¡°We ain¡¯t got time for stragglers.¡±

    ¡°I assure you, I¡¯ll manage to keep up,¡± San said.

    ¡°Gonna cost you a silver; twenty sars,¡± the woman said. ¡°Protection ain¡¯t cheap.We ain¡¯t giving no charity either.You want us to protect you, then you pay up.You end up being slow, you get left behind.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    San turned and dug into his coin pouch.The money thatthe healer had given him was beginning to run low.San fished through the bag, producing a half silver and ten coppers.The imperial¡¯s currency was called sars, broken down into copper, silver, and gold. The common denomination was copper, with twenty copper sars equaling one silver sar, and a hundred silver sars equaling a golden sar.There were half coppers and half silvers, which were just coins chopped in half.

    The big man examined the coins and then nodded to the woman.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving, get your ass with the rest and be ready. Its eight days to White River.Food, water, and fuel is your own deal,¡± the woman said.¡°I¡¯m Sagaris, I own this caravan. My word is that of the Emperor. What I say goes. You refuse, you get left behind.This big mean fucker is Markona.He¡¯s second in command.If he says jump, you best jump.¡±

    ¡°You ain¡¯t no coward, are you?¡± Markona asked. ¡°Big fucker like you.¡±

    ¡°I am no coward,¡± San said.

    ¡°You be able to hold your own in a fight?¡± the woman demanded. ¡°We got some crossbows. This stretch of the Road is a real bitch, fucking Baron won¡¯t get off his ass to clear out the bandits. Every damn year we go through this shit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never fired a crossbow, but I can learn,¡± San said.

    ¡°He can fucking learn,¡± Markona laughed. ¡°You any good with that sword and spear? Or is it just for fucking show?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San said.

    The big man glared at him, puffing up his chest and facing San. He was about six feet tall, some height given to him from his riding boots, but not much.San was six foot two in his stocking feet and with his hiking boots, he stood slightly taller than the man.The large pack and heavy clothes only made him seem bigger than he really was.

    ¡°Lay off Marko,¡± the woman said. ¡°He¡¯s paid and your fucking boys are fucking things up over there.¡±

    Markona snapped his eyes toward the wagons, spotting a couple of men trying to load a heavy bundle.They fumbled it and it fell into the muddy slurry of animal shit and snow.

    ¡°You fucking morons!¡± Markona yelled, stalking toward them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push it, foreigner,¡± the woman said.She pulled out a pipe and began filling it with tobacco. ¡°Marko¡¯s a Veteran, got levels and powers.¡± She tapped the end of the pipe and San saw a flicker of light as a small flame appeared on her fingertip. ¡°Cover up that gear you¡¯re carrying too.It¡¯d be a shame to wake up one morning with your throat slit.Marko¡¯s boys are good in a fight, but even a priest of Senta would gut you for that sword.¡±

    San nodded and walked toward the caravan, the tobacco smoke trailing him.

    There were seven large wagons, with six woollys pulling each.The fantastical nature of the world produced a llama like creature, but bigger and thicker in body and longer legged that was used as a draft animal.Its head was comically small for the thick body it had, but from what he saw it was strong and fairly quick.There were horses also, but the forest tribes didn¡¯t use them much. The few he had seen were given to soldiers and men on patrol.

    San took Sagaris¡¯ advice and wrapped up his equipment more tightly.He had seen a few of the local packs, but they weren¡¯t as comfortable as his own hiking pack.At one hundred and ten liters, it was big enough to carry everything he needed and comfortable enough not to cause too much trouble.

    As the sun finally began to rise, San saw that he wasn¡¯t the only one who had paid to enjoy the company of the caravan.There were at least fifteen others that trickled in and waited as the caravan got ready.Most were lean and weathered men, their backs piled with furs and gear.

    The Red River was the demarcation line between the Tribes and the Barony, but there was a lot of wooded area and there was a lot of tributaries running from the north and east mountains.That provided a lot of game and animals to harvest for fur.

    The trappers were all heavily armed and cast about at their fellows with suspicious eyes.From what he knew, they carried an entire year¡¯s worth of goods on their back.The markets in Blackened Bridge only gave a pittance to the prices one could fetch in White Tower.Enough for a trapper to be set for the winter and to pay for repairs to their gear for spring once more.

    ¡°You got a problem, foreigner?¡± A man demanded as San scanned the people.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then watch where you¡¯re looking, you thieving fuck.¡± The man rested his palm on a short sword at his side.

    ¡°Yeah, pardon. I meant no offense,¡± San replied.

    ¡°Pardon my ass.You look like some Sickleland cunt, fire worshippers and animal fuckers,¡± the man said. ¡°We fought your kind twenty years back. Sacked your capitol at Retonagara and fucked all those Sickle bitches.¡± The man laughed and was joined by a few others.

    San was getting tired of being called a foreigner.The forest tribe people had their reddish hair and bronze skin, the Imperials seemed more a melting pot of people. The majority seemed Asiatic, their high cheekbones and long dark hair, but there were plenty of other ethnicities present.

    The man before him was an Asiatic imperial, with a thin mustache and a long wispy beard, but his friends weren¡¯t.One was a blue eyed man with coal black skin, the other was a blonde hair man with bronze skin like the Forest Tribes.The rest of the gathered trappers were split ethnically, with Asiatic imperials in the majority.

    San didn¡¯t say anything, instead he walked to a different area of the caravan. The snickering of the men followed him, but he ignored them.

    ¡°Best to ignore them,¡± an older man said.

    San looked to the man.He was weathered and had a snow white beard poking out of his hooded parka.On his back he only carried a small pack and a spear at his side.

    ¡°Those shitheels have been so out of touch with civilization, they don¡¯t know how to act.Most of them will be dead before spring, wasting their coin on fucking and drinking,¡± the man said. ¡°I¡¯m Pavano, by the way.¡±

    ¡°San.¡±

    ¡°How do, San,¡± the man nodded to San. ¡°What brings you to the edge of civilization?¡±

    ¡°Got lost,¡± San said.

    ¡°Most that come out here say the same,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Either that or they¡¯re running from the law.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Pretty shitty place to live out the rest of your life.Better to be hanged in the South than die from forest tribe attacks or monsters this far north.¡±

    ¡°That so?¡±

    ¡°Aye.At least in Votaro they say the hangman gives one last cup of Almarano vintage before they string you up.¡±

    ¡°Never had an Almarano vintage,¡± San said.

    The man looked shocked and laughed. ¡°Just don¡¯t go killing folks for a taste,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s not worth dying for.¡±

    San nodded.

    ¡°Alright you mangy fucks,¡± Markona yelled from atop of a horse.The wagoners and guards were already beginning to roll out of the gates of the village. ¡°We¡¯re moving. You lag, its your own fault. Move out!¡±

    ¡°If I had the coin, I¡¯d pay for someone to pull the stick out of that man¡¯s ass,¡± Pavano said.

    San chuckled.

    ***

    ¡°Blessed Senta,¡± Pavano said as he settled down before San¡¯s fire. ¡°You got levels, son?¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°This is the fastest I¡¯ve seen someone start up a fire.Either you¡¯re one hell of a woodsman or you¡¯ve got powers.Only person with a fire power around here is Sagaris, but that little flame trick is all about she can do. Level one, she is.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± San said, tucking the Bic lighter into his coat. ¡°No. I have no powers. Just a lot of experience. Also I¡¯ve been collecting kindling.¡±

    The man laughed as he settled his pack on the ground.¡°Gonna be colder than Hetvana¡¯s cunt tonight,¡± he said. ¡°Best get that fire roaring.¡±

    The caravan had settled down for the night, pushing across the frozen lands from Blackened Bridge all day.The woollys were unhooked, fed and watered, and campfires were going up as the sun began to set.There had been a rush for firewood and Sagaris yelling for order as the trappers, guards, and wagoners cursed the cold and wanted a fire for the night.

    San had trudged along with the others, pausing to pick up kindling and restock on his tinder as they walked. The pace was relatively slow and San had plenty of time to keep up with everyone.He guessed they had traveled at least fifteen miles, half of what he would have been able to do.It was still an intense pace, the woollys proving that they could haul the heavy loads with speed.

    He built his fire in the lee of a wagon, as the wagons had been pulled into a rough crescent shape with one side hemmed in by the ruins of a large building.The original use was lost to time, but the walls were still stout and standing, giving everyone a spot to rest from the cold.

    San¡¯s fire was apart from the rest, as the trappers had made it well known that his presence was barely tolerated.It was childish bullying behavior, but San had made sure his weapons were well within reach if it came to it.They might be bullies, but they could kill just as easily.

    Sagaris¡¯ men built massive fires on the edges of the camp, where there was no one. San watched as she made her rounds, stopping before his fire.

    ¡°Pavano. Foreigner,¡± she said.

    ¡°Cold night, Sagaris,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Only gonna get colder.¡±

    ¡°Aye, fucking Hanged King¡¯s Forest.Best keep your charms close,¡± she said.

    ¡°Hanged King¡¯s Forest?¡± San asked.

    ¡°This whole fucking place, two damn nights we¡¯ll be in it.You hear any voices at night, see someone you love calling to you from the forest edge, don¡¯t fucking go,¡± Sagaris said. ¡°Damn forest shades always take someone.¡±

    San looked at her questioningly.

    ¡°Tell him,¡± she said to Pavano before leaving.

    ¡°They say,¡± Pavano began,¡± five hundred years ago, this place was a kingdom, big, powerful, and a threat to the Empire.So the Empire made war on it, destroyed the entire thing, and they captured the king and all the nobles, then hung them from the tallest trees they could find. Now his shade lurks in these forests, along with the nobles hanged with him; they lure people into the forest.¡±

    ¡°And then what?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Kill ¡®em. Torture ¡®em. I don¡¯t know.Some say they only find the torn up remains of anyone lured into the forests,¡± Pavano said.

    San looked to the forest.The bonfires burning didn¡¯t do much to light up the place, but he supposed it would keep whatever was out there at bay.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a piss,¡± San said, getting up.

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to the voices,¡± Pavano said, setting out a pot of water to boil.

    San nodded and headed toward the woods.He faced a tree and did his business.The noise of the camp seemed to fade, the cries of the woollys, the curses of the men, the clanking of pots and pans as food was being prepared.San closed his eyes and took a long breath.

    ¡°San,¡± a voice whispered. There was a laugh in the wind.It was the same laugh Julia made when he used to spin her around.

    ¡°Daddy,¡± a voice echoed through the trees. ¡°Come play with us.¡±

    San opened his eyes.The voices came from deeper within the forests.He could make out shapes, pale and gossamer, beckoning to him.He saw Mary¡¯s face, smiling, and baby Sanjay in her arms.He waved chubby hands at him, babbling baby nonsense.

    ¡°Hold your baby boy,¡± Mary said laughing with joy.

    San watched and felt tears on his face.

    ¡°Daddy!¡± Julia cried, waving at him.

    She was so beautiful, so lively.He wanted to rush to her and grab her, hug her, and weep that she was still alive.But he didn¡¯t.

    ¡°They¡¯re not real,¡± Sagaris¡¯ voice said.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Then why?¡±

    ¡°I just want to see them.¡±

    The woman was quiet as the ghostly figures began changing. A smiling man and a tousled headed boy formed and they began waving.

    ¡°Mommy!¡± the boy cried.

    ¡°Every fucking time,¡± Sagaris said.¡°It¡¯s the only reason I do this fucking run.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    ¡°Do you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Sagaris nodded and blinked away her tears. ¡°Fucking Hanged King,¡± she said before turning away.

    Mary smiled at him and baby Sanjay waved at him. San turned around and headed to the bonfire.The heat dried his beard and face and the woodsmoke cleared his head.

    ¡°Fire in the Night,¡± he said.The flame roared for a second and there was a screech as Mary turned from smiling to snarling.She shifted into a desiccated naked figure, hunched and twisted, with scores of tentacles writhing on its back.

    ¡°Sweet Senta!¡± a trapper screamed.

    ¡°To arms!¡± Markona cried, fear twisting his face.

    Chaos erupted as the camp rushed to arm themselves and shrink back as the forest edge began flooding with naked twisted figures screeching in the night.They didn¡¯t come any closer, instead staring at the fire and wailing.

    San walked back to his campfire. Pavano hadn¡¯t moved, his pot of water boiling as he made his dinner.

    ¡°Fire in the Night?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°There was a Mage that used that power.Kept his tribes safe as he built a city on the edge of monster infested lands,¡± the man said.

    ¡°That right?¡±

    San began unpacking his cooking supplies, setting his own pot on the fire.

    ¡°Do you want some tea?¡± he asked.

 011

    11

    ¡°You didn¡¯t say you were an Adventurer,¡± Sagaris said.

    San glanced at the woman. ¡°No one asked.¡±

    She snorted and folded her arms. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have treated you like shit when we first met,¡± she said.

    ¡°That so?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re dressed like one of the forest fuckers, you¡¯re carrying odd gear, the sword is probably worth more than the fur all these damn trappers are carrying, and you¡¯re neither Tribe or Imperial,¡± Sagaris said. ¡°If you¡¯re an Adventurer, that¡¯d explain why you¡¯re out this far north.Where do you hail from?¡±

    ¡°Far from here,¡± San said.

    Sagaris sighed. ¡°You¡¯re making this hard,¡± she said.

    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to extend a bit of friendship your way,¡± she said.

    ¡°Because I¡¯m an Adventurer?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    San nodded.Sagaris frowned at his response.¡°The hell is that supposed to mean?¡± she demanded.

    ¡°I¡¯m no Adventurer. I¡¯m just a brewer,¡± San said.

    ¡°Yeah, I get that now. You ain¡¯t no Adventurer, you¡¯re an asshole,¡± Sagaris snapped and stalked off.

    ¡°Got a way with people, San,¡± Pavano said walking up to him.The old man had a spring in his step as he stood beside him.

    ¡°I suppose.¡±

    ¡°First the trappers, now the caravan leader.¡± Pavano tutted under his breath as he looked at the others.The waiting trappers followed where Sagaris had come from, their eyes locking on San and they began glaring at him.¡°Maybe your campfire isn¡¯t the best place for me to sleep.¡±

    San sighed. ¡°I suppose.¡±

    ¡°Need not worry, lad!¡± Pavano slapped San on the shoulder, a grin on his face. ¡°I haven¡¯t lived this long without knowing where the shit¡¯s gonna land.¡± He chuckled and hitched his pack a little higher.

    The two stood there, watching as Markona and the other wagoners and guards struggled to move a wagon that had slid off the side of the narrow road.The road was a deeply rutted track in the woods now, little to no maintenance having been done in years.Rain and melting snow had turned the road into a waterway, cutting deeply into it and making some sections barely passable.

    ¡°Wagons are too damn heavy,¡± Pavano stated watching as Markona cursed the men and beasts. ¡°They should unload some of it.Senta only knows why its so damn heavy, in my day we would have stripped the wagon of its cargo, got it back on the road, and have been half way to Midway before dark.¡±

    ¡°You were a wagoner?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Among my many occupations,¡± the man grinned. ¡°But my greatest occupation was the lover of women.¡±

    San snorted.

    ¡°You ever make it South to the Empire, the Priestess of Covanus are gonna be all over you.¡±

    San raised an eyebrow.¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Big man like you, thick and strong, the Covanus cult produce warriors to fight monsters.Their priestess find big strong men to father children with.¡±

    ¡°Weird,¡± San said.

    ¡°You wanna talk weird, son.That¡¯s the Cult of Hesna, Void worshippers. They think their god, Hesna, trapped herself in the Void to battle the horrors there.Crazy fuckers castrate themselves to honor her.¡± The man shook his head. ¡°The Last Emperor¡¯s son joined that cult. Got his dick chopped off and set off the civil war.Who wants to follow a dickless emperor? One that won¡¯t father any children and who worships at the altar of a void god?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the emperor now?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Well, no,¡± Pavano said. ¡°He was never proclaimed, as he and that damn Cult killed every member of the People¡¯s Voice.Law states that only the People¡¯s Voice can declare who the emperor is.They were leaning toward one of his cousins.¡±

    ¡°What happened to his cousins?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Probably dead,¡± Pavano shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s hard being of royal blood.Half the time someone¡¯s trying to use you to take power, the other half your kin is trying to kill you to maintain power.¡±

    ¡°And this civil war has been going on for ten years?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, the Last Emperor¡¯s son has hold of the Great Cities and all the trade routes to the Far Kingdoms. He¡¯s got most of the population under his thumb, but most of the legions and governors have raised the flag of rebellion.If they all worked together, they¡¯d have crushed him within a year, but they¡¯re backstabbing, bickering fools. They¡¯re scrapping the bottom of the amphora looking for distant cousins and relatives with a hint of royal blood to be their puppets.¡±

    Without a map or atlas, San could only vaguely imagine the happenings of the Empire.A ten year civil war seemed like an impossibly long time, but history in his own world had wars that lasted just as long or longer.

    ¡°How has this effected the Baronies?¡± San asked.

    ¡°The Empire isn¡¯t the only place filled with backstabbing squabbling bastards,¡± Pavano said. ¡°The eight Barons are all vying for power, they¡¯re constantly raiding and attacking one another.Especially with gold now being found in the western Barony of Sels Sentari.That¡¯s where the White Tower baron is now, he¡¯s raised up his forces in the spring and marched to reinforce the Sentaris against the other Barons, especially Sen Suvanna, who control most of the trade going into the Empire and the richer they become, the more they want.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like there is no peaceful place,¡± San said.

    ¡°Indeed. Even Suvanna is being swarmed with Imperial refugees and plagued with bandits.The western baronies were being hit hard by the Forest Tribes after their Mage Chief died.Refugees, raiding parties lead by pissed off headmen, that¡¯s mostly calmed down now that the High Chief has taken over.But they¡¯re still fighting among themselves too, with the Pretender¡¯s forces still loyal to his corpse.¡±

    ¡°You seem to know a lot,¡± San said.

    ¡°That¡¯s how I¡¯m old and loved, son,¡± the man grinned. ¡°Keep your ear to the ground and find out everything that¡¯s being spoken of in the dark.It¡¯ll keep you alive and your coin purse full.¡±

    ¡°Are you an Adventurer?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Sweet Senta, no!¡± the man looked shocked. ¡°Although with my handsome demeanor and woolly like strength, many have mistaken me for one.¡±

    San wondered what kind of world he had been brought to.It seemed unnecessarily violent and brutal. Earth hadn¡¯t been a bastion of peace and equality either, there was war and death going on across the globe that dwarfed the wars here.It just wasn¡¯t so visceral as it felt now, news reports and social media snippets sterilized the news enough that it never entered his daily thoughts.

    As he stood there, stinking of woodsmoke, sweat, and nearly two weeks without taking a bath, the world just felt far more real than it had back home. This world was violent, ugly, and dirty, but San had to admit he felt more alive.

    Although the presence of literal monsters was off putting.It felt as if any place not occupied by humanity was occupied by something that wanted to kill them.There had been the Flesh Horror, the rippers, the woman in the woods, and the Hanged King¡¯s shades.All preying upon humanity, but also being preyed on by humanity.

    The pair silently watched as the guards and wagoners worked. There was a fresh roar of curses and groans as the wagon rolled back and seemed to get stuck deeper into the rut.There was a cruel chuckle from the trappers that Markona and the others overheard and soon the two groups were yelling and posturing to one another.

    ¡°Might be here all day,¡¯ Pavano said.

    San nodded. ¡°I¡¯m going to collect some firewood,¡± he said.

    ¡°Should be safe. We¡¯re out of the Hanged King¡¯s Forest.¡±

    San took off his pack. ¡°Mind watching this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ***

    San made a pile of firewood that he had found, he set down his sling, made from two branches and two lengths ofsix foot para-cord.He piled the wood within the sling and pulled the two branches together and it wrapped the firewood.

    A twig snapped in the silence of the woods, although he could distantly hear the yelling and cursing of the guards and wagoners.

    ¡°Wolfram?¡± San asked.

    It had been nearly five days since he had last seen the wolf ram.She had been with him when he met the pale woman and when he had come to outside of Blackened Bridge.Beyond the talk of the three drunks in the bunkhouse, he had not heard of anyone spotting her.He wondered if she had stayed in Tribe lands.

    ¡°Who the fuck is that, foreigner,¡± a voice said.

    San frowned as he came face to face with the rude trapper from the first day.His name was Kenton and from what San knew, he had already gotten into fights with the guards and other trappers.He was as surly and mean spirited as he looked.

    ¡°Afternoon, gentlemen,¡± San said, dropping his bundle of wood.

    The two figures behind him snickered. ¡°Gentlemen? You hear that Dent? We¡¯re gentlemen,¡± the blue eyed man said.

    ¡°I ain¡¯t gentle.The whores at Midway can attest to that,¡± Dent replied.

    ¡°You¡¯re the reason Willox is gone,¡± Kenton snarled. ¡°That damn witch fire of yours brought those monsters to us and they took Willox.¡±

    The morning after the shades had tried to lure him away, the caravan was abuzz as one of the trappers had disappeared.The last anyone heard was that he¡¯d gone to take a shit and never returned.There wasn¡¯t much gnashing or wailing about his absence, instead a cold hearted game of dice ensued to see who would take his belongings.No one knew if he had kin or where he was headed, and honestly no one cared.His furs had been taken and the useless pile of supplies lay on the side of the road marking his existence.

    San didn¡¯t respond to the accusation.They had come here to fight him, they weren¡¯t going to listen to reason.He stepped back, giving him enough room to draw his sword.The trees weren¡¯t close to hamper his swings and if it came down to it, he could use the revolver.

    The men saw his movements and mirrored it, hands going to short swords and daggers.Their faces turned from mocking to grim, readying themselves for the fight.

    ¡°I lost a lot of brothers in Sickleland,¡± Kenton snarled. ¡°I¡¯ll gut you like your kind did to my friends.¡±

    San drew his sword and the action was copied by the others.He wished he had brought along the spear, at least the length would have kept some of them at bay.Calmness settled over him as he watched the men spread out a bit, they would come at him from all sides, he had to prevent that. A tree or two could hamper-

    Pain exploded across San¡¯s back.He lurched forward and more pain blossomed as he dropped to his knees.A fourth figure stood behind him, a sneering grin plastered on his face.

    How had he gotten behind him?

    Of course, they were trappers.They lived in the forests.

    Kenton rushed forward and kicked him in the guts.San¡¯s breath exploded out and he nearly vomited. The fourth man began wailing on him with the club and Kenton kept kicking him.

    ¡°Fucking foreign bastard!¡± Kenton screamed. ¡°Kill my brothers will ya!¡±

    ¡°Let us get a taste!¡± the other two yelled as they rushed and begin stomping down on San.He cried out and protected his head with his arms.

    ¡°Get his boots. I want those boots,¡± someone cried.

    ¡°That sword is mine,¡± Kenton growled.

    ¡°Fuck you, I¡¯m the one who took him down!¡±

    San would have laughed if he wasn¡¯t in so much pain.One of the men punched another and soon he was forgotten as they fought over who would take his sword.San grimaced and peered through his arms to see that the fourth man had Kenton against a tree and was punching him.The other two were wrestling in the snow.

    A low growl caught San¡¯s attention.He barely had a moment to turn before he saw a shape appear out of nowhere.One moment Wolfram wasn¡¯t there, the next she was.Her horns cracked loudly as she slammed into the fourth man. He cried out, his back arching.She immediately barreled into the two other men.

    ¡°Horned wolf!¡± Kenton cried, his face bloody and swollenHe immediately turned and ran, leaving the others behind.

    In less than a minute, the four men were gone.They had fled, leaving behind their weapons and a boot. San uncovered his face and lay in the snow, breathing slowly.Pain throbbed along his ribs and back, his head was fine, but his arms also ached.Nothing felt broken, but he was glad greed had distracted them.

    Wolfram appeared above him, sniffing him.San automatically reached up and scratched the side of her head.

    ¡°Good, girl,¡± he said and stopped. What was he doing?

    She didn¡¯t bite him or finish him off. Instead she leaned into his scratching and then walked off.San blinked and watched her begin sniffing the ground.He looked at his gloved hand and saw it was red with blood.

    He gingerly touched himself, wincing with pain but not finding anything bleeding.He let out a sigh of relief and sat up.There was no blood on the snow around where the men had fought, that meant Wolfram hadn¡¯t bitten any of them.The blood wasn¡¯t hers either, she didn¡¯t seemed to be injured in the short fight.

    Using a nearby tree, San pulled himself to standing.He grunted and limped after Wolfram¡¯s tracks.She had slipped away again, saving his life for the second time.He noted the drops of blood on the ground, leading deeper into the forest.

    A few minutes later he saw where the blood had come from.A man dressed in white cloth and leather lay in the snow.His stomach had been ripped out and one arm had been consumed.

    San nearly gagged as he looked down at the torn body.He saw Wolfram¡¯s pawprints all around it, there being no question of who had killed the man.He shivered at the thought of him petting her like she was a friendly dog moments before.

    Wolfram might have killed a man, but San realized he was more interested in who the man was.He wasn¡¯t dressed like a hunter or trapper, the clothing was well made and he had gear that was designed to not be seen and to protect against the cold.

    A scout of some kind?

    The man carried several daggers and a short sword.There was a quiver of arrows at his hip and an unstrung bow on his back.The face was nut brown and creased with a look of surprise and pain.

    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Sagaris¡¯ voice demanded.

    San straightened up, groaning as he did.He saw that Sagaris, Markona, and some of the guards had found him. They were breathing heavily and armed, evidently running to his rescue at the cry of wolf.

    ¡°Looks like a scout,¡± San said.He gestured to the man and Sagaris¡¯ eyes widen.

    ¡°Fucking hell,¡± Sagaris said. ¡°Kenton said you were summoning horned wolves, not killing some fucking woodsman.¡±

    They all gathered around the body, looking at it.Sagaris nudged it with her boot.

    ¡°That ain¡¯t no woodsman,¡± Markona said.He stepped forward, leaning his rifle against a tree, and bent down.His massive hands easily ripped open the blood stained coat of the man to reveal a necklace.

    He snapped the leather cord and peered at it.

    ¡°Noxitona mercenary,¡± Markona said, tossing the necklace to Sagaris.

    ¡°Noxitona?¡± San asked.

    ¡°One of the Far Kingdoms,¡± Sagaris said absently. ¡°There¡¯s only one fuck who¡¯s got Nox mercs.¡±

    ¡°Sen Suvanna,¡± Markona grumbled.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± San asked. He leaned against the tree, taking slow breaths.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. This is a scout.¡± Sagaris tossed the necklace onto the ground. ¡°Looks like Sen Suvanna isn¡¯t just fighting in Sentari, they¡¯re prowling around in these woods too.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ***

    San groaned as he dropped the bundle of firewood he had brought back to camp. The wagon had been abandoned for now, as Sagaris and Markona began unloading weapons for the defenses of the caravan.

    ¡°That¡¯s not much wood,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°I was interrupted,¡± San remarked.

    The old man looked to the trappers, the four who had attacked him were under guard.The one without a boot was shivering and had a swollen eye.The other three didn¡¯t look all that great either, their weapons stripped and sitting without coats.Why no coats?

    ¡°You that good in a fight? Taking on four Veterans and roughing them up?¡±

    ¡°They had a falling out,¡± San said.

    Pavano laughed. ¡°There is no honor among murderers,¡± he said.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±San winced, realizing he had come very close to dying again.He figured he should sell the sword or throw it away, everyone knew what it was and this was the second time he had been nearly killed for it.

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky that horned wolf had eaten its fill, otherwise you¡¯d be a filling its belly now.¡±

    San grunted in acknowledgement.

    ¡°Pretty far south for a horned wolf to be, but not unheard of.The bigger question is: Why would Suvanna be attacking a fur trading caravan?¡± Pavano wondered out loud.¡°Sure, the Sol Savanis barony and the Sen Suvanna are fighting one another, but this far north?¡±

    San shrugged. ¡°Economic warfare,¡± he said.

    ¡°What now?¡±

    ¡°Destroy trade in a region and bleed them for money,¡± San said.

    ¡°The trade with the Tribes isn¡¯t that lucrative,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Could be they¡¯re sowing chaos? Making everyone afraid.A small raiding force can wreck a lot of havoc.It¡¯s what General Innivar did during the Sickleland wars. Caught those Sickle bastards with their dicks out and lopped them off, no offense.¡± Pavano looked chagrined at his words.Kenton¡¯s claims that he was from Sickleland had been accepted by everyone now, including Pavano.

    ¡°I¡¯m not from Sickleland,¡± San said.

    ¡°Oh?Where do you hail from?¡±

    ¡°You. Adventurer,¡± Markona snapped, interrupting their conversation.

    San looked up at the big man as he held a crossbow out to San.¡°You said you were willing to learn.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to my attackers?¡± San asked. ¡°Do I press charges? Will they be punished?¡±

    ¡°They didn¡¯t kill you,¡± Markona said.

    ¡°They tried.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s resolved,¡± the big man grinned.

    ¡°Not really. If they attacked me once, they¡¯ll do it again.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t be a fool and walk out of earshot by yourself,¡± Markona growled. ¡°You have only yourself to blame there.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I pay for protection?¡± San asked.

    ¡°What are we? Baron constables? Guard watch? We¡¯re traders, kid.They¡¯re trappers. If you want to settle this little tiff you all are having, go back into the woods and be done with it.If you return or they return, then the matter will be settled.

    ¡°Plus Sagaris¡¯ got them stripped and weaponless. They¡¯ll stay that way for the night, it¡¯s punishment and as much as we can do.It¡¯s this or outright killing them.One doesn¡¯t make sars by hanging brawlers.¡±

    San sighed, seeing that his concern wasn¡¯t registering with the man.He glanced toward the four men, they were huddled up and shooting glares at him.How long before they tried again? It was five more days until they reached White Tower and there was a lot of time between here and there for accidents to happen.

    ¡°Worry not, son. I¡¯ll keep an eye on ya,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re an Adventurer, you should be able to handle them yourself.Sagaris says to arm yourself with the crossbow and be ready to defend the caravan.¡±

    San took the crossbow, it was heavy and bulky,Markona also handed him a bag of bolts.Eight inch long wooden bolts that didn¡¯t weight that much.San saw that there was only twelve in the bag.Pavano also received the same, sighing and looking the weapon over.

    Why did he pay twenty sars for protection?He probably would have been far safer traveling alone to White Tower.

    ¡°Trash crossbows,¡± Pavano announced.

    ¡°That trash bow will save your life,¡± Markona said. ¡°You try fighting Nox archers with that spear of yours.It¡¯ll stop a Nox berserker cold.¡±

    Pavano only chuckled.¡°Come on, son. I¡¯ll teach you how to shoot. Maybe we¡¯ll miss a target and accidentally hit one of your trapper friends.¡±

    ¡°If you shoot ¡®em, kill ¡®em,¡± Markona said as he walked away. ¡°Barony law is that if you cripple a man, you pay him what he would have earned for the rest of his life.¡±

    ***

    The wagon was freed from the rut in the road and San¡¯s four attackers were given their clothing back, but their weapons were held for the time being.They clustered together, casting glances at San as the caravan continued on its way.

    It wouldn¡¯t be too long before all the trappers were against him.How would Sagaris deal with that, thirteen armed trappers out for his blood? He guessed she would take the most convenient route, one that would keep her reputation intact and deliver the furs to White Tower on time.

    The lie of being an Adventurer was coming home to roost.Everyone figured he could take care of himself if he voluntarily wentout to fight monsters.Although, every time he told anyone he was a brewer, no one believed him.

    The camp was tense as they settled for the night.Sagaris had guards on patrol, she had the wagons pulled in tight and refused anyone to light a fire that night, instead Dakota fire pits were dug and men huddled around them for warmth.

    Once again, San and Pavano sat on the edge of the camp. The wind was picking up and they both shivered as their small underground fire warmed them. It was going to be a long night. San was tempted to take out his tent, but the display of such a thing would raise more questions and paint himself a bigger target.Instead Pavano and he shared an oiled leather tarp provided by Sagaris.No one had tents up tonight either.

    The death of a scout would alert the Nox mercenaries that they had been outed.Sagaris claimed they would be hit at a ford called Gannis Drowned Here, it crossed a wide tributary that lead to the Red River, a few hours away from the town of Midway.Everyone knew that an attack was imminent, but they all went about their business as if it wasn¡¯t going to happen.

    San didn¡¯t understand the laissez-faire attitude toward their life and everyone else¡¯s lives.Men grumbled about the cold night, cursed one another, gambled, or bitterly ate their cold food.Except for the lack of fires, the camp didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by a potential attack.

    ¡°Quit your fussing, son,¡± Pavano said annoyed. ¡°They¡¯ll either come or they won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°How can you be so calm about it?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Experience, boy.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be patrols out there?¡± San asked as he watched a group of guards gamble.

    ¡°They¡¯re caravan guards, not soldiers,¡± Pavano said. ¡°None of them are gonna go looking for the enemy, especially if they have Nox scouts with them. We know they¡¯re out there, they know we know they¡¯re out there, we just have to make sure we don¡¯t make it easy for them.If they¡¯re mercs, they¡¯ll realize there are easier game out there.No one wants to die, especially mercenaries.¡±

    There was truth in his words, but San still felt anxious and worried.Violence as an everyday occurrence was foreign to him. He could count all the times he¡¯d gotten into fights back on Earth on one hand.Only once had he been in mortal danger, but he had walked away with a badly scarred leg and without his family.

    They settled in for the night.It was cold enough that everyone was huddled together, San and Pavano being joined by a wagoners and two guard.They all tried to shove themselves under the tarp and out of the cold.

    San awoke suddenly, his eyes widening as he stared up at the overcast sky.The moon was hidden and the world seemed to be darker than normal.He tried to move, but a hand stopped him.

    ¡°Easy, boy,¡± Pavano said. ¡°They¡¯re out there.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡± San asked, then realized the stupidity of the question.There was only one ¡®they¡¯ out there.

    ¡°They¡¯re scouting the camp, they have the power, Dark Vision,¡± Pavano whispered.

    ¡°Fucking Nox,¡± one of the guards whispered back. San realized everyone was awake, not only him and Pavano.The guards were on their stomachs, crossbows out before them, but not touching them.San realized he didn¡¯t know where his crossbow was.He had his sword and revolver, the dagger too, but the hatchet, short sword, and spear were all strapped to his pack, with the crossbow leaning against the pack.

    ¡°Dark vision?¡± San had to ask.

    ¡°Nox mercenaries can see in the dark,¡± one of the guards whispered. ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯re so sought after.Demand a high price, those fuckers.¡±

    ¡°All of them? How do that do that?¡± San wondered.

    ¡°Mystery of the known world, son,¡± Pavano remarked. ¡°Powers come randomly, based on the person.But somehow the Noxitona figured out how to give their mercenaries matching powers.¡±

    ¡°Then they¡¯re all Leveled?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Nah,¡± a guard whispered, ¡°they have the power, but they¡¯re not Leveled.¡±

    ¡°Another mystery of the known world,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°When Sagaris cries out Senta, you¡¯d best close your eyes,¡± a guard said.

    San could make the connection. Perhaps Dark Vision was like his world¡¯s night vision goggles.Where it boosted the ambient light, enough to see by.That would mean if they made a light bright enough, it would blind them.Hopefully.

    The attack began without preamble.One moment San lay on the cold ground, looking at the overcast sky, then next there was a rain of arrows that slammed down within the camp.

    Screams erupted and San jerked to a sitting position.

    ¡°To arms!¡± Markona¡¯s voice cried in the night. ¡°To arms!¡±

    San threw himself toward his pack and grabbed the crossbow. He snatched up the bolts and joined the four other men as they rushed toward a wagon.It was their main defense.

    ¡°Gerinox forever!¡± voices screamed in the darkness. ¡°Gerinox forever!¡±

    ¡°Hetvana¡¯s cunt,¡± a guard muttered. There was a sharp ¡®Thwack!¡±and the man cursed as he accidents discharged his crossbow.He began fumbling with the goats foot lever and stirrup, trying to cock the string back.

    The road ran in a southeastern route, but as they huddled in for the night, they had pushed against a thick copse of trees and rocks, protecting their flank. There was dense woodland to their north and a wide open meadow to their east.The rocks and trees were south of them, and the west was more forests.

    San and the four men had settled on the western side of the camp, mostly due to San¡¯s unwillingness to be closer to the Trappers who were on the eastern side of the camp.

    The voices screaming were coming from the west, directly in front of San¡¯s position.

    There was the crash of brush and branches and San could hear the rumbling of feet coming at them.He looked to the west, through the darkness and saw shapes rushing toward them.

    ¡°SENTA!¡± Sagaris screamed.

    San remembered the warning and ducked his head, looking toward the ground.He heard the thump of what sound like a cannon, but a second later there was a crackling hiss that filled the air.Men and animals screamed at the sight, the sounds of horses and woollys drowning out men¡¯s screams.

    He opened his eyes, he was staring at the wagon wheel his had taken cover behind. But his shadow stood in stark relief against it, the world behind him white with light. A flare of some kind.

    ¡°Hit them!¡± Markona¡¯s voice cried.

    San hefted his crossbow and joined Pavano as they reached the edge of the wagon and looked out onto the field before them.

    Dark clothed men were cursing and had their hands clamped to their eyes.They were staggering about, shouting and screaming as they were blinded.

    Pavano lifted his crossbow and it gave a loud ¡®thwack!¡± and a bolt slammed home into a man¡¯s chest.The man screamed again, then collapsed into he snowy ground.Pavano chuckled and began reloading.

    San could only watch as half a dozen matchlock rifles thundered to life followed by over three dozen crossbows. The attackers screamed and men fell thrashing to the ground.

    ¡°Night Falls!¡± a voice boomed.

    Suddenly the light provided by the flare vanished.Darkness fell upon the camp, darker than it had been moments before.San could barely see his hand before his face.

    ¡°They¡¯ve got a fucking Mage!¡± someone cried.

    ¡°Torches!¡± Markona¡¯s voice pierced through the darkness and building fear.¡°Mages die just as easily as men!¡±

    A different sound filled the night, over the yelling and cursing, the screams of the dying, a slight rumbled began.San turned his head, blindly looking out into the night.Something was running toward them.

    ¡°Calvary!¡± Pavano shouted. San startled, not realizing he had been so close to the man. The shout was repeated down the line.

    San cursed and dug into his heavy coat.His gloved hands latched on the flashlight he carried on him nowadays.He hadn¡¯t used it much, the batteries couldn¡¯t be recharged and he was saving it for emergencies.This felt like an emergency.

    The noise was coming closer, San could almost hear the breathing of some animals, sharp and whistling.He flipped the switch and pointed it down at the incoming troops.

    San nearly stumbled back as a deer like creature screamed at him, it was tall, majestic, and had small horns on its head.It reared back, it¡¯s dark eyes glowing yellow as the light hit it.

    THAWCK!

    A crossbow bolt slammed into the chest of the beast.It cried out and the man riding it jumped off of it.He looked at San and flinched away as the flashlight shone into his face.He cried out, covering this glowing yellow eyes.

    ¡°Blind those fuckers!¡± Pavano screamed.He had snatched up San¡¯s crossbow and fired a second bolt. Catching the man in the arm.He screamed and staggered back.

    San took the man¡¯s advice, 800 lumens of condensed light flashed across the night. The Darkness Falls power didn¡¯t seem to effect it and the bright light blinded those that looked into it.San abandoned the crossbow to Pavano and pulled out his revolver.He held the light in his left hand and the gun in the right.

    Fires were beginning to ignite as torches were brought to bear to combat the power.

    The deer like animals charged the wagons, San didn¡¯t know how many there were, but there was a lot.They leaped over the high stacked loads and gracefully landed among the men.

    ¡°Spears up!¡± Markona was yelling.

    Swords began flashing, then the roar of gunpowder weapons.San cast the light toward the attackers, seeing as the riders carried single shot pistols strapped to their bodies.They dropped the guns and pulled their curved swords, slashing down at the guards.

    The wagon thudded.San aimed the light upward, to the top of the wagon and saw a deer standing upon it.He saw the glint of a man¡¯s cuirass and a pistol aimed down at him.

    San didn¡¯t think, he reacted.He pulled the trigger of the revolver and felt it buck in his hands.The man screamed and dropped like a sack from the top of the wagon. He hit the ground hard, the bullet having punched through his cuirass and burying itself in his chest.His breath was labored and wet, the smell of hot iron in the air.

    ¡°San!¡± Pavano yelled, snapping San out of his staring.He turned to find the man wrestling with another, a dark clothed soldier who was carrying a tomahawk and dagger. The man was screaming and San raised his revolver again and fired.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Pavano cursed.San shone the light on him and saw blood running down his left arm.¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Keep fighting.¡±

    San nodded, even though the man couldn¡¯t see him.The squealing of horses caught his attention and San saw more riders plunging into the camp. They dodged the wagons and had swords and pistols at the ready.

    They were going to be overrun.

    ¡°Kill them all!¡± a voice cried, not in Imperial. It was a different language. ¡°We get the gold, we¡¯ll be rich!¡±

    Gold?

    Thump!

    San jerked back as an arrow sprouted in the wooden wagon before him.He cursed, why was he so distracted?

    A Nox soldier was pulling back on his bow, aiming for San and his light. San fired again, hit the man in the arm and he spun away crying out.San steadied his aim and shot the man in the chest.He flopped to the ground.

    Two men came at him. San fired into the center of mass of the first and he crumpled, clutching his punctured cuirass.The second man smashed into him.He carried a tomahawk and a dagger, the sharp blades reached down to him, drawing a thin line across his cheek.

    San cursed and they rolled on the muddy ground.His flashlight and revolver falling away.He gripped the man¡¯s forearms, preventing him from stabbing him.

    ¡°Fucking die!¡± the man was screaming in another language.San bucked underneath him, trying to get him off of the top of him.He cast about looking for a weapon and saw the matchlock pistol of the man he had shot lying near him.

    San surged and threw the man off of him.He rolled, grabbed the pistol and raised it.The man cursed and San pulled the firing lever. The gun roared in his hands, a thick cloud of smoke enveloping the weapon.The man screamed as the lead ball took his arm off at the elbow.He stared at it dumbfounded.

    That look of horror came to an end as Pavano appeared and stabbed his sword down into the man¡¯s neck and into his chest, puncturing down into his soft insides.The man gargled blood and stared uncomprehendingly at San.

    ¡°The fight¡¯s not over, boy!¡± Pavano shouted.

    San blinked, finally noticing the chaos around him. The surge of deer and horses had been stopped, the entire camp was in a mad battle with melee fights happening everywhere.A huge bonfire was burning in the middle of the camp, when had that been built? The sound of gunfire had ceased as all the weapons had been fired, now the only noises were steel against steel and cries of pain.

    Pavano picked up an unfired crossbow.San saw that it had belonged to the guard who had misfired it.The guard lay with his chest cleaved open. When had that happened? Just a few minutes ago they had all been huddled under the tarp.

    ¡°San!¡± Pavano shouted and San blinked again, his head clearing.

    The battle was raging around Markona and Sagaris.The guards were holding back the black clad troops, San saw the trappers also among the fighters.For the moment, Pavano and he had been overlooked.

    San grabbed the second pistol off the dead deer rider.The small match cord still smoked and Pavano was already stripping the man of ammunition.One handedly loading the other pistol.San rushed and picked his flashlight and revolver.

    He dumped the casings out and dug into his pocked for more shells.

    BOOM!

    San clapped his hands over his ears as the sound of thunder blasted through the campsite.The sound didn¡¯t only deafen him, but he felt sick and tired.His eyes suddenly heavy and his body weak.

    San turned and saw that the wagon he had been sheltering behind had been overturned.Pavano lay sprawled in the mud, a mini avalanche of bundled furs half burying him.A man; dressed not in black, but red and white, stalked across the mud.His steps were sure and grateful, he moved like he owned the place.

    His face was all sharp angles and his eyes glinted yellow in the firelight.He was a Nox. Not a soldier, but¡­ San looked at the robes, a Mage.

    The man lifted his hands over his head, the battle was still raging, the massive boom having effected everyone.Sagaris was on her feet, bloody and yelling.Markona was rolling in the mud with another soldier.Most of the attackers and defenders were on the ground, suffering the same fate as San.

    The mage had been forgotten in the fighting.Now he made his appearance, ready to strike from behind as everyone was focused on the fight.San pushed himself, forcing limbs that didn¡¯t want to move to reach for the pistol still smoking on the ground.He quietly cursed.He just wanted to sleep, to close his eyes, to rest and never wake up.

    His half numbed fingers wrapped around the weapon. The trigger was a lever that extended to the handle. San was careful not to depress it, as the barrel was pointed straight at him.

    How far was the range of a matchlock pistol? He had always heard that old matchlocks or arquebuses weren¡¯t very accurate.That would make matchlock pistols worse.He didn¡¯t know where his revolver went, so San lifted the pistol up.

    His arm was shaking as he leveled it on the man.The mage¡¯s arms were beginning to crackle with energy and the yellow eyes seemed to flash.

    San depressed the firing lever and promptly fell over.

    ***

    Sanjay Elias King

    [Brewer] Level 2

    - Fermentation I

    San snapped his eyes open, energy and power seemed to surge through him.He let out a gasp and saw that it was still dark and the smell of blood, piss, and smoke were still in the air.He sat up, noting that all his aches, pains, and injuries were gone.He felt great.

    He had leveled up.

    The mage was twitching on the churned ground, the red and white robes rising and falling as the body shuddered.San saw the pooling blood beneath the Mage, as lax hands gripped a grisly wound on his face. The matchlock ball had pierced the Mage through the jaw, but had not exited.The man was dead, but the brain was still coming to terms with it.

    San dropped the still smoking matchlock pistol and saw the glint of the revolver in the firelight.He scrambled toward it and began shoving the dropped shells into the weapon. His hands clumsy with cold and nerves.

    Once reloaded, he rushed to Pavano.The man was blinking and looked at him confused.

    ¡°Pavano!¡±

    ¡°Ah, what the fuck was that?¡± he demanded.

    ¡°Mage.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Leg hurts.¡± He moved an arm patting his lower extremities. ¡°Still got my balls and dick,¡± he said.

    San had to chuckle.

    He helped to pull the man out of the stacks of heavy furs.He sat him against a stack, taking a quick look at him.San picked up the pistol and crossbow he had dropped.

    ¡°Use it,¡± the man said.¡°My head¡¯s a mess. Can barely even think straight.¡±

    The fighting was still going on, although now it was more or less a slugfest as the two groups weren¡¯t giving up.San snatched up the weapons, shoved his revolver into his pocket, and rushed to help.

    A black clad man was pounding someone into the mud, a wild look in his yellow eyes.San kicked him hard in the ribs, enough to throw him off of the man. He raised the crossbow and fired it, the bolt punching the man through the neck.The wild look didn¡¯t fade as he died.San looked down to see a swollen face man, looking at him.It was Kenton.

    Another man yelled, charging him.San dropped the crossbow, eliciting a cry of pain from Kenton, and raised the matchlock pistol. The man was barely five feet from him when he fired.The boom rang out across the raging battle and sent the charging man flailing backward, his cuirass caved in and bleeding.

    ¡°Your Mage is dead!¡± San yelled.Yellow glowing eyes looked at him and then glanced behind them.Everyone stared at the dead mage¡¯s corpse.

    San pulled out his sword. ¡°The Mage is dead!¡±

    The trappers and guards and wagoners began shouting; they surged forward with renewed vigor, their weapons flashing.The black clad soldiers were shocked by the death of their Mage, now they turned and ran.Bolts from crossbows and thrown weapons followed them into the night as they fled.

    ¡°Hetvana¡¯s cunt,¡± Sagaris said, limping toward San. ¡°Did you kill the mage?¡±

    ¡°I think so.¡¯

    Sagaris laughed, slapping him hard on the shoulder. ¡°Mage Killer!¡± she cried.

    ¡°Mage Killer!¡± the exhausted guards, wagoners, and trappers cried.

    San sheathed his sword and looked down at the matchlock pistol in his hand.He looked back to Sagaris who was grinning. The people were cheering, but all San could hear were the sobs of pain and agony as the wounded writhed on the cold muddy ground.

 012

    12

    ¡°How can you be this bad at riding a horse?¡± San asked as Pavano gloomily looked at him and clutched the saddle horn.

    ¡°I¡¯m a lover, a poet, a singer, but a rider? There¡¯s a reason I was walking, boy.You think I can¡¯t afford a horse? A mule? I could afford hundreds, but I refuse to ride these unruly creatures.¡± Pavano had been upset when his leg had swollen up and then blackened with bruises.The heavy load of furs hadn¡¯t been the only thing to hit him, there had been crates beneath all that fur.

    Crates of gold ore.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t hit us for the furs or just to be assholes,¡± Pavano declared when he had been hoisted onto the horse. ¡°It¡¯s that damn gold ore they¡¯re after.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ the western barony gold?¡± San asked. ¡°Sentari?¡±

    ¡°Nah, Sentari¡¯s a well built barony. They export tin and know how to mine and refine metal.This gold is done by amateurs.¡±

    ¡°Prospectors?¡± San asked. There was a lot of land out there, most of it haunted by monsters and horrors beyond imagining.

    ¡°The Tribes,¡± Pavano said. ¡°We¡¯re too far north to get Sentari gold.The Red River doesn¡¯t flow that way, it flows southeast, to White Tower. There¡¯s no navigable rivers or tributaries heading north to Blackened Bridge.¡±

    ¡°What would the Tribes be paying for with gold ore?¡± San wondered.

    ¡°Gunpowder.Getting your hands on a matchlock is pretty easy. A decent smith can make one in a few weeks, just from an example. But gunpowder, only the Baronies and the Empire know that secret.¡±

    ¡°So Sagaris is selling out the Baronies?¡± San mused. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like she would.¡±

    ¡°Traders,¡± Pavano said. ¡°It¡¯s all sars to them.As long as they make more than they spend, they¡¯re fine with a little black market dealings.¡± The man cursed as he rubbed his leg.¡°But it¡¯s not her.She doesn¡¯t have the connections to the gunpowder makers, she¡¯s just a common citizen like everyone. It might be the baron himself.Selling to the Tribes to make them fight, the Pretender¡¯s people haven¡¯t promised their spears to the High Chief.They¡¯re still fighting in some of the far western villages.¡±

    San mulled over the political landscape of the place. Nox mercenaries from beyond the Inland Sea, fighting in Sentari, the Forest Tribes heading back to civil war.He had arrived during interesting times in this world.

    ¡°You should be riding this horse, not me,¡± Pavano said, looking down at San who walked beside him.

    San shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said.

    The older man snorted. ¡°You got your ass kicked yesterday, you got pummeled pretty hard in that fight last night, then you spent the entire night patching up the assholes who tried to kill you, then joined Markona to hit their camp at sunrise.I¡¯d be dead on my feet if I did half of that.¡±

    San had to admit he was tired, but it wasn¡¯t exhaustion. It was more a mental tiredness he had felt after dealing all night with the injured. The only qualified healer had been killed by a stray arrow in the first minutes of the fight.Using giant sharpen knives and what amounted to .50 caliber lead balls to fight, left a lot of terrible wounds.

    He was no healer, but he was all they had.The first aid training he had received years ago had helped, but it wasn¡¯t enough to save many.The wounds were too grievous and the blood loss too much.If they survived the night, they had a good chance of recovery.He wished he had Amara the Healer around, to do her literal magic to save lives.

    There had been forty three people in the caravan.Ten wagoners, fourteen guards, and fifteen trappers. In addition to Sagaris, Markona, Pavano, and San himself.

    Ten men had died during the night attack.Four wagoners, five guards, and one trapper.nineteen had been wounded, with an additional three more dying before sunrise.It was a terrible amount of death and San wasn¡¯t the only one who leveled. A hysterical trapper claimed to have gained level 2, but he would never go and trap game again, as he had lost his left leg from the knee down and most of the fingers in his right hand, leaving behind a thumb and half an index finger.

    Gaining a level healed a person, but it did not repair all the damage.A missing limb would remain missing. But all their other injuries would be healed as they leveled. It was what happened to San, he had been battered and bruised, but when he leveled he was back to perfect health.

    That boost in levels had kept him going all night.As he clutched the flashlight in his mouth, as he tried stitching bloody wounds, as he wrapped shaking men in cloth and heard their whimpering prayers.Some of the work had been for naught, especially when it came to the Nox mercenaries.

    Before sunrise, any Nox that lived through the night was hung from the nearest tree.San watched, livid, as Sagaris and the few upright guards killed them one by one.He had tried saving their lives too.

    Markona had then taken a group of men, San included, to hit their camp.They were in disarray and it was the time to strike.The camp was found three miles from the ambush site, tucked in a small valley.There they found the scattered remains of the camp, abandoned weapons, tools, tents, food, and supplies, along with a dozen horses.They also found three badly injured mercenaries that had been left behind.Markona killed them.

    The rest had fled, the final death toll was twenty seven Nox mercenaries. With possibly eight or so fleeing.

    Only ten people among the caravan were in any shape to be walking.The others were in various states of injury, from Pavano¡¯s swollen leg to a trapper who was dying from a sword wound to the guts.That would be a slow and painful death unless they found a skilled Leveled healer.

    The true cargo of the fur caravan had been discovered.Pavano had been clipped by a wooden crate that had spilled open when the Mage blasted the wagon over.Inside the crate was raw gold ore.Every wagon had a load, tens of thousands of sars in each crate. It was no wonder that the mercenaries had attacked them.

    Either the Nox had a better intelligence network than anyone realized or the caravan had been sold out.Markona had ¡®questioned¡¯ a few of the surviving Nox mercenaries and they weren¡¯t out there on Suvanna orders, their Mage had learned the information from elsewhere.

    San had a dreadful feeling when the cargo was revealed.With that much wealth just sitting there, it would turn most men into raving savages.That raw gold represented more than most of the men there could earn in a lifetime or twenty.

    The only option was clear. Everyone would have to be killed.To keep the secret. To prevent it from being stolen.Pavano knew the score, he had squirreled away two matchlock pistols, a crossbow, a sword and his spear.He was prepared to go out fighting.As they said: two could keep a secret if one was dead.

    Sagaris had seen reason though.There were only ten walking men and women, ten people who could man the wagons and fight.San was among them, along with three other trappers who had come through the fight mildly battered.There were only Markona, Sagaris and two other guards, and two wagoners left standing.

    It was possible that those four could kill everyone, but unlikely.They had been hit too hard and they had too many injured.Generosity had been used instead. The carrot, not the sword.

    ¡°The loot is yours,¡± Sagaris declared. ¡°The dead, the furs from those that didn¡¯t make it, the weapons, the horses.¡± That perked up a lot of the not so injured. ¡°We need to get to Midway before nightfall.The injured are to be carried in one wagon, we¡¯ll need help unloading the furs.¡±

    San put his back into helping turn over two wagons that had been blown over by the Mage.Both wagons were pretty damaged, but one of the wagoners quickly got them stripping one down and replacing the damaged parts on the other.Within two hours it was ready to pull the injured.The walking wounded were quickly stripping the dead, Pavano included.

    He tried telling himself it was just the way of this world.He imagined that in any pre-industrial society, the sheer effort it took to make most things, like the cuirass the Nox soldiers wore, or even their black clothing.Everything had value, even if to San it wasn¡¯t worth taking. By mid-morning the dead were lying naked in heaps, the wagoners, trappers, and guards had more care taken into laying them to rest, but the Nox were just dumped to the side of the road.

    Breakfast was a hearty meal of woolly steaks.Only three woollys had died in the attack, along with two horses, and three deer.The deer calvary was supposedly a mark of a high born Nox, only their Blooded rode those.That meant that the caravan was attacked by a noble family or someone allied to a noble family. It just made things more interesting, according to Pavano.

    ¡°The horse is yours,¡± Sagaris said to San.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Why? Just take the damn horse,¡± she snapped.

    ¡°He killed a Mage,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Should be a bigger bounty for that.¡±

    ¡°This ain¡¯t the military, old man. We don¡¯t pay out bounties for dead Mages,¡± Sagaris replied.She looked at the travois that San and Pavano had made. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve already grabbed your fair share.¡±

    Pavano grinned down at Sagaris.¡°I¡¯m looking out for the boy, reminds me of when I was young.Big, strong, and who knows, he might also have a giant cock just like me.¡±

    Sagaris snorted and walked off.

    ¡°They pay bounties on Mages?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, enemy mages.Five thousand sars a mage is the going rate.They¡¯re the real kicker in any battle. Every dead enemy mage is a hundred soldiers who will live to see the next fight.We were lucky, this Mage wasn¡¯t prepared for a bloody fight; he had to come in and try to salvage the battle, but you got to him instead.¡±

    San patted the horse.It was midnight black and sleek.He didn¡¯t know much about the animals, although Mary had.The most he understood about horses was not to look a gift one in the mouth.

    The animal had been well cared for, the coat was still glossy and his hooves were neatly trimmed.

    ¡°How much would this horse cost?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Two thousand sars.It¡¯s a Nox light calvary horse.Made for speed and distance. Good for raiding.¡±

    San looked at the gear that Pavano had gathered ¡®for him¡¯ as San had been too busy helping the caravan.There were cuirasses, swords, spears, and more matchlock pistols and a pair of rifles, along with ammunition and gunpowder.He also saw packs of food, water, and other items that Pavano had salvaged.He didn¡¯t question the man or tell him to leave it; instead he just shrugged and, as the caravan headed out, walked by his side.

    A woolly was braying and trying to struggle out of its halter.San watched it, the beast constantly looking back at the campsite and letting out a mournful cry.The dead horses, woollys, and deer all had been butchered for the meat and not much was left behind.

    ¡°Always sad to see,¡± Pavano said, watching San. ¡°Woollys are trained from a year old to work with another of their kind. Males with males, females with females.If one dies, the other is useless.Can¡¯t pull a cart and eventually they get sad and die.That¡¯s a good one too, still young and healthy, probably gots about seven more years left on it.¡±

    San nodded.It would be hard to keep going if you lost your partner.

    ***

    Midway wasn¡¯t a town but more of a fortified brothel and bar.It had high wooden walls and a narrow gateway to the interior. The fort itself was small and seemed to be stocked with the dregs of the Sol Savanis military.Most were old, too young, or drunk, although they were overseen by a thin wiry man who called himself Captain Powen.

    The fortress healer and the town healer were called up, both weren¡¯t great and didn¡¯t have Levels.Pavano and San weren¡¯t allowed into the fortress and headed toward the walled town beside the wooden fort.

    The only reason the town existed was as a rest stop between Blackened Bridge and White Tower.It was a military garrison, or had been, but a town developed around it and it made a decent amount of money off of travelers, merchants, and soldiers.

    Sex and booze were the main attractions.Those trappers who were still able, immediately bee-lined toward the brothels, their loot in tow.Pavano scoffed, claiming he didn¡¯t indulge in whores when the sun was still up, else Senta would get jealous.

    Instead they parked the horse in a quiet spot, with the fort and the brothels visible.San sat down on a stump, feeling the exhaustion finally beginning to settle into him.

    He stared at the dirty buildings that lined the dirt street, women and men in various states of undress prowled the boardwalks even as a cold wind blew down the narrow streets.They called out to men and women, displaying goose bumped flesh and making lurid catcalls.

    ¡°A woman¡¯s touch is always better in the winter,¡± Pavano said, looking at the sex workers.¡°It feels more real when the world is death and slumbering.¡±

    The words tickled San¡¯s mind.Someone had said something similar before, but he could not remember who.

    ¡°Look alive, son,¡± Pavano said.

    San looked up to see Sagaris walking toward them. The tall woman had her hand on her sword and scowled at the beggars and whores lining the boardwalks.

    ¡°Where you two off to?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Just looking for a spot to rest.The captain isn¡¯t welcoming to travelers, eh?¡±

    ¡°Military,¡± Sagaris replied. She looked down at San. ¡°We¡¯re heading back to the ambush sight, Powen¡¯s got a tracker and an intelligence officer, says they might find out why the Nox are out here. Wanna join?¡±

    ¡°The boy¡¯s been through a lot,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Up all night healing the wounded, going with Markona to the Nox camp.¡±San noted he said nothing about the wagons or the gold.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty exhausted,¡± San said. ¡°I wanna check on the wounded too.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve got healers here,¡± Sagaris said.

    ¡°Have you seen them?¡± San asked.He had glimpsed the town healer, a man with dirty robes that had been coughing raggedly has he rushed into the fort.

    Sagaris frowned. ¡°Yeah.¡± She looked to the brothels and frowned again. ¡°What are your plans?¡±

    ¡°The Mage Killer will probably have every whore swooning for him,¡± Pavano grinned. ¡°Plus, we have to liquidate these items we ¡®salvaged¡¯.¡±

    At the word liquidate, Sagaris grinned. ¡°Tomkin is our quartermaster. The one with the broken arm.He¡¯ll buy anything off of you that you¡¯re not interested in getting killed for in this shithole of a town.¡±

    ¡°Easier to hide sars than a cuirass,¡± Pavano said.

    Sagaris chuckled. ¡°Easier to sell them here than in WhiteTower.¡± She looked at the two. ¡°I¡¯m off then. We¡¯ll be here for a few days, stick around. The captain is sending a priority message to White Tower, it¡¯ll be much safer in a few days.¡±

    San nodded. ¡°Sure,¡± he said.

    With that Sagaris walked off, shooting glances at the brothels.

    ¡°So they gonna try and kill us?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Oh, definitely,¡± Pavano replied. ¡°We were dead the moment that crate hit me.¡±

    ¡°What about the trappers?¡±

    ¡°Dead,¡± Pavano replied. ¡°Accidents during the night.Too much wine, too much sex, or too drunk that they pass out in the snow. The usual things, like accidentally hanging yourself or being gutted by a beggar turned thief in the night.¡±

    San nodded again.He felt he should warn them, tell them to flee, but his reputation with the trappers was beyond abysmal even after the battle.He would be laughed at and then probably attacked.They were well into their cups and if Pavano was right, well into their women too.

    He rubbed his face and looked back as Sagaris disappeared into the fort.The sun was still in the sky, but it was heading toward evening.San guessed there was about three hours of daylight left.

    They sat there for another hour before Sagaris, Markona, and the other men left.San had nodded off but was nudged by Pavano¡¯s spear.He tilted his head toward the fort and they went to find Tomkin.

    ***

    The quartermaster was a thin man with a bushy beard. He sat cradling his arm in the fort¡¯s mess hall.Pavano had managed to get San and him pass the guards, liberally using San¡¯s exploits and Sagaris¡¯ name.

    ¡°Aye, Sagaris said you¡¯d come by,¡± he said.He had his hand around a clay cup of wine and by the look in his eyes, it wasn¡¯t his first either.¡°Selling your goods, always good to have coin.¡± He swirled his cup.¡°I think we can get you a good deal on those cuirasses, a little smith work and those holes will be gone.¡± He laughed at that.

    ¡°We¡¯re not selling the gear,¡± Pavano said. ¡°How much for the horse.¡±

    ¡°Horse?¡± the man blinked. ¡°Oh, the Nox horse.Why are you selling the horse?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever owned a horse?¡± Pavano asked. ¡°Those blasted animals are expensive. Grain everyday, water, brushing, the tack needs to be constantly oiled, not to mention the shodding and stabling.¡±

    The quartermaster nodded. ¡°Aye, but they¡¯re lovely animals.¡±

    ¡°And we can¡¯t sell the horse in White Tower.The Horse Tax is still in effect. Unless you have the Baron¡¯s Seal or are a Trader like Sagaris. I¡¯m not paying a quarter of the value in taxes for a fucking horse.¡±

    ¡°Aye, aye. Taxes.¡±

    ¡°Plus we ain¡¯t lords.You might have mistaken me for one, but my blood is as salty as the Inland Sea, as bitter as the wine you¡¯re drinking.¡±

    ¡°Sagaris didn¡¯t leave me with much coin,¡± the man said. ¡°Not enough for that horse and your gear.¡±

    ¡°We trade then,¡± Pavano said. ¡°That¡¯s a Nox light warhorse, worth at least two thousand five hundred sars, we¡¯ll sell it to you for the three woollys without a wagon to pull and five hundred sars.That¡¯s a fucking steal, mate.¡±

    ¡°The hell you want woollys for?¡± the man asked. ¡°The boss is already talking bout selling the lone one for meat.A good price we¡¯ll fetch in winter.¡±

    ¡°Exactly, my man,¡± Pavano said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sell a damn horse in White Tower if I had all winter, but I can sell three woollys in three hours there.Plus the ugly things will eat anything. I could toss one down a well for the entire winter, only feeding it my table scraps and come spring it would be good enough to haul Tribe timber from Blackened Bridge to Senta¡¯s Temple.¡±

    The quartermaster was nodding. ¡°The Baron is always looking for horses,¡± he said. ¡°Sagaris¡¯ got an in with the man, a new Nox horse to breed with his own, he¡¯d probably like that.¡±

    ¡°Aye, aye. Those rich bastards always like making things fuck for them,¡± Pavano said. The quartermaster laughed and drained his cup.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go look at this horse of yours,¡± the man said, getting up.

    Pavano winked at San as they exited the mess hall.

    ***

    Night fell and they left Midway as the lax guards were closing the gates.The guards didn¡¯t care and just looked annoyed as they crossed the threshold and headed down the road to White Tower.

    ¡°How much are these woollys worth?¡± San asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re young and strong, a good price at four hundred sars each,¡± Pavano said. ¡°About half of what the average farmer makes in a year.¡±

    ¡°So we just sold a two thousand sar horse for seventeen hundred sars?¡± San asked.

    ¡°We got five days of grain too,¡± Pavano grinned.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°The horse is a trap,¡¯ Pavano said. ¡°Sagaris knows we can¡¯t sell it in White Tower.No one¡¯s gonna buy a horse without ownership tablets, they¡¯ll figure it¡¯s stolen and they hang horse thieves.If we do sell it, she¡¯ll know where we went.Only nobles ride horses or the military. Not lowly citizens like us.Horse sales are always recorded.¡±

    ¡°These woollys are branded too,¡± San said. ¡°They¡¯ll know where we sell them.¡±

    ¡°Aye, that¡¯s why we¡¯re going to a friend of mine near here. About half a night¡¯s travel.¡±

    San didn¡¯t argue with the man.He knew what he was doing and San was just along for the ride.He had no desire to die to protect the secret of the gold ore.For now he just wanted a warm meal, a soft bed, and a long uninterrupted sleep.

    The woollys weren¡¯t comfortable walking during the night and San had to keep tugging their leads.The lone woolly had stopped braying, instead had his head down and walked silently after them.San felt sad for the beast.

    Well past midnight, Pavano lead them off the trade road and into the woods.San was a bit hesitant at first, as every experience seemed to revolve around the woods hiding some kind of horrors.Pavano said it was fine, the whole place had been blessed by Senta¡¯s priests a year ago.

    That didn¡¯t mean much to San, but he followed the man¡¯s directions.Soon they had passed through the trees and entered a wide open valley.San saw houses in the distance, small clusters of homes and wide open fields, all covered in snow.

    ¡°Some of the best farming is done around here,¡± Pavano said. ¡°People call it Alkavarea¡¯s Komai.¡±

    ¡°Komai?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an Imperial title, means land owner, big land owner.When this place was settled by the Empire, the komai were land grants given to soldiers and officers. This spot was settled by the Alkava family.¡±

    San noted a massive stone pillar standing in a field, it was an obelisk with strange carvings upon it¡¯s surface.

    ¡°They build that?¡± San asked.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s Old Tribe totems. This land used to be the Tribe¡¯s, they moved in after the Empire destroyed the Hanged King¡¯s kingdom.They were here for a good three hundred years, then the Empire came back, kicked their asses and took over.¡±

    They traveled in silence as San mulled over the history of the place.One kingdom destroyed by the Empire, then the Tribes moved in, they were then tossed out, the Empire settled, then waned, the Barons took over, and now the Empire was in civil war, along with the Baronies.

    There was a large single story stone house at the far end of the valley.False dawn was beginning and San looked to the heavens, watching as the strange stars and sky loomed over him.

    ¡°Announce yourself or be killed!¡± a voice shouted.

    San jerked for his revolver, but Pavano stopped him.

    ¡°Pavano the Traveller, with his companion, San the Foreigner,¡± he announced. San sighed at the name.¡°I¡¯m here to see Obaris Alkava.¡±

    ¡°Pavano, you sly fuck, that you?¡± a voice called from the other side of the road.San looked and saw dark shapes moving out from the snow.He hadn¡¯t even seen them.More shapes emerged from the other side, holding crossbows.

    ¡°Obaris, you fat fucker.How do?¡±

    ¡°Damn late for a fucking visit, old man.Damn near froze my nuts off in this ambush.¡±

    ¡°Figured Magano would have taken them already,¡± Pavano replied.

    A tall and gaunt looking man approached the two.He had a gap toothed grin and a face that looked like someone had used it as an anvil.He slapped Pavano on the shoulder and looked to San.

    ¡°Got horrible taste in bedwarmers, Pavo,¡± he said.

    ¡°The big ones keep you the warmest,¡± Pavano replied.

    ¡°Aye, looks like it. How do, foreigner?¡±

    ¡°Hello,¡± San said.

    ¡°Talks strange, this one,¡± the man said.

    ¡°Aye, good in a fight though. Speaking of which, why the fuck you out here in the middle of the night.¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°Got watches up now.Three days back, Hakkata and his boys were out fishing near the Red, they were all killed. Every last one of the lads,¡±

    ¡°Sweet Senta.¡±

    ¡°Aye, horse tracks and gunpowder wounds,¡± the man shook his head. ¡°Bandits probably, could be Suvanna coming to fuck with us. Almost as bad as when the Tribes were raiding, but we learned how to deal with those fucks, eh, boys?¡±

    The gathered men shouted in agreement.

    ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s colder than Hetvana¡¯s cunt out here, Ob.Let¡¯s got somewhere my balls aren¡¯t in the back of my throat.¡±

    ¡°What happened to your leg, old man?¡± Obaris asked.

    ¡°They got some new Far Kingdom whores at Midway,¡± the old man laughed as he limped toward the stone house.San watched them for a second, then a young man, barely out of his teens walked up and took the leads for the woollys.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± San said as the boy led the three woollys and their travois away.

    ¡°You gonna stand there all night like a poleaxed woolly?¡± Pavano shouted to San.¡°Orbaris only likes ¡®em without beards, if you¡¯re worried.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Magano, my love!¡± Pavano shouted as a stout older woman entered the room. ¡°Every town I stop at,I tell the tales of the most beautiful woman in the western baronies.¡±

    ¡°Still telling lies, then,¡± the woman shot back.She hugged Pavano and stared at San. ¡°Who¡¯s the big foreigner?¡±

    ¡°San.¡± San replied, extending his hand. The woman looked at it, looked at Pavano, and then the man Orbaris.

    ¡°Taking in strays now?¡± the woman asked.

    ¡°Aye, he¡¯s adorable, is he not?¡± Pavano said.He grinned at San.

    ¡°What are you doing out here?¡± Orbaris asked, he sat down heavily on a wooden stool as Magano began tutting around a banked fire. Soon it was burning again and the kitchen was filled with the warm orange light.¡°What trouble have you gotten into now, old friend?Times are hard these days, we don¡¯t got much to offer anymore.¡±

    Magano set three cups on a table and brought out a clay jar.She poured out a measure of drink into each cup and returned to the fire.

    ¡°To your health,¡± Orbaris said, Pavano repeated the phrase and they drank the liquid.

    San was pleasantly surprised by the dry crisp taste.It was alcoholic, but not the vinegar wine that everyone drank.The alcohol, San realized, was much to be desired in this world. The Imperial drink of choice was cheap diluted vinegar wine that San thought of as posca, like the old Roman drink.San finished the cup eagerly; it was mead.

    ¡°Honey wine,¡± Orbaris clarified.

    ¡°Damn near a woodland savage now, are ya?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°Tribes sell it cheap and it gets me drunk enough,¡± the man said.

    ¡°Sorry about Hakkata,¡± Pavano said to Magano.¡°Good man, good boys too.¡±

    ¡°Fucking bandits,¡± the woman muttered, clearly emotional.¡°Hetvana will flay their souls when they¡¯re caught.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re on our way to White Tower,¡± Pavano said after a moment of silence. ¡°Thought we¡¯d make a stop here, see if you¡¯re interested in some woollys.¡±

    ¡°Steal ¡®em now, did ya?¡± Magano asked.

    ¡°Nah, my love.Purchased good and clear.Got ownership tablets and everything.¡±

    ¡°Was a time when we could afford new woollys,¡± the tall man said.He grunted as he cracked his knuckles. ¡°This was the year we were gonna turn it around.Harvest was the best in five years, but Suvanna is blocking the trade routes south.None of the fall merchants arrived, our entire crop of imbar is going to rot.All because of fucking Sentari gold.Those fuckers get rich while we starve.¡±

    There was bitterness in the man¡¯s voice.Magano poured them another cup of mead.They bitterly drank.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been through a hell of a journey,¡± Pavano said. ¡°We need a couple of days rest and then we¡¯ll be out of your hair.Take the time to look over those woollys, see if you take a shine to them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be wanting a place to sleep then?¡± Magano asked.

    ¡°Aye, the floor will do fine, but if you¡¯re willing to share your bed I could be persuaded.¡± Pavano wagged his eyebrows.

    San shook his head, finishing his drink.

    ***

    People were screaming, the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood.San struggled as a yellow eyed man shoved a pistol in his face. The man was laughing, blood spattered across his face.He shoved the pistol into San¡¯s mouth and pulled the trigger.

    San¡¯s breath exploded out of him as something heavy landed on his chest.His eyes snapped open and he saw a pair of green eyes staring back at him. A dark haired little girl laughed and then jumped up again, landing heavily on his stomach.

    ¡°Careful with the foreigner,¡± Magano said, ¡°they eat naughty little girls.¡±

    The small girl screamed and ran off.San rubbed his eyes and sat up, he lay in the corner of the kitchen.Confusion clouded his mind for a moment and then the night¡¯s events returned to him.

    ¡°Must be nice sleeping all day,¡± Magano said, as she chopped something on the table. ¡°I don¡¯t see what Pavano sees in you, told us to let you be until you were ready to wake. Everyone¡¯s been up since daybreak.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± San said.

    ¡°Life¡¯s hard, boy,¡± Magano said. ¡°Laziness is the song that Hetvana sings to us all.If we listen to it too much, we lose what makes us human. We become animals.¡±

    San made a non-committal noise.The religious practices of the place were still a mystery to him, but the two deities he had heard most of were Senta and Hetvana.Some kind of good god and bad god, the devil? San didn¡¯t know.He was never religious nor were his parents.

    ¡°Where is Pavano?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Out, trying to get my fool of a husband to buy those woollys you brought.¡± Magano said.

    ¡°Uh¡­ thank you for giving us a place to sleep,¡± San said. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I had a warm spot and a roof to sleep under.¡±

    Magano sighed, setting her knife down. ¡°Senta give me patience,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re good Imperials, descended from Alkavarea who first settled this place. We do not turn away guests or show inhospitality. Whatever foreigner savage place you come from might be different, but not here.¡±

    ¡°Thank you anyway,¡± San said.

    ¡°Kazo might have given you size, but he sure as hell did not give you brains,¡± Magano muttered as San exited the house.San made note of the name. Was Kazo another diety?

    The air was cold and the day was bright.San shivered in his coat, his breath pluming before him.The sky was a brilliant turquoise with faint wisps of clouds, the sun was a hand¡¯s width from the horizon and it would still be called morning in any part of the world.

    The snow crunched under his boots as he made his way toward the only large outbuilding besides the house.It was made of logs and had a thatched roof. San could hear the cries of animals from within it, along with the smell of those animals.

    ¡°Beautiful pair,¡± Orbaris was saying. He was peering at the paired woollys, rubbing his gloved hands over their thick bodies and stroking their long necks. The woollys seemed to enjoy the feeling as they produced a low rumble that San didn¡¯t know they could make.

    ¡°Females,¡± Pavano said.He leaned against a wall, his spear used as a cane.¡°About three years old, good breeding age.Give you plenty of little ones for the next five years.¡±

    ¡°Aye, but they haven¡¯t been bred before. Always dangerous the first birthing,¡± Orbaris said, ruffling the woolen fur of the creatures.

    ¡°The other one; male and uncut. Probably two years old. Just newly trained, but his partner was killed.¡±

    ¡°Unpaired males get too ornery,¡± Orbaris said. ¡°They tear up fences faster than they can be fixed.If they don¡¯t just up and die from losing their partner.¡±

    ¡°We can do a fair swap.Those two old ones you got and the two youngin¡¯s for these three.¡±

    ¡°The winter make you daft, old man?¡± Orbaris asked. ¡°You want my four for your three?¡±

    ¡°Aye, you got two years left on those old ones, their teeth are probably worn down and their meat stringy.The youngin¡¯s you have are barely trained. They got another six months before they¡¯re of any use, definitely can¡¯t use them come planting time.I take them off your hands, your feed bill goes down, and by Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve you breed these two girls with that male and you¡¯ll be swimming in woolly lambs.¡±

    ¡°The unpaired male is still the problem,¡± Orbaris said, but there was hesitation in his voice.

    ¡°Fucking is always a good way to get over your problems,¡± Pavano said and Orbaris laughed. ¡°That male¡¯s gonna be balls deep in those girls by midwinter, he¡¯ll not think of his dead friend.Plus, I hear you¡¯re good at keeping the unpaired ones alive.¡±

    ¡°Aye, I have some skill at it,¡± Orbaris said. ¡°Half the time, it¡¯s just luck.¡±He still looked at the woollys, like a man staring at a sports car while having a mid-life crisis. ¡°What¡¯s the catch, old man.I see those brands and the tablets, they¡¯ve got Sagaris¡¯ mark on them.She¡¯s tough as leather, that one, wouldn¡¯t part with her stock for anything.¡±

    ¡°Bought fair and square,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Sagaris was ambushed coming from Blackened Bridge. Lost a few woollys and wagons, the unpaired male the the females were a wagon team.Can¡¯t use ¡®em if you got no wagon to pull.¡±

    ¡°Magano¡¯s probably gonna geld me, but you¡¯ve got a deal, Pavo.¡± The gaunt man pulled off his gloves and spat in it. Pavano did the same and they shook.¡°I¡¯ll get ya the ownership tablets for those four.¡±

    Orbaris moved with a pep in his step as he headed back to the farmhouse.Pavano grinned at San as he walked into the barn.

    ¡°Brisk business?¡¯ San asked.He peered into the barn, seeing a pair of brown woollys staring at him.They were a little smaller than the three they had, a little thinner, and older.¡°We seem to be constantly trading down.¡±

    ¡°Better to have ten coppers and be alive than ten gold and be dead,¡± Pavano said.

    San nodded, understanding what the man was doing.They had fled Midway and anyone out there would be looking for two men and three woollys, woollys that had Sagaris¡¯ mark on them.Two men and four ghetto woollys wouldn¡¯t be looked at too hard.

    There was a rickety cart that was parked in the barn.San looked at it.

    ¡°How much for the cart?¡± he asked.

    Pavano grinned. ¡°Ain¡¯t a fool, are ya?¡±

 013

    13

    ¡°What do you mean you haven¡¯t heard of imbar before, silly,¡± the girl at his side playfully slapped him on the shoulder, her hand lingering for a long moment.

    San uncomfortably shifted. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it, I¡¯ve just never seen it,¡± he said.

    Ellavano Alkava was Orbaris¡¯ daughter. She had bright green eyes and dark hair, with olive skin and a narrow high cheekboned face. She carried a one year old baby at her hip, one of her siblings or cousins San figured. There were a lot of people living in Orbaris¡¯ house and children were everyone¡¯s responsibility.

    ¡°Everyone knows what imbar is.The Empire loves it. Da says its the main reason the Baronies exist. We export more imbar than any other place.Merchants and traders come from all over to collect the harvest before winter or during Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve. Well, they did, but those fucking Suvanna blocked the trade routes.¡±Ellavano spat into the dirt.

    ¡°What do they do with it?¡± San asked. He stood within a silo of imbar, a large squat stone building that held tons of football sized furry vegetables.

    ¡°They make sweets out of it, silly,¡± Ellavano¡¯s hand covered his own.She took the imbar from his grip and with experienced hands, stripped off the cover of the imbar; the skin peeling almost like an onion. Underneath was purple fleshed with a smell that reminded him of lemon.

    From her belt, Ellavano pulled out a knife and cut the imbar in half. Inside looked like the spaghetti squash that Mary used to like to eat. There was a thin amount of meat, around a core with small black seeds, and the stringy mass.

    Ellavano pulled out a length of stringy material and held it out to San with her finger.San stared at it, then at Ellavano¡¯s smiling face.He shifted uncomfortably.

    ¡°Eat it,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s good.¡±

    ¡°Oh, fresh imbar,¡¯ Pavano¡¯s voice cut through.He limped into the silo, his face smiling and his cheeks redden with cold.

    ¡°Pavano,¡± Ellavano smiled at the man. ¡°How do?¡±

    ¡°Your beautiful mother is yelling for you, my dear,¡± Pavano said.Ellavano¡¯s eyes widen and she hurried out of the door, baby in tow.

    San sighed. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said.

    Pavano only grinned, slapping him on the shoulder.

    ¡°Best be careful around her, she¡¯s looking for a new husband for her and a father for the baby,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°Baby?¡± San paused. ¡°Wait, she¡¯s the mother of that child? What is she, like, sixteen?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s usually the age people marry around here. If you¡¯re lucky, you¡¯ll be a grandfather by thirty summers.¡±

    San shook his head and thought. ¡°What happened to her husband?¡± he asked.

    Pavano frowned. ¡°Oh, I forget you don¡¯t know much about Orbaris¡¯ family.Ellavano was married to Hakkata, the one that was killed.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Hakkata die with his sons, who were older in age?¡± San asked. He tried to do the math.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Pavano said. ¡° Probably a run in with the Nox we faced.Hakkata¡¯s wife died three years back, Orbaris had a daughter of age, so they married.I doubt there was much love in that relationship with Hakkata being known as a mean old bastard.But he was a well off farmer and none of his sons had yet to marry.Damn shame.¡±

    ¡°A lot of child marriage going on around here?¡± San asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s no child, boy.¡±

    San only grunted in response.

    Pavano picked up the abandoned imbar and shoved a mass of the stringy material into his mouth.

    ¡°Better when it¡¯s fried and with a little salt,¡± he said.He offered San the other half of the imbar.

    ¡°It is sweet,¡± San said after taking a taste.

    ¡°Empire loves this stuff. They buy it by the wagon load, adding it to everything from drinks to food, to their candles and soaps.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s sugar,¡± San said.It reminded him of a sugar beet, not sugar cane. ¡°How do they process it?¡±

    ¡°Sugar? Never heard of that,¡± Pavano said. ¡°I dunno how they do it, mash it, boil it, strain it, I believe.Magano¡¯s good at making it, she puts it in her bread sometimes. Good stuff. Though its hard work, most people just fry it up and eat it as is.¡± Pavano cut the imbar and began eating slices of it. ¡°The skin is supposed to make a dye also.¡±

    ¡°This is their cash crop?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, this is what makes their sars.Traders come up from the Empire and they sell it to them.The baronies are the only place it can grow well, something to do with the weather and the soil, maybe.Perhaps its due to Senta¡¯s blessing.¡± Pavano shrugged. ¡°I suppose the Tribes can grow it too, but they¡¯re not interested in it.They stick to their honey.¡±

    ¡°Do they make beer or wine out of this?¡± San asked, chewing on the vegetable.

    ¡°What? No. Some tried, but I hear it tastes like woolly piss.¡± Pavano shrugged and tossed the rind of the imbar out of the door. ¡°A real shame about the war with Suvanna. This valley makes about ten thousand sars a year on their harvest. Enough to keep them going all winter and into spring.¡±

    San nodded, looking at the massive amounts of the crop.He picked at another imbar.¡°Where are we going?¡± San asked.

    ¡°We can¡¯t go to White Tower, not until at least midwinter.Sagaris¡¯ more interested in protecting the gold than us.There¡¯ll be some troops about, looking for us, but once the caravan gets to White Tower, we should be in the clear.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯re going to have to hole up somewhere? How far until midwinter?¡±

    ¡°Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve, in about a month and a half.They say it¡¯s when Senta walks the land, the snows stop and all is quiet for two weeks. Then the winter storms arrive and you¡¯re trapped in your home until spring thaw.¡±

    San looked out the door of the silo and at the frosty white landscape before him. He supposed it was a bad time to try and become an explorer and traveller.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got an old acquaintance,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Lives near White Tower, a ranger he was. Loves to live in the woods all by himself, but he¡¯ll take us in until midwinter.¡±

    San nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Just okay?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°How many sars a day does it take to live in White Tower?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Depends on how much living you want to do,¡¯ Pavano replied. ¡°Four sars a day will keep you in hard bread and wine. Two sars will get you a bunk for the night. Two sars will get you a place to wash once a week.¡±

    San nodded. ¡°Where do Adventurers sell the mana gems they find?¡±

    Pavano raised a bushy eyebrow. ¡°The Baron will buy any gem you got, but there are some merchants, especially midwinter merchants, who¡¯ll take it off your hands. Although, come nightfall you might meet with some unsavory folks who will regain the merchant¡¯s coins for a percentage.¡±

    ¡°Must be a lot of coin.¡±

    ¡°The Baron will pay ten thousand sars for a gem that¡¯ll provide a level, everything else is based off that. I hear a Level Gem will sell for forty thousand in the Empire.¡±

    Two Ripper gems would maybe net him two thousand sars, enough for a Nox light cavalry horse or over two hundred days spent in White Tower.San tossed the imbar from hand to hand as he stood there.If it all went sideways, he would be able to survive until spring.From there, San didn¡¯t know what to do.He had been just traveling, the Tribes had told him to leave and now he was probably being hunted for knowing about Sagaris¡¯ gold caravan.

    San looked down at the imbar in his hands and smiled. The strange magical system was telling him what he was and giving him powers.He supposed he should do something with them.

    ***

    San groaned in pain as he lay down on the sleeping pad.He hissed as his sore muscles spasmed and ached.

    ¡°You should have said something,¡± Mary chided him.Her hands worked along his leg, kneading out the aches and pains.

    ¡°I thought I could make it,¡± San replied, gritting his teeth as pain shot from his feet to his balls.

    ¡°These are going to blister,¡± Mary said, looking at his feet.They were rubbed raw from the new hiking boots he had worn. Another idiot mistake. ¡°Oh, poor idiot Sanjay.¡±

    Even with the pain, San had to laugh.¡°No pain, no gain.¡±

    ¡°What did you expect to gain?¡± Mary asked.San looked up to see her smiling face above his.Her auburn hair shining in the LED lamplight, contrasting with the dark fabric of their shared tent.

    ¡°I-uh¡­¡± San stammered. Mary smiled and leaned forward, the warmth of her kiss sending shocks down his aching body. ¡°I-¡°

    ¡°To arms!¡± Markona¡¯s voice cried. ¡°To arms!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± San sat up, nearly throwing Mary off himself.

    ¡°San?¡±

    ¡°My sword.Where¡¯s the sword!¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about,¡± Mary asked, concern creasing her face.The sounds of battle were beginning outside of the tent, the roars of matchlocks and the clash of steel.

    ¡°Where is the damn sword!¡± San snapped.

    ¡°San. What are you ta-¡°

    A boom thundered outside of the tent.San flinched from the noise, ducking his head and digging through their scattered belongings, trying to find the sword.

    ¡°San¡­¡± Mary¡¯s voice wavered.

    San looked up to see blood expanding across Mary¡¯s white shirt. She looked at him in shock, blood bubbling on her lips. ¡°San¡­¡±

    ¡°Mary!¡± San threw himself to her. ¡°Mary!¡±

    A silvery blade appeared before him, slicing cleanly through the thin tent fabric. San stared at the blade, seeing that it was the Mage Chief¡¯s sword.He followed the blade and saw a yellow eyed man holding it.He grinned at San before raising it.

    San tackled the figure, snarling.He grabbed for their neck, feeling long hair tangling into his hands. The sword blade didn¡¯t strike him, the figure instead flail beneath him, choking as his hands wrapped around their slender neck.

    ¡°San!¡± Pavano¡¯s voice cut through the rage and adrenaline burning through him.He felt a sudden sharp pain smack into his head; it caused his grip to loosen.San staggered back falling on his ass on the chilly kitchen floor.

    A sob filled the air and San blinked. The darkness of the kitchen wasn¡¯t complete, a moment later the banked fire roared to life. San flinched at the light and saw Pavano¡¯s limping figure stalking toward him.

    On the ground before San was a figure, the shape of a young woman. She was weeping, desperate and pained.Ellavano.

    ¡°Wh-¡°

    A fist smashed into San¡¯s face.Pavano towering over him.It stung him, clearing some of the cobwebs still clinging to his mind.He had been dreaming, the yellow eyed man had shot Mary.

    ¡°Hetvana curse you, boy. What the hell are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I thought-¡°

    The room exploded with activity as Orbaris, his wife, and two of his sons rushed into the room.They carried short swords and looked about frantically, weapons ready to kill.

    ¡°What the fuck is going on!¡± Orbaris roared, his voice loud, but his eyes held fear at the possibility of being attacked.

    ¡°Ella!¡± Marago creid, rushing toward her daughter.The young woman sat in the middle of the kitchen, her small frame crumpled and sobbing.San saw that Ellavano was wearing a thin gown, almost see through.He looked away, instead focusing upon Pavano who stood over him.

    ¡°Have you gone mad, boy?¡± Pavano hissed.

    ¡°I thought.. I thought I was being attacked.The Nox¡­¡± San stuttered.

    The rage in Pavano¡¯s face drained as he looked down at San¡¯s confused and horrified face. San glanced back at Ellavano, his hands beginning to shake.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know it was her. I didn¡¯t know it was her.¡± San stammered.

    ¡°What the fuck, Pavo. You brought some battle mad fucker into my home?¡± Orbaris snarled.¡°He damn near killed Ella.¡±

    ¡°Peace, Ob. It¡¯s just the battle nightmares.We all know the feeling,¡± he said.Orbaris grimaced and his sons gripped their swords tighter, the wailing of their sister cutting into them.

    ¡°We kill him, Da,¡± one of Orbaris¡¯ boys shouted. ¡°He attacked Ella.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a horned wolf, attacking anyone,¡± the other boy shouted.

    ¡°Lay off, boys,¡± Orbaris snapped. ¡°Pavo, get him the fuck out of here.I won¡¯t kick out a friend, but that boy¡¯s been touched by Hetvana.He¡¯s not welcomed in this house.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Pavano said, resignation in his voice.

    ¡°Sorry, old friend.Sabato¡¯s son came back like him, went mad and killed his entire family.Hetvana Touched are dangerous.¡±

    ¡°You stupid girl,¡± Magano snapped. ¡°What in Senta¡¯s name were you doing out here. Trying to ride that big fucking foreigner when no one¡¯s looking!You nearly had your brains bashed out thinking with your cunt.¡±

    Ellavano continued sobbing.The noise was waking the household, soon her sobs were taken up by the younger children.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± San said.He grabbed his sleeping bag and staggered to the door.The cold night embraced him, the icy air wrapping around his thundering heart.

    Ellavano¡¯s cries followed him as he made his way to the barn.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ***

    ¡°Ob¡¯s a good man,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Soldiered for the Empire before the Baronies broke away.Then fought against the Empire, the Barons claimed they would revoke his komai rights.That anyone who owned land needed to fight, like in the Empire.¡±

    San only nodded as he sat huddled in the barn.He had taken out his camp stove and made tea, but the bitter drink did nothing to warm him.

    ¡°No one knows why Hetvana poisons the minds of some men.Some only feel it after a battle, others; it consumes them over years.¡±

    ¡°PTSD,¡± San replied.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Just a thing from where I come from.¡±

    Pavano rubbed San¡¯s shoulder, a look of concern on his creased face. ¡°You¡¯re gonna be okay, San,¡± he said.The words weren¡¯t a comfort.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Ob knows what you¡¯re going through. He spent years reliving the battles he fought against the Empire.He is angry, yes, but he is not going to kill you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Ellavano will be fine.Just some bruising and a little shakened up.¡±

    San looked down at his hands.He had nearly killed her.He was Level 2, far faster, stronger, and deadlier than she was.He could have killed her.

    ¡°Are we leaving?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye. I think its time we did.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ***

    They left at sunrise, Orbaris standing at the threshold of his house with a crossbow and stony faced.Pavano spoke with Magano and San watched as he slipped her some coins.Payment for what San had done.

    A few sars for terrifying and injuring her daughter. A few sars for the disruption he had caused. A few sars to smooth over the fact he had nearly killed a girl.

    The four woollys brayed, their mouths moving as they chewed cud.The two younger woollys were tied to the back of the cart they had purchased off of Orbaris.It was a two wheeled cart, six feet long and four feet wide, enough for them to layer the loot they had taken from the dead, and then pile imbar on top of it.

    San wore a ratty cloak and clothing over his Tribe furs.Pavano had obtained the old clothing from the other residents of the valley. A little sars to help them through the winter.

    Pavano rejoined him, hopped on the small single seat of the cart and clucked to the two older woollys.They brayed and then began pulling forward, the hard packed snow crunching under their hooves and the cart wheels.

    San glanced back at Orbaris¡¯ home.He and Magano stood at the threshold, their faces expressionless.San clutched the cloak around him and followed after the cart.

    ¡°We can make it to my friend¡¯s house within three days,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be okay with a crazy man?¡± San asked.

    ¡°He¡¯s half mad himself, so the question is will you be okay with a crazy man?¡± Pavano grinned.

    San nodded and trudged beside the cart. The air on the Trade Road wasn¡¯t as cold as it had been in the komai valley, even with the towering trees looming over the road.

    The woollys were tough creatures, they didn¡¯t have to rest and could go all day.Pavano didn¡¯t stop and San didn¡¯t feel like stopping either.They had cold bread and a nip of mead that Orbaris had given Pavano.

    San scanned the trees, his gaze unfocused.The clinking of the harnesses, the heavy breathing of the woollys, and the crunch of the cart wheels on the hard snow lulled his senses.

    A sweet note began to fill the air, a rising song that caressed San¡¯s face.San tilted his head, feeling the warmth of spring on his skin.He smiled at the feeling. The song wove its way through his head, plinking and plucking at memories.

    The time Mary and he had tried making homemade sushi. The time Mary and he had driven to California to hike in Yosemite. The first time San held Julia in his arms in the hospital, the small dark eyes looking at him and an intense feeling that seemed to crack open his chest as he looked down at his daughter.

    That was a memory he would never forget, one that he had held onto in the deepest pits of his depression. San grabbed the memory and hung onto it, he felt something trying to tug at it, trying to pull it from his grasp. San gripped the memory tighter and yanked it back-

    San took a sharp inhalation of breath, his eyes clouded with tears, and his body dreadfully cold.San blinked and realized he was lying on the trade road, the hood of his cloak wet from the snow melting beneath him.The wheel of the cart inches from his nose.

    ¡°Pavano?¡± San groaned.He felt sick, his throat raw and his muscles aching.He pushed himself up, hissing as his muscles protested the action.It felt like he had spent an entire day in the gym.

    The cart was parked on the side of the trade road, the sky was darkening as night fell.San shivered in his damp cloak.Pavano was leaning drunkenly in his seat, the only thing holding him up was the spear that had caught in the harness of the woollys.

    The woollys brayed softly to him, their large wet eyes looking at him and demanding to be fed.San shivered again, as he stumbled toward Pavano.

    ¡°Pavano!¡±San gripped the man¡¯s shoulder and shook it.The old man¡¯s cloak was stiff with cold, frost embedded into the fabric.

    ¡°Osanna,¡± Pavano whispered. ¡°You must hide. They are coming¡± the voice was faint and low, intertwined with such sorrow and pain that San froze before him.San shook Pavano harder, but the man¡¯s eyes remained closed and his body limp.

    San pulled back his hand and slapped the older man across the face.The sound was resoundingly loud in the silence of the evening.Pavano¡¯s eyes snapped open.

    ¡°Osanna!¡± he cried, before his eyes focused on San shivering in front of him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.I just woke up a moment ago, on the ground,¡± San said.

    ¡°I was dreaming¡­ no remembering,¡± Pavano shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± His voice stopped and his eyes latched onto something ahead of them.

    San turned to follow the man¡¯s gaze and saw a creature in the trees.It was gaunt and white, the flesh leathery and smooth.Black pitted eyes stared at them and a jagged tear in the face for a mouth gaped open, from within it writhed scores of snakes or worms.

    Pavano snatched a loaded crossbow from the cart and fired a bolt into the trees.

    ¡°Begone, foul fucker!¡± he shrieked.

    The bolt thudded home into the chest of the creature.It looked down at the bolt and then back at Pavano. No blood flowed and it didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by the attack.The creature pulled the bolt out and tossed it to the ground.It¡¯s gaping mouth snapped shut, sealing so perfectly that it seemed its entire face was just two black orbs.

    With slow and deliberate movements, the creature launched itself from branch to branch, barely rustling the snow heavy limbs.In moments it was gone, the trade road pregnant with silence.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± San asked. He had his sword out, not even realizing he had drawn it.

    ¡°Memory Thief,¡± Pavano said. ¡°It sucks you dry of everything, until you¡¯re an empty shell.¡±

    San shuddered. What had he lost? What had the creature taken from him?San dug into the back of the cart and pulled out a torch.He used a lighter to ignite it.

    ¡°Fire in the Night,¡± he said and the torch flared for a moment.

    ¡°Good idea,¡± Pavano said, his voice hoarse and dry.He coughed and pulled his spear back to his side.¡°We should keep moving for a bit.¡±

    ¡°Will it follow us?¡± San asked.

    ¡°No. Not tonight, it doesn¡¯t attack those that see it.¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I guess its shy,¡± the old man chuckled hoarsely and flicked the reins.The older woollys brayed softly, but moved at his commands.

    San held the torch high as he walked beside Pavano.He felt dark eyes watching him from the trees.

    ***

    ¡°Is this normal?¡± San asked when they resumed their journey in the morning.

    ¡°What?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°All these monsters we¡¯ve been seeing.¡±

    Pavano was silent for a while as he chewed on a hard biscuit.¡°The Shades are always there, but you don¡¯t normally see a Memory Thief in these parts,¡± he finally said. ¡°If you believe the crazy fuckers of the Hesna cult, the veil between this world and the Void is thinning, that soon Hesna will return and the final battle for our world will begin.¡±

    ¡°Do these things just all prey on people?¡± San asked.

    ¡°The old ones claim the soul is a flame.That the creatures from the Void seek to snuff it out; that they wish to plunge the world intodarkness and cold.¡±

    ¡°The Mage Chief said something similar.The soul is a flame.That the Flesh Horror fed off of those souls, until there was nothing left.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you met the Mage Chief?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°Yeah. I think he was a ghost,¡± San said.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Pavano replied.

    They continued on in silence.San kept scanning the trees, wondering if the Thief would return again.They had traveled far, according to Pavano.A journey that neither of them remembered.

    Pavano claimed that the Thief would have exploded like a mosquito with all the memories he had.San had to smile at the bravado of the older man, he always presented a grinning, unworried face to the world. Yet, San could still hear the ache and pain in his voice as he called out the name Osanna.

    That memory was Pavano¡¯s own.Sorrow and loss seemed to be the common thread tying everyone together.San snorted at the idea, but he could not let go of it.Sagaris had lost her family, if the Shades were to be believed.A son and husband.Nexion was scarred from war.Even the trapper Kenton lost friends in the Sickleland war.

    San looked at the clear sky. Loss seemed to be everywhere.

    They exited the forest; the land before them somewhat flat with a wide slow creek cutting through the trade road.

    ¡°Hizon¡¯s Drink,¡± Pavano said.¡°General Hizon of the Empire stopped here to drink on his conquest of the Tribes.Little did he know that the Tribes had been pissing and shitting in this creek upstream.¡± Pavano laughed.¡°He got sick and died two weeks later, but not before slaughtering the Tribe army sent against him; all the while shitting and vomiting on himself.¡±

    San scanned the wide creek. The road dipped into it and he could see the area they would have to ford.He hoped it wasn¡¯t too bad, the thought of cold wet feet did not appeal to him.

    He looked to the northeast, following the creek from where it came from distant mountains.He could see an old track that lead into the forests and along side the creek.

    ¡°Is that a kid?¡± San asked, seeing a figure stumbling through the snow.

    ¡°I dunno, son,¡± Pavano said. ¡°My eyes aren¡¯t that great anymore.¡±

    San dug into his pack and pulled out a small set of binoculars.It took him a moment to find the figure.They were short and thin, a ragged woolen cloak covered in frost and snow clung to them.San could see his cloak was sodden with melting snow and possibly even from falling into the creek. The kid staggered and stumbled forward, his eyes focused on the trade road before him.

    ¡°What the hell is he doing?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Going for a stroll,¡± Pavano said.They watched the kid for a moment.He slipped in the snow, got back to his feet, and continued walking.¡°Tough little bastard.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Pavano glanced at San as he put away the binoculars.San dug around the back of the cart and pulled out a dusty old blanket that Pavano had traded someone for.He headed toward the boy.

    Pavano chuckled softly and clucked for the woollys to begin moving.

    The boy was so intent on reaching the trade road, he didn¡¯t noticed San. The boy reached the road and stood there, gasping and staring at nothing.He took in long breaths and shuddered in his sodden clothing.The boy had long dark hair tied into a ponytail and his face was ruddy from the cold.He must have been traveling for a while, as San saw no smoke fires or any kind of structure in the area.The lone narrow track disappeared into the distance, winding through the forest and heading toward far mountains.Had the boy come from there?

    ¡°Hey, kid,¡± San said as he neared the boy.

    The boy jerked and flinched, his eyes widening at the sight of San. The boy looked around, as if trying to find some place to hide.

    ¡°Easy there, kid,¡± San said. He held his hands out, showing them empty.¡°You okay? Do you need help?¡±

    ¡°Endaha,¡± the boy said.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Endaha, my brother¡¯s wife,¡± the boy clarified.

    ¡°Okay, Endaha. Is she okay? Does she need help?¡±

    The boy blinked and continued staring at San for a moment. ¡°She was bitten by a bonewing; she is sick now. Dying. We need a healer.¡±

    Pavano and the cart clattered up to them.

    ¡°What¡¯s a bonewing?¡± San asked Pavano. The old man shrugged.

    ¡°Please, please. We must go to White Tower, get a healer and bring them back for her.¡±

    ¡°White Tower is still two days travel, son,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°We must hurry. I left this morning, I hoped to meet someone on the road,¡± the boy said, he was beginning to panic, his eyes widening and casting around the empty stretch of the trade road.

    ¡°Slow down, kid,¡± San said, setting a calming hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Tell us what¡¯s happening. How far is it to your house? Is there anyone else there that can help?¡±

    The boy looked frantic and jerked himself away from San. ¡°A bonewing was trying to attack our grazers, she chased them off, but one attacked her. Bit her in the arm, it¡¯s festering now, she¡¯s sick, can barely move.¡±

    ¡°An infection?¡± San asked.

    The boy shrugged helplessly. ¡°Bonewing sickness,¡± he said. ¡°Carrion creatures, they spread illness with their bites.¡±

    ¡°Your brother¡¯s wife,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Where¡¯s your brother.¡±

    ¡°The Baron called him up for service this spring,¡± the boy said. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen him since. The war with Suvanna.¡±

    ¡°Where are you from, boy?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°Exonaris komai, half a day¡¯s journey north.¡±

    ¡°Never heard of the place.¡± Pavano looked at San. ¡°Could be a trap, bandits luring us into the woods to gut us and eat our woollys.¡±

    ¡°No, no, sir. My brother¡¯s wife is ill, she needs help.Kovass will be angry with me if she dies and loses the baby.¡±

    ¡°Baby?¡± San asked.

    ¡°She is near due, sir.Senta might bless her with a boy this time.¡±

    ¡°This time?¡± San asked again.

    ¡°I have a niece, two summers old.She¡¯s with her mother now.¡±

    ¡°Youleft a two year old with a pregnant sick woman?¡± San asked.

    ¡°I-I had no other choice,¡± the boy¡¯s eyes watered and he began gasping for air. ¡°She¡¯s gonna die without any help. Please, take me to White Tower, sirs. I have some coin,¡±the boy dug into a pouch and produced half a dozen copper sars.

    ¡°Put away your money, kid,¡± San said. ¡°Tell us where to go, we¡¯ll help if we can.¡±

    The boy looked relieved and thankful for a second and then a frown began to form on his face. He looked to San¡¯s sword and then the spear that Pavano carried.The realization dawning on him that he was speaking to complete strangers.Thankfulness was replaced by wariness and fear.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re not going to harm you. We only want to help,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye, trust him, lad,¡± Pavano said. ¡°He¡¯s an Adventurer, gave his oath to Covanus to fight monsters and defend the weak.¡±

    ¡°Covanus¡­ A-adventurer?¡± the boy¡¯s expression went slack for a moment. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Aye, he faced off against the Hanged King¡¯s shades not five days back, didn¡¯t flinch as they tried to lure him into the woods. The next night, he killed a mage with his bare hands.¡±

    The boy looked to San with wide eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name, kid?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Azios¡­ Azios Exonaris.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a komai?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°Small one, sir.Only my brother and I left now.Tribes¡­¡± he stopped speaking.

    San nodded. The war that engulfed the Tribes after the death of the Mage Chief. Raiding parties had crossed the Red and attacked komai up and down the Trade Road. From what San knew, the bigger farming communities repelled them, but the smaller ones got wiped out.

    ¡°Alright, Azios,¡± San said.¡°Show us the way. I have some medicine that might help.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡± The boy brightened.

    ¡°You do?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡± San said.There had been some antibiotics in his first aid kit.The bite from a carrion creature carried the risk of infection, so San hoped that it would be treatable with the antibiotics.He knew he should keep them, who knew when he might need it, but how could he refuse when there was a pregnant woman in danger and a small child left alone?

    Was it foolish? Was it a weakness? San didn¡¯t know. Yet he knew this was the right course of action.He could leave the kid on his own or even take him to White Tower to be disappointed, but he could do something now.San chose to do something now.He might have no skin in this game, but he could help and he would.

    ¡°Show us the way, Azios,¡¯ San said. The boy nodded eagerly. ¡°First, take off that cloak, you must be freezing.¡±

    The boy looked confused for a second and then began shivering, as if the cold had finally got to him.His fingers fumbled for the cloak ties and it flopped wetly to the snowy ground.San gave him the ratty blanket and picked up the boy¡¯s cloak.

    He looked down the road and paused. He dug his binoculars from his coat and peered at the distant trees. In the late afternoon sun, he saw metal reflecting sunlight. A moment later he saw figures on horses emerging from the forest where the Trade Road lead.

    ¡°We got company,¡± San said.He tossed the binoculars to Pavano, who stared at them for a moment before peering into them.

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± he remarked. ¡°I can see all the way to the Great Cities.¡± He chuckled and then stopped. ¡®Fuck.White Tower cavalry, five men, typical search party.¡±

    ¡°Search party,¡± San sighed. There was only one party for which they were searching for.

    ¡°Can they help?¡± Azios asked. ¡°They¡¯re Baron¡¯s men.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not gonna help no one, son,¡± Pavano said. ¡°They¡¯ll try to shake us down and find out what we know.¡±

    ¡°Know about what?¡± the boy asked.

    Pavano looked to San. ¡°A big foreigner,¡± he said.

    San sighed and looked toward the distant figures. They were trotting along without hurry and he guessed it would be fifteen minutes before they arrived.They knew that Sagaris would have told the Baron¡¯s men about their escape.They would be looked for on the roads, but they had spent over a day traveling without meeting anyone and there had hoped they would make it to Pavano¡¯s friends home.

    ¡°You know the drill, son,¡± Pavano said.

    San sighed again and climbed into the back of the cart.He pushed about the imbar to make a spot to lie down in.The furry vegetables smelled of earth and a faint hint of lemon. He pulled Azios¡¯ sodden cloak over him and lay there.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he heard Azios ask.

    ¡°When they ask, the big man¡¯s your father, I¡¯m your grandfather.Your Pa is sick, don¡¯t know what¡¯s up with him.Act scared, stupid, and confused,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Azios asked.

    ¡°Exactly like that, son,¡± Pavano replied.

    They all waited in silence as the riders finally caught sight of them and clattered toward them in a group.

    ¡°Hold there! By orders of the Baron! Identify yourself!¡± a man shouted.

    ¡°How do, soldiers,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Nice day, is it not?¡±

    ¡°Identify yourself.¡±

    ¡°Hob, m¡¯lord.¡± Pavano¡¯s voice sounded rougher and differential.¡°From Exonaris komai, sir.¡±

    ¡°Never heard of it,¡± a voice said.

    San began coughing, ragged and deep.He gagged and moaned, the sound carrying over the conversation.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± a voice demanded.

    ¡°My son, m¡¯lord. Bomin.¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± the cavalry officer demanded.

    ¡°Dunno, m¡¯lord,¡± Pavano said.¡°He was fine this morn, but began getting shakes and his ass be running like the Red after spring rains.¡±

    ¡°Senta, that¡¯s disgusting,¡± another man muttered. ¡°Sounds like Red Fever.¡±

    There was a murmur of concern from the riders.

    ¡°Red Fever took my youngest,¡± a man said.

    San began coughing louder, his body shaking and the sodden cloak flapping around him.He let out a pained groan.

    ¡°We¡¯re looking for two men,¡± the officer continued. ¡°Big foreigner fucker and an old man, like you. Got three woollys they stole off of a trader.Got Trader Sagaris¡¯ mark on them.¡±

    ¡°Ain¡¯t seen no one on the roads, m¡¯lord,¡± Pavano said. ¡°We were hoping to sell those two yonder woollys in White tower and some of our imbar. The boy¡¯s Ma died two weeks back and the winter¡¯s looking to be hard.¡±

    ¡°Price for woollys are pretty good in White Tower these days,¡± a soldier commented. ¡°That imbar¡¯s not gonna sell, though.¡±

    ¡°Let me see your ownership tabs,¡± the officer demanded.

    San put on a show of coughing and groaning, while the officer checked the tabs.His throat was beginning to hurt and the imbar was becoming uncomfortable. San sighed, wishing they¡¯d moved a little quicker.

    ¡°Looks to be in order,¡± the officer said. ¡°You see two men and three woollys out here, you report it to the Guards, you hear?Might be some coin in it for you, if they get captured.¡±

    ¡°Aye, m¡¯lord.¡±

    San let out a groan.

    ¡°Senta bless you,¡± the cavalry officer said. ¡°Be off, you three.It sounds like he doesn¡¯t have much longer to live.¡±

    ¡°Please, m¡¯lord. Is there anything to be done?¡± Azios asked, his voice pleading.

    ¡°Sorry, son.All the Healers have gone with the Baron to fight the fucking Suvanna. None left in White Tower.¡±

    ¡°In a year or two, come to the barracks. The Baron is always looking for soldiers,¡± another man said.¡°That old one doesn¡¯t look like he has many years left.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s move,¡± the officer said and the horses neighed and whinnied as they clattered away.San continued coughing loudly until they receded into the distance.

    ¡°Well acted, boy.You have stage experience?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°In high school,¡± San sat up, rubbing his shoulder from the uncomfortable bed of imbar.

    ¡°You¡¯re criminals?¡± the boy asked.

    ¡°No. Just a misunderstanding,¡± San replied, getting out of the cart.

    ¡°Misunderstanding? The Baron¡¯s Guards don¡¯t go looking for men like you for a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°Who says it was us they were looking for?¡± Pavano asked.

    Azios pointed to San. ¡°Big fucking foreigner and old fucking man.¡±

    ¡°Not too old to teach you to respect your elders, boy,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°Take us to your komai, Azios,¡± San said. ¡°Best we leave before they decide to come back.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Pavano agreed.

    ¡°This way,¡± Azios headed back down the track he had been walking on. ¡°You can heal her?¡±

    ¡°I think so.¡±

    ¡°San there was stitching up half dead men in a Nox attack,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Single handedly saved Trader Sagaris¡¯ caravan, then took the fight to the Nox camp.¡±

    The boy¡¯s eyes widen at San, then narrowed.

    ¡°Why are you in a shitty cart full of imbar and with two half dead woollys, then?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a tale to tell, my boy. Come, sit up here and I shall tell you the adventures of San Mage Killer.¡±

    San snorted at the name. It was better than San the Foreigner.

 014

    14

    Night had fallen and San carried a torch of Fire in the Night.Azios had fallen asleep; but the trail was simple to follow and it led to only one place. Exanarios Komai; settled after the Empire returned to take what they had once destroyed.

    There was an abrupt transition between a wooded area and a wide open valley, the creek they had been following ran down the center, with a backdrop of mountains and tree studded hills.What looked to have once been a village sat upon a low hill, a cluster of single room buildings, half collapsed and ill maintained.

    ¡°Seen better villages built by beavers,¡± Pavano muttered.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seem worse,¡± San replied.Memories of the Mage Chief¡¯s keep flashed through his mind.The undisturbed snow reflected the moonlight, casting the world in stark whites and blacks.

    ¡°Wake up, boy,¡± Pavano nudged the boy.

    Azios jerked awake and blinked blearily at the sight before him.He shivered as he looked around. ¡°It¡¯s night,¡± he said.

    ¡°Boy could be a ranger with his keen senses,¡± Pavano replied.

    ¡°The night¡¯s full of horrors,¡± the boy said. ¡°Never used to be, but the world has grown darker since my brother left and my cousins died.¡±

    ¡°World¡¯s always dark, son.¡±

    There was only one building that looked to be in any decent shape, a two story building made of wattle and daub, with a heavy thatched roof.

    A sharp odor filled the air, a smell of copper and ozone. It reminded San of blood, but there was an off smell to it, a foulness that reminded him of the Flesh Horror. He gagged at the smell, covering his mouth and nose.

    ¡°Smells like death,¡± Pavano said, his hand tightening on his spear.

    Rot and death. Azios had claimed his sister-in-law wasn¡¯t dead nor was she rotting.Unless the boy had lied or was somehow blinded by fear to truly understand how his sister-in-law was doing.For all they knew, she could have been a week dead and the boy still believed her to be alive.

    San shoved away the thought.There was a small girl and a pregnant woman that needed help. There were monsters in the world and the two would have made for easy prey.

    ¡°We going in?¡± Pavano asked.

    San nodded and drew his sword. Something was wrong here. Azios words of ¡®horrors in the night¡¯ came back to him.Would every night hold some kind of unholy terror? Was this entire land so cursed that they couldn¡¯t even go a single night without something rising up to kill them?

    Pavano lit another torch and handed it to San. He cast Fire in the Night and raised it above his head.The smell grew sharper as he neared the house; the woollys brayed softly, their big eyes rolling in fear.

    ¡°Where is your sister-in-law?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Main room, bottom floor, near the firepit.¡± Azios looked frightened as the two men armed themselves. ¡°Is it monsters?¡±

    ¡°Dunno,¡± San responded, he glanced to Pavano who shrugged in response.

    Pavano used a torch to light the matchcord on two matchlock pistols, while handing Azios a loaded crossbow. The boy looked more terrified with a weapon in his hands.

    San checked his revolver.Most of his ammunition was gone, he had carried a box of twenty cartridges with him on the hike. Overkill for what it would have taken to end his life, but he had always been an over-packer.

    Eight cartridges remained, after the fight with the rippers, the shots fired at Wolfram and the Flesh Horror, and the battle against the Nox mercenaries.If he had the time and the resources, the casings could be reused to make more ammunition. Black powder used in the weapons in this place could replace the smokeless powder.He could find a smith or someone to make the bullets themselves out of lead or some metal.The difficult part was finding something to use as the primer.

    Mary¡¯s father enjoyed reloading ammunition, it was a hobby along with collecting guns, firing guns, and a lot of gun related activities.He had been one part gun enthusiast and one part doomsday prepper.

    San shook his head, returning from the world of yesteryear and back to the present.The cold bit at him and the torch sent guttering light across the white snow.Pavano was ready, two pistols and two daggers at his waist.He handed San a buckler.

    He almost chuckled at the tiny shield, but stopped himself.He had seen some of the Nox mercenaries and caravan guards using the shield with proficiency and skill.It didn¡¯t look like much, but used correctly; it protected them.

    The only problem was that San didn¡¯t know how to use it properly.He wrapped his gloved hand around the handle and adjusted his grip on his torch, holding both was awkward, but doable.

    ¡°Lead the way,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°Stay near that torch,¡± San told Azios. ¡°Don¡¯t let it go out.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± the boy gulped and looked about nervously.

    ¡°And don¡¯t fucking shoot me with that crossbow too, boy,¡± Pavano said.

    Azios frowned and looked down at the weapon. ¡°I know how to shoot, old man,¡± he snapped back.

    ¡°Do you now?¡±

    ¡°My Pa taught me; and my brother too!¡± he said hotly.He held the crossbow correctly and glared at Pavano.

    ¡°Good,¡± Pavano said and grinned.

    The fear had left the boy, replaced with indignation and pride.He sat in the cart, scanning the area illuminated by the torchlight and moon.

    San gestured with his head and they moved toward the house.Behind them Azios began praying softly, calling upon Senta to keep Endaha and the babies safe.

    The house loomed over them, a squat building with two stories and a pair of small bone windows on the top floor.Compared to the rest of the buildings within the village of Exanarios Komai, it was like a castle. The other houses were either collapsed in on themselves or long abandoned and poorly maintained.The only other building that San could see that seemed to be well kept was what looked like a barn.

    ¡°This smells like the Cursed City,¡± San said as they neared the house. ¡°The Flesh Horror, it reeked of death and rot.¡±

    ¡°Many creatures that come to our world reek of that,¡± Pavano said, his voice was calm but San heard the edge of fear on it.¡°They try to take on forms to live in this world, but they are misshapen things, badly made and prone to falling apart.They rot and die, but the monstrous heart keeps going, taking people to feed it¡¯s growth and renewal.¡±

    ¡°Why people?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Because we have souls, son.The void monstrosities seek soul flesh to rebuild their own horrid bodies.The younger, the better, some say.¡±

    San shut his mouth with those words, hardening his resolve.The door loomed before them, made of thick wood and pitted iron hinges.It seemed out of place, even Orbaris¡¯ stone house didn¡¯t have a door that thick or well built.

    Yet even the stoutest doors were useless if they were not locked and barred. San saw a small dark gap between the threshold and the wood of the door.He led with the sword, using the sharpened tip to push the door open wider.The creak that sounded was straight out of every horror movie San had watched in his life.The door yawned open to reveal an oppressive dark place beyond.

    ¡°Senta protect us,¡± Pavano was muttering.The old man was shaking slightly from fear.

    San realized he wasn¡¯t. That his hands were steady and his heart wasn¡¯t thundering in his chest.He put the torch and buckler forward and stepped into the room.

    The smell was a physical assault on his senses, he wanted to step back out of the room and run.It wasn¡¯t as bad as the keep though, there San hadn¡¯t run.He didn¡¯t in this place either.

    The room was small, sixteen feet by twenty four feet, with a ladder like staircase against the far wall and another doorway that lead into the back room of the building.

    Like Orbaris¡¯ home, the main room was the kitchen. A wooden table, and a firepit against one stone reinforced wall.The rest of the room was stacked with dried and preserved foodstuff; and a pile of blankets that should have held the pregnant woman.Instead the blankets were tossed about and what appeared to be drag marks led from the blankets toward the ladder stairs.

    Pavano was muttering something under his breath as he entered the room behind San. He looked to the blankets and then the stairs, coming to the same conclusion San did.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go up,¡± San whispered. San dug into his pocket and handed Pavano the lit flashlight.Pavano held it gingerly, looking at it with the same awe and wonder as he had when San used it the night the Nox attacked.

    Taking a deep breath through clenched jaws, San ascended the stairs with the buckler and torch in the lead.The ascent was steep, but he made it up quickly, lowering the torch as the flames flickered toward the low ceiling.

    The first thing he noticed was the warmth of the room, as if there had been a heater on that had raised the temperature.The bottom floor had been cold as an icebox, the firepit had long lost its fire and the main room had been deathly cold.

    Yet as San ascended so did the temperature, soon he could feel sweat beading.Then the torchlight illuminated the room.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± San muttered.The sheer alien-ness of the room shook something small and reptile within the back of his brain.It screamed for him to run, that danger was near.

    ¡°Oh, sweet Senta,¡± Pavano moaned as he followed San into the upper room.¡°Battomicona.¡±

    San only looked at the man for explanation.

    ¡°Monsters from the void, they create nests, capture prey, and then breed and breed until they swarm entire cities,¡± Pavano said.He gulped loudly at stared around the room.

    The keep that the Flesh Horror occupied had been covered in what looked like sludge and rotting meat, the room San stood within was similar but very different.There was a resin like composite that seemed to have been sprayed on the walls, it was thick and hard, but reflected the light and when San got near it, it produced heat.

    The smell that came off of it was disgusting, the smell of blood, rot, and death.San walked further into the room and saw animals and other creatures half dead or fully dead encased in the resin.Among them were a small dark haired girl and a heavily pregnant woman.

    San rushed forward, handing Pavano the torch.He gripped the resin like substance and it cracked under his strength. He tore at it and tossed it aside.

    ¡°Senta, boy.You do have levels,¡± the old man said.

    The young girl was freed first, San pulled her from the wall and lay her down upon the somewhat cleared floor.He put his ear against her mouth and tried to hear her breath. He then pulled off his glove and checked her pulse.A panic was beginning to rise in him until he dug around in his pockets and pulled out a small compact mirror.He set it against the child¡¯s nose and was relieved to see it fog as she breathed.

    ¡°She¡¯s alive,¡± San said.He took the flashlight from Pavano¡¯s hand and began checking the rest of her body.There was a puncture mark on her hand, twin holes that were nearly invisible from the resin residue still covering her.San only noticed it when he saw a greenish hint to the skin.

    ¡°Poison?¡±

    ¡°Battos only gather prey for their young,¡± Pavano said. ¡°They do not kill them, instead let their spawn consume them while the blood still flows.It is a sleeping poison, it will wear off in a day, the battos reapply it to larger prey.I have talked to those who have cleaned out such nests, they tell stories of horrors they find in there.¡±

    San pulled as much of the residue off the girl as he could. She wore a simple rough spun long tunic, with a wide woven belt.He saw no injuries or other marks on her body. San sat on his heels in relief.He looked to Pavano.

    ¡°Where are these monsters at?¡± he asked.

    Pavano shrugged. ¡°It is night, perhaps they are out hunting. The dawn will force them to return to their nest. This place.¡±

    San nodded and began tearing away the resin off of the woman.She was a Tribal he realized, with her short cropped reddish hair and bronze skin, and very young.Her features sharp and uncreased by age.

    She too was breathing shallow and slow, but there was an additional problem.She was burning with fever.San lay a hand on her head and hissed, she had to be over a hundred degrees. Without a thermometer, he couldn¡¯t tell, but he knew the already sweltering heat of the room was doing her no favors. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    There were two greenish punctures on her thigh, and a badly tied bandage around her left forearm.San looked at the injury and cringed at the sight beneath. The wound was infected, the skin reddened and puss crusted upon the ragged bitemark.He rewrapped the injury and looked to Pavano.

    ¡°We get the child out first.To safety.¡±

    ¡°The barn looks stout,¡± Pavano said.

    San sheathed his sword and picked up the girl.She was terrifyingly light and delicate, like a wisp of air in his arms. He gingerly moved to the stairs and scampered down, Pavano following with the torch.

    THWACK!

    San ducked, cursing. A crossbow bolt had slammed into the threshold a foot from his face.

    ¡°What the fuck, kid!¡± San snarled.

    Azios stared at him in horror, the realization of what he had done finally dawning.

    ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m¡­¡± he stuttered trying to apologize.

    ¡°Get your fool ass over here and help,¡± Pavano snapped as they exited the house.

    The cold air was a blessing, but not for the child.She let out a soft groan and San could already feel her shivering from the below freezing temperature.

    ¡°Open that barn,¡± Pavano snarled.

    Azios jumped from the cart, leaving the crossbow behind.He rushed to the distant barn, San and Pavano trailing.The barn was dark and reeked of animals.San noted the reflecting eyes of scores of this world¡¯s sheep analogy.The anteater snouted creatures that huddled together in a pen on the far end of the barn. They chittered and let out a low noise that sounded as if someone were trying to start a chainsaw.

    Pavano illuminated an area of stacked hay. San lay the small girl down on the cold ground and quickly pulled off his cloak and heavy Tribe coat.He wrapped the girl in both and looked around the barn.It was well built, solid, and not as deathly cold as the exterior.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they come in here and make the nest?¡± San asked Pavano.

    The old man shrugged. ¡°The barn is well built, solid walls and doors.¡±

    ¡°My brother and I fixed it up before he was called for service,¡± Azios said. ¡°We were to begin working on the rest of the houses in the summer.¡±The boy looked around.¡°Where is Endaha?¡±

    ¡°Battos, boy,¡± the old man said and Azios let out a whimper of fear.

    ¡°She¡¯s dead?¡± he asked.

    ¡°No. We must hurry and bring her back,¡± San said.He got up and looked down at the boy.¡°Watch her, don¡¯t open the door until you hear us.¡±

    Azios nodded; San and Pavano rushed back to the house. The woollys brayed when they saw them, but remained where they had stopped.The air was freezing against San¡¯s waterproof jacket, but the unnatural heat of the upper room soon banished that cold.

    Endaha was harder to remove.She squirmed and moaned in pain, her late stage pregnancy forcing them to ease her down the stairs and carry her between them as they headed to the barn.The night was eerily quiet, the only noise coming from the chittering grazers and the occasional braying of the woollys.

    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Azios asked. ¡°We can¡¯t leave this place. It has been in our family for a hundred years.My ancestors are buried here, we have dedicated it to Senta, if we abandon it we lose our komai status. We shall be landless beggars.¡± Azios shuddered as he sat beside the child.

    San checked over Endaha, she was still too hot and sickly.Together with Pavano, they pulled the woollys into the barn, sealed it shut and began unpacking their supplies. San used the last of his bandages and the last of his whiskey to clean out Endaha¡¯s wound.He tossed the now empty bottle aside and used a headlamp from his pack to check over the wound.It was festering and he could smell the stink coming off of it.He used his can of water to continue cleaning it as best as he could, casting Sanitize upon the wound itself.

    ¡°You are a Mage?¡± Azios asked.

    ¡°Mage Killer,¡± Pavano responded, watching as San worked.The old man had said nothing about the items he had taken out, the headlamp, the bottle of whiskey, the cleaned rags, and then as San pulled out the two bottles of antibiotics.One was Amoxicillin and the other was Zithromax, Z-Pak.

    From what he remembered from Mary¡¯s lectures, Amoxicillin was a penicillin based antibiotic.It killed bacteria, while the Zithromax or azithromycin, was a macrolide bacteriostatic antibiotic, which prevented bacteria from reproducing.Both taken together would kill any infection, although San had never used one on a bonewing bite before.

    Endaha was in no shape to drink or eat, but San crushed the pills and got it down her throat with warm water he heated on the camp stove.He set up the three man tent from his packand with help from the others, placed her and her daughter into it.

    The girl was beginning to respond to stimuli, moaning softly and calling for her mother weakly as they wrapped her in his sleeping bag. Azios sat in the tent with them, shivering as he wore San¡¯s Tribe cloak. Endaha was wearing his coat and lay on his sleeping pad.

    ¡°You had this bloody tent all this time?¡± Pavano asked, annoyed. ¡°We nearly froze our asses off last night.¡±

    San only grunted, unpacking a mylar blanket and wrapping it around himself, along with the ratty cloak he had been wearing.

    ¡°Why did those batto come here?¡± San asked.

    Pavano shrugged. ¡°They usually aren¡¯t active in the winter,¡± he said. ¡°They also don¡¯t usually set up a nest within less than a day.¡±

    ¡°A lot of things aren¡¯t doing what they usually do,¡± San said, thinking back on his journey so far.

    Pavano chuckled in agreement. ¡°The world¡¯s changing, monsters abound and good people are drawn into wars for greed and power.¡±He sighed, scratching at his beard.

    How¡¯d they get in?¡± San wondered.

    ¡°The wee one, door was opened.Can¡¯t blame the child, she¡¯s just a child.Death and blood tend to draw them also, they are carrion creatures when older.The young require fresh blood, but they¡¯ll eat damn near anything when they¡¯re older.¡±

    San nodded. He was once again amazed at the monsters that roamed this world, that humanity had still managed to even settle much of it.Then again the monsters did provide Levels and with an army of Level men and women, they could take on most monsters.

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna have to burn down that house,¡± Pavano said. ¡°We can¡¯t let them set up a nest, not this close to White Tower.By spring they¡¯ll be thousands and they¡¯ll be swarming all over the komais in this region.Batto nests need to be burned as soon as they are found, but this might just be an offshoot of the main nest.¡±

    ¡°A new queen?¡± San asked, wondering if they acted in the same manner as insects from Earth.A new queen would be sent out of the hive to start their own hive.Which would mean there was an older hive nearby¡­

    Pavano grunted. ¡°They have a Birthing Mother, she and her mates set up a nest and they begin breeding. I didn¡¯t see any eggs in that nest, so they¡¯re still in the gathering phase.Soon that bitch will be laying eggs and producing young by the hundreds.¡±

    ¡°How many mates does the queen have?¡±

    Pavano shrugged. ¡°Usually half a dozen or so.¡±

    ¡°How big are they?¡±

    ¡°About that wee girl¡¯s size.They fly and can usually carry more than they themselves weigh.¡±

    San nodded and looked down at his sword.

    ¡°We know they¡¯re coming back,¡± he said. ¡°I say we ambush them.¡±

    Pavano groaned, but nodded.

    ****

    San and Pavano sat in the upper room of the house, sweating heavily in the oppressive heat.San had tried to find where the heat was being generated, but all he could discern was that it came from the resinous deposits.Pavano¡¯s explanation was simply ¡®magic¡¯ and San couldn¡¯t entirely dismiss the explanation.There were few things on Earth that would generate nearly a hundred degrees of dry heat in the middle of winter without some kind of fuel source or biological reaction.

    The smell, he realized, was not improved by all of the animals that had been stuck to the walls with the resin.They, like the girl and woman, were knocked out and completely bound.Although, more than a few had open wounds that had ended their lives.

    The sheer amount of fresh game made San wonder how they were hunting so efficiently.How far did they travel? He hadn¡¯t heard or seen anything flying as they approached the komai, ever since the Memory Thief had lulled them to sleep, he had been keeping a keener eye on their surroundings.

    San pulled back the crossbow and set a bolt into the slot., while Pavano worked on the other weapons.They had four matchlock pistols, four crossbows, and two rifles between them; along with San¡¯s broadsword, dagger, and revolver.Pavano had a sword, another buckler, and a pair of daggers. There was an additional set of swords, daggers, and clubs on the floor before them.

    They also wore the cuirasses they had taken off the dead. Pavano had managed to take one off a larger man, therefore San wasn¡¯t stuck with using one that was too small.It had been from an officer, Pavano claimed.Well crafted and without a scratch on it.The cause of death was a bullet to the face, from one of Markona¡¯s men.

    Just another aspect of the world, San tried to tell himself. Wearing a dead man¡¯s armor while fighting a creature from a horror story.

    ¡°Why do you do this?¡± Pavano suddenly asked as they sat in darkness. San had the flashlight ready and his lighters.

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°Why do this for these people you don¡¯t know?¡± Pavano asked. ¡°It¡¯s been a question that¡¯s been bothering me since we first met. You are willing and able to shrug off insults to your honor that would have driven a normal man to murder, you¡¯ve thrown yourself into battle without a second thought, and now, now you¡¯re helping this komai be rid of an infestation of battos.¡±

    San looked down at his hands where he held a loaded crossbow.¡°I had more than a few thoughts before we fought the Nox, don¡¯t you remember? The trappers, their words are meaningless. What is the insult of a man who you¡¯ll never meet again worth? What does his opinion of you mean, when in all my remaining days I will never see him again?¡±San set the crossbow down. ¡°I have seen monsters, actual terrifying soul consuming monsters. What is an asshole with a big mouth compared to that?¡±

    Pavano snorted.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same reason I¡¯m here helping.There are monsters out there, if we had taken the boy to White Tower or if we hadn¡¯t seen him; these people would be dead.I¡¯m no hero, but I¡¯m a man who can do something now. If I fail, then at least I tried.¡±

    ¡°Aye, and dragging old Pavo with you,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°You needn¡¯t be here,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye. The world¡¯s hard, San. Good men doing nothing only makes it that much harder.Hetvana has seen all my sins and Senta does not forgive so easily,¡± Pavano said, his gaze was distant. ¡°The Twinned Sisters love mankind in their own way, but they will stand in judgement over us all when the day of our death arrives. Shall we be welcomed or shall we be tossed into the Void to become a horror?¡±

    They sat in silence and San peered at the small window that he had seen from outside.Although the room was dark, he could see the brightening of the light outside of the farmhouse.

    ¡°It¡¯s nearly dawn,¡± San said.

    ¡®They¡¯ll be here soon,¡± Pavano said, adjusting himself.As if on cue, there was a loud buzzing the filled the air.San¡¯s ears ached at the noise and he tried working his jaw as it grew louder and louder.

    ¡°They¡¯re coming,¡± Pavano said unnecessarily.

    The two men crouched in the far end of the resin covered room.Sweat poured off of them; and not just from the heat of the room.

    ¡°Senta watch over us,¡± Pavano said and raised the first crossbow to his shoulder.

    San did the same and peered into the darkness.His breathing was slow and steady, the strange calmness settled over him and he could almost see every grain in the wood that made up the roof beams.

    The buzzing grew louder and louder.There was a thump as the door was thrown open and the buzzing filled the entire farmhouse.San wanted to shout from the noise, to try and equalize the pressure building in his ear.He felt his limbs shaking, his very bones vibrating from the buzzing.

    San had an image of a giant bee or maybe even a wasp with some dragonfly in it, but what came up the stairs nearly made him drop the crossbow he held.

    If the creature was a dog, it would have been on the heavy end of the medium dog scale.Over two feet at the shoulders, with disjointed legs that were covered in thick bristle hair.it was easily over four feet long; a thick compact body that twisted unnaturally with long leathery wings that hung from its back.San didn¡¯t see a head at first, but like the Rippers that he had fought, its mouth parts were underneath the creature, with stalk like eyes jutting from the front of the creature and a long whiplike tail with two prongs curling from its backside.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± San whispered.

    ¡°Aye¡­¡±

    The creature clamored ungainly up the stairs, in its arms it carried the unconscious body of a creature that looked like a rabbit.It was furry and long eared, but its snow white coat was covered in blood and it was the size of a large dog. The monstrosity used one leg to shove the rabbit against the wall and then a long proboscis like tube extended from its stomach mouth and began spraying liquid over it.

    Another creature clattered up the stairs behind the first, dragging another animal, then a third.San saw that they were all the male drones, black in body and stocky in build.Pavano claimed the queens had blue coats and red wings.

    The plan was simple; kill the queen. Without the queen, a new hive could not be established.Without a queen, the male drones would eventually just die.

    That plan relied on the battos not noticing them, therefore they had layered some old furniture and carcasses around them.The blood and entrails of some animals had been also tossed about, hiding their smell.

    The three males became five and they jostled against one another, scratching one another with their long legs and hissing spittle.It wasn¡¯t long before the queen entered the room, she was larger than all the males and had a distinct royal blue coat.The leather red wings were more graceful, nearly the color of blood. She carried in her prize without difficulty even though it probably weighed more than San in all his armor and weapons.

    Wolfram.

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± Pavano whispered. ¡°They hunt horned wolves?¡±

    San didn¡¯t say anything. Instead he aimed his crossbow, the action copied by Pavano. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt the wolf,¡± San said and pulled the crossbow lever.

    THWACK! THWACK!

    The two bolts buried themselves into the flesh of the queen.She began immediately screaming, dropping Wolfram and then rearing back, her long legs trying to grab the heavy bolts.Red ichor pumped out and the screaming became frenzied.

    San and Pavano grabbed for the second crossbows and fired again.

    THWACK! THWACK!

    Two more bolts slammed home within the queen.She gave a final shrill scream of agony before staggering back and clattering down the stairs.

    Shock or confusion must have taken a hold of the males, as they all stood there, staring at where their queen had once been. They didn¡¯t move, but a low clicking sounds began as they did not know what to do.

    BOOM! BOOM!

    The room filled with blackpowder smoke as the two rifles were fired.San cursed, forgetting how smokey the weapon were.The screech of two battos filled the air and then the creatures began moving.They skittered and their wings buzzed violently, swirling around the gun smoke.

    San picked up the two pistols and joined Pavano as they put their backs to the wall.They held the guns ready as the battos rushed toward them, mere dark shapes in the room.

    ¡°Senta!¡± Pavano yelled firing at the first shape before him.It screamed and fell away.San followed suit, tracking a moving figure in the swirling smoke and then firing.He was rewarded with a screech, but the figure didn¡¯t drop. It charged.

    San cursed and saw the whiplike tail flash out from the smoke. The strike staggered him, but it had been aimed at his chest, the steel cuirass absorbing the strike and injuring the monster.San fired point blank at the battos body, the heavy lead ball tore a fist sized hole into the creature, dropping it immediately.

    A batto dropped from the ceiling, a dark shape in the shadows.San used the matchlock in his hands to strike it. The creatures weight was enough to absorb the strike, but it missed him as it tried to slash at him with its claws. San pulled out his sword and attacked, hacking off a leg and then the tail as it whipped at him. Red ichor sprayed onto the floor and San nearly slipped.

    Pavano had been pulled down and a batto stood over him, its teeth gnashing.San turned and brought down the sword.It cut through leather wings and the thick bristle coat. A large gash was opened in its side and the creature collapsed as it screamed in pain.Pavano rolled away, pulling his daggers and slashing out at another figure.

    San finished off the batto and turned to face the one that had dropped on him.It was gone. He turned back and stabbed his sword into the batto Pavano was fighting.It screeched and squirmed but he pinned it to the wall and Pavano yelled obscenities as he slashed at it.

    He felt movement and San jumped back, a clawed limb slashing down where he had stood. San pulled his dagger from his belt and charged into the smoke.He collided with the limping batto and with his weight and speed, knocked it into the wall.The batto wailed and San began stabbing down, plunging the blade until the monster was a mass of leaking redness.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± San cried, collapsing backwards onto the floor.The air was thick with gun smoke, the fetid ichor of the battos, and the rotting animals.

    ¡°We got them all,¡± Pavano panted.He sat against the wall, drenched in sweat and blood.

    ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°A bit bruised. You?¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± San said.He got to his feet, groaning as strained muscles protested.The air was beginning clear.

    ¡°Sweet Senta!¡± Pavano cried.San followed his gaze and saw Wolfram unsteadily rising to her feet.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± San said. ¡°She¡¯s a friend.¡±

 015

    15

    ¡°You realize it will rip out your throat one day and kill everyone around you, right?¡± Pavano said as San carried Wolfram to a somewhat standing hut.

    ¡°She¡¯s had the chance to do the several times,¡± San said.¡°So far, she¡¯s not done much besides saving my ass.She warned us about the Nox scouts, she saved me from getting killed by the trappers.¡±

    ¡°Aye, maybe, but that horned wolf is no pet, boy. They¡¯re notorious for stalking and killing would be Adventurers in the north.¡±

    ¡°She did try to kill me in the beginning,¡± San remarked as he kicked opened the leaning door. The hut was small, sixteen by sixteen feet, and the roof was sagging, but not yet collapsed. San set Wolfram down in the corner. She whimpered and struggled to get up, but the poison of the batto was still running its course.

    ¡°Foolishness,¡± Pavano said, clearly annoyed.

    ¡°Perhaps.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll make short work of that wee girl,¡± Pavano said. ¡°When it does, will your gods forgive you for bringing a wild animal here? Will anyone?¡±

    San paused and looked back into the hut. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Pavano snorted and stalked back toward the farmhouse.San stood there a moment longer and then followed.

    The bodies of the battos were laid out in the front of the house.San set his hand on his sword as he approached the creatures.They looked even more menacing in the daylight.Creatures out of nightmares.

    ¡°We need the queen¡¯s corpse,¡± Pavano said. ¡°It won¡¯t rot too much in this weather.White Tower needs to know there¡¯s a nest out here somewhere.¡±

    ¡°Well, the guards are looking for us,¡± San said. ¡°Sagaris might be in White Tower by now too.¡±

    Pavano looked to the rising sun and blinked.¡°She should be leaving Midway by now, it¡¯s been near four days since we left.I¡¯ll not go to White Tower anyway, my old friend will go to White Tower.¡±

    ¡°Your ranger friend?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye. He knows these woods better than any person alive.He knows the danger of battos and he knows some of the guards who work for the Baron.He¡¯ll get word to them and they¡¯ll hopefully send out a detachment.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be leaving then?¡± San asked.He looked to the barn, the pregnant woman, the child, and the boy all huddled within.

    ¡°Aye.This needs to be done,¡± he said.

    San nodded. ¡°I agree.¡±

    ¡°That horned wolf is a problem, boy. Don¡¯t let it fool you into thinking it¡¯s some kind of dog or pet.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± San replied.

    ¡°I figure I can make it to my friend¡¯s home in two days, hard travel, but doable.I¡¯ll take the two woollys and the cart, I need the queen¡¯s corpse to prove they¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°What about the rest of the drones?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Sell ¡®em or burn ¡®em,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Cursed beings, naught but trouble and illness where their corpses lay.Although the wings will sell well, especially the black wings.Plenty a rich man wants to look dashing wearing batto leather coats.A skilled leatherworker can make a fine pair of gloves from the red wings and many apothecary will buy the queen corpse.There¡¯s probably two hundred sars between all the six corpses.¡±

    San looked at the corpses and did the math.A chaotic battle against the monsters had netted them what a common farmer could make in half a year.

    ¡°Do they have mana gems?¡± San asked.

    Pavano chuckled. ¡°Aye.¡±

    San pulled out his sword and they got to work.

    There were five green mana gems and a single red one.The green were from the drones and were similar to the gems that San had collected from the dead rippers.The red one was the only different one.

    ¡°Ten greens are needed to gain a level,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Two reds are needed to gain a level.¡±

    ¡°One blue to gain a level?¡± San asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a blue gem before,¡± Pavano said. ¡°There are only greens, reds, whites, and yellows.¡±

    ¡°Whites and yellow?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye the white ones are Level gems.Get a white one and you can be guaranteed to gain a level.It¡¯ll net you ten thousand sars from the Baron and forty in the Empire.¡±

    ¡°And the yellow ones? They give you two levels?¡±

    ¡°Nah, they¡¯re a strange one, that gem.Used in potions and to warp magic.If you try to eat it raw, it¡¯ll kill you outright. They¡¯re fairly rare, you¡¯ll get a hundred green gems and only five yellows.¡±

    ¡°A kind of catalyst?¡± San asked.

    Pavano shrugged. ¡°Only the priests know how to use them.If you find one, you¡¯d best give it up to one of the cults.Else they¡¯ll be forced to kill you for hiding it.¡±

    ¡°Seems a bit¡­ harsh,¡± San said.

    ¡°The yellows hold a lot of power. That sword you have, enchanted isn¡¯t it? Well, each enchantment requires a yellow gem and a Leveled Smith to make such a weapon. Very rare and very costly those. Each cult has their own ways of doing things and they all want the gems to increase their own powers.

    ¡°Senta cults make fine healing potions. Hetvana cults make great poisons.Hesna cults allow you to see beyond this world and into the void.The best are Covanus cults who make draughts of strength and power.For a short time a man will be ten times stronger and take no damage in battle.¡±

    ¡°Want the greens or the red?¡± San asked. ¡°Its five greens to a red, right?¡±

    ¡°Boy, are you mad?¡± the old man asked.

    ¡°Do you have Levels?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Ai, gods,¡± Pavano looked to the sky. ¡°You tempt an old man, San.Only if you had asked me twenty years earlier.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t here twenty years ago,¡± San said.

    ¡°Those gems will be a waste on me,¡± he said.

    ¡°Oh? Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m too damn old,¡± the man said.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Gems only work on the young, the younger the better, where their souls aren¡¯t yet fully set.The power of the gems will make them stronger, faster, and better than anyone alive, if they are given the gems upon birth.¡± Pavano stroked his beard. ¡°I¡¯m too old for Levels, it will do naught for me and might even hurt me.¡±

    Pavano sighed. ¡°If I were your age, I would have gladly taken them.It is said that those who gain Levels as young as possible will live long and healthy lives, disease will not touch them and age will settle lightly upon their shoulders. The Last Emperor was emperor for a hundred years.¡±

    San stared at Pavano. ¡°One hundred years?¡±

    ¡°Aye. He was given Levels upon his birth.Was a great man.Did the same for his sons, but they all died in battle. His last son received the same, but he was lured in by the Hesna cult.¡±

    ¡°Then take the red gem. Sell it and live comfortably,¡± San said. Holding it up to him. Pavano stared at it for a long moment.

    ¡°They say,¡± Pavano said, ¡°that your power grows based which gem you consume first.Ten greens will give you a level, but that power will be basic, two reds will make you stronger, but a white, that is the strongest of them all.¡±

    ¡°What about Levels gained from deaths?¡± San asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re lesser than the greens and you only gain a Power every other level. With greens, reds, and whites, you gain Power every level. Give me the five greens.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Pavano sighed. ¡°Sometimes, boy. Sometimes I wonder if you¡¯re soft in the head.¡±

    ¡°We both fought. We both risked our lives. We both gain the spoils,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye.There are few men who would easily give up such wealth.¡± Pavano looked at the gems in his hands. ¡°Enough to buy a farm and a title,¡± he said.¡°You can get five thousand sars for this from the Baron, but you could also get a komai title instead. That¡¯s worth far more than five thousand sars.¡±

    ¡°I assume the catch is that it¡¯s in an uninhabited spot filled with monsters,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye. But it¡¯s a Komai.¡±

    There was a clatter from the farmhouse and the two men jumped to thier feet, weapons drawn.Azios looked at them with embarrassment as he exited the farmhouse.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Pavano demanded.

    Azios reached back into the farmhouse and dragged out the giant rabbit San had seen the battos bring in.It was nearly as tall as he was and probably weighted near as much. Azios was visibly struggling as he held it up.

    ¡°Good eating,¡± he said.

    Pavano laughed, slapping his knee.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it poisoned?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Nah, it won¡¯t hurt us any.Just got to drain it¡¯s blood good, is all.¡±

    ***This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°You don¡¯t see snow hares that often,¡± Azios stated as he ripped into the meat. He chewed noisily and wiped the grease onto his sleeve. ¡°They¡¯re pretty mean, they¡¯ll fight you and their back claws are vicious.¡±

    ¡°They can blend in with their surroundings,¡± Pavano said, taking a bite of his own slice of meat.¡°Well, when they¡¯re still alive, that is.¡±

    San flipped over the roti bread on the iron skillet.The fire they sat before was warm and the clear sky made it feel as if the temperature was above freezing. Two pots of water boiled beside the skillet, one with chopped meat and vegetables and the other with bones and grease to make a stock for the woman.

    The two hadn¡¯t yet awakened yet. Endaha was still hot to the touch, but San saw that puss wasn¡¯t leaking from her wounds.He would give her more antibiotics tonight, but for now she needed liquids and sustenance.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave in the morning,¡± Pavano said.He yawned and his jaw cracked.¡°I¡¯m too old to stay up all night and then fight against battos, then walk two days to the ranger.¡±

    ¡°You know a ranger?¡¯ Azios asked. ¡°My uncle was one, but he died in an attack by Tribals four years back.¡±

    ¡°Eat and rest,¡± San said. ¡°We¡¯ll clean out the house.¡±

    Azios made a face. ¡°The snow hare was the only creature worth taking,¡± he said. ¡°The rest are dead or nearly so.¡±

    ¡°I have a friend who might appreciate them,¡± San said, wrapping the rabbit meat in his roti. The farmstead produced a spicy fermented dish that reminded San of kimchi.It provided a bit of heat and taste as he slathered it on the rabbit meat.

    Pavano grunted, not pleased about Wolfram.

    They finished their meal, San moving into the tent to spoon some broth into the young girl and the woman.Pavano made a bed in a pile of straw and hay, wrapping himself in one of San¡¯s mylar blankets and as many ratty cloak and clothes he could find.

    Azios watched as San checked the two and then Endaha¡¯s wounds.

    ¡°Is your magic working?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Perhaps, we won¡¯t know for a while yet.If the antibiotics are working, then her fever should break and then its up to her to recover from the injury and illness. I believe Pavano said your niece should wake by nightfall, as the poison will be out of her system by then.¡±

    Azios only nodded, eyes still locked on Endaha¡¯s slow breathing form.

    ¡°My brother will be pleased you saw to his wife,¡± Azios said with some formality.¡°He is in the service of the Baron; once this war is over he will return with riches and we can rebuild the komai.¡±

    San nodded, zipping close his first aid kit.

    ¡°Perhaps you are willing to sign up as a tenant?¡± Azios asked. ¡°We do not charge much for land usage and taxes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± San said.

    ¡°The land is good and the water is plentiful,¡± Azios exclaimed, going into a sales pitch. ¡°The snows might be heavy after Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve, but where in the Baronies is it not?It is just the damn woodland savages that ruined this komai, killing and murdering, stealing and burning.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your sister-in-law a Tribal?¡± San asked.

    Azios looked embarrassed for a moment. ¡°Aye, it¡¯s a shame Brother did not find a good Imperial wife.It¡¯s not like that there were not good matches to be had, he is young and strong and now the head of the komai.¡±

    ¡°Are they happy?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Happy?¡± Azios shrugged. ¡°She is his wife. Her sons will inherit a komai status. It is better than fucking trees and eating people during the winter.¡±

    ¡°How long has she been married to your brother?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Pa captured her in a raid against our komai four years back.The woodland savages were running from monsters or something, excuses to raid and kill all along the border.¡±

    ¡°Captured?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye.Half starved and half feral, like an animal, she was.¡± Azios grinned. ¡°Pa straightened her out, made her a servant and kept her in the upstairs room in case she tried to escape.¡±

    San sighed, looking down at the woman and child.

    ¡°Then Brother said he loved her, married her against Pa¡¯s wishes. But then Pa died of Black Ring only a month later.¡±

    ¡°Your mother?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Died six years back in childbirth. We figured Pa would take Endaha as his new wife, but¡­¡± Azios shrugged.¡°She¡¯d been already carrying some woodland savage¡¯s baby. Lost it only a few months after she came here.¡±

    San closed his eyes and took a long breath. There were moments when the sheer horridness of this world would rear its ugly head.The casual racism, the low value on human lives, the monsters, everything combined together to make a place difficult to view as anything but horrible.

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± Pavano muttered from his bed of straw.¡°What a fucking tale that was.¡±

    San only nodded and got to his feet. He clamped his mouth shut and forced his hands to remain open.

    ¡°Come,¡± he said, a hardness in his voice. Azios looked at him in surprise. ¡°We need to clean the house, the resin needs to be removed.¡±

    Azios nodded, his head bobbing up and down.

    ***

    Azios was laughing with the cruelty of young boys as he used a dagger to stab the half dead animals attached to the walls.At least he made it quick and didn¡¯t draw it out.He had tried, in the beginning, but San¡¯s iron grip and stern voice had put a stop to that.

    ¡°They¡¯re living creatures,¡± he said firmly as Azios tried to squirm out of his grip. ¡°They don¡¯t deserve to suffer. Never make them suffer for your amusement.¡±

    The boy looked defiant, but the cold stare San gave him shut him up.He only nodded and made quick strikes that killed the animals.His solemn attitude only lasted a few minutes, before he was once again laughing as he killed the animals.

    San didn¡¯t think of the boy was a psychotic little monster.He saw the hurt, the fear, and the worry in his eyes when he had talked about Endaha and the little girl. His words were merely those that had been repeated to him his entire life.The lack of empathy toward other creatures was just a product of the time and culture, San mused, along with the generational racism and attitudes that were passed down.

    It was something that San had always felt back in his world. His dark non-European features always led to people believing he was middle eastern. That would eventually lead to them thinking he was ready to blow himself up at the drop of a hat. It didn¡¯t matter that his entire family came from Punjab and they were technically Sikh, although no one besides his grandmother practiced the religion.

    San pushed the dark thoughts away as he pulled the resin off the walls. With the queen dead, the resin had lost its heat giving abilities. Although there was still some residual heat in the room, it was fast getting cold.The smell was overpowering, but they got used to it.

    They worked until noon, San pulling the animals off the wall and then carrying the stinking pile toward the abandoned hut that Wolfram was recovering within.The large beast was breathing softly, her eyes slightly opened and watching as he entered the room.She stirred, but weakly.

    ¡°Lunch, dinner, breakfast,¡± San said as he dumped the corpses before her.The wolf ram sniffed and let out a low growl.¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±

    ¡°Sweet Senta, we all need a bath,¡± Pavano muttered as he sat before the small fire.He, like San, had changed out of his ichor soaked clothing and, like San, Pavano didn¡¯t have much spare clothing.Thankfully the room had been hot enough for them to have no need for the thick winter clothing.It was just their underclothing that had been liberally covered in ichor and stink.

    Pavano had pots of water boiling tea and more rabbit meat on sticks, making a sort of kabob out of them, along with a dozen fist sized burned biscuits.

    ¡°The Drink¡¯s too cold,¡± Azios said, grabbing a biscuit with his still blood stained hands.San grabbed his arm before he could start shoving the food into his mouth.

    ¡°Wash your hands,¡± he said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Wash the blood off your hands, make sure they¡¯re clean, and then you can eat.¡±

    ¡°What nonsense is that?¡± the boy demanded.

    ¡°Wash your hands.¡± The words were slow and final. Azios scowled, looked to Pavano for support, but the old man lifted his clean hands in response.

    Azios cursed as he dropped the biscuit and then stalked into the barn to find a bucket of water.

    ¡°A bit of dirt on the hands do no harm,¡± Pavano said after the boy had left.

    ¡°A bit of dirt, sure. But a lot of blood from wild animals that were poisoned by carrion eaters, that¡¯s a problem.¡±

    Pavano thought on that for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Aye, that makes some sense.¡±

    ¡°Basic hygiene is something we should aspire to,¡± San said.

    ¡°Not even the Baron has enough people to make sure he can bathe once a day,¡± Pavano laughed.

    ¡°At least wash your hands with soap and water,¡± San remarked.

    ¡°Aye, aye.¡±

    ¡°I can sanitize the clothing we have, it won¡¯t take out the stains, but it¡¯ll kill the bacteria living on it,¡± San said.

    ¡°Bact-what?¡±

    ¡°Small organisms that you can¡¯t see.They cause the stink you smell in your clothing and they cause wounds to fester,¡± San said.

    ¡°Right, lad. Right,¡± Pavano chuckled.

    Azios returned and they all ate in silence as they huddled around the campfire.

    ¡®There ain¡¯t much wood left,¡± Pavano said.¡°A few days at the most.¡±

    San looked to Azios, who had ducked his head in embarrassment.

    ¡°Brother and I would have spent the summer and fall collecting and cutting wood,¡± he said. ¡°Endaha and I tried, but I¡¯m not strong enough and¡­ well, she was pregnant.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention it seems all the woods around here are infested with monsters,¡± San said as he chewed on his food. He looked out to the tree studded hills that surrounded the valley. Now that he looked he could see the signs of where trees had been felled and the forest pushed back.

    Beneath the thin blanket of snow were fallow fields and the stumps of trees that had been chopped down.Becoming a lumberjack was an occupation that San never imagined following, but they would all freeze without more firewood.The sheer amount needed just to cook and keep a small house warm was fairly immense.

    ¡°Do you have the tools needed?¡± San asked.He had the small camp saw and a hatchet, that wouldn¡¯t really be enough to keep them warm through the winter.Especially as Pavano had stated, after Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve, they would be hit with snow.

    Azios nodded and looked embarrassed again. ¡°They might be a bit rusted and dull,¡± he said. ¡°The bonewings have been a problem all fall, they ruined much of our harvest and killed several grazers.Endaha didn¡¯t want me out in the open, in case they struck.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll clean out the house today,¡± San said. ¡°We¡¯ll begin working on collecting more wood tomorrow.You know how to fell a tree?¡±

    Azios looked surprised but nodded.¡°You don¡¯t?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I lived in a city, there wasn¡¯t much need to fell trees for firewood,¡± he said.

    Azios eyes widened. ¡°Which city? The Empire?¡±

    ¡°No. Far from here and not in the Empire.It was¡­ a different kind of place,¡± San replied.

    ¡°Do you miss it?¡± Azios asked.

    San chewed on his lunch and looked out at the snow covered land. With all the snow and the bright sunlight it was easy to forget that there were horrors out there.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±

    ***

    ¡°You grow imbar too?¡± San asked as they entered a small silo that was behind the farmhouse.It wasn¡¯t as grand as Orbaris¡¯ or as big, but it was well built and sturdy looking. The door was heavy and the stone set well.

    ¡°Everyone grows it,¡± Azios said. ¡°We grow barley, wheat, kena root, cabbage, red leaf, white ears, and red and green beans. Before Brother was called up by the Baron, we had managed to plant most of the fields, but the bonewings will eat most things, especially kena root and red leaf.¡±

    The two plants San had no idea what they were. He looked at the large pile of imbar, the room filled with the earthy lemon scent of the plant.

    San picked up the pair of axes while Azios grabbed a large wooden mallet and wedges.The day was growing late and they had cleaned as much as they could of the upper room of the farmhouse. The stink of death was still lingering, but San figured a few more hits with sanitize and a good scrubbing and airing out would bring it back to normal.

    ¡°How much would you have made if you sold the imbar?¡± San asked as they settled in the barn.The fire they had going was keeping the chill at bay.

    ¡°We grew about a ton of imbar,¡± Azios said, with a slight frown.¡°A lot died from the late summer rains, too much water caused rot.Then there was an infestation of bugs that killed the plants. In a good year, like two years back, we could grow six tons of sellable crop and sell it to the imbar merchants for about one hundred and fifty sars per ton.¡±

    San picked up a sharpening stone and began to sharpen the axes.They were made of iron, not steel and fairly heavy.Azios watched as he worked.

    ¡°Does anyone use the imbar for anything else?¡± San asked.

    ¡°They can make a syrup out of it, to add to breads to make sweets. Endaha knows how to make it and they¡¯re good. The grazers and woollys love them too. And we can take the skins and make dye from it.¡± Azios had brought some blankets and clothing from the farmhouse and he dug through it.Handing San a scarf that was a variety of pinks and fuchsia colors, with threads of purple and reds.

    ¡°My mother made these, she was good at making dyes,¡± Azios said.

    ¡°Has anyone tried making alcohol from the imbar?¡±

    Azios made a face. ¡°Only the desperate drink imbar beer,¡± he said.¡°Brother says its like piss flavored with a week old dead grazer.¡±

    ¡°How about distilling it?¡±

    Azios shrugged. ¡°Distilled into what?¡±

    ¡°Liquor.¡±

    ¡°I do not know what that is,¡± Azios said.

    San nodded and kept sharpening the axe.

    ***

    ¡°Pots and pans and amphora?¡± Pavano asked as they loaded the batto corpses into the back of the cart.The woollys brayed at the smell and the danger, but didn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Yeah, I think I can make something out of the imbar,¡± San said. ¡°I believe I can stay here at least until the end of winter.But any longer¡­¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Nice komai, but it¡¯s a lost cause if the boy¡¯s brother doesn¡¯t return.Too many die in wars or from sicknesses in cities and camps.If I sell the corpses, it¡¯ll be enough to cover what you¡¯re asking for.Seems a bit strange, but I can get it for you. Copper pans¡­¡± Pavano shook his head.

    They tossed the last body on top of the cart and San secured the ratty tarp over them.Pavano shivered in the cold early dawn air, his breath white plumes before him.

    San looked to the brightening sky; it was overcast and thick clouds were already heavy in the air.

    ¡°You could wait another day,¡± San said.

    ¡°Nah, those clouds mean a storm is coming.Best be on the road, at least that¡¯s passable in most storms.My friend lives not too far off the trade road, even in the thickest of late winter storms I could still make it there.¡±

    San nodded and extended his hand.Pavano hesitated and then shook it. ¡°I¡¯m glad I met you, Pavano,¡± San said. ¡°You¡¯ve taught me a lot and you¡¯ve been a good companion.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna make me blush, boy,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Aye, it¡¯s not often you meet a good man on these roads.¡±

    San smiled ¡°Safe journey and come back.¡±

    ¡°Depends on the storm.I will be back, but it¡¯ll be two days to the ranger¡¯s and then two more days to White Tower, another six before I can make it back, in good weather.With the storm coming, it might be longer.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll wait your return,¡± San said.

    Pavano nodded and got onto the cart. His spear at his side along with a loaded crossbow and two pistols. He waved to San and then clucked to the woollys. The cart rolled down the track as a cold wind blew.

 016

    16

    ¡°That¡¯s not how you use a sword,¡± Azios said, his eyes wide and shocked by what San was doing.

    San looked up from where he was working, the broadsword in his hand.He looked down at the log laying before him, a forty foot tree that Azios and he had fell. The one handed sword was being used to denude the tree of branches.

    ¡°It¡¯s enchanted,¡± San said. ¡°Self sharpens and will never rust, so the durability is probably pretty high.¡± San turned the silver bladed weapon in his hands.The blade gleamed as if it had just been polished and hadn¡¯t been used to de-limb the fallen trunk.

    Azios shook his head. ¡°Lunch is ready,¡± he said.

    San grunted as he cracked his back.He looked at his morning¡¯s handiwork. A half-dozen trees had been felled, with help from Azios but mostly from the enchanted strength and stamina he possessed.In a normal world he would have been exhausted by the exertion and the speed he had accomplished the task.

    Instead he felt warmed by the work and ready to continue doing more. With some experimentation San had discovered he could move a twenty foot log with some difficulty.There were leather harnesses and gear for the woollys that were easily adapted for him to drag the logs.The two woollys Pavano had left behind were untrained and a bit of a handful, otherwise he would have preferred to have the animals drag them back.

    San picked up a ratty cloak that was lying on a stump and the crossbow sitting beside it.He carried his revolver and a dagger along with the broadsword, and would have carried more if it hadn¡¯t gotten in the way of work.

    Azios also carried a crossbow.The threat of monsters was San¡¯s main concern. Although the woods close to the farmhouse had seemed like your normal snowy woodlands, there could be an entire army of monsters out there ready to descend upon the tiny komai.

    He contemplated pulling the log back closer to the farmhouse, but his stomach growled at the thought of food.Azios was no cook, but everyone learned how to do what they could around a house.He was a fair hand at most things, but physically weak to fully be able to do them himself. San was impressed, at Azios¡¯ age, San was playing video games and talking non-stop about the latest movies and gossip.

    Azios headed back as he gathered up his supplies, making sure to bring the axes back with him.As he stood there, San had a sudden prickling feeling that he was being watched.He stood up straight and scanned the woods, trying to see if there was anything out there.

    Wolfram had recovered from her poisoning and after consuming the animals that the battos had caught, she had vanished back into the woods.He still didn¡¯t understand why she was following him, appearing randomly and disappearing just as quickly.

    The woods were thick with snow and the conifers plunged much of it into a half twilight the further one went.San did not assume that only animals lurked with in the woods. This ws a Grimm¡¯s fairy tale land, with monsters lurking everywhere and strange beings trying to lure you ito the dark woods.It was human fears personified, made real, and multiplied beyond even what ancient storytellers spoke of.

    The feeling of being watched followed him as he headed back to the barn.He stopped multiple times, taking quick glances back into the woods, but saw nothing.

    San dusted the snow off his boots and trousers as they entered the barn.A small bright eyed face peered at him from the flap of the tent.The eyes were wide and staring at him as if he were some kind of monster in their midst.

    ¡°Cassatana,¡± Azios said, gesturing her to come to him.The small girl exited the tent, dragging San¡¯s sleeping bag behind her. She stared at San as Azios picked her up and they settled down before the fire and the small meal he had readied.

    San smiled at the little girl. She stared at him and buried her head into Azios¡¯ shoulder.Cassa, as Azios called her, had awakened the night before.Scared, crying, and somewhat still under the effects of the batto poison, it had been Azios that had managed to calm her down.

    It was evident she didn¡¯t know what to make of San. His features, size, and strangeness were more than the small girl could handle. She stayed near Azios as much as possible, clinging to her uncle as he watched over the animals and two.

    ¡°Good afternoon, Cassatana,¡± San said, smiling at the girl.

    Cassa began crying into Azios¡¯ shoulder.Azios gave him an apologetic smile and comforted his niece. San shrugged and sat back, eating his rabbit meat, roti, and kimchi.Azios had a cauldron boiling water and was in the process of making pottage, which appeared to be the main food they all ate.The meat was something special and not a common thing, unless they butchered one of the grazers and those animals were worth more for the wool they made than the meat they provided.

    The entire farmstead seemed off to San. There were grazers and they had a half full silo of imbar and other foods they had preserved. Yet there were no other animals, no dogs, no cats, no chickens, no goats, no woollys, horses, or even a wagon to move the goods if they could have sold the imbar.

    He didn¡¯t want to pry into their business, they had already been suffering from a bad harvest and the absence of Azios¡¯ brother had compounded the issue.Yet the lack of other animals was starting to cause questions he didn¡¯t know if he wanted to ask.

    They had woolly harnesses and a plow, but there were no signs of woollys.The animals that Pavano and he had brought were occupying a large pen that could hold all four and from the aged droppings within, it had been a woolly pen before.

    So what happened to their animals? San pondered the question as he finished his meal.

    ¡°Is the house ready yet?¡± Azios asked, hand feeding Cassa minced rabbit meat and kimchi.

    ¡°Almost, just need a little more Sanitizing and scrubbing. I don¡¯t think some of those stains will get out,¡± San said.With Cassa now awakened, much of Azios¡¯ time was taking care of the little girl.San wanted to move them all back into the house as soon as possible, especially with the potential of an oncoming storm.

    The clouds had only thickened since Pavano had left, but they hadn¡¯t yet dropped their loads.San was thankful for that. If he could bring back a few logs, then they would be set for firewood for a week or more. Perhaps by then Pavano would have returned or be on his way.

    The thought of more battos weighed on his mind also.He wondered if this was the constant feeling these people had everyday?The constant worry that a monster would come storming out of the woods or that some raiding party or bandit would attack them.

    There was safety in numbers, but the Exonaris Komai had contracted to only three living members.Azios had said there were three cousins and their families that had lived in the Komai, but after Azios¡¯ father died of Black Ring and his ranger uncle had died in a Tribal attack, the other cousins had succumb to disease and accidents.

    One cousin and his entire family had died of Black Ring that took Azios¡¯ father. Another cousin had gotten drunk and been tramped by his woollys.His wife and child had left to return to her parents and Azios didn¡¯t know what happened to them.The last cousin had committed suicide after she had lost a child in childbirth.Her husband drowned himself in the Drink before harvest time.

    It was a series of calamities that San didn¡¯t know how they all survived it.Death was a constant thing in this world and it seemed that blind luck or perhaps having the blessing of one of their gods kept them alive.

    It didn¡¯t explain why they didn¡¯t have any other animals except for the grazers.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring in a couple of logs,¡± San said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get the house cleaned as best as I can.We¡¯ll move back into there hopefully before nightfall.¡±

    Azios nodded, offering Cassa cup of tea.She grimaced at the taste and shoved it away.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be picky,¡± Azios said, offering her more rabbit meat.She ate that happily.¡°You have woodland savage in their your blood, you should like their tea.¡±

    San grunted and got to his feet.He stretched his back again and hefted the axe over his shoulder and picked up the crossbow.

    ¡°Keep the doors closed and the kid close,¡± San said.

    ¡°I know how to take care of my niece,¡± Azios said with some annoyance.

    ¡°I know, but it makes me feel better to repeat it,¡± San replied crouching before Azios. ¡°You are doing a great job, Azios.You are stepping up as an adult and doing what is required to see you family survive. I respect that and I see the work you are doing and appreciate it.¡±

    Azios stared at him as if he had just struck him.Cassa also stared, but for different reasons.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Azios said.

    ***

    The wind began howling as San dragged a bucked log back to the farmhouse.It bit through his rain jacket and shirts, but he kept going.The exertion kept him somewhat warmed and he knew if he stopped, it would be far harder to start again.

    A large pile of logs was beginning to form as San brought them before the farmhouse.He pulled the log amongst the others and looked to the sky.The sky had darkened more and he shivered as flakes began to fall from the sky.

    It seemed his wood gathering time was over.San detached the harness and carried them into the farmhouse.The building still had the reek of death within it, but with the resin removed, it was airing out fine.San would be glad once the place aired out, the barn was well built, but it was a drafty place. The animals would do well in it because of their thick fur and Cassa and Endaha were somewhat protected in the tent, but it was no long term solution.

    He exited the house, hunched against the wind and headed back to the wood pile.He had left the axe and the crossbow there.The flakes began to fall heavier, obscuring some of his vision as he walked into the wind.

    The feeling of being watched struck him again and San stopped in his tracks.He ducked down behind a stump as the snow cleared for a moment.A hundred feet from him stood a human shaped being; it was tall, maybe seven feet, and wore ragged clothing that had been stitched together from various sets.It wasn¡¯t human, San realized, as it raised an arm that was covered in white curly fur, almost like the mohair on a goat.

    The creature cupped its hands around its mouth and let out an odd noise.San flinched from it, but something within him loosened. He felt the stress and burden, the hyper vigilance he didn¡¯t even know he was experiencing begin to dissipate. He could relax, this creature brought only peace.He could let go of his problems, release his burdens, just sit down and relax.

    The howling wind caressed him and the snow was comfortable.San sat down, leaning against the trunk and smiled as he looked at the dark skies.He could stay here, not worry about anything anymore. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    No need to think about Pavano. About Sagaris, about the gold ore, about the battos, about Endaha or the children.He could just sit and relax, let the snow embrace and comfort him.There was warmth in the cold, one the people didn¡¯t realize as they tried hard to keep it at bay.

    Pain blossomed across San¡¯s face and he gasped, staring up at the hooded face of Azios.The boy looked terrified, snot and tears frozen on his sharp face.

    ¡°San!¡± he cried, more tears flowing. ¡°She¡¯s gone!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± San asked. His mind felt fuzzy and he was terribly cold.He shudders, suddenly feeling the cold bitting through his trousers and jacket. He wrapped his arms around himself. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°Cassa. She¡¯s gone.I-I don¡¯t know what happened. I was feeding the grazers and¡­ I don¡¯t know.I just sat down and felt like it was the right thing to do.I felt happy and that nothing mattered anymore.¡± He was crying again. ¡°She¡¯s gone. I don¡¯t know where she went.¡±

    San heaved himself to his feet and immediately checked that his sword, dagger, and revolver were still on him.The cold still bit at him, but his heart thundered at the memory of the white furred creature.Its strange lulling song had effected them all, but why was Cassa missing?

    He remembered his thoughts on Grimm¡¯s fairy tales, wasn¡¯t there one that lured children away? Weren¡¯t there som creepypasta tales about creatures int eh woods that took children?

    ¡°Back to the barn!¡± San shouted.¡°I¡¯ll find her.¡±

    Azios looked at him with relief and terror.¡°Please.¡±

    San only nodded and pulled out his revolver, rushing to the site of where he had been bucking the logs.He found the crossbow there and picked it up.

    How long had he been sitting there? San didn¡¯t know, but his skin felt tight and aching, the bandana wrapped around the lower part of his face was thick with frost and his woolen beanie was nearly soaked through.

    However long it had been since he was lulled into feeling happy, San immediately saw the footprints of Cassa as she had left the barn and walked toward the singing figure.Her steps vanished and were replaced by a pair of massive feet, human in shape, but with claws at the end.

    San peered at the footsteps and saw they vanished deeper into the forest.He took one more glance back at the barn and cursed his own stupidity.Nothing that came out of the woods was good, he should have fired at the creature first instead of ducking out of sight and watching it.

    He rushed after the woods, running flat out as the wind howled around him.He would find this beast and get Cassa back. He wouldn¡¯t let anything happen to her.

    Levels and its associated boosts in his physical abilities pushed San through the woods.He might have been working all day cutting wood and hauling them, but as adrenaline and fear coursed through his veins, every ache, pain, and bit of exhaustion burned away.He was moving at Olympian speeds, dodging branches, fallen logs, and thick brush; the wide spaced footprints always in view.

    He knew he was gaining on the creature as the rage and anger he felt began to dissipate.Why was he so angry? Why did he hold so much rage? He should just give it up, allow it to vanish.There was no need for rage, only happiness.Embrace it and sit down to rest.He deserved it.

    San shook his head, gritting his teeth.Happiness? Happiness was not in the cards for him. Happiness was an idea that had died when his family did. Happiness was never going to come into his life again.He did not deserve it.

    The great creature halted in its run, pausing within a clearing of woods as it felt the heat of rage coming after it.The creature raised its voice, the song changing, deepening, finding the cracks in San¡¯s emotions.

    The fire of rage burned in San¡¯s veins, it snuffed out the probing tendrils of the monster.It singed the creature and caused it to flinch as San burst into the clearing.

    The seven foot tall creature turned to San and let out an ear splitting roar.It snarled, it¡¯s humanlike face twisting into a terrifying visage of a wide gaping mouth filled with needle sharp teeth. In its massive hands it held an unconscious Cassa, the small child neatly carried.

    San snapped up the crossbow and fired at the monster¡¯s head.It saw the bolt and dodged to the side, the distance between them over a hundred feet.San dropped the crossbow and charged the beast.

    If the monster could laugh, it would have.How many had challenged it? How many had died to its hands?The monster roared in challenge and stomped forward, still holding Cassa.

    San pulled his sword out and his entire world condensed around the monster holding Cassa.The snow crunched under his boots and the wind seemed to be holding its breath, watching the battle in the clearing.

    A thirty feet, the monster threw Cassa at San.For a moment the man gaped as he saw the flying child.He dropped his sword and lurched forward, following the arc of her body and then throwing himself to catch her as she fell.He landed heavily on his back, loose stone, brush, and hard snow causing the breath to explode from his lungs.Cassa moaned in his arms, shivering in the cold.

    ¡°I got you,¡± San said.

    Then a great figure towered over him.San rolled away as a giant fist slammed down toward him. He rolled his knees and then to his feet, backing away with Cassa still in his arms.The white furred creature grinned at him, its bright blue eyes reflecting some kind of intelligence.The mocking smile told him that it was playing with him; that it knew it would win this fight and that San was already dead.

    San eased Cassa to the ground, she cried out softly but he kept his eyes focused on the monster. His left hand pulled out his dagger and the right pulled out the revolver.

    The monster moved fast, but not fast enough for San to pull the trigger. The .357 round punched it in the center of mass, but beyond a simple stagger and a roar of pain the creature didn¡¯t stop.San fired again and again, the second shot punching into its shoulder and the third grazing an arm as it dodged out of the way.

    A second later San was heaved off the ground, a massive hand clamping down on his right hand and the other wrapping around his ribs and pulling him upward; the grip was like iron and compressed his bones.He cried out and stabbed down with the dagger, the blade slide through fur and flesh, causing the monster to roar again.Its hand loosened on San¡¯s own and he pulled the revolver free, shoving it agains the monster¡¯s snarling face.He pulled the trigger and the side of the monster¡¯s head exploded into a spray of blood and bone.

    Immediately he dropped to the ground, the monster still stood, but it swayed back and forth.Blood poured from its wound, drenching the patchwork clothing it wore.The monster looked at San, the bright blue eyes dulling and then it fell to the ground in a loud thump.

    San groaned and rolled to his feet.He staggered to the limp form on the ground, snatching her up and wrapping his arms around her.

    ¡°I¡¯m here, Jules! I¡¯m here! I got you,¡± he cried holding her tight.

    Cassa began crying, a long wial of fear and terror.

    ¡°Azi!¡± she cried out.

    San blinked and looked down at the bronze face, high cheekbones, and dark hair.It wasn¡¯t Julia, it was Cassa.He rubbed at his eyes and rose to his feet. Cassa squirmed in his arms, but she was too scared to do much.Her large eyes landing upon the monster behind them.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Cassa,¡± San said. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re safe. Azios sent me to find you.¡±

    At the mention of her uncle¡¯s name, she quieted.The wails turning to hiccuping sobs as she clung to him for warmth.

    With some difficulty, San picked up the dropped weapons. The dagger, revolver, sword, and crossbow.The bolt was lost somewhere in the clearing and San wasn¡¯t going to look for it.He took one last look at the creature. What was it? Some kind of piped piper?

    Whatever the monster had been, it seemed to like children.San had no idea what that meant, but he imagined that it was nothing good.How many fairy tales told of monsters eating children? San looked down at Cassa¡¯s dark head and took a breath.

    She had almost been one of those cautionary tales.San shuddered and headed back to the barn. The wind and snow had returned once the fight ended. The show was over and there was business to do.

    San rushed back to the farmstead, the path back was disappearing fast, but he knew the direction to travel. The mountains were behind them and all he would need is to find the creek if they got lost.

    It wasn¡¯t long before they exited the forest and the darkened shapes of the farmhouse and barn were visible.Cassa was shaking violently in his arms and she had stopped crying.He rushed toward the barn, the biting cold wind causing him to misstep a few times.

    Azios had the door barred shut and he pounded on it.

    ¡°Open up, Azios. It¡¯s San!¡±

    The door creaked open and the head of a crossbow eased out, with Azios¡¯ face behind it.He looked relieved and threw open the door. The relative warmth of the barn was excruciating on San¡¯s exposed skin.Cassa gave a moan and clung tighter to him.They made it to the fire just as a stumbling figure climbed out of the tent.

    Endaha was plastered with sweat and deathly pale.Her gaze was unfocused and drool and tears ran down her face.

    ¡°Let her go, monster!¡± she cried out.

    ¡°Endaha! No!¡± Azios yelled as she raised a matchlock pistol at him.

    San twisted and covered Cassa as Endaha pulled the trigger lever.The boom of the weapon was thunderously loud in the barn, the grazers let out a terrified scream and began rushing around their pen.The woollys brayed in terror and slammed against the wooden pens, a loud crack filling the air.

    He didn¡¯t feel any pain.San looked down to see that the shot hadn¡¯t hit him.Cassa was crying again.

    ¡°Let go!¡± Azios cried, struggling with Endaha.The woman was trying to pull the crossbow out of Azios¡¯ hands, but the young man held a firm grip. San rushed over and pulled the weapon out of both of there hands.

    Endaha looked at him with redden eyes, blinking rapidly.She swayed on her feet and then charged at him with the pistol reversed and held like a club.Even with Cassa in his arms, San dodged the attack and tripped her.She fell heavily and San kicked away the pistol.

    ¡°My baby,¡± she wept. Curling into a fetal position and clutching her stomach. San felt an immediate sense of fear and guilt.

    ¡°Oh, god. I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, crouching down before her.She knocked aside his helping hand.

    ¡°Monster,¡± Endaha muttered. Her gaze was becoming more unfocused and she tried clawing at him. She was weak and a moment later her eyes rolled back.

    San checked her pulse and the heat coming off of was like a fire.Azios took Cassa as San picked the woman up and took her back to the tent.

    ¡°Monster¡­¡± she said again.

    ***

    The storm raged outside of the barn, but with enough firewood and care, everyone was warm and fed.San pulled out a sack of imbar, the furry fruit, and began pulling the skin off.The events of the day kept replaying in his mind, the monster, the music, the horrid visage of the creature.He needed to clear his mind.

    Azios sat with Cassa, who was sleeping, and watched him.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got some time on my hands,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m going to see what I can do with this Fermentation Power.¡±

    ¡°Power?¡¯ Azios asked amazed. ¡°Leveled people have Powers.What does Ferment do?¡±

    ¡°I suppose it ferments stuff,¡± San said, chuckling slightly.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    Azios looked at San for a moment and down at Cassa. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, there were tears in his eyes.

    ¡°No problem,¡± San replied.

    They sat in silence as San peeled the imbar and then began slicing them up.There was a wooden board he used and soon he filled up a cauldron of the chopped imbar.

    Creating alcohol was just adding yeast to sugar and letting it consume all it could. The byproduct was alchohol and carbon dioxide, but yeast was a lover not a fighter, therefore all the equipment had to be sanitized so that foreign bacteria would not infect the brew.

    If the fermentation power worked like actual fermentation, then that would be an incredible thing.Alcohol wasn¡¯t the only thing that could be fermented, there was the kimchi like food Azios¡¯ family stored, meat could be fermented, milk, beans, pretty much anything.

    Before the invention of refrigerators, fermentation was one of the methods of preserving foods.If all the dangerous bacteria were killed off, foods would last a fair amount of time.

    He had already sanitized the cauldron and his tools, so San dumped the imbar into the pot and began adding a bit of water.Soon it would begin boiling.

    Beer making and the realization that with enough effort anything that had sugar in it could be turned into beer had led San and a lot of his brewing friends into experimenting.One friend had even turned toilet paper into moonshine.

    Although he had never made a beet beer before, San had talked with friends about it.Imbar was as close to this world had to beets, although straining the black seeds and getting all the stringy sugary mass into the cauldron was a chore.The simple method would be to boil it, add water, and pitch some yeast into it.

    San dug around in his pack. He had a small package of stuff that the wanted on himself when he died.He opened the plastic bag and dug through the contents.Within it lay several packets of yeast and a picture, the first yeast he had used when making whiskey had been bread yeast.Low alcohol tolerance, but a flavor would remain after distilling.The other was an ale yeast that he loved making beer with.The last packet was a distiller¡¯s yeast, designed to be very high alcohol tolerant and fast in fermenting.

    The distillers yeast was the most economical and most used yeast he had found.Distilling wasn¡¯t just about making the best booze, it was also making it as cheap as possible and with as little downtime as possible. Every minute something was still fermenting out, was money loss.

    He looked at the picture of his family.His grandfather, grandmother, father and mom, along with this two brother and one sister.They were all looking at the camera and smiling, the normal scowl on grandfather¡¯s face.

    San smiled at the picture and tucked it back into the plastic bag.In that same bag a small gold necklace fell out.San looked at it, the fine chain in his hands. That had been Mary¡¯s necklace, one she loved for the simplicity of it.San felt along his chest and the lump of Mary¡¯s wedding band pressed against his fingers.He looked down at his own hand and saw the simple gold wedding band on it.

    How many days had he been in this world and he hadn¡¯t even realized he was still wearing it.If it had been seen by others, he was sure they would have tried taking it from him.It was a good thing then, that he had been wearing his gloves the entire time.

    San shook his head and picked up the distillers yeast.

 017

    17

    ¡°Fire in the Night,¡± San muttered.The fire flared a moment, causing Azios to look up at him.San smiled back.¡°Just a bit of precaution.¡±

    Azios nodded, still holding Cassa and giving her some kimchi.She ate it eagerly.

    Night began to fall and San sat before the fire, adding fuel and trying to keep the temperature at a constant level.The last thing he wanted was to burn the mixture.He had on his headlamp and constantly checked the simmering imbar.If it worked like making a beet beer, then the sugars should break up from the starchy mass of the imbar. He just needed to boil it enough and then figure out how much sugar was within the five gallon cauldron.

    In his experimental brewing phase he had seen how beet sugar had been made.It took a bit of effort, some straining and a lot of heating and simmering off the excess water to create a syrup like mix that then would be further dried out to make sugar crystals.

    San wasn¡¯t attempting to make dry sugar, all he needed was a pot full of sugar wash that could be turned into alcohol. Although he did wish that he had brought a hydrometer with him.With that he could tell how much sugar was in the wash. Without it, he guessed he would figure out the results after it was done fermenting or if the yeast stalled out.

    It was why he used the distiller¡¯s yeast.The yeast was good when it came to consuming a lot of sugar and converting it into alcohol. He had used it enough times that he figured he could determine the alcohol percentage and how much sugar had been converted to alcohol.

    Pavano and Azios had claimed imbar beer was horrible.This from a people who probably drank more than twice the amount people from his world did.San didn¡¯t know the figures, but back in the day it was common for everyone to be drinking something with a bit of alcohol in it.Small beer and other things just so that they didn¡¯t have to drink the water.There were no health departments that made sure that the water people were drinking wasn¡¯t contaminated and people used rivers and streams for waste disposal.

    The boiling of the imbar allowed San a bit of relaxation.He thought back on the last few days and didn¡¯t know to feel about it.There were the Nox mercenaries, Sagaris trying to kill them, then his freak out at Orbaris¡¯ home, the Memory Thief, the battos, and now the white furred singer.

    He reflected back on his conversation with Pavano when they left Orbaris.How could people survive in this world, if what he had experienced was the norm?How could anyone live here if everyday was constantly looking over one¡¯s shoulder to see if anything was creeping up on them. San wished he had a drink, a bottle of anything to get his mind off of things.

    He had spent nearly two months on an alcoholic binge after his family died.A case of his latest whiskey, vodka, and gin had went down his throat within less than two weeks.The main take away from those months of heavy drinking was that it didn¡¯t ease the pain.It only delayed it.He could get black out drunk, he could be momentarily happy as the alcohol dulled his senses, but eventually the sorrow and pain would return.When he sobered enough to remember where he was and the state of his life again, it would hit with all the force as it first did.

    Two months drunk, followed by four months of sobbing and unable to do anything besides contemplating how to rejoin his family.

    San looked to the boiling cauldron and felt a shiver across his body. He had been so close.He had wanted to end it all and in those days leading up to his attempted suicide, they had been the clearest and happiest days of his life.He had come to a decision and he had been happy.

    Azios was yawning as he held a sleeping Cassa.The little girl had been clinging to her uncle since she came back.

    ¡°Go to sleep,¡± San told him.

    He nodded wearily and carried the young girl into the tent without a word.He was sleeping within it also, as the barn got dreadfully cold by morning.San watched as he zipped up the tent.

    If he had pulled the trigger, if he had died on that plateau. Then Endaha and her entire family would be dead. Azios would be dead.Terrinath would be dead. Perhaps Sagaris¡¯ entire caravan, although he still felt some blame and sorrow for those that Sagaris had probably killed. The trappers who had no idea that they had been carrying illicit gold ore.

    He had done some good in this world, he believed.This world was a hard place; disease, monsters, and human nature sought to snuff out everything.But there were good places.Orbaris, regardless of his family¡¯s disdain of foreigners, they were still good people.They loved one another and worked hard to make their lives good.Azios, even with his questionable beliefs, truly did love Cassa and Endaha.There was also Pavano, who did not owe him anything and San had no idea why he still stayed with him. The old man could have got to his ranger friend and would never return, but San believed that he would return.

    San saw that the imbar was beginning to boil. He waited another half hour before he grabbed a bucket and a wooden spoon.He mashed the imbar down as much as he could then removed the thick mixture of strands and plant matter.

    In one Sanitized bucket he pulled as much imbar as he could out, leaving behind a thick cloudy soup like product.He mashed down the imbar in the large bucket, extracting as much liquid from it and then dumping that back into the cauldron.

    When done he had a third full cauldron of thick liquid.San used some cloth and gloves to pull the cauldron off the fire and eased himself out of the barn.

    The storm was blowing from the west and San was in the leeward side of the barn.Snow drifts were beginning to form as the snow continued to fall in thick flakes.He set down the cauldron, the iron pot hissing as it touched the freezing ground.San marched over to the nearest snow drift and using a bucket filled it.

    He used Sanitize on the snow and dumped it into the cauldron.Within minutes he had the entire pot filled with steaming water.He allowed the cauldron to sit in the cold air as the temperature of the wash dropped.

    There was always the chance that some foreign bacteria would enter the sugar wash, but San wasn¡¯t too worried about it.The first beers he used to make involved dumping ten pound bags of store purchased ice into the wort.He had never got skunky beer from it.Although using a wort chiller would have been better, but there was a definite lack of copper tubing and pressurized cold water.

    San sanitized a spoon and dipped it into the nearly full cauldron.He tasted the mixture and it was very sweet, coating his tongue and mouth.There was a bit of earthiness to it, but nothing terrible.San grabbed the cool handle and re-entered the barn.

    A small amphora had been cleaned for this purpose. San sanitized the spoon again and picked up the distiller¡¯s yeast he had going. It was in a wooden bowl and had been set aside while the yeast activated, now it was frothy and ready to use.He pitched the yeast into the cauldron, stirred it vigorously and waited a few moments. When he figured it had mixed enough; he used his increased strength to lift the cauldron up and poured it into the amphora.

    He used some Sanitized cloth to wrap around the opening in the amphora, Hoping it would be enough to prevent bacteria from entering.He wasn¡¯t entirely hopeful on that aspect.He was in an enclosed barn with more than three dozen grazers, two woollys, and their combined feces, along with potentially moldy hay and straw.A good airlock would have been nice.

    San had to laugh at his entire set up.Using strange vegetables to make a sugar wash, using an iron cauldron to heat the imbar, when one of the big no-no¡¯s in brewing was never use a pot that had been used to cook meat, and then using freshly fallen snow to bring the wash down to a pitching temperature.

    Stainless steel, copper, and specialty malts and grains had been his world for the last six years.This reminded him more of his grandfather¡¯s style of brewing.He had to smile at that.His grandfather would have probably figured out better ways to do what he was doing.

    San sat down, looking at the amphora.He closed his eyes, imagining the yeast beginning to tear through the sugars in the wash.He could imagine them as animals suddenly released upon a buffet. They raced forward grabbing every sugar, getting fat, having babies, dying, and then the cycle began over again

    ¡°Fermentation,¡± San said, his hands upon the amphora.The clay container glowed blue in his vision for a second, San felt a draw of something from within himself.He tried to pull his hand off the amphora, but he couldn¡¯t.

    A lifetime seemed to pass where energy flowed from his body and into the amphora.He managed to pull his hand back and exhaustion suddenly overcame him.

    San had barely enough energy to stoke the fire and fall into the pile of straw before darkness overtook him.

    ***

    San opened his eyes to see Azios peering at him.Cassa stood by him, holding onto his tunic.She peered at him with her wide eyes, as if seeing him for the first time.

    ¡°You okay?¡± he asked.

    San blinked and saw that the barn was filled with sunlight.He was warm and the sound of the howling wind wasn¡¯t whistling through the holes in the barn.

    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah,¡± San said, sitting up.

    ¡°Sun¡¯s been up for a while now,¡± Azios said. ¡°I thought.. I thought you might be sick or something.¡±

    San cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He yawned, cracking his neck.¡°The storm over?¡± he asked.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Azios nodded. ¡°Are we going to clean the house?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll clean the house and set it up.You stay here and watch over everyone,¡± San said.

    Azios nodded again. ¡°I-I won¡¯t let her out of my sight,¡± he said, holding Cassa¡¯s hand. ¡°I won¡¯t let her go.¡±

    San tousled Azios¡¯ hair and smiled. ¡°Good, man,¡± he said before doing the same to Cassa.She didn¡¯t flinch or run away as she had before, but stared at him with her large eyes.

    The sun was out and the world was covered in a foot of clean crisp snow.San shivered in the cold and tugged his coat around himself.He looked to the farmhouse and then toward the forest.It appeared entirely calm and tame today, with the sun out and the snow reflecting the sunlight.The tall pines didn¡¯t seem to be hiding any monsters or horrors stealing children, it just look like woods.

    All the years Mary and he had hiked through national forests, there was never any real fear of monsters.He remembered them joking about running across Big Foot or the Goat Man or whatever, but those were just stories to entertain.Bears, mountain lions, or wolves were always seen as the real dangers.San wondered how those predators dealt with the more supernatural predators.

    He shrugged and headed toward the forest.He had left the axe out there when he had returned with Cassa.Wolfram appeared out of the woods near where he had been felling trees.The black shape suddenly appearing as she turned visible.San loosened his grip on the axe; he kept forgetting that she could turn invisible when she wanted.

    ¡°You doing okay?¡± San asked her.

    She blinked her yellow eyes and reached down to pick up something from the snow.San felt a shiver of fear as the wolf ram held a white furred arm in her mouth.It was frozen, but San could see the marks where Wolfram had gnawed at it.

    ¡°Waste not, want not,¡± San said watching as she began gnawing on it again.He watched her for a moment and then studied her trail through the snow.She might be able to become invisible, but she still left a clear trail in the fresh snow.

    San made his decision and walked into the woods, one hand on his sword and the other holding the axe over his shoulder.Wolfram looked up from her breakfast as he passed her by, she dropped the arm and followed him as the used her trail to make it back to the clearing where he fought the monster.

    Snow had covered the creature, but Wolfram and possibly other predators had gotten to the creature during the night.The limbs had been removed and the entire torso ravaged, blood and intestines liberally spread across the clearing.San grimaced at the too human red blood and meat.

    The grotesque head of the creature stared at him, untouched, with dull blue eyes still holding a look of shock at its demise.San approached the head while Wolfram explored the remains for anything edible.

    ¡°What are you?¡± San asked, using the axe head to nudge the monster¡¯s head.He sighed and with a little hesitation, brought the iron axe down upon the monster¡¯s head.There was a loud crack that Wolfram startled from, but she eagerly ran up to San as another blow cleaved through bone and brain matter.

    He used his dagger to explore the head of the monster.The brain was a purple mass, with some missing where the bullet had penetrated the skull of the creature.After a few moments he found what he was looking for, a small membrane that held the mana gems. San cut it out and slit open the membrane; half a dozen yellow gems falling into his gloved hand.

    Wolfram approached and sniffed the gem, letting out a low growl and moving away from them.She sniffed the open skull of the monster and began clawing out the internal meat.

    ¡°Even you know you¡¯re not supposed to eat them,¡± San said, raising a gem up and peering into it.It didn¡¯t look any different than the other gems he had found.A little more cloudy, but still crystalline in its structure.

    San dug into his pockets and pulled out the small plastic bag that held the other gems. He added the yellows and rose to his feet. The cold was beginning to bleed into his clothes and the bloody scene was becoming unnerving.

    As he turned to leave, San saw a dismembered arm lying six feet from him. On the wrist was a glimmer of metal.San walked to the arm and saw that there was a thick gold bracelet around the wrist, the links were crude and the seemed to have been hammered into shape, not casted. They were thumb sized and oval shaped, the ends of each oval had a holed drilled into them and a leather cord held the links together.

    San used his dagger to cut the leather cord and removed the bracelet.It was heavy and from what he could tell the gold was pure. He used the tip of the dagger to etch into the gold.In television shows, one would bite into the gold, but San wasn¡¯t about to bite into something that had been worn by the monster.He Sanitized the bracelet and stuffed it into his pocket.

    Wolfram nudged the arm and looked to San as if to ask if he wanted it.

    ¡°All yours,¡± San said.

    San followed his tracks back to the farmhouse as he did he heard a shriek from the sky.He paused at the edge of the clearing to see Wolfram growling at massive bone white birds that had clustered not far from the corpse.

    Bonewings, San thought.He could see where the name came from, the creatures had what looked like a bone plate covering their heads, which they used to ram into one another as they fought over the remains.Their wings were leathery and ivory in color, appearing as if they were made of bone.They were big creatures too, the size of a medium dog and with wings that spanned nearly eight feet.As the opened their beaks, San saw the rows of small sharp teeth.

    It had been these creatures that had attacked Endaha; they had alsokilled some of the livestock and wrecked the harvest.San sighed as he realized he hadn¡¯t brought the crossbow.He checked his revolver and decided against using it.He only had four more bullets.

    More than a dozen bonewings appeared and Wolfram decided that it was better to retreat.She grabbed the arm and followed San as they headed back to the farmhouse.

    ***

    ¡°As clean as it¡¯ll ever get,¡± San muttered sitting down on the wooden floor.He had removed his coat and the dim room was chilly.There were still obvious stains on the floor, but that would need to be sanded out and not scrubbed.San hadn¡¯t found any wood working tools beside the axe and hatchets.

    He groaned as he got to his feet, the act of scrubbing floors caused more aches and pains than felling trees or battling monsters.

    A fire was burning in the firepit, but the heat didn¡¯t spread much further than the kitchen area.San poured himself a cup of tea and sat down on a bench before the fire.The stink of death was replaced by some herbs that Azios had burned in the fire pit and also spread upon the floor with a fresh layer of straw.He had been making short trips to the barn and farmhouse, bringing back their belongings.

    The upstairs room was a loss in terms of furniture and partitioned walls.The battos had destroyed everything as they were turning the place into their nest and San had just burned everything that was covered in resin.That had produced a foul greasy fire that still had an odor lingering around the farmstead.

    The kitchen area was fine, a broken stool was all that had suffered from the battos moving in.The back room on the bottom floor was a store room and a small work area.There were tools for spinning and weaving, along with some leather working material.It seemed the battos hadn¡¯t bothered with the room as the door had been closed and they were more interested in bringing live game back for their young.

    San finished his tea and headed out of the farmhouse.A breeze was beginning to blow again and San could see the sky was thickening with clouds.Another storm was on its way.

    ***

    ¡°What the heck¡± San wondered as he peered into the sugar wash he had made the night before.The sunlight was starting to dim as the clouds rolled in, but there was enough for him to look into the cloudy liquid in the amphora.He took out his flashlight and saw a thick cake of yeast at the bottom of the amphora.

    That should not be there.It would have been a few more days before the yeast had multiplied enough to even begin forming a cake.Yet he could see a fully mature yeast cake and none of the bubbles that showed it was still fermenting.

    Was it the Fermentation Power?

    San found a ladle and Sanitized it, then dipped it into the wash.He poured the cloudy white liquid into a cup and smelled it. There was no sweetness aroma of the liquid, it had been mostly sugar when he had pitched the yeast.He sniffed it again and caught the sharp tang of alcohol. He took a sip and grimaced.

    There was definitely alcohol within it.San took another sip.There was a lot of alcohol within it.

    San looked at the amphora.In his time of brewing he had some beverages that had fermented too fast, due to being in hotter than normal rooms or faulty temperature controls. The amphora had stayed within the barn, which wasn¡¯t all that warm along with being too chilly to allow anything to ferment properly.

    He never had fermented imbar, but the cloudy liquid didn¡¯t have the off flavors that came with something fermenting too fast.In fact, San couldn¡¯t taste any sweetness in the liquid, it was a bit dry with the distiller¡¯s yeast not really offering much flavor profile to the finished product.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Azios asked.

    ¡°Imbar wash,¡± San replied.

    ¡°It¡¯s done?¡±

    ¡°Power,¡± San took another sip.It wasn¡¯t bad, but it wasn¡¯t good either.Azios took San¡¯s cup and sipped from it.

    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± he said, draining the cup before San could stop him.

    ¡°Whoa, are you old enough to drink?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Old enough?If you can, everyone drinks wine.We haven¡¯t had much in the last year, because Brother left, but when he was here, we were always well stocked.¡±

    San nodded.Different world and all.Even the children drank alcohol, especially if the water situation wasn¡¯t good.

    ¡°Can I have more?¡± Azios asked. ¡°Normally imbar tastes like crap.This is good.¡±

    ¡°Probably the yeast,¡± San said.

    ¡°Yeast?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s what turns the sugars into alcohol.¡±

    Azios shrugged. ¡°Pa used to make some imbar alcohol, but he would just leave it out for a few days and then it would begin turning.¡±

    ¡°Wild yeast,¡± San said and nodded.If the wash hadn¡¯t been sanitized properly, if it had been brewed with wild yeast, that would explain the horrible flavors everyone claimed, combined with the high sugar content that would require a high alcohol tolerant yeast strain to survive until it was fully fermented.

    San peered at the amphora again.The yeast would need to be salvaged, but it might be too late.If the brew had completely fermented, that meant little to no sugar for the yeast to feed on.Which would lead to them all dying.

    He got up and covered the amphora.Azios looked sad at that as he still held out the cup.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make some more imbar wash,¡± San said.

    ***

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Endaha murmured as San set her down on his sleeping pad in the kitchen.Her eyes opened and she looked at him, weariness and exhaustion etched into her young face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I thought¡­ I thought you were a monster.¡±

    ¡®It¡¯s okay,¡± San said, tucking the blankets around her.

    ¡°No. I¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, ma¡¯am.I wasn¡¯t hurt and your child and Azios are safe.¡±

    Tears formed and she hiccuped a soft sob.Her weak hands emerged from under the covers and gripped his hands.

    ¡°Thank you for helping us.The Blessed Mother watch over you.¡±

    San nodded and patted her hand.She closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

    ¡°How is she?¡± Azios asked.

    ¡°Her fever¡¯s broken,¡± San said. ¡°I think she¡¯ll be fine. She just needs rest, liquids, and more rest.¡±

    Relief washed over Azios¡¯ face as he sat down on a stool.He held a cup of tea and Cassa was holding onto his trouser leg.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what we would do if we lost her and the baby,¡± Azios said. ¡°With Brother not here and with me being weak¡­ we might have to become beggars or worse.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry,¡± San said.He dug around in his pocket and handed Azios a piece of the gold he had taken off the monster.Azios¡¯ eyes widened at the lump.¡°Keep this hidden.If something ever happens, if you have to flee, then make sure you have it on you.With it you¡¯ll not starve or be left homeless, at least for a while. Long enough for you to figure out what to do afterward.¡±

    Azios nodded, looking at the gold oval.He bit into it and stared with awe as he saw the small indentation of his teeth in the metal.

    San poured himself a cup of tea.The fire crackled pleasantly and the heat of the kitchen was just right.Cassa walked over to him and hugged his legs.San tousled her hair and then pulled her up to sit on his lap.

    Azios kept playing with the gold and San sipped his tea. Cassa was soon nodding off as he held her.

    San looked around and he felt content.

 018

    18

    ¡°King me,¡± San said.

    Azios scowled and flipped the wooden piece over to reveal a crudely drawn crown.He stared at the board between then and frowned at it.

    ¡°I¡¯m losing,¡± he said.

    ¡°There¡¯s no shame in that, Azios,¡± San replied. ¡°It¡¯s a new game you¡¯re learning. You don¡¯t need to be the best when you¡¯re starting out, maybe after you¡¯ve gotten a few games under your belt, you¡¯ll be good at it.¡±

    Cassa reached for the pieces before her and San deftly moved her out of the way, swinging her in his arms so that she looked at him laughing.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like losing,¡± Azios said, searching the board for a move to make.

    ¡°No one does.But its a part of life.If you constantly win, you¡¯ll never know defeat.Defeat is the greatest teacher of them all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s stupid,¡± Azios replied. ¡°Why would anyone want to know defeat?¡±

    ¡°Knowledge, Azios. When you are defeated or if you fail at something, you gain knowledge from it.Enough to pick yourself back up, to try again, or to try what you sought to do in a different way.That is how you build character, how you build strength of mind and soul.¡±

    ¡°You sound like a Corvanus priest,¡± Azios said. ¡°They come to White Tower during Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve, talking about how you have to be strong in mind and soul to fight the horrors of the void.Then again, you are an Adventurer, right?¡±

    ¡°So Pavano says,¡± San replied noncommittal.

    ¡°But not dedicated to Corvanus?¡± Azios asked.

    ¡°Never heard of Corvanus until I arrived,¡± San said. ¡°My home¡­ was different.¡±

    Azios nodded. ¡°My Aunt, Pa¡¯s eldest sister, used to talk about how they were rich and powerful when they lived in the Empire.How living out here was foolish and backwards.¡± Azios shrugged.¡°She thought she was a real Imperial, refused to marry unless the man could give her a true Imperial wedding, like some noble or something.¡±

    ¡°What happened to her?¡±

    ¡°She disappeared one night.No one knows what happened.The door to her house was open and no one saw her again. Anyway, she would talk about the Empire as if she lived there.She was born on this komai and she probably died on it too.¡±

    ¡°This is a nice place,¡± San said.

    ¡°Was your home like this?¡± Endaha asked.She sat in the corner of the kitchen, nursing a bowl of broth and soft bread.It had been several days, the antibiotics were working wonders.San wondered if it was due to the fact this world¡¯s bacteria had never encountered antibiotics; there had been news stories about bacteria that were resistant to antibiotics back on Earth.

    She wasn¡¯t so pale and weak anymore. She was now able to move about, albeit slowly and painfully, but awake more often than not.San had never met anyone so apologetic about being helpless and nearly dying.

    ¡°It was different,¡± San said. ¡°I lived in a city, I ran a brewery, and¡­ It was different.¡± He finished.

    He saw Endaha¡¯s face slowly come to a realization and then redden at her questioning.

    ¡°What was the city¡¯s name?¡± Azios asked.

    ¡°Seattle.¡±

    ¡°Was it grand?¡± he asked.

    ¡°It was nice. Rained a lot, was very green, sat upon a sound where fishing vessels would go out to catch fish, there was a big university there, and a market where they sold everything you could imagine.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a university?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a school you go to after your primary education.They teach you things, engineering, science, how to run a business, mathematics.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s apprenticeships,¡± Azios said. ¡®When you reach thirteen summers, you go apprentice with someone, if you pay them enough.Since I¡¯m one of the last Exonaris on this komai, I guess I¡¯m going to be a farmer like Brother.¡±

    ¡°I thought he was a solider, why else is he with the Baron?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not a soldier,¡± Endaha said. ¡°All komai have to send at least two men to fight for the Baron when he calls.Kovass was the only male of fighting age.¡±

    ¡°Is there not a professional military?¡± San asked. ¡°The Baron¡¯s guards?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s only about two hundred of them,¡± Azios said. ¡°They protect the Baron¡¯s castle and the White Tower.If there is a war or raiders, then it is up to the Landed families to send men to fight. It¡¯s the Imperial way of doing things, if you¡¯re a citizen, then you protect your land.There are also plenty of mercenaries that will sign up for a short war or two.¡±

    ¡°Are the conscripts given training?¡± San asked.

    ¡°In large komais, the Family Head is responsible for training and outfitting men to fight, with the Baron paying for specialized weapons. But there aren¡¯t many large komais anymore.¡±

    ¡°My people attacked many places after the Mage Chief died,¡± Endaha said.Azios looked away, not saying anything.¡°My family attacked this place, we were starving and they were weak.¡±

    San frowned.

    ¡°That¡¯s the past,¡± Azios said. ¡°You¡¯re family now.¡±

    San reached forward and laid a hand on Azios¡¯ shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re family,¡± he said. Azios looked at him for a long moment and nodded.

    ¡°Family.¡±

    ***

    ¡°So what is this yeast?¡± Azios asked as he looked into the empty amphora and the yeast cake remaining.¡°Is it an animal of some kind?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a living organism,¡± San said.¡°It likes to eat sugar.Then it poops alcohol.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re drinking poop?¡± Azios asked.

    ¡°In a sense.It¡¯s like how bees make honey.They drink the nectar out of flowers and then go back to their hive and vomit it back up into small cells.It¡¯s a chemical breakdown of sugars.In this case, that sugar is being turned into alcohol.¡±

    ¡°My family had bees,¡± Endaha said. ¡°The wise women would say the Blessed Mother rewarded the hard work of bees with honey and rewarded human cleverness with being able to take some of that honey for our own uses.¡±

    ¡°Pretty much anything with sugar can be made into alcohol,¡± San said. ¡°Honey is one.I believe your people make mead out of it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, very good mead.¡±

    ¡°Imbar is another. But imbar is mostly sugar, it doesn¡¯t have much of a taste to it besides being sweet.¡±

    ¡°People die and lose all their teeth if they eat nothing but imbar,¡± Azios said. ¡°It¡¯s a poor man¡¯s food, but a rich merchant¡¯s ware.¡±

    ¡°The imbar wash is drinkable and you can get drunk off of it, but that¡¯s only one step in a process of making a different drink,¡± San said.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Moonshine,¡± San replied.

    ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± Azios asked. ¡°Is it an Adventurer drink? Corvanus is represented by the moon; her magic is strongest during the full moon.¡±

    ¡°I did not know that,¡± San said.¡°It¡¯s just the name this drink was given from where I come from.We didn¡¯t have a moon goddess.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not a moon goddess!¡± Endaha and Azios cried out.

    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡±

    ¡°She is the Eternal Slayer, the Night Walker, and the Defender of Humanity,¡± Azios said. ¡°That is why she is represented by the moon.She is the only thing out in the night when all the horrors walk the land.¡±

    ¡°I would think stars would be a better representation,¡± San said. ¡°The moon waxes and wanes, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Kazo, the Smith of Souls,¡± Azios replied. ¡°The stars are the sparks coming off his anvil as he shapes and forges the souls of the soon to be living.He is now shaping my brother¡¯s child¡¯s soul.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty cool,¡± San said.

    ¡°What are the gods of your land?¡± Endaha asked.

    ¡°Oh, there are many.I suppose the land where I lived was God, but there were many other religions.My grandfather¡¯s people came from a land far from where I grew up.They were the foreigners there, so they brought the God of their own land with them.My grandfather was against worshipping God and religion.I think his faith was tested when he still lived in the land of his birth, war and a fight for independence from a dying empire soured him on it.¡±

    ¡°You worship no gods then?¡± Azios asked, a little shocked.

    ¡°I suppose I could say I¡¯m spiritual now,¡± San said. ¡°I have seen the souls of the dead. That means there is an afterlife.That at our deaths it does not just end.¡±

    Endaha shuddered, holding Cassa tight. ¡°Only the Hesna cults seek oblivion,¡± she said.

    ¡°Perhaps I shall find a god here that will appeal to me,¡± San said.Azios shook his head.¡°Okay, the thing with yeast is that it changes after you use it often.This yeast was designed to be used for a different kind of wash, but it works good on the imbar.What we need to do, is to make sure that the yeast doesn¡¯t die and we lose it. Therefore we¡¯re going to have to make yeast food.¡±

    ¡°Shall we plant it?¡± Azios asked. ¡°They look not to need much, these little animals.¡±

    San chuckled. ¡°They only like sugar, so we just feed them something sugary.In this case, more imbar.But not to the point where it is not making too much alcohol, only to where they can live and breed.¡±

    Azios looked at the yeast. ¡°They breed? Like woollys?¡± he asked.

    ¡°In a sense.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t see cock or balls on any of them.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re very small,¡± San grinned.

    ¡°My Pa would say that to my Uncle and he would respond that its just cold. Are they cold?¡±

    San and Endaha laughed at that.

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get some imbar from the silo.¡± San slapped Azios on the back and grabbed his coat from where it hung. He paused a moment and hooked on the sword belt and dagger, then checked the revolver and picked up a crossbow.Azios did the same, a firm look on his face as he checked the crossbow he now carried with him always.

    Beside Endaha were two loaded pistols. The rifles were loaded, but leaning against the wall, the matchcords unlit.If it came down to it, Endaha could light the match cords of the weapons from the fire and ready the weapons.

    What a life he lived, San pondered as he peered through a crack in the door.So scared they had to go out armed just to get some vegetables to boil.

    ¡°You remember the knock?¡± San asked Endaha.

    ¡°Aye. Two slow, one fast, two fast, three slow,¡± she said.

    San nodded and eased the door open.The bright white world of the outside greeted him.The storms had eased and only dumped a few extra inches of snow on the ground. The area around the farmstead was cleared of the snow, San having found a wooden shovel and all the brewing he and Azios had been doing ate up the fresh fallen snow.

    The ground was frozen hard and the air was chilly, but not too bad.San took a deep breath, relishing the bracing air and the hint of woodsmoke that arose from the smoke hole in the farmhouse.If the weather held, he would have to begin felling more trees for firewood again.The twelve twenty foot logs he had brought back were impressive in the amount of space they took up, but when chopped up for firewood and simple heating, it went fast.

    They had a few more weeks of firewood, but Azios claimed that after Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve, it would be two months of heavy snows and then a month of heavy freezing rains. They had only a month before Reprieve.San was already making plans about that two week long event, especially with all the imbar wash he was making.

    If Pavano returned with the supplies San had ordered, then he could move onto the next phase of what he intended, distillation.He had spent a few hours racking his brain on how to distill the imbar wash, the normal method would have been a copper distilling kettle, but San would have to see about having that specially made.

    For now there were iron pots, which was not ideal for distilling.He could heat up the wash, but keeping the temperature from being too cold or too hot would be an issue.Along with the fact that alcohol vapors would eventually corrode the iron pot fairly quickly.

    ¡°Is there any clay deposits around here?¡¯ San asked, as he and Azios walked to the silo.San pulled a simple wooden sled, getting a wheelbarrow would be something he would have to work on.

    ¡°Aye, there¡¯s one we¡¯ve been using near the Drink,¡± Azio said. ¡°Be a bit frozen nowadays, though.¡± He gestured to the hard frozen ground.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I have a strapping young man who¡¯s always willing to help,¡± San grinned at Azios. ¡°You only get stronger by working hard.¡±

    ¡°Or gaining Levels,¡± Azios remarked.

    ¡°Very true. I was fairly big and slovenly before I came here.I¡¯ve lost a lot of weight and feel much better,¡± San replied.

    ¡°You are still fairly big,¡± Azios said.San chuckled in response.Azios lived a hard life, organic farming dependent upon rain and nature wasn¡¯t as productive as farming back in his world.A single family here couldn¡¯t plow and plant a thousand acres in a few days, they would be lucky to get forty or more acres with much of those acreage going to just feed themselves and selling a little remaining.

    They arrived to the silo, San scanning the area for any tracks or prints.Wolfram had been wandering around the farm, doing her own thing.He still didn¡¯t know why she was around, perhaps it was for all the tasty monster meat he was providing her?This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    The imbar was tossed into wicker baskets, holding perhaps twenty pounds each. Although the measurements San had been using were more guesses, he figured that the imbar was about one third sugar.He had followed Endaha¡¯s instructions and created sugar the day previous to satiate his curiosity. What was left was a slightly burned brown sugar.

    They pulled the sled back and Azios ran up to the farmhouse door.

    ¡°Endaha! We¡¯re going to the Drink to look for clay!¡± he shouted.

    ¡°Clay?¡± Endaha asked, her voice muffled by the door.

    ¡°Aye, San wants to make pottery or something.¡±

    They left the sled by the door and walked toward the creek.

    ¡°That was Uncle Ostabar¡¯s house,¡± Azios pointed to a small half collapsed hut. ¡°He never married. Said he was married to the woods.Pops always called him a tree fucker, like the woodland tribes.¡±

    ¡°That was Aunt Senseeba¡¯s house, she only had one daughter that moved away to another komai.Her husband died of Black Ring, but long ago, not the one that took Pa.¡±That was a larger house, still single roomed, but even after all these years it looked structurally sound. ¡°We use it for storage, old stuff that we don¡¯t need or were left behind when the others died.¡±

    ¡°Anything salvageable in there?¡± San asked.

    Azios shrugged. ¡°Brother didn¡¯t like anyone touching the stuff.He says they might be haunted, especially how Auntie just vanished one day.¡±

    The creek was running fast, nearly two feet deep and about twenty across.The burbling of the water was calming and San blinked as the reflected sunlight shone in his face.

    ¡°How far does this komai extend?¡± San asked.

    ¡°We have the whole valley, the komai is about ten thousand acres, including forests, creek, and whatever minerals were found within it.There are property cairns that mark the extent of the komai, supposedly the Empire has the original survey maps.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s north of here?¡± San asked.

    Azios shrugged. ¡°Monsters probably.The creek comes out of the mountains to the north.I don¡¯t think anyone beside Uncle had gone up there.Too many stories of people vanishing and monsters in the woods.Uncle didn¡¯t fear monsters and used to spend weeks out there, until he caught a Tribal spear to the gut.People tell of ancient Hanged King keeps and gold mines up in the mountains.¡±

    San could feel the heavy weight of the gold bracelet in his pocket.The white furred creature came from somewhere, it wasn¡¯t human, but it had intelligence.To make clothing, to make decorative jewelry, that had to mean there was a civilization of some sort of those creatures out there.

    The thought sent a shiver down his spine.Not only were there furred monsters out there, there were also the battos that needed to be eradicated.Hopefully the Baron would take the manner seriously and send troops to deal with it.

    The clay pit was a large excavated area.Snowed filled the area, but San used a branch to clear away the snow.There was a thick deposit of clay running a foot below the soil. San dug out a chunk with his dagger and the clay crumbled in his hand.

    ¡°Good clay,¡± San said.

    ¡°You know clay?¡± Azios asked.

    ¡°My mother loved working with clay.She used to have a small studio where she would make cups, pots, and other items.¡± San flicked the crumbled clay into the snow.

    San sighed and they headed back to the farmhouse.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Azios asked, concern in his voice.

    San followed Azios¡¯ gaze and saw a wagon and woollys coming out of the treeline.

    ¡°Pavano?¡± Azios wondered.

    Three men were on the wagon, it wasn¡¯t the cart that Pavano had taken.The woollys were also different, darker and streaked with white, instead of the brown of the older ones.

    ¡°No. It¡¯s someone else. A big man, with a scar on his face and two thin ones.¡±

    ¡°Poxi,¡± Azios muttered, fear in his voice.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Poxi the Leg Breaker, he works for Panchavi Sominia, one of the Landed.¡¯

    ¡°What does he want?¡±

    ¡°The rest of what he hasn¡¯t taken,¡± Azios said, anger in his voice.

    The pieces fell into place for San. The reason they didn¡¯t have any other animals besides the grazer, the lack of a wagon, the lack of woollys, and even their low levels of food and firewood.

    ¡°What is he doing here?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Panchavi claims Brother borrowed money from him before he left, to fix his gear and to pay for food,¡± Azios spat into the snow. ¡°Brother always kept his gear well cared for.¡±

    ¡°How much money?¡±

    ¡°Two hundred sars.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the woollys they took, the wagon, and everything else have covered that?¡± San asked.

    ¡°He says its interest that has accumulated,¡± Azios aid. ¡°Many of the poorer komai farmers here owe him this interest.I don¡¯t know what it means beyond that we will never pay of this supposed debt.¡±

    ¡°A protection racket,¡± San sighed.There were monsters and there were monsters.Preying upon the weak was always a method to make money, regardless of the time period or world.San and Azios made it back to the farmhouse, as the wagon pulled up within the cleared area of snow.

    The three men stared at San, at the crossbows, and then at Azios.

    ¡°Boy, who¡¯s this foreigner fucker?¡± the big man, Poxi, demanded.

    ¡°Uh-¡° Azios began.

    ¡°I am San,¡± San replied.¡°How can I help you gentlemen?¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s that Tribal bitch?¡± one of the other men called out, thin faced with a patchy beard.He grinned at San with a gap toothed smile.¡°I¡¯ve been on this fucking wagon for the last three days, I need a little comfort.¡±

    ¡°Who the fuck are you to talk to me, big fucker?¡± Poxi demanded. His hand casually rested on a crossbow.

    ¡°I am the person who will speak to you. So I ask again, what can I help you with?¡±

    ¡°Hey, boy.You know the deal. Fifty sars or we take what you owe Panchavi with goods or¡­¡± he grinned at San, ¡°flesh.¡±

    ¡°I would like to see the records that show Kovass Exonaris did indeed borrow two hundred sars from Panchavi Sominia along with the agreed on interest rate,¡± San said.

    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± Poxi demanded again. ¡°You fucking that Tribal bitch now that her man is dead? Tell you what, you let us all have a go at her and we¡¯ll let you live.If you let Kota there have a go with the little one, we¡¯ll not burn this whole fucking komai down.¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± Azios shouted, raising his crossbow.Poxi was faster, his own crossbow was up and firing before Azios.San didn¡¯t think, instead moved the crossbow he carried.He held it out in front of Azios and felt the heavy impact of the bolt slam into the wood.The crossbow smacked Azios, causing him to drop his own bow and accidentally fire the bolt.

    San saw that his own bolt hadn¡¯t fire and swung the crossbow back up, firing it straight at Poxi¡¯s surprised face.The big man dodged, the bolt slamming home into his shoulder.He screamed in pain and clutched at it, throwing himself off of the wagon.

    One of the men in the wagon rose to his feet, with a crossbow raised, San froze, his hand in his pocket searching for his revolver.There was a thunderous roar that shook San, he glanced back and saw that the farmhouse door was opened. Endaha stood there, her face twisted in rage, holding the matchlock rifle.The heavy rifle¡¯s recoil pushed her back into the darkness of the house, eliciting a cry.

    The man with the crossbow screamed, a hole punched into his belly.The third and last man pulled out a short sword and looked at San hesitantly, the tables had been turned.He looked confused at to what to do, but that decision was taken from him a moment later when Wolfram appeared and ripped him off of the wagon.

    Azios cried out in horror at the sight of Wolfram, although San had already told him about her.The cries of the last man was cut short as he died within Wolfram¡¯s jaws.

    Poxi was still alive, cursing and trying to get to his feet.

    ¡°Go check on Endaha!¡± San shouted to Azois.The terrified boy only nodded. San stalked forward and Poxi looked up to him. Anger and hate on his face.

    ¡°Panchavi¡¯s someone you don¡¯t fuck with, foreigner.You think we¡¯re the only guys out here? I¡¯ve go brothers who¡¯ll be looking around for us. They¡¯ll come and burn this whole fucking place down, not after fucking that bitch and those kids to death.¡± He laughed, spitting blood.

    San pulled out his sword and drove it into the man¡¯s heart.He stared at him, eyes wide and still grinning.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± San muttered.

    There was a crunching sound as Wolfram made a meal of the man she had killed.Another whimpering noise caused San to walk behind the wagon.Beside Wolfram and the mess that remained of the man she had killed, was the second man who Endaha had shot.Blood was staining his heavy winter tunic and he looked at San with fear and terror.

    ¡°I-¡° the man tried to talk, but a gasp of pain stopped him.

    ¡°Are there others that will look for you?¡± San asked.

    The man only blinked at him, his eyes now unfocused.San sighed and drove the sword into the man¡¯s heart.He shuddered and finally died.

    ¡°Endaha¡¯s okay,¡± Azios said, his voice soft and low.

    ¡°Good,¡± San said.He leaned against the wagon, the woollys had been well trained it seemed.Not bolting when Endaha had fired the matchlock.

    ¡°These are our woollys,¡± Azios said, finally looking at the animals. ¡°This wagon isn¡¯t ours.They came¡­ They came at the end of summer. Demanding money and threatening to kill us.¡±Azios looked small and fragile. ¡°We gave them what we could and they said they would be back for more.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± San said, pulling Azios into a hug. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re dead.Panchavi will know we killed them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a dangerous world out there,¡± San said. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of other monsters roaming around. We just need to make sure they disappear and are never found.¡±

    The wagon held a lot of supplies.There were baskets of grains and dried fruit, three amphoras of oil and another two of wine, three live chickens, and two hundred pounds of wrapped meat and cheeses.San found two clay pots filled with what looked like butter and another of honey.It was a wealth of food.The packs of the men were lying in the back, holding the usual camping gear and supplies.The men only had small coin purses with a total of twenty sars, their weapons were decent, three short swords, knives, and two crossbows.The big man wore a steel padded helmet that San removed.He also had heavy gloves and decent boots.The men were well dressed, with some spares in their packs.

    San looted everything of worth, then tossed the rest into the wagon, along with the bodies.Wolfram was not pleased to have her lunch disturbed, but she slunk off to wherever she went.

    He used a pick axe and the shovel to pry up the now freezing blood and snow that surrounding the front of the farmstead.Azios worked beside him quietly.They finished before late afternoon, then pulled the woollys and wagon to the north.

    Azios said there was an old logging trail back there, they followed it into the woods.San making sure to have the crossbows reloaded and his revolver out.He did not want to run into another white furred creature.

    No monsters greeted them, instead the came upon a small clearing not unlike the one San had killed the monster in.There they unhooked the woollys, then ignited the wood they had piled in back of the wagon. Within moments a thick black smoke began rising into the sky.They waited until the entire wagon was engulfed in flames before heading back with the woollys.

    The two remaining woollys brayed at the new arrivals, sniffing and grunting out greetings. Azios stood there for a while, brushing down the thick fur of the creatures.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said.

    ¡°About?¡±

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have tried to shoot him. I-¡° he trailed off.

    ¡°They were very bad men,¡± San said. ¡°They knew what they were doing and they knew the consequences of acting as they did.They did not care and would not weep over our corpses after they were finished with us.¡±

    Azios was silent.

    ¡°You stood up for your family when someone was threatening them,¡± San said. ¡°There is no shame in that, there is no need to regret what has happened either.We all make decisions and those men made theirs.¡±

    Azios nodded, wiping tears from his eyes.

    ¡°But Panchavi,¡± he said.

    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with him when we have to,¡± San said.

    Azios nodded again. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get warmed up and some tea in our bellies,¡± San said, wrapping an arm around Azios¡¯ thin shoulders.The body shuddered with barely contained emotion as they exited the barn and returned to the farmhouse.

    Endaha was crying also, holding Cassa; she rushed into San¡¯s arms and he held them all.They stood there for a moment, just holding one another and taking strength from each other¡¯s presence.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± San asked Endaha.She nodded, her eyes till red.San took Cassa and the small girl smiled at him.Tugging on his beard.

    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Endaha asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay outside in the barn tonight, make sure that no one else is coming around like that asshole said,¡± San replied. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to be on our toes for the next couple of days, if they really do have other people out there.Hopefully he was lying and it was only those three working this area.¡±

    Endaha nodded, taking Cassa and heading to the fire pit, where a pot of tea was boiling.

    ***

    The barn was colder than he remembered.San sat on some straw, in an elevated spot in the barn¡¯s rafters.He peered through a small hole in the wall, giving him a clear view of the front of the farmhouse.His legs were getting cold and his ass was numb.

    His watch told him he¡¯d been up there for nearly four hours and had yet to see anything.Soon it would be too damn cold but for the bravest and stupidest of men.San counted himself among the latter.

    ¡°Hello, Sanjay,¡± a voice whispered in his ear.

    San twirled around and saw a white face before him.He let out a shriek and lost his balance upon the rafter.His stomach flopped as he realized he was falling, but a second later he fell into a pile of straw with a grunt and an explosion of dust.The woollys brayed questioningly and the grazers chittered.

    A figure dropped down beside him, nearly floating down with how graceful she was.

    San blinked. The White Woman stood before him, pale skinned and wearing a heavy white robe.He sat up quickly, backing himself into the straw and reaching for his sword.

    ¡°Is that a way to greet an old friend?¡± the woman asked, gracefully sitting upon a chair that hadn¡¯t been there before.

    ¡°What¡­ What are you doing here?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Just as you are, I am free to wander where I wish, Sanjay.¡±

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t remember much of the last time we met,¡± San said. ¡°But I don¡¯t remember telling you my name.¡±

    ¡°You soul told me your name, Sanjay.It is etched in deep lines across your soul, burning brightly for all those that can see such things.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    The woman rose from her seat and walked toward San, she stopped before him and looked down at him.San could see she wasn¡¯t wearing shoes and her heavy robed swayed as she moved.

    She knelt down before him, looking him in the eyes.Her presence was overwhelming, drowning out all his thoughts and coalescing one emotion above all.His desire for her.

    ¡°Would you deny me a second time?¡± She asked, her voice soft and musical.

    ¡°Yes,¡± San croaked.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked, this time her robe parting somewhat, revealing her soft pale flesh.

    ¡®Yes,¡± San said again.

    The woman laughed and her pale hands caressed his cheek. Where she touched his skin, all he could feel was ice cold.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± San asked.

    ¡°I have many names, Winter Walker, the Snow Queen, but I prefer Winter¡¯s Lament,¡± she said, still kneeling before San.¡°I always wander the land, but it is during winter that there is a quiet in the world, a silence as life sleeps.¡±

    ¡°I have not seen much silence lately,¡± San said. ¡°Almost every other day a monster appears, human or not.¡±

    The woman laughed softly, caressing San¡¯s face once more ¡°You are the one that brings them, fool boy.The fire of your soul brings those cold and hateful beings to where you are.They want your warmth, but they are cowards and weak.¡±

    ¡°How do I stop it?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Would you snuff out the sun because you are too warm? Would you dry up the rivers because they are too wet?¡± the woman asked.

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°To prevent the creatures fromcoming for you, you must simply die.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to anymore.¡±

    ¡°Then they will come for you. Until they fear you completely.¡±

    ¡°Fear me?¡±

    The woman¡¯s hands reached into his coat and with surprising ease, she pulled out the plastic bag with the gems.

    ¡°Your collection has grown,¡± the woman said, looking at the gems. ¡°Yellows, how quaint.¡±

    ¡°Do you know how to use them?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me how?¡±

    ¡°Answer me this first.Why have you not consumed the others, you have enough to gain another level.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need another level,¡± San said. ¡°But someone might. You heal when you gain a level.¡±

    The woman laughed again, her fingers brushing across his chest. ¡°So noble,¡± she said, her lips only inches from his own. ¡°So selfless.Many would not care about that aspect of the gems, they would only look at the power it will give them.¡±

    ¡°If it can save a life, then I¡¯ll use it then.¡±

    ¡°The woman?¡± she asked. ¡°Childbirth is a difficult thing. Blood, tearing, and pain, all the things to bring life into this world.Do you think if she might die, that you will use these gems on her?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°She is not your woman and he is not your son,¡± the woman said. ¡°The blood that flows within them has nothing to do with you.¡±

    ¡°Blood and biology are only words,¡± San said. ¡°The rest is about how you feel.¡±

    ¡°Foolish boy,¡± she whispered. ¡°I shall answer your question.The yellow gems are weak things.They only allow a person to shape something into what it already wants to be.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°That sword you carry, it doesn¡¯t want to rust, it wants to be sharp, it wants to draw blood, it wants to be strong¡± she said, softly.¡°Those are the things that the blade wants, that steel wants.¡±

    ¡°I am a brewer,¡± San said. ¡°What does alcohol want?¡±

    ¡°You already know that answer, Sanjay,¡± she said and he felt her lips on his.An ice cold feeling tore through him, it cleansed his sense, burn his brain, and he reeled back gasping in air.

    Steam rose off the woman¡¯s lips as she looked at him with her large eyes.¡°So warm,¡± she said.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± San asked, confused.

    ¡°To see you, of course. I was walking the woods and I saw a great plume, an offering of blood and bone in the old ways.I was intrigued, I saw three dead men and came here to smell the blood of those three men on you.Every death in winter sings to me, every offering calls to me, therefore I came.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to summon you,¡± San said.

    ¡°You did not. I came on my own volition.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°I walked the trade road, under the darkened sky, Corvanus watching me and hurling insults,¡± she said, grinning. ¡°Then I came across a camp of four men, armed and smelling of the men you had killed.Kindred spirits? Brothers in arms?They shared their fire with me.¡± Her lips were so close to his again. ¡°But unlike you, they were not as kind.¡±

    San stilled and stared at her. ¡°You mean¡­¡±

    The woman smiled, running a finger across his chest. ¡°Such wild men, without regard for life and no honor in their hearts.¡± She smiled revealing sharpened teeth. ¡°They met the fate of those that do not offer hospitality and only take.¡±

    ¡°Were they Panchavi¡¯s men?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Who knows who they owed their allegiance to,¡± the woman said.¡°They were cruel and heartless and they died in a cruel and heartless way.You reap what you sow, Sanjay.¡±

    San lay there and stared at the ceiling. His thoughts swirled as the woman, ran her hands across his chest. If the four were Panchavi¡¯s men, then they would probably assume the other three had met a similar fate.

    ¡°I did not do it for you,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you did,¡± San replied.

    ¡°Yes you did,¡± she said, nuzzling against his chest. ¡°A shared fire and stories of your youth, three dead men, heart pierced and burned in the old ways; that does not grant you favors, Sanjay.¡±

    ¡°Only two were heart pierced,¡± San said.

    The woman laughed softly. ¡®Minor details.¡±

    ¡°Either way, thank you.Those men were not good people and they have preyed on plenty this hard winter,¡± he said.

    ¡°No one thanks me for what I do,¡± the woman said softly. ¡°It is selfishness and for petty reason I do what I do.Not for others.¡¯

    ¡°Either way. Thank you.¡±

    The woman laughed again. ¡°Let me lay here, Sanjay. I wish to share your fire for another night.No harm will come to this komai from any living creature.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

 019

    19

    San woke with a half forgotten memory.It tickled his mind, that something, a figment that he could almost remember.It was on the tip of his tongue, like a word that he knew but couldn¡¯t summon at the moment.

    He could feel the ice cold and the soft voice whispering in his ears.He could feel the ice in his veins and the cold washing over him and the words.The words that spoke of¡­ something.

    Endaha and Azios were awake; both looking bleary eyed for some reason.

    ¡°The knock¡­¡± Azios said as San pushed open the door.They both had a chagrin expression as they glanced to the weapons that were set against the wall out of reach.

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± San said. His thoughts were turning, that memory fluttered and danced, tiny glimpses of what it was flashed but were lost almost immediately.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Endaha asked.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± San said.He walked to the firepit and sat down.The fire flickered before him, the warmth caressed his face, the opposite of the cold that other¡¯s touch.

    ¡°Fire in the Night,¡± San said and watched as the flame flashed blue for a moment.Fire in the Night, a spell that the Mage Chief had given him.A shaping of what the fire wanted¡­ the words tickled his mind.

    What did fire want? Why did people use fire. To cook? To keep warm. To dispel the darkness. To keep monsters at bay. To light the world. To forge with.

    San¡¯s brain hurt.Fire was a tool and a weapon.Cities burned and meals were cooked. A foundation had to be made, a shape it had to be formed into before¡­ Before what?

    San looked at the flames, he dug into his pocket and pulled out the plastic bag.The green, red, and yellow gems shone in the firelight.He took out a yellow gem and studied it.

    A white face and sharp teeth appeared and he blinked it away.She said something to him.Told him what to do? What did the fire want? What did he want the fire to become? The fire was a tool, a foundational tool, and he was the will.He could guide the fire into what he wanted, what it wanted too¡­

    San got up and searched his pack, finding the brass pot that he had taken from the Cursed City.It was a gallon sized pot, not the five gallon cauldron that he had been using to make the imbar wash.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Azios asked, a little worry in his voice.

    ¡°The fire,¡± San muttered before gathering up imbar and the distiller¡¯s yeast he had harvested from the previous batches of imbar wash.It was growing strong, better than he would have expected in the chilly, smoky interior of the farmhouse.

    Yellow gems were death to living things, that¡¯s what Pavano said.Wolfram had confirmed it when she had backed away from the gems.Perhaps it was the complex organism that were humans and horned wolves, perhaps the yellow gems would react differently with microorganisms.Words tickled his mind.

    San reached to the mortar and pestle and then dropped a yellow gem into the bowl.Endaha and Azios gasped as he crushed it with the stone pestle.The gems cracked, a small spark of light emanating from it.

    Once it was a fine powder, San poured the dust onto the yeast.Yeast was what made the alcohol. Yeast was the organism that was the foundation of brewing.What did he want to brew? What did alcohol want?

    He knew the answer. That¡¯s what she had said. Sharp teeth flashed in his vision again. He sat around a fire, talking to her.The winter chill in the air and light snow floating down from the sky.It had been several days since he left Forest River, a weight of his depression still lingered, a bit of fear of this strange new world still coursing through him.

    She had come to him, tried to seduce him, and then they had talked.Sitting across from one another by the fire. A hot fire on a cold night.He had told her of his youth.Of how his grandfather had taught him how to brew beer.His own obsession with it, experimenting, studying, learning about it.

    Yet it was the story of a party that caused her to lean forward and grin as he spoke.A college gathering, where he was a nervous mess.A young woman smiled at him from across the room, standing in a group of her friends.

    ¡°Talk to her, San,¡± his friend was saying.

    ¡®I-I can¡¯t,¡± he stammered.He could feel his courage melting, flowing away in a puddle on the floor.

    ¡°Here, drink this,¡± his friend said, handing him a cup of something.

    San drank it. ¡°I made this,¡± he said.

    ¡°The best thing about underage drinking is knowing someone who knows how to make beer to bring to a party,¡± his friend laughed.

    San took another sip. An India Pale Ale, bitter and floral, with citrus notes and a hint of pine. San sipped again, a bit more Citra hops would have been good.

    ¡°Better now?¡± his friend asked.

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s liquid courage,¡± he laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him toward the group of women.

    San tried protesting, but the smile of the woman dispelled those thoughts.

    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Mary,¡± she said.

    San blinked the tears away and threw a yellow gem into the fire before him. It flashed, this time a reddish color. What did he want the fire to be. What did he want to brew?

    Liquid courage.

    Fear was everywhere, it stalked the land and danger would strike at any moment.A moment¡¯s hesitation could lead to life time of pain. A moment of fear could lead to the ones you loved dying.

    He had been afraid. He had been a coward. A bit of courage at the right moment¡­ things would have been different.

    San clenched his eyes and thought of the flame. The fire was important, it was one part in creation.She whispered in his head, the icy breath prickling his skin.All things are changed by fire, the fire is a tool and a weapon.Shape the fire into what you want.

    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">

    <tbody>

    <tr>

    <td style="width: 98.00332778702163%">The Fearless Flame</td>

    </tr>

    </tbody>

    </table>

    San gasped and sweat beaded across his skin. He could feel exhaustion pulling at him, but he shook it off.That was only one part, there was another.

    ¡°Get more wood,¡± San said. ¡°Don¡¯t let this fire go out.¡±

    ¡°O-okay,¡± Azios whispered.

    San didn¡¯t hear the response.He picked up the brass pot and set it above the flame.In went chopped imbar. In went fresh snow.It boiled and roiled, he removed it and more snow and it dropped in temperature.San pitched the yeast into it.

    It wasn¡¯t there yet he could tell after he fermented the clay container.

    ¡°Yeast is what makes the brew,¡± the man was telling San. ¡°Its taken years and years to create the strains we have today and we have to work hard to keep the yeast from changing too much. It¡¯s adaptable, but not all adaptions are what you want.The flavors can be off, the smell.¡±

    ¡°So you can breed a super yeast?¡± San asked, jokingly.

    ¡°With enough time and sugar, maybe,¡± the man responded.

    One batch done, then another, and another.He could feel it, the Fearless Flame changing things, he could feel the yeast responding, each generation changing, forced into evolution by the Fermentation Power.The yeast didn¡¯t want anything, it only wanted to eat.What it ate, what food it was given, did not matter to it.It only wanted one thing and what it produced¡­

    Sweat dripped from San¡¯s forehead as he Fermented another pot of imbar wash.He could feel it, resonating with the fire.

    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">

    <tbody>

    <tr>

    <td style="width: 98.00332778702163%">The Unshakeable Strain</td>

    </tr>

    </tbody>

    </table>

    He hurriedly found the five gallon cauldron. In went more imbar and fresh snow, the fire burning underneath it.

    ¡°Watch the fire,¡± San said.

    Azios jerked awake, he blinked at San and groaned as he settled before the flame.His normal thick tunic and coat had been stripped off, sweat slicked his bare back and he looked exhausted.

    San exited the farmhouse, the blasting cold air was a loving embrace.The sweat on his body froze to his skin, but he couldn¡¯t feel it penetrate any deeper.He took a deep breath and picked up a pickaxe, walking toward the Drink.

    There were many ways to distill.The easiest way was to just freeze the wash.Alcohol didn¡¯t freeze; once the water froze, the concentrated alcohol could be taken.It wasn¡¯t distillation really, It was concentration.All the various chemicals that were in the wash still remained within the beverage.

    True distillation was heating up the wash, causing the alcohol to evaporate, then one would capture the ethanol, allow it to condense.Copper stills and condensing coils were the way to go in that method.Yet San didn¡¯t have copper anything.The closest was the brass pot.

    But distillation had been done before the invention of copper stills.People all over the world had methods to deal with the lack of copper pots and coils, one that came to San¡¯s mind was the making of small batch traditional mezcal.

    Clay pots heated over a slow fire, the alcohol condensing under a copper pan that was cycled through with cold water, then the condensation dripping upon an agave leaf and into a pot. He didn¡¯t have any clay pots, but he had an iron cauldron. He didn¡¯t have a copper pan, but he had a brass pot.He didn¡¯t have an agave leaf, but he could use something else instead.

    The ice cold clay in his hands warped and shaped as he pounded them against the ground.They soon warmed and began to mold easily in his icy hands.He extended the firepit, melding the clay and stones into the shape that he remembered.

    ¡°Get some snow,¡± San said. Azios nodded wearily and headed out of the farmhouse.

    Controlling the fire was a difficult chore, but San sat before it, adding or removing wood and coals.The iron cauldron boiled and soon he saw small condensing drops drip into a small wooden bowl.He stared at it with a grin on his face.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Is that what you¡¯re making?¡± Azios asked.

    ¡°Yes, a part of it.The first that comes out is called the heads,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much methanol is inthe imbar wash, but it¡¯s always a good idea to toss the first liquid that comes out.Methanol and other volatile chemicals have a lower boiling point than ethanol, the one we want.Smell it.¡±

    Azios leaned forward and sniffed the bowl. He wrinkled his nose and rubbed it.

    ¡°Smells terrible,¡± he said.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the methanol and the lighter stuff that boils off first.Don¡¯t ever drink it, you¡¯ll go blind or die from it.Depending on the methanol content, anyway.¡±

    San set the bowl aside.

    ¡°It¡¯s poison then?¡±

    ¡°A bit, yes.¡±

    ¡°Why keep it?¡±

    San took the small bowl and threw the contents into the fire.The flame surged and Azios flinched from it.

    ¡°They are also very flammable and sometimes you need something that¡¯ll start a fast flame,¡± San said. ¡°After the heads, we get the hearts. This is what we want, the distilled alcohol.¡±

    The drips began to fill a clay pot.San reached forward and allowed a few drops to coat his finger.He brought it to his lips and tasted it.

    He could feel it.The liquid touched his tongue and he could feel a sense of ease flow across him.The muscles he didn¡¯t know were tensed eased just a hair, the worry that was gnawing in the back of his mind slowed for a second.San blinked and saw Azios stare at him.

    ¡°What did you make?¡± he asked.

    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">

    <tbody>

    <tr>

    <td style="width: 98.00332778702163%">Courage</td>

    </tr>

    </tbody>

    </table>

    San sat and watched the flames.He felt the intense need to keep going beginning to fade.His mind seemed to loosen up, the rushing around, the all consuming desire to create this drink finally began to fade.

    He blinked and finally took in the farmhouse.It was achingly hot within the kitchen, the floor a mess of ash and scuffs, half emptied clay pots and mashed imbar lay strewn around the firepit.The clay monstrosity he had created hulked in the corner and from it dripped liquid courage.

    ¡°How long?¡± San asked, his voice raw.His stomach growled and he felt exhausted.

    ¡°Three days,¡± Azios said, finally seeing he had come to his senses.

    ¡°Three days?¡±

    ¡°Aye.Endaha said you were god-touched and not to interrupt what you were doing.Sometimes the gods put knowledge in our heads and we cannot fight against it, it pulls at us and we must do what they want.¡± Azios shrugged.¡°I¡¯ve never seen it, but Endaha says one of her Uncles was touched and forged a great sword.¡±

    Azios handed San a hunk of bread and cheese.He greedily wolfed it down, he also consumed the cup of tea that he was given.

    ¡°Three days,¡± San said.

    ***

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Endaha asked him.

    San blinked at the woman and nodded slowly.He looked around and saw that he was lying on the kitchen floor, a blanket tossed over him and the stench of sweat heavy on his skin.He groaned as he sat up and saw that the kitchen had been somewhat cleaned as he slept.

    ¡°Azios said you have come back to your senses,¡± she said.

    ¡°I have,¡± San said.¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. I just¡­ I don¡¯tknow what came over me. I just had to do it.The knowledge was burning inside of me, pushing me forward.¡±

    Endaha nodded, sitting down on a bench.Her swollen stomach stretching her tunic. ¡°I have seen it before. My Uncle in my old village was a great smith with Levels.It is rare to find a non-warrior Leveled person.They must love what they do with all the fiber in their being and believe it is what they are.He was such a man, but refused to serve the Mage Chief.They say a woman came to him and talked to him, the next day he spent an entire week working on a beautiful sword.One that everyone thought he would give to the Mage King, but instead he gave it to a boy who was off to serve in the Empire¡¯s wars.¡±

    ¡°What happened to the sword.¡±

    ¡°It was named the Emperor Killer.The boy died in battle and the sword was taken by the Last Emperor¡¯s son.He used it to kill the Emperor and began the civil war.

    ¡°My uncle was killed for that.Left to die of exposure like a criminal.After that my village was devastated, the Mage Chief demanded heavy taxes and sent our young to battle.The other villages would raid us and take all we had.We had no protection and nothing left.When the Mage Chief died we were targeted for extermination, that is when we fled and began raiding the komais.¡±

    ¡°A woman came to me in the barn,¡± San said. ¡°I can barely remember her, sometimes its clear and I can make out every detail, but then it goes away and I¡¯m fumbling for even a vague description. She was cold, so cold, and lonely.¡±

    Endaha waited as he held his head in his hands.

    ¡°She whispered knowledge into my head, how to make a fire, how to create the strain of yeast needed, how to make Courage.¡±

    ¡°That is what you created?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡± San reached forward and picked up the old whiskey bottle he still carried. The full bottle reflected the firelight, a reddish color that seemed to swirl and move on its own.

    ¡°Courage,¡± Endaha said.

    ¡°It¡¯s what the alcohol wanted.It is what it could become. Liquid Courage.¡±

    ¡°I have seen many a drunk man do foolish things.The bravery of mead,¡± Endaha said.

    ¡°Yeah, me too.But this¡­ I don¡¯t think this is like that.When you are fearful, scared, it will make you less so.¡±

    ¡°Fear is good sometimes,¡± she said.

    ¡°Sometimes it isn¡¯t.¡±

    They sat there in silence for a moment.

    ¡°You need to bathe, you smell terrible,¡± Endaha said, rising slowly to her feet.

    San laughed.

    ***

    ¡°Hot water in copper pipes?¡± Azios asked with a look of disbelief on his face. ¡°Did you also have roads paved with gold?¡±

    ¡°Asphalt, actually,¡± San said as he dunked his wash cloth into the tepid bucket of water before him.

    The sun was high over head, mid day and San guessed the temperature was in the mid forties.The snow that had piled and grown in the days of intermittent storms were slowly melting in the heatwave.The sharp edges malformed into rounded mounds.

    Beside them roared a fire and the brass pot that San had been using to distill courage boiled water.San sat in his boxers, shivering slightly but also enjoying the heat and cold across his body.

    Endaha had chased them both out to clean the kitchen, claiming they both reeked of sweat and smoke.She and Cassa had escaped to the second floor as the days had passed, subsisting on cheese, old bread, and the other stuff that had been obtained from Panchavi¡¯s men.

    Three days passed in a haze of brewing and distilling still disturbed San.The White Woman, no, Winter¡¯s Lament, had done something to him.She had given him knowledge on how to shape and change the fire and yeast that he used.

    But he had done it. The knowledge was in his mind now, the haze that had filled his head was gone.He remembered every detail, he knew he could do it again. He could make more of it and¡­ he could make something different. The alcohol wanted to do more.It was eager to be shaped, to change and gain different flavors.

    San shivered as he washed himself.This was Power, this was a reshaping of the world.In a world of magic he had created something different, something that only the Cults of various gods were supposed to do.The yellow gems, a death sentence if you were caught with them.This was why.With yellow gems a simple man could create something wonderful, something unseen before.

    ¡°Is that a mirror?¡± Azios asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San said using the scissors from the first aid kit to trim his beard.He handed the mirror to Azios who looked at it with some wonder.

    ¡°Normally, they¡¯re blurry,¡± he said. ¡°Only the rich have such mirrors.¡±

    San shrugged. ¡°Its something from home.Where I came from it was inexpensive.¡±

    ¡°Your homeland must be a place of wonder.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± San said and stopped.He smiled at his words. ¡°It was a place of grand things and people, but filtered through a sieve.There was little connection to the land, little to the food we ate, and the items we used.The land here is¡­ better in someways, but also more terrifying in others.There is no safety net, there is no other recourse but what you can do yourself and your own courage and knowledge.¡±

    Azios nodded. ¡°My Pa said that this was a hard land and we had to be hard people.¡±

    ¡°People often confuse being hard with being cruel or emotionless.You can be strong and still care about others.Empathy is what makes us human,¡± San said. ¡°You are strong, Azios. I¡¯ve never seen a young man your age who has been able to do so much, you have faced danger, had to make hard choices, and when it comes to protecting your family, you do what is right.¡±

    Azios ducked his head and didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Wagons!¡± the voice of Endaha floated in the air.San stood up and could see the woman waving at him from the farmhouse, gesturing toward the road that led into the komai.

    San grabbed his crossbow and sword belt, pelting across the snow with Azios on his heels.He skidded to a stop when he saw a pair of woollys and a white haired man sitting atop a cart.

    ¡°San, my boy! I was expecting a welcome, but not your running out near naked for me,¡± Pavano laughed.

    San looked down to see he was in his bare feet and boxers.The cold suddenly seeping into his bare soles.

    ¡°Pavano!¡± he cried, smiling. ¡°It¡¯s damn good to see you!¡±

    ¡°Aye, aye.That¡¯s the cry of every woman in White Tower when I arrived.¡±

    ¡°And every debt collector,¡± a different voice said.

    San saw a man sitting in the back of the cart, long faced, creased and weathered. His eyes were hard black and his hair was silver.A recurve bow on his lap and quivers filled with arrows sat beside him.The ranger.

    ¡°San, meet Bostarion the Ranger.Old friend and fine drinking companion.¡±

    ¡°Call me Boss,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°No one ever calls him that,¡± Pavano added.

    ¡°Glad to meet you, Boss,¡± San said. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not dressed for the occasion.¡±

    ¡°No problem, boy,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°Though you¡¯ll wanna be clothed before the Mage and the rest of the Guard arrives?¡±

    ¡°The Guard?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, the Young Baron has sent the Guard to destroy the batto nest, we¡¯ve got fifty men following half a day behind.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Senta¡¯s fiery embrace!¡± Pavano cried, coughing as he set down the clay cup.¡°That¡¯s fire down the gullet.¡±

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°Some of the rangers make a wine from fruits, then in the winter they freeze it, what doesn¡¯t freeze tastes something like this.¡±

    ¡°Freeze distillation,¡± San said. ¡°Or concentration.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gone for near a fortnight and you¡¯ve gone and created this?¡± Pavano asked, taking a small sip from the clay cup.

    ¡°Between the monsters, the storms, and all the work that needs doing, I had some free time.¡±

    ¡°White furred, huh?¡± Bastarion muttered.He drummed his hands against the table and thought. ¡°I¡¯ve never really been to the North around this area, but there are plenty of tales of creatures in the mountains.The north of here was considered a bad area, even the forest tribes didn¡¯t settle it, cursed with old Kingdom magic.¡±

    ¡°Like the Hanged King¡¯s Forest?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, but different.They say the Old Kingdom was one filled with mages and dark sacrifices with blood magic. It was that dark magic that the Empire feared and eventually led them to destroy the Old Kingdom.

    ¡°But I¡¯ve never heard of seven foot tall white furred creatures before,¡± the ranger said.¡°Wearing clothes and carrying gold? That¡¯s even stranger.Speaks of them being able to think and reason, but also being void monsters.I cannot say.What comes from the Void is often distorted reflections of creatures of this world.¡±

    ¡°Such monster roaming the forests only makes this winter more harder,¡± Pavano stated. ¡°I fear the lesser farmers and lone homesteads.¡±

    ¡°A few farms were hit by raiders,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°Homes burned, folks killed, goods taken.Didn¡¯t appear to be forest tribes.Last night we came across a hell of a sight, what appeared to be a camp along the trade road, entirely destroyed. Blood and meat everywhere, even the scavengers weren¡¯t touching it. There were two woollys and a loaded wagon filled with goods that wasn¡¯t even touched.It was as if whatever killed those men only wanted them to die.¡±

    Pavano looked to San.¡°You¡¯ve been breeding woollys, boy? And making food from snow?¡± He picked up a bit of cheese in his hands.

    ¡°We had visitors a couple of days back,¡± San said. ¡°They were¡­ not friendly.¡±

    ¡°Winter Stockers,¡± the ranger said. ¡°They go out and take food from the outlying farms, call it protection or that you owe them sars.¡±

    ¡°Do you know a man called Panchavi?¡±

    ¡°Aye, rings a bell.Landed gentleman, lost a lot of money in the imbar trade this winter,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°The Stockers have been working hard these last weeks,¡± Bostarion added. ¡°Many have been complaining to the Baron, but the Young Baron has been away to the south as tales of Nox fighters hitting those farms trickle in.Although with tales of battos so close to White Tower is sure to bring him back.¡±

    ¡°Those four were apart of Panchavi¡¯s men,¡± San said.

    ¡°How did you know there were four men in that camp?¡± the ranger asked.

    ¡°A woman told me.¡±

    The ranger¡¯s mouth twisted as if he were going to say something, but didn¡¯t.Instead he nodded.

    ¡°Aye, there were four dead in there. We saw some signs that they were from White Tower, that they were the ones to burn the farms.It seems whatever roams the night was out for a little justice.¡± The ranger sipped his drink and sighed. ¡°The gods are fickle.You can blasphemy all your life and they will laugh, but you make a small insult and everything you touch turns to ashes.¡±

    ¡°Two wanderers met on the trade road,¡± Pavano said, as if beginning a tale, ¡°and only one continued on.¡±

    They sat there in silence, contemplating the words.

    ¡°Is there anything we need to do for the coming troops?¡± Endaha asked.

    ¡°Nah,¡± Pavano said. ¡°They are all geared up for war.A Mage lieutenant leads them, left behind to guard the walls of White Tower, but insists that this infestation is the real threat.Methinks he¡¯s bored of sitting around the tower and decided to have some fun.¡±

    ¡°A bit young to be in charge of so many men,¡± the ranger said.

    ¡°Can¡¯t be a Mage and rank lower than the common soldiers,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Bad for discipline.¡±

    ¡°Will they stay here or move on?¡± Endaha asked.

    ¡°Dunno, m¡¯lady.The Mage may wish to press forward and find the nest, but they will have to send out scouts and rangers to find it first.As the nest was here, it should not be more than several days journey by foot from here. Possibly to the North.¡±

    ¡°Where all the monsters are,¡± Azios added.

    ¡°Aye.¡±

 020

    20

    The entire household and San stood in the freezing front area of the farmhouse as the Baron¡¯s Guards arrived. A messenger had arrived an hour before, announcing the Mage Lieutenant and the Guards, then asked for something hot to drink.

    ¡°They could conquer the Empire,¡± Azios said, amazement in his voice.

    San had other opinions on the military force that arrived into the komai.Opinions that would probably not be taken kindly by¡­ actually as San thought about it, none, beside Azios, seemed particularly pleased that the soldiers were there.

    ¡°Did you have any run ins when in White Tower?¡± San asked.

    ¡°None.Sagaris was thereabouts, but we did not cross paths. I can be a shadow in the night when I need to be,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°A piss stain on a wet floor,¡± Bostarion quipped.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be all right. We¡¯re just hired workers for the komai, is all. Looking for a place to hunker down for the winter by offering labor to this young komai landowner.¡± Pavano gestured to Azios. ¡°Landed Azios Exonaris.¡±

    Azios looked a bit surprised, but then straighten up.

    ¡°It is not often we get guests from White Tower and the military to boot,¡± he said.

    San had to hide his smile, not wanting to insult the boy.

    ¡°The Mage Lieutenant will probably want to speak with you,¡± Pavano said. ¡°It is only right to greet the landowner whose land you want to set up camp on. Don¡¯t let him push you around. This may be a poor komai, but you are still Landed.Your ancestors took this land with blood, iron, and honor.That Mage is just a common citizen that got lucky and was born able to manipulate mana.¡±

    San refrained from saying anything.He hadn¡¯t fully dived into the social and economic classes of the Baronies as of yet.But like any place, there were those who ¡®ranked¡¯ higher than others.Especially in a world where agriculture was the main occupation and farmers were the reason cities and towns existed, they were the reason trade existed, the reason there was enough free labor to build and fight in wars.

    Historically land owners were considered higher ranked than even craftsmen and merchants. Especially with the large komai that the Exonaris had; ten thousand acres not considered small at all.In some lands that would have made Azios a noble or even a Baron.

    The Mage Lieutenant was easy to spot, he rode upon a black horse and charged forward toward the farmhouse followed by ten others, also on horses.The Mage wore a brigandine, pauldrons, heavy gauntlets and steel leg armor.San had to give the man some praise for the quality and stylishness of his armor.The rivets of the brigandine made a impressive pattern across the bright red cloth and the steel was brightly polished.

    The rest of the horsemen wore similar armor as the Mage, but in duller colors and with more visible repairs and rust on the exposed steel.

    The Mage clattered up to the gathered family.His green eyes flashing as he took them in. A heavily pregnant woman, two old men, a foreigner, a young man, and a toddler.

    ¡°Who owns this land,¡± the Mage pronounced.

    San nudged Azios, who was looking at the armored man with awe.

    ¡°I do¡­ I do, m¡¯lord,¡± Azios said.

    Pavano nudged him.¡°He¡¯s not a lord,¡± he whispered.¡°He¡¯s a Mage Lieutenant.¡±

    The Mage scowled at Pavano for the remark.

    ¡°Sorry¡­ I own this land Mage Lieutenant.This is the Exonaris Komai, first settled by the Imperial Captain Exonario during the reign of the Last Emperor,¡± Azios recited.

    ¡°A bit young to be the Landed komai,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°Currently my brother, Kovass Exonaris is with the Baron in combatting the Suvanna in Sentari lands.¡±

    The Mage Lieutenant grunted and cast a look to San and then Endaha.

    ¡°A lot of foreigners, no?¡± he said.

    ¡°Endaha is my brother¡¯s wife, Mage Lieutenant, and her sons will inherit this land,¡± Azios said stiffly. ¡°San Ma- uh - San the Foreigner is a friend of the Family.¡±

    ¡°San the Foreigner, huh?¡± the man looked over him. ¡°Some kind of Far Kingdoms savage? That crossbow looks Nox.¡±

    ¡°His deeds to the Exonaris family far outweighs the nation of his birth,¡± Azios said. ¡°To insult him is to insult the komai and our hospitality.¡±

    The Mage scowled again, but nodded. ¡°So be it.¡± He took in the farmstead and scowled again. ¡°Not much hospitality can be offered here.¡±

    ¡°The times have been hard, m¡¯lord,¡± Pavano said quickly as Azios clenched his fists. ¡°We barely have enough to see us through the winter and with the battos about, we fear doing more. It is a great service you are doing, protecting the land, m¡¯lord. We very much appreciate it.¡±

    The Mage nodded and looked around. ¡°We¡¯ll be making camp and sending out scouts to find this batto nest.The Young Baron is returning from the south to reinforce us, but if we can remove this scourge quickly; he can continue protecting our farmlands there.¡±

    ¡°I welcome you to set up camp, Mage Lieutenant,¡± Azios said.

    San watched as the Mage lieutenant scanned the surrounding lands, his gaze settling on a spot that was one of the fields that the grazers still grazed upon.

    ¡°Mage Lieutenant, if I may?¡± San said stepping forward.

    ¡°What is is, Foreigner?¡±

    ¡°I would offer the suggestion of setting up your men to the east.These fields closest to the farmstead are still being grazed by the young komai¡¯s grazers.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± the Mage demanded.

    ¡°The east offers easy access to the Drink, Mage Lieutenant. It also is closer to the woods so that your men can collect firewood for themselves.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± he snapped.

    ¡°Many thanks, Mage Lieutenant,¡± San ducked his head as Pavano held back a chuckle.

    ¡°I shall dine with you tonight, along with my officers,¡± the Mage said and then kicked his horse forward. The rest of the men clattered off as the sounds of braying woollys and cursing men filled the air.

    ¡°Went pretty well,¡± Pavano said, slapping Azios on the back.

    ¡°What does a Mage Lieutenant eat?¡± Endaha asked.

    ¡°My boot; if he keeps that shit up,¡± Bostarion muttered.

    ¡°Worry not, m¡¯lady,¡± Pavano said, bowing to Endaha. ¡°I know the best recipes of those who believe they are higher born.¡±

    ***

    San walked to the military encampment, the wind was beginning to stir, blowing loose snow around the cursing and yelling men and women who made up the militia.San had thought they were all Guards when they arrived, but Pavano had been quick to point out who were Guards and who were not.

    The Mage Lieutenant and the ten men on horses were all Guards, along with another twelve men who were on foot, but not infantry.San saw them wearing gambesons and simple steel helmets.They weren¡¯t toiling as the others, instead carefully unloading crates of wooden boxes and iron shot.

    Artillerymen, San surmised.He was interested in talking to them.He hadn¡¯t much knowledge about blackpowder weapons beyond what he learned from Mary¡¯s gun happy father.

    The technology of the world was a bit blurred compared to his knowledge of the history of his own world.But San put it roughly between the late 1400¡¯s and mid 1500¡¯s.The middle ages back in Europe.His only exposure had been to what the Forest Tribes had and what little he was able to garner in Blackened Bridge and Midway before he had to leave.

    He would need to journey to White Tower one of these days, hopefully before Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve.There were still more items he needed to obtain if he were serious about brewing and distilling.

    The artillerymen were yelling at a troop of militia as they used a small mobile crane to lift an oiled cloth wrapped device from the back of one of the wagons.The artillerymen kept an eagle eye upon the weapon and laid down wood to set it upon.

    It had to be an artillery piece, but as San watched them huddle around it, it didn¡¯t seem long enough to be a cannon.It was possibly a mortar type weapon.The wooden crates held blackpowder as one of the artillerymen opened one and cursed, yelling for another to remix the powder.

    That was one of the things that Mary¡¯s father had mentioned. In the old days, blackpowder was known to separate into it¡¯s basic parts if constantly jostled, as one would expect from sitting in a wagon for several days and traveling across less than stellar roads.The artillerymen would have to remix the blackpowder before they could use it.

    The phrase Serpentine Powder bubbled up in San¡¯s mind.He wondered what they called it here. Another thought tickled the back of his mind. Something that Mary¡¯s father mentioned about blackpowder and how they had moved beyond having to constantly remix the powder.Something about corn?San shook his head, he¡¯d remember it later.

    ¡°The fuck you want, Foreigner?¡± a voice demanded.

    San looked to see a militia woman standing before him.She held a long bladed spear in her hand and glared at him.The rust on her steel cap and brigandine showed she wasn¡¯t one of the Guards.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to extend an invitation to the Mage Lieutenant and his officers to dinner,¡± he said.

    ¡°Talk funny, you do,¡± the woman said and spat into the snow. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell his mage-ness.Pretty shitty komai this is anyway, can¡¯t see why we have to save it?¡±

    The woman wandered off before San could respond.He shrugged and continued watching the soldiers set up camp.The artillerymen swarmed over their guns and powder, the Guards relaxed in tents that had been set up before anyone else, and the militia were running about doing everything.Their own tents weren¡¯t going up yet, but they created a fenced in area for their woollys, unloaded wagons, and collected firewood.

    It looked like a raw deal. More than half of the army was working to maintain the other half.There was no security, the woman who had stopped him did it more to look busy than to actually contest his presence.San also saw that people were just pissing and shitting where they wanted. He frowned, reminding himself to tell Azios to tell them to dig latrines or come spring they¡¯d have a lot of surprises when the snow melted.

    It was no Roman legion.The armament of the militia seemed to be mostly crossbows and a few spears.They carried short swords and not many wore anything beyond brigandines, most having looked to have been ill maintained.They at least all had helmets and winter clothing which meant they would not freeze while they stayed here.

    At least they had come prepared with a lot of wine.San watched as a quartermaster shouted at men as they hefted amphora of wine from the back of a wagon.The men were more careful with those than they had been with the boxes of gunpowder.

    San turned and headed back to the farmhouse, the wind rising, but the sky clear.He wasn¡¯t looking forward to dinner.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ***

    ¡°They called him the Empire¡¯s greatest general, but we fucked him good and proper!¡± Havatair cried, slapping his meaty hand on his thigh. The man was big, even bigger than San and most of it was muscle.San watched him with slight awe, this was a true Leveled soldier, a dedicated cavalryman from before the Baronies broke away from the Empire.

    The Mage Lieutenant might have been technically in charge of things, but Havatair was the real power behind the man.He was a staunch supporter of the Baron and the man could do no wrong in his eyes.Therefore he was set to watch over the young Mage Lieutenant and defend White Tower from any threats.

    San learned all of this through the night as the officers from the small army gathered in the farmhouse.

    The Mage Lieutenant was named Histoa, no last name as he was a commoner just like Havatair.He was in his late teens, trained by the High Mage of Sol Savanis, and therefore given all due respect and rank.That didn¡¯t mean Havatair ranked lower than him, just differently.

    The others that joined the dinner were the leader of the artillery, Penzai; the leader of the militia, Ilagio Fomar, a Landed from the south; and the healer Zomia Tai, a thin woman with wide green eyes.

    Azios sat at the head of the table, clearly enjoying the wine and the boisterous laughter of Havatair.The Mage Lieutenant sat silently, occasionally scowling into his cup and picking at his food.Fresh grazer, kimchi, and beans with cheese, and the wine they had gained from Panchavi¡¯s men.Pavano had been a magician in his cooking, using the simple ingredients and the smoky firepit to cook up a feast for the men.

    ¡°Kitsomari was a fine general in his day, but that was twenty years before we fought him,¡± Penzai muttered. ¡°He still fought as if cannons didn¡¯t matter on the battlefield.¡± The artilleryman was aged and wrinkled, his hair shock white, but his frame still straight and unbent.He ate heartily and drank even more so. ¡°Our cannons tore up his perfect little lines, then our men slaughtered the rest.¡± Penzai chuckled.

    ¡°How far along are you, my dear?¡± Zomia asked Endaha as they sat in a corner.

    ¡°Not long, I think,¡± she responded, rubbing her stomach.

    ¡°Winter is a hard time to give birth,¡± the healer said.¡°The Winter Walker roams the land, seeking souls and causing mischief.¡±

    ¡°Aye.She brings as much joy as misery,¡± Endaha said.

    ¡°So the Tribes believe,¡± the healer scoffed for a second, but then put on a friendly smile.

    ¡°San¡¯s a great fighter!¡± Azios announced, his eyes were bright and his cheeks flushed.Too much wine, San saw.

    ¡°Is that right?¡± the Mage asked, eyeing San.

    ¡°Trust me, m¡¯lord. I¡¯m not,¡± San said.

    ¡°He killed a mage in battle!¡±Azios announced, causing San to groan inwardly.

    ¡°A mage?¡± Havantair asked, looking surprised. ¡°A tale that must be told. Tell us, Foreigner, how and when did you kill a mage.¡±

    ¡°It was more accident than skill,¡± San said. ¡°Long ago, when I was a different man.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got levels, boy.Tell us how you got those,¡± Ilagio said, speaking for the first time.The man was like old leather, his skin tight and shiny, and his eyes dark hollows with a glint of intelligence within them. He didn¡¯t drink, but sipped water and ate no meat.

    ¡°Rippers, while I was in the land of the Forest Tribes,¡± San said.

    ¡°Rippers?¡± Havatair laughed. ¡°Those fucking things. I hate them, horrid creatures.They rarely come this far south, but when they do, it¡¯s a whole swarm of them.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San said.

    ¡°Adventurer, then?¡± Ilagio asked.

    ¡°In a sense.¡±

    ¡°In what kind of sense?¡± Ilagio demanded. ¡°None of your kind come from woodland savage stock.Big fucker like you, skin like yours, the way you talk; those aren¡¯t woodland savage ways.Sure as Hetvana¡¯s cunt is cold, it¡¯s not Imperial or Barony ways.¡±

    ¡°I am neither. My homeland is far away,¡± San said.

    ¡°Where?¡± Ilagio pushed.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.It¡¯s called America and no one here seems to know its name,¡± San finally said.

    ¡°Never heard of it,¡± Ilagio replied. ¡°Some savage kingdom from beyond the Wide Ocean?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t know where it is in relation to this place,¡± San said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust you, Foreigner. From the looks of those gathered here, these supposed friends of yours, they don¡¯t know half of your stories either.¡±

    San looked to see the expressions on Endaha and Pavano¡¯s faces.He realized he never really told them of the place he came from or how he got here.There was a lot he hadn¡¯t explained to them, some of it due to his own unwillingness to tell and from the fact there was little time for that kind of talk.

    The table went silent for a moment as everyone looked into their cups of wine.Azios was quiet, his bright expression now downcast.

    ¡°Well, Ilagio¡¯s a sour fucker,¡± Havatair said. ¡°Take none of what he says to heart, he¡¯s just sour that he had to drag his hairy ass this far north when the Nox are raiding the south.¡±

    ¡°Understandable,¡± San said.

    Ilagio glared at Havatair. ¡°Some of us were born into positions of responsibility,¡± he said.

    Havatair¡¯s jolly attitude faded at the words and the smile he gave Ilagio was anything but friendly.

    ¡°Aye, kinslayers rank higher than common as long as they lead the komai,¡± Havatair said, taking a long drink from his cup.Ilagio glared and stood up suddenly.

    ¡°I must see to my men,¡± he stated flatly.

    ¡°Aye, do that,¡± Havatair said. ¡°Make sure my tent is hot, I enjoy sleeping in the nude.¡±

    Ilagio stalked out of the farmhouse, slamming the heavy door behind him.

    San took a sip of the bad wine.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a swell night, m¡¯lady, sir,¡± Havatair said to Endaha and Azios. ¡°We shall retire for the night and begin this batto hunt come morning.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Ey, big fucker,¡± a voice called.

    San looked up from where he was chopping wood.A female soldier walked to him, gambeson half laced and helmet tucked under one arm.

    ¡°I assume you¡¯re addressing me?¡± San asked, setting the axe on his shoulder.

    ¡°Havatair wants to see you,¡± she said.

    ¡°Why?¡± San asked.

    ¡°How should I know, big fucker. He just says bring that Foreigner here and right quick.¡±

    San stood there a moment, pondering if he should just ignore the summons.The female soldier looked annoyed.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna get me some lashes if you don¡¯t move your giant ass,¡± she said.

    ¡°Would he not want to speak to Azios instead? He¡¯s the komai of this land.¡±

    ¡°Is that tiny brat a big fucking foreigner?¡±

    San shook his head.

    ¡°Then he¡¯s not who I¡¯m looking for.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± San said.

    ¡°Sweet Senta, your brain must be smaller than a dried pento fruit.¡±

    San returned the axe to the farmhouse, telling Endaha who was making bread, that he was summoned to see Havatair.Azios looked up expectantly, but as San didn¡¯t invite him, he looked downcast again.He had woken up with a massive hangover and much shame about blurting out things about San.

    ¡°Name¡¯s Elgava Sonnis,¡± the female soldier said.

    ¡°Sanjay King,¡± San said.

    ¡°Big Fucking Foreigner fits better,¡± Elgava stated. ¡°Sounds regal.¡±

    ¡°I would suppose the name King would sound more regal,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye, maybe. But we ain¡¯t got no kings around here. Not in the Empire, not in the Baronies, the only king was the foul fucker they hung in the woods five hundred years back.¡±

    ¡°That turned out well,¡± San said.

    The woman laughed. ¡°Aye, silly fuckers turned a whole forest into an undead hole of shades that kill dozens every year. But that¡¯s the only road that leads to Blackened Bridge.¡±

    They walked in silence for a moment.

    ¡°Say, friend,¡± Elgava said. ¡°You happen to not have a cask of wine you¡¯re willing to sell to someone looking to protect your farmstead?¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°Fucking Ilagio, doesn¡¯t want us drinking until we know what we¡¯re up against.He¡¯s guarding all the wine like some broody hen.¡± Elgava said.

    ¡°How will you hide an entire amphora of wine?¡± San asked.

    ¡°We have methods.¡± The woman grinned.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t have any wine to spare.¡± San paused. ¡°Does it have to be wine?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a good Imperial,¡± Elgava stated. ¡°I only drink wine.¡± She paused and looked around. ¡°Or anything that¡¯ll take the edge off the cold and dull the boredom.¡±

    San had to smile. ¡°How do you feel about moonshine?¡± he asked.

    They walked through the military camp, the ground had already been churned up and the area was smoky with a score of campfires burning.Men huddled around them, wrapped in cloaks and looking miserable.Elgava gave them a wave and they looked slightly better.

    Havatair¡¯s tent was a large one, situated in the center of the camp, beside another ornate tent that San saw was the Mage Lieutenant¡¯s.

    ¡°San the Foreigner, sir,¡± Elgava said loudly.

    ¡°Enter,¡± Havatair¡¯s voice said gruffly.

    ¡°In you go,¡± Elgava said. ¡°Be seeing you about the other thing.¡± She winked and scurried off.

    San entered the tent and found it very warm, in the corner sat a brazier of blue glowing coals.San stopped to stare at them, realizing that they were some kind of heating magic.Half of the tent was occupied by a slightly raised floor with thick carpeting upon it.San couldn¡¯t read the design, but it consisted of a lot of swirling patterns and shapes.

    Havatair sat behind a desk, the large man almost comically hunched over as he read reports and scratched off messages with a quill pen.San perked up at the sight of the quill, it was the first example of writing implements he had seen since he arrived into this world.

    ¡°Be with you in a moment, lad,¡± Havatair said. He scowled and scribbled more on a piece of paper or parchment and then folded it and sealed it close with wax.The big man looked up at San and leaned back in his chair, allowing it to creak noisily. ¡°How do, San the Foreigner?¡±

    ¡°Good, I suppose. Your troops being here quells our fear.We hope to get the grazers out and feeding again, without fear of bonewings or battos, sir.¡±

    ¡°Good, good,¡± Havatair said, grunting as he lifted up a piece of paper. ¡°Says here you¡¯re the one that Sagaris and Markona are looking for. Big fucking foreigner who talks funny and seems dumb as rocks.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that is an apt description, sir,¡± San said, feeling his heart beginning to pound.

    ¡°Mage Killer, with levels, carrying a fancy sword, and strange gear,¡± the man continued. ¡°Couldn¡¯t use said fancy sword worth a shit, but still carried it. Good shot with a pistol.¡±

    ¡°That seems more accurate, sir,¡± San said.

    Havatair laughed and set the sheet down.He looked at San for a long moment again and sighed. ¡°You know what Sagaris was hauling?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes. After the Nox attacked, I did.¡± San replied.

    ¡°So you ran?¡±

    ¡°I did not run, sir. It was suggested that I stay, but Sagaris left to return to the ambush site taking most of the troops of the fort. I traded my horse for woollys and then decided that going on my own was better than being a target with the caravan,¡± San said.

    ¡°You understand that looks suspicious, right?¡±

    ¡°It appeared to me as prudence, sir.I had a fair amount of loot and Midway did not seem to offer any assurances that I would survive the night.¡±

    ¡°Aye, Midway is a shithole,¡± Havatair said. ¡°Sadly a lot of trappers died from flashing too much riches there not long ago.¡± The man shook his head, as if sorry.

    ¡°A shame, they were brave men,¡± San said.

    Havatair snorted, he looked at San and snorted again.

    ¡°You know what Sagaris was hauling, you left, but Sagaris got back to White Tower safe and sound,¡± Havatair said.

    ¡°That is good,¡± San replied. ¡°I hear that with Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve approaching, that will be the last caravans and trade that will be conducted until spring.¡±

    ¡°Aye.Even the Red freezes over.¡±Havatair sighed and leaned back in his chair. ¡°You planning on telling anyone?¡±

    ¡°About what, sir?¡±

    ¡°You value your life? The lives of that kid and woman?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t value my life highly, but there is no need to threaten the others.I understand what you are saying.Sagaris¡¯ business is her own. What cargo moves along the roads of the Sol Savanis Barony is not my concern.¡±

    ¡°Good to hear, lad.¡± Havatair said. ¡°You have levels, yes?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°In what?¡±

    ¡°Brewing.¡±

    Havatair laughed. ¡°Honestly, tell me.¡±

    ¡°Brewing.¡±

    He stopped laughing and frowned. ¡°Honestly?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Oh.You don¡¯t see many leveled people who aren¡¯t soldier, warrior, or fighter,¡± he said. ¡°I thought you might be one of those, with how big you are.¡±

    ¡°This is naturally how big I am,¡± San said.

    ¡°Honestly?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Well, that land you come from must be a place of giants.¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    They stood there in silence for a moment.

    ¡°May I go?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Havatair said, sighing.San turned to go.¡°Hold on.¡±

    San looked at the man expectantly.

    ¡°I see you didn¡¯t rat out Pavano,¡± he said.

    ¡°Who?¡± San asked.

    Havatair snorted. ¡°There¡¯s only one crazy old man who travels around these parts, seeking to meet a god on the roads, he says.Those kinds of men are sorely disappointed and end up just as bandit fodder.¡±

    ¡°We all travel for our own reasons,¡± San said.

    ¡°What¡¯s yours, lad?¡±

    ¡°I got lost. This place seems interesting,¡± San replied.

    ***

    ¡°This it?¡± Elgava demanded as she saw San¡¯s small two gallon clay pot. ¡°I said something that everyone could get drunk on. I¡¯m not paying twenty sars for that.¡±

    ¡°How much for a gallon of wine?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Two sars,¡± she said.

    ¡°Good wine?¡±

    ¡°Hetvana no.¡±

    ¡°This two gallons is about twenty gallons of wine,¡± San said. ¡°If you¡¯re not looking for flavor or taste, this is what will get you and your compatriots drunk the fastest.¡±

    ¡°Fast¡­¡± the woman paused as she looked at the pot. ¡°The less time we¡¯re drinking, the less time that Ilagio will be on our asses.Lemme try a taste.¡±

    San unplugged the claypot, the smell of alcohol wafted up to him.It wasn¡¯t unpleasant, but it smelled more of paint thinner than actual booze.The stuff was still fairly high, ending over a hundred proof.

    He dipped a small cup into it, taking out barely two ounces of liquid.

    ¡°That it?¡± Elgava asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s over one cup of wine,¡± San said.

    Elgava looked at him skeptically and then smelled the drink.She wrinkled her nose and then knocked it back.She immediately began coughing and gagging, doubling over and nearly falling into the snow.

    ¡°Sweet Senta, that¡¯s fire in my chest!¡± she gasped.

    ¡°The first time is always the hardest,¡± San said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t get any easier after that, but you get used to it.¡±

    ¡°Moonshine,¡± she said. ¡°Rumor is that you¡¯re an Adventurer.This have anything to do with Corvanus?¡±

    ¡°If you want it to,¡± San said. ¡°We are fighting monsters soon, aren¡¯t we?Perhaps something that represents Corvanus is needed more than Senta¡¯s drink of choice.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Elgava looked at the clay pot. ¡°Moonshine,¡± she said slowly.Then she handed him the twenty sars.

    San tucked the money away and watched as Elgava scurried off back to the camp, trying to hide the large claypot.

    ¡°Looking for profits, eh?¡± Pavano said, rounding the side of the barn that San and Elgava had hidden behind.

    San smiled at Pavano.¡°Yeah. They wanted something to drink, I saw an opportunity.¡±

    ¡°That fire water,¡± Pavano nodded.

    ¡°Is ten sar a gallon a good price?¡± San asked.

    Pavano thought on it for a moment. ¡°I would charge a bit more, but that is a drink that you must get used to.It is not like wine or beer or mead, it is a lot of punch in a small package.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San said. ¡°The wines I have drank are more akin to vinegar, they don¡¯t have much alcohol by volume. I think maybe ten ABV at the highest.I haven¡¯t had any of your good wine, so I can¡¯t compare to that. But this drink is about ten times stronger.¡±

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± Pavano muttered.

    ¡°I would assume a gallon of moonshine would equal ten gallons of your cheapest wine.¡±

    ¡°All made from imbar,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Pavano grinned.

 021

    21

    ¡°This is barbaric,¡± San muttered.

    ¡°Does your land have better ways of ensuring military discipline?¡± Pavano asked.He too looked uncomfortable with what was going on.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I was never in the military, but we stopped using corporal punishment on soldiers or civilians,¡± San said as he watched two men be stripped of their coats and tunics.They were tied to a post that had been recently planted in the ground and another solider with a lash was limbering up the weapon.

    Drunkenness on duty, that was the charge.Two men caught being inebriated when they should have been on duty.San knew he was responsible for that drunkeness.The moonshine he had sold Elgava had made its presence known.

    It was comparable to teenagers or young adults getting into the hard stuff.They would figure they knew how to hold their liquor and from that assumption all manner of bad things occurred.In this case, drunk soldiers running about in the snow, nearly burning down a tent, and worst of all, disrupting the Mage Lieutenant¡¯s sleep.

    Ilagio was furious, but the Mage Lieutenant was icy cold.Havatair was all for soldiers being soldiers, that getting drunk was just a part of it and there was no need to get bent out of shape.But the Mage Lieutenant and to some extent Ilagio pushed to punish some soldiers.They couldn¡¯t flog the entire militia, everyone who wasn¡¯t on duty had gotten a taste of moonshine.

    It was two on-duty guards that had snuck away to have a taste, which hit them pretty hard.Those two had been found out by Ilagio, who told the Mage Lieutenant, which eventually lead to the punishment detail being drawn up for them.

    The cold winter wind blew and the man with the whip was taking his time. San could see the tied up men¡¯s skin prickling with cold and soon they were shivering as the Mage Lieutenant stood before the gathered soldiers to make a speech.

    ¡°Order,¡± the Mage cried out.He stalked the ground before the soldiers and militia. ¡°We must have it.We are the Sol Savanis Barony, the Defenders of the North. We are upon the edge of the Empire, where only savages and monsters roam. If we do not have order, then we all die.¡± He stared at each solider, his face contorted in anger. ¡°This land was redeemed by the Empire and by its soldiers.It was not done through coins and gifts or pretty words, it was done with iron and blood and order.That order has been broken this day, by these two soldiers.They had disrespected their duty and the two thousand years of Imperial military history behind them.For that, they will receive lashes until they fully know the crime they have committed.¡±

    There was a murmur from the crowd.

    ¡°Begin!¡± the Mage shouted.

    Ilagio limbered up the long cane he held and with some glimmer of glee in his eyes approached the first man.

    San flinched as the first strike fell and the man cried out.A long red welt appearing upon his back.Then again. And again. And again.

    ***

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Zomia demanded as Elgava ushered him into the medical tent.It wasn¡¯t really a medical tent, but Zomia¡¯s personal tent, which she also looked at patients within.

    The healer¡¯s face was creased with annoyance and it only doubled when she saw San entering.

    ¡°Have you not caused enough trouble?¡± she demanded.

    ¡°He¡¯s naught to blame,¡± Elgava said. ¡°These fools made their own choices, can¡¯t blame one man¡¯s doing on another.They were told it had a strong kick, but they claimed they were ¡®real soldiers¡¯ and could outdrink even Senta herself.¡±

    Zomia frowned, but still glared at San.

    He offered her a clay jug.The healer visibly reeled back from it.

    ¡°You bring the cause of all this misery into my tent?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San said. ¡°I feel terrible about what happened to these men, it was not my intention to see them injured or punished. What I made was only to be enjoyed socially and with friends.¡± San set the jug down on a small table. The healer eyed it suspiciously. ¡°This isn¡¯t to get drunk off of.Instead it is to help with their injuries.¡±

    ¡°Are you a healer?¡± the woman demanded.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then begone.¡±

    ¡°But I do know wounds fester and once that happens, it is near impossible to stop it from spreading. I can help.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Wash their wounds with this.It will kill the bacteria in their wounds. Hopefully.¡±

    ¡°Bacteria?¡±

    ¡°That is what causes the festering of wounds. If the wound is cleaned properly and with this moonshine, then it has a better chance of not becoming infected.¡±

    The healer glared at him for a long moment and then nodded. ¡°I have been a healer for many years,¡± she said. ¡°What do foreigners know of medicine, what I was taught came from the Empire¡¯s greatest healers.¡±

    ¡°I know far less than you do,¡± San said. ¡°But from my homeland, there are some things that everyone knows.That wounds must be cleaned.You can use soap and clean water or you can use this.It will hurt a lot when applied, but it will also help disinfect the wound.¡±

    ¡°Explain it to me, foreigner.Why would this drink you make to make drunken fools of our soldiers also help clean the wounds?¡±

    ¡°I know basic first aid, my wife, Mary taught me.She was a nurse and-¡°

    ¡°SAN!¡± Azios voice yelled.

    San pulled open the tent flap and saw the boy running past.

    ¡°Azios!¡±

    The boy skidded in the near frozen mud and raced back to him.He was wild eyed and panting heavily.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± San demanded.

    ¡°Endaha.She¡¯s in labor!¡±

    ***

    ¡°If you were in White Tower, I¡¯d tell you to go to the temple and buy some sacrificial hens,¡± Pavano said. ¡°An offering to Senta, Kazo, and even Hetvana would ease your mind.¡±

    ¡°Sacrificing animals?¡± San asked, a little shocked.

    ¡°How else would you gain a god¡¯s attention?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°We don¡¯t do that in my homeland,¡± San said.He looked toward he farmhouse, where screams were emanating.His leg bounced nervously and he was restless on his seat.

    Pavano watched him for a long moment.¡°They are not your family,¡± he said.

    San blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You think I cannot see loss, lad?¡± Pavano asked. ¡°I have seen a thousand faces creased with loss and sadness. I know what a man looks like when he has lost everything and everyone he loves.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Do you imagine yourself settling down upon this komai.Raising the woodland lass¡¯ children and Azios too? To become a farmer and live upon a komai that carries none of your blood and ancestry?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± San shook his head.

    ¡°Lad,¡± Pavano said, sadness in his voice. ¡°She already has a husband.The lad had a father and has an elder brother to teach him how to be a man.They are not yours to look after or to claim.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± San said, his voice low.

    ¡°I see it in your eyes.I see it in the way you watch them, when you think no one is looking.It is a lovely fantasy, but it is a fantasy nevertheless.¡±

    The cold wind stirred and San wrapped his cloak around himself, staring into the fire they sat before.

    ¡°Do you love her?¡± Pavano asked.

    San looked up. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Do you instead love the idea of being a family?¡±

    San looked back into the fire.

    ¡°How long ago was it that you lost your family?¡±

    ¡°Nearly eight months now,¡± San said. ¡°There was an accident, I¡­¡± San stopped talking and stared into the fire.

    ¡°I can see the love you still have for your family. It is etched within your soul.¡±

    ¡°My soul?¡± San repeated, remembering the Winter¡¯s Lament¡¯s words.

    ¡°I would not get attach to those that do not belong to you,¡± Pavano said. ¡°On that path, there is only pain.¡±

    San nodded slowly.Was he in love with Endaha? Or was it just his grief and desire to have a family once again that was clouding his mind.If it were possible, could he do that to her and Azios? Could he just step in and try to pretend he was the father figure?This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    It wasn¡¯t fair to them, was it? There was already someone who was the owner of this komai, the head of this family.He was out fighting for the Baron and who was San to walk in and try to abscond with his family.San had never met Kovass Exonaris, but Azios held him in high esteem.Endaha didn¡¯t say much about her husband or the father of her children.

    This wasn¡¯t his world. This wasn¡¯t his land. This wasn¡¯t his family. San dug around in his coat and pulled out his stainless steel water bottle.He unscrewed the cap and the smell of moonshine assaulted his nose.

    He took a swallow, passing it to Pavano. The old man didn¡¯t say anything, instead took a sip and grimaced at the taste.

    ¡°It requires some getting used to,¡± he said.He handed the bottle back to San.

    San looked at the stainless steel contianer and took another sip of it.

    ¡°A small amount to steady the nerves, too much and you make a fool of yourself.¡±

    ¡°A drunk man¡¯s courage,¡± Pavano added.¡°It doesn¡¯t have much of a taste, although. Just fire and a sudden coolness as it goes down.¡±

    San nodded. ¡°Yeah.Aged in a few years in oak, it would come out pretty nice.¡±

    ¡°Aged in oak?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°Yeah, oak barrels. There are coopers, yes? People who make barrels out of wooden staves and iron hoops?¡± San asked.

    ¡°I believe so.There are people who create all sorts of things in White Tower and other cities.The amphora is still used to this day because it is cheap and plentiful.¡±

    ¡°If I had the set up, I could age the moonshine and it would become whiskey.If there was any peat around, I could make scotch.¡± San smiled. ¡°What you age it in imparts flavor into the final product.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a lot of equipment to do.Years you say?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, an entire distillery.That would be years of work and I would need a huge set up.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you want to do?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s what I did back home,¡± San said. ¡°I guess I could do it here, there seems to be a market for liquor and beer. It¡¯s not wine, but people¡¯s tastes can change, if you make a good product.¡±

    ¡°Aye, perhaps. Wine is the beverage of Senta.It is said that the first taste a child takes is the wine their father made them.¡±

    ¡°Does anyone do that?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Not really.It¡¯s just one of those things people say they should do, but never do.¡±

    ¡°There was a brewer in my homeland,¡± San said, ¡°every first-born son was given a few drops of their family¡¯s beer before they even had their mother¡¯s milk.¡±

    San handed Pavano the bottle again. The old man took a swing, grimacing again.He grinned.

    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll be dropping this fire liquid upon your son¡¯s tongue,¡± he said.

    ¡°Yeah, no.I don¡¯t think getting a baby drunk is going to win me any favors from anyone,¡± San laughed.Pavano laughed beside him, handing San the bottle back.

    Shouts began from the military camp.San and Pavano looked up to see the soldiers milling about, yelling and rushing.A sudden sense of wrongness began to fill the air, San jumped to his feet, followed by Pavano.

    San muttered a curse as he realized he had left his weapons in the farmhouse. With the soldiers around, there was a sense of protection, that they wouldn¡¯t be attacked if there were so many armed soliders about.It didn¡¯t matter how many soldiers there were, monsters would still attack.

    The two raced back to the farmhouse, just as Azios came rushing back from the military camp.Why had he been there?

    ¡°The scouts are back!¡± Azios shouted. ¡°They¡¯re being chased by battos.¡±

    ¡°Explain it, boy,¡± Pavano demanded. ¡°Is Bostarion alive?¡±

    Azios breathed heavily and looked at the two. ¡°Bostarion and two scouts returned, they said they found the nest and two other scouts died.They said that they were being chased by batto hunters and that there was a swarm following.¡±

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± Pavano paled.

    ¡°Bad?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Very.What the fuck did those men do?¡± Pavano wondered.

    ¡°We killed a new queen,¡± Bostarion said striding up to the farmhouse.

    The older man was haggard and exhausted looking. His clothing was ripped and torn, with blood liberally covering. San automatically handed him the bottle he had been carrying.He unscrewed the top and took a pull, hissing as he did so.

    ¡°We found the cursed nest. A big one, they were already starting to produce another queen.That little bitch was about to fly and we nailed it to the wall.That stirred everything up, everything began chasing us.They sent out their hunters, big and mean bastards. You don¡¯t see them often, unless you try to invade the nest.¡±

    Silence fell as they all pondered the implication.A scream filled the air, Endaha¡¯s cries.

    Bostarion looked up and frowned. ¡°She¡¯s birthing?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°This is bad,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°New life only stirs up the monsters.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± San asked. ¡°How does giving birth do anything.¡±

    Bostarion frowned at San. ¡°A new soul is coming to this earth, the void horrors seek to feed upon all souls.The younger the better. That wee child will be in the most danger.¡±

    San looked back at the farmhouse and then toward the woods. The soldiers were still yelling and preparing to defend their position.Finally he looked to the sun and saw that there was only a few hours before daylight.

    ¡°We need to build a big fire. Several around the farmhouse,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Pavano agreed. ¡°Boy, get those pistols and crossbows loaded. Get the armor and the rest of the weapons out.¡±

    Azios nodded and rushed into the farmhouse, eliciting cries of anger from Zomia.A moment later the healer emerged, followed by Elgava.The two women glared at San and the others.

    ¡°What in Hetvana¡¯s cunt is going on?¡± the healer demanded.

    ¡°Battos are coming,¡± Bostarion said.

    The healer eyed him, noting his wounds and torn clothing.¡°What happened to you?¡± she demanded.

    ¡°I aint¡¯ here for healing, woman,¡± Bostarion snapped. ¡°We kicked the batto¡¯s nest and they¡¯re swarming. That lass and the wee girl, they¡¯re in trouble.¡±

    It took a moment for the healer to comprehend and she looked back into the farmhouse, a look of worry creasing her face.¡°The birthing,¡± she said.

    San frowned. ¡°Is it that bad?¡¯ he asked.

    ¡°The girl is doing well, but those horrors, they¡¯ll be after the newborn.¡±

    ¡°How far along is she?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Only Senta knows how long a birth will take, could be hours or more,¡± the healer said.

    ¡°Best not tarry, lad,¡± Pavano said. San nodded and they rushed toward the woodpile and began pulling wood from it. ¡°One fire at each corner, should do the trick.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Elgava asked, watching as they carried arm loads and dumped them on the ground.

    ¡°Fire,¡± San said. ¡°To keep the battos away.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve ever seen battos,¡± Elgava said. ¡°They love fire, their nests are hotter than hell and an open flame does not scare them none.¡±

    ¡°What are you doing here anyway?¡± San asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve helped bring eight of my nieces and nephews into this world.Damn near a midwife, I am.¡± She grinned at San. ¡°Don¡¯t ya worry, that woodland savage girl will be fine.Got hips that a woolly would envy.¡± She laughed at San¡¯s expression.

    San shook his head and continued grabbing firewood.

    The trumpet sound filled the air and San looked to see the soldiers were still milling about, but they stopped and seemed to go into overdrive.San tilted his head and listen, he could hear a faint buzzing sound.The same buzzing sound that he had heard the night they ambushed the battos.

    ¡°They¡¯re nearly here,¡± Pavano said.

    San tossed the remaining wood onto the piles they had made.Azios exited the farmhouse carrying torch and a clay cup.

    ¡°Heads,¡± the boy said handing him the torch and cup.

    San tossed a bit of the liquid no the dry wood and set the torch to it.A moment later the foreshots ignited and the wood blossomed with flame.

    ¡°Do the rest,¡± San told Azios. The boy nodded, taking both torch and cup.San focused the the fire, the wood was beginning to catch, not fully burning but getting there.

    Bostarion exited the farmhouse carrying the steel cuirasses they had taken from the dead Nox mercenaries.

    ¡°Lad, you¡¯re better armed then the Baron¡¯s Guards,¡± he said as he set the steel armor onto the ground.He carried the two matchlock rifles on his back and the bandoliers of ammunition.

    ¡°Nox mercenaries,¡± Pavano said, picking up San¡¯s cuirass. ¡°In you go, lad.¡±

    The two quickly got San into the cuirass and San did the same for Pavano.Bostarion on the other hand continued to wear his torn clothing.San saw that he was wearing chainmail beneath it.

    They loaded the matchlocks and by then the fires were burning sufficiently.San stood over the first one and closed his eyes.

    ¡°Fire in the Night,¡± he said. The flames flared for a second and returned to normal.

    ¡°You a Mage?¡± Bostarion asked.

    ¡°No.¡± San said.

    ¡°That there is Magecraft,¡± the man said. ¡°Fire in the Night, the woodlanders magic.Only their Mages know that one.¡±

    ¡°I was given that Power as a gift,¡± San said.

    Bostarion grunted, but said nothing else.San watched him for a moment, wondering what it meant.He remembered the Mage Chief telling him Mages were born with the talent, which made San wonder if that meant they weren¡¯t Leveled like those that consumed the mana gems.He had questions, but now was not the time.

    Four soldiers rushed toward the farmhouse from the camp.They came to a clattering stop before the front door, glaring at San and Pavano as they stood in their way.

    ¡°The healer is to come back to the camp,¡± the leader said.

    ¡°She¡¯s busy,¡± San said.

    ¡°Back away, foreigner,¡± the leader growled. ¡°It¡¯s that damn drink you sold Elgava that got Hostin and Shinon flogged.We¡¯re to get the healer back before those fucking flying shits arrive.Mage¡¯s orders.¡±

    The buzzing grew louder and everyone stopped to look to the north. The sun was beginning to set now, the sky alight with yellows and reds reflecting off the high clouds and also turning a deeper shade of purple and blue.A cold wind started up, chilling everyone and making the fires move.

    ¡°She¡¯s going nowhere,¡± San said.

    ¡°Hetvana take you, bastard,¡± the leader snapped and stepped back.The other men did the same, making room to draw their weapons.

    ¡°Hold on, you foolish idiots,¡± a voice snapped. The Healer exited the farmhouse, a scowl on her face. ¡®What¡¯s goin on here?¡±

    ¡°The Mage Lieutenant says you are to get back to camp,¡± the man announced. ¡°This woodland savage can drop her calf like the animal she is, on her own.¡±

    ¡°Steady,¡± Pavano said as Azios and San reached for their weapons.

    ¡°This is no-¡° the healer began but stopped.The buzzing had suddenly become overbearingly loud.Every head turned to the north and in the dying sunlight, they saw a mass of darkness in the sky.Not only that, but there was a rumbling in the ground and from the distant trees emerged scores of non-flying creatures.

    ¡°Blessed Mother,¡± a solider muttered.

    ¡°Sweet Senta.¡±

    A soldier began ringing a bell and the shouting became more frantic.

    ¡°This house must be protected!¡± the healer cried. ¡°They will come for the child.¡±

    ¡°Fuck that child,¡± a soldier said. ¡°Get your ass back to the camp.We¡¯re going to need you.¡±

    ¡°My service is to Senta and the Baron,¡± the healer said. Not the Mage Lieutenant.¡± She folded her arms and glared at them.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± San muttered. ¡°Get inside, bar the door.You, soldiers, join us or get back to the camp.¡±

    The soldiers glanced back to the north, their expressions draining of color as more monsters began emerging from the woods.

    ¡°Those tents and those shitty defenses aren¡¯t going to help any of you,¡± San snapped. ¡°Tell Havatair and the Mage that you need to fall back to the farmhouse or the barn. These at least have roofs and will slow their charge. They can be defended.¡±

    The soldiers stood there, not moving. Their faces slacked and their hands trembling.

    ¡°Courage,¡± Azios said, his hands were shaking and his stared at San.

    San moved quickly, pushing aside the healer and ducking into the farmhouse.He saw Elgava staring at him as he cut across the room and entered the store room.Endaha was screaming in pain, but she stopped as he passed back through, carrying a bottle.

    ¡°Drink,¡± San said, uncapping the bottle.The first soldier looked at him in confusion, staring at the bottle and then back at him.

    ¡®What?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Drink.¡± San shoved the bottle to the man¡¯s mouth and forced the drink into his mouth.He gagged and staggered back, shock and anger on his face.

    ¡°What the hell-¡° the man paused as he blinked and stared at San. ¡°What is this? Why¡­ why am I not afraid.¡±

    ¡°Courage,¡± San said. He held the bottle to the next soldier, who looked at his companion and then took a swig.

    The growing fear and terror that was consuming everyone was dispatched as they took a drink.San was the last one to sip, feeling the frantic energy and terror that was flooding his veins slow down.He took a breath and with calmness looked at the soldiers.

    ¡°Take the bottle, give it to the others. We¡¯ll need courage for what is coming.¡± He handed the bottle to the leader of the soldiers, who gave a swift nod and the four men raced off with it.

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± Pavano said. ¡°You made that? Courage?¡±

    ¡°What are you?¡± the healer demanded. ¡°A Mage? Only the cults know such Power.¡±

    San didn¡¯t say anything, instead watching as the darkness approached them.

    ¡°Get inside, all of you. They¡¯ll be here any moment.¡±

 022

    22

    ¡°Sweet Senta, sweet Senta!¡± Elgava was crying as the buzzing filled the air.

    San¡¯s ears ached from the noise; he worked his jaw trying to ease the pressure that seemed to have changed.Elgava continued to mutter prayers and shiver. San pulled out the bottle and gave it to her.

    ¡°Drink,¡± he said.

    She looked at him uncomprehendingly and sniffed the bottle, reeling back from the smell.

    ¡°I¡¯m not looking to get drunk,¡± she said.

    ¡°It¡¯s courage,¡± he said.

    She snorted hysterically, but the took a big swig of the drink.It took a moment, but the fear in her eyes steadied and she blinked.

    ¡°What was that?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Courage.¡± San said.

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Elgava, I need your hand!¡± the healer cried.Endaha screamed in pain and San flinched.This world didn¡¯t have Epidural or pain killers.The healer had moved Endaha toward the back of the kitchen.Azios and Pavano were upstairs, in case the battos came through the windows or through the roof.

    Bostarion and San stood in the kitchen, weapons drawn.San could feel the fear trying to grip him, but every time it tried to grab a hold of him, he would slip away.San tried to focus on the feeling, what was it? Was it real courage or was it a drunk man¡¯s courage?San didn¡¯t know, but his fear had ebbed.

    He was tense and ready, but not fearful.

    The buzzing grew louder, drowning out everything.Endaha¡¯s screams were drowned out and San could barely make out the distant booming of rifles as the battos hit the military camp.

    The need to rush out, to fight along the soldiers, was strong. They were in danger, they were fighting for their lives in a fairly exposed position.If they failed, then the farmhouse would be also destroyed and everyone within it killed.

    ¡°An extra blade will do little,¡± Bostarion said to San. ¡°They have Havatair, he has the most levels of any man I¡¯ve known.He is an army of his own.¡±

    San nodded, his grip tightening on his sword.

    He wasn¡¯t afraid, but he was still on edge.His nerves strung tight as the buzzing continued to grow in volume, drowning out any noise of the fight occurring.

    He looked to the firepit and cursed.

    ¡°They need the fire,¡± he said.

    ¡°The fire? The Magecraft?¡± Bostarion asked.

    ¡°Yeah, it will keep the battos at bay, I think. They¡¯re void monsters, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    ¡°Aye, they are.¡± Bostarion stopped San as he grabbed a torch and the helmet he had taken from Poxi.¡°Lad, that¡¯s suicide.¡±

    ¡°They need to survive if we¡¯re gong to survive,¡± San said.

    ¡°Hetvana¡¯s cunt, son. Do you wanna die?¡± Bostarion demanded.

    San smiled grimly. ¡°Not anymore,¡± he said. ¡°Those men are going to die if we don¡¯t do anything. They¡¯re going to be swarmed, maybe the fire can help them.¡±

    ¡°Your sword arm is more helpful here than it is outside,¡± Bostarion growled.

    ¡°You better not open that fucking door!¡± the healer snarled. ¡°If one of those things get in here, there¡¯s only old men and a boy to protect us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Elgava shouted.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any weapons or gear!¡±

    San shoved the torch into the firepit.

    ¡°Fire in the Night,¡± he said and flame roared for a moment.

    ¡°Fucking hell,¡± Bostarion muttered, but readied himself. ¡°Run fast and hard, don¡¯t stop for nothing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± San said.

    ¡°You fucking better,¡± Bostarion snapped. ¡°I cannot hold this house alone.¡±

    San gripped the torch in his left hand and the sword in his right.He took a breath, adjusted the helmet on his head and then nodded to Bostarion. The older man gripped the door handle and yanked it open.

    San exploded outward, torch in front of him. He heard the healer yelling something, but it was cut off as Bosatarion slammed the door shut behind him.

    Chaos filled the air around San.The buzzing was deafening, a deep throbbing that felt as if it were shaking his very marrow.San clenched his jaw tightly and heard the screeching of the battos as they flashed by him.

    One such creature flew to close to him, suddenly rearing back as it saw the flame. The battos screamed and tumbled out of the sky, knocking into another.They both clattered to a heap on the ground, hissing and spitting from their under-the-body mouth.

    Standing around just staring was suicide, but so was running several hundred feet to the military camp to light a fire.San had to laugh at the foolishness of the entire thing. When in his previous life had he done something so utterly stupid and dangerous?Was this the courage that was overtaking him? Was it making him do stupid things? San didn¡¯t know. What he did know was that he couldn¡¯t just stand still while everyone was fighting.

    The near frozen mud squelched under his boots as he pounded toward the military camp.The torch guttered in the wind, but did not go out.It was a solidly built one made by Pavano.

    The battos screeched and hissed as they saw the flame, veering away or trying to lash at him with their long barbed tails.San dodged the flapping leathery wings and used his sword to bat away any of the creatures that came near him.

    There was shouting, the soldiers pausing for a moment to see San burst into their camp. They had pushed the wagons together, throw wooden planks on top and every spear and crossbow was pointed to the heavens.

    ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡± Havatair demanded.The big man was standing out in the middle of the camp, a pair of long swords in his hands and fully armored.The long blades flashed like lightning and struck down any battos that came near him. There were bodies of the battos surrounding him.

    San didn¡¯t answer, instead rushing toward a campfire that was still burning.A cluster of troops were using it to light the area around them, but the battos were beginning to swarm them.Spears and swords flashed in the light, half the men screaming as they attacked.

    ¡°Fire in the Night!¡± San shouted.The flames of the fire roared and the battos screeched, falling momentarily back from the power of the fire.

    ¡°Sweet Senta! What is that?¡± Havatair demanded, slashing away a large batto.

    ¡°Power. It keeps the void creatures at bay, it¡¯ll give us a chance,¡± San gasped.

    ¡°You! You!¡± Havatair pointed to two armored Guards. ¡°Get his mad foreigner to every fire. Light them all up!We might actually survive the night¡±Havatair began laughing as he strode back into battle.

    One of the Guards was wild eyed and barely acknowledge Havatair¡¯s orders.San rushed up to him, pulling the bottle from the small satchel he carried.

    ¡°Drink,¡± he ordered. The man barely registered his voice or presence, but immediately downed a large swallow of Courage.

    He gagged, coughed, and nearly doubled over.But when he straightened, his wild eyes were clear and he stared at San with surprise.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± the other Guard shouted, already moving toward another campfire.

    San slashed a batto that tried to snatch at his torch.The creature crashed to the ground and it was immediately speared by a soldier.San rushed after the guard, reaching the next campfire.

    ¡°Fire in the Night!¡± he shouted and the fire roared.

    They got to three more fires, but as they reached the last one, a massive creature rose out of the darkness. San and the Guards skidded to a stop, staring in horror as the monster tore through the tent of the Mage Lieutenant.

    It was a batto, but nothing like San had seen.Where the every one he had seen were the size of medium dogs, this one was the size of a hippo.It was massive, but it still took the same shape of a batto.Thick bristle fur, limp leather wings that had to be vestigial, and a massive tail that held a long scythe like blade at the end of it.

    The soldiers that stood by the fire stared in horror, their terror welding them to the spot.

    ¡°Hold!¡± Havatair shouted, appearing out of nowhere. The big man grabbed the nearest man as he tried to flee.¡°Hold, you sons of whores!We break and they¡¯ll overrun us!¡±

    Panic and fear was overwhelming the men.San lurched forward.

    ¡°Fearless Flame!¡± he shouted.

    The campfire roared into a red flame, climbing nearly double it¡¯s height and burning hot.The soldiers seemed to sag slightly, as the tension and fear was burned away.Thier grips on their weapons grew firm and they began to orderly prepare to fight the monster that had appeared.

    ¡°Hetvana¡¯s cunt, lad! What Power have you been hiding!¡± Havatair shouted.

    He grinned and charged the monstrous batto.The Guards joined him, San wanted to rush along with them, but he turned to look at the farmhouse. It was barely visible in the night, the four bluish fires creating enough light to illuminate it.

    San saw creatures swarming around it and then a blast of smoke as a pistol or rifle was fired. The decision wasn¡¯t difficult.Stay and fight with the soldiers or defend the farmhouse, Azios, Pavano, and the others. San grabbed one of the Guards who had been accompanying him.He shoved the bottle of Courage into the man¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Give any one who is scared a drink. It is Courage.¡±

    The man nodded.San turned to run, but then something caught his eye.Havatair¡¯s tent was half demolished, but standing along among the wreckage was the magical brazier that San had seen when he was called to his tent. The flames were still burning and San made another decision.

    He rushed toward the brazier.

    ¡°Fire in the Night!¡± he cried and the flame within the brazier flashed and grew.San could feel the heat coming off of it and staggered back.

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± a voice shouted. San turned to see the Mage Lieutenant there.¡°That is a magical fire, not a real fire.Fire in the Night only works on actual flames.¡±

    San looked at the Mage and then shrugged.The sounds of battle grabbed their attention, pulling them away from the intense questioning that was about to begin.The soldiers with the Mage turned and stared at the monstrous batto.

    San took the distraction and raced back toward the farmhouse.The torch held high and his boots pounding across the mud and snow.

    A batto slammed into him, the force knocked him down, causing him to lose his grip on the torch.It spun away from him, sticking flame first into a snowdrift.San cursed and rolled to his feet. The stunned batto was trying to get to its feet, but San slashed down and cut it in two. The air grew thick with more buzzing

    San cursed again and raced back to the farmhouse. Only a hundred feet away.

    ¡°Open it up!¡± San shouted as he was twenty feet from it.He didn¡¯t slow down as the sound of the battos behind him grew louder.

    The door was flung opened as San neared, he leaped through the opening and crashed into the floor, rolling and then slamming against the far wall of the kitchen. Cracked plaster and clay fell on him.

    ¡°Senta, lad. I thought you¡¯d died,¡± Bostarion grinned, pulling San to his feet. ¡°The soldiers?¡±

    ¡°Holding their own,¡± San said. ¡°The fire helped.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Good. Good.¡±

    The farmhouse was suddenly assaulted with the sound of scraping and scratching.

    ¡°They¡¯re trying to get in!¡± Pavano¡¯s voice shouted from upstairs.

    The doors were strong, made of thick planks and iron hinged, but the walls, they were wattle and daub.Sticks that were covered in a clay and straw mixture, sealed and plastered.They kept in warmth and were fairly tough, but San knew they weren¡¯t tough enough to fend off a determined enemy.

    The scratching on the door grew in volume, the cries from Endaha seemingly combating the noise.He couldn¡¯t¡¯ hear the roars of gunfire anymore, but through all the buzzing he could hear the shootings of the soldiers.

    A loud thumping began, cursing dust to sift from the rafters.

    ¡°One of them¡¯s ramming the house!¡± Azios cried from the stairs.¡°Back room!¡±

    San pulled open the door the back room, within it was only darkness and cold air.He pulled on his headlamp and watched as a portion of wall began to deform, the clay and plaster cracking away, revealing the long slender limbs that were weaved together make the wattle of the walls.

    ¡°Kill it once it gets through. The body might plug the hole,¡± Bostarion said. San nodded.They would survive if the battos couldn¡¯t get in.If there were small defendable gaps that could be held by one of them, they would make it.

    A sharpened leg punched through the wood and stabbed into the dirt of the floor.It was wrenched back and more long claws began scrabbling at the hole that was formed.San stepped back and waited, the hole grew larger and a pair of eye stalks were shoved through.

    San struck, ramming his sword into the flesh between the eyestalks, puncturing the body of the creature.It squealed in pain and tried to pull back, but San shoved the blade in deeper and felt it dig into the ground.Red ichor spouted from the wound and the eyestalks waved around frantically before they finally drooped and went limp. San pulled his sword out and stepped back, the limp body of the batto plugged the hole.

    ¡°Good,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°I thought it might not work.¡± He chuckled and slapped San on the back.

    The roar of a pistol going off filled the farmhouse.San and Bostarion rushed back into the kitchen, shouting.

    ¡°The fucker tried getting through the window!¡± Pavano shouted.He coughed loudly a moment later. ¡°Got it though.¡±

    ¡°This is the worse child delivery I¡¯ve ever been in,¡± Elgava said, not flinching at the drawn weapons and bloody sword. ¡°But not by much.¡± She laughed as the healer glared at her.

    ¡°Is she drunk?¡± the healer demanded.

    ¡°Nope, sober as Ilagio, but San there has an awesome drink that fills you with courage,¡± Elgava stated.

    ¡°This is no time to be drunk,¡± the healer glared at San and the woman.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t-¡°

    There was a crash and screeching.San and Bostarion rushed back into the storage room to see that the previous batto corpse had been pulled back out and another was taking its place.This time it¡¯s long poisoned tipped tail was lashing within the room.

    ¡°Fucker is coming in ass first!¡± Bostarion shouted.He lifted his crossbow and sent a bolt into the rear of the monster.It squealed in pain and pulled itself out of the hole.

    Another took its place, using it¡¯s bulk to tear out a bit more of the wall.San sliced downward and took its eyestalks and then a portion of it¡¯s body.Red ichor gushed out and the creature tried pulling out but was dead within moments.

    ¡°They know there¡¯s an entrance there,¡± Bostarion stated. ¡°They¡¯ll be attack that spot until they make it through.¡±

    ¡°What about upstairs?¡± San asked. ¡°They tried going through the window.¡±

    ¡°Pavano is good with his spear and shot,¡± Bostarion added after a moment. They both glanced to the ceiling, where they heard another roar of a pistol and the sound of movement and cursing.¡°Perhaps¡­¡±

    ¡°Go,¡± San said. ¡°I have this under control.¡± As he said that, another long leg of a batto began chipping at the wall. San crouched down, grabbed a spare crossbow and sent the bolt through the hole.He was rewarded with a screech of pain, but the legs vanished.

    The sounds of battle erupted upstairs, San was about to move, but then another long limb tried pulling itself into the back room. San waited until it was fully committed and then killed the creature.

    Pavano began laughing hysterically from upstairs.

    ¡°Begone, foul fuckers!¡± he cried. ¡°You cannot get pass me!¡±

    More scrapping caught San¡¯s attention and he faced the hole in the wall once more.

    ***

    Hours passed and San was exhausted. The high of the battle had ebbed and the battos had retreated to regroup.He sat on a stool and drank hot tea. The hole in the back room, the holes in the roof and upstairs windows were letting in a draft.

    Endaha was still groaning in pain, the child unwilling to come just yet.He noted Elgava¡¯s tired movements and the healer¡¯s own.When Julia had been born, it was nearly a thirty hour delivery, whereas when little Sanjay was born, it had lasted only three. Julia had been a big baby, nearly nine pounds, whereas Sanjay had only been seven and a half.

    That world seemed so far away now.San sat on his stool, the smell of woodsmoke, gunpowder, blood, and dead battos was overwhelming.The buzzing was growing louder again as the battos returned, the distant booms of the soldiers firing their rifles and pistols, and an occasional laugh from Pavano as the old man shot his crossbows at the battos flying by.

    A month ago he had been lying on his couch, surrounded by empty bottles of whiskey and vodka, staring at the television all day and doing nothing.Now, everything was so different.He didn¡¯t know what to think about it, how to think about it, all he could do was go along day by day.

    ¡°Fuck, fuck!¡± Pavano clattered down the stairs, practically dragging Azios with him.The boy was clutching an arm, blood seeping through his fingers.

    ¡°What?¡± San demanded.

    ¡°A big fucker is coming this way!¡± Pavano shouted.

    Bostarion leaped down from the stairs, pulling out his sword and tossing another shortsword to Elgava.

    ¡°What kind of bi-¡° San began, but he was interrupted by a great thud and crack. The entire farmhouse shuddered, clouds of dust rained from the wooden beams and cracked walls.

    San coughed and hurried to check on Endaha. The woman had been covered in a blanket by the healer, who was also coughing in the cloud of dust.

    ¡°It¡¯s gonna break through,¡± Pavano shouted.

    The back room wall was bulging out.The corpses of various battos had filled the room somewhat, the creatures being unrelenting in their efforts to use the ¡®easy¡¯ way to get within the farmhouse. Now they had called in a tank.

    Bostarion shoved a rifle into San¡¯s hands while the man prepared his own.San immediately began loading the weapon, days of practice drove his hands in the right order. Dumping a small packet of gunpowder into the barrel, the lead ball, ramming it home, and then checking the lit match cord to see that it still glowed red.

    The wall continued to buckle and San raised the rifle.A great cracking sound came from the wall as the scores fo horizontal limbs bent inward and all snapped at once.The room filled with plaster and clay and shard of broken wood.San flinched as the rain of debris hit him, but he immediately turned back to see the massive batto trying to shove its way into the hole.Long vicious legs were reaching out.

    San pulled the trigger of the rifle.It was followed by Bostarion¡¯s rifle, then the pistols Pavano and Azios carried. The room was immediately filled with smoke and obscured their vision.

    ¡°Back out,¡± San shouted.

    The massive batto was screeching and in the swirling gun smoke, San saw a long limb flash out.

    ¡°Watch-¡°

    Pavano screamed in pain.San used the rifle as a club, slamming it down upon the long limb.It snapped like a piece of dry wood, eliciting another scream from the monster.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Pavano cried. ¡°Fucker just stabbed my calf.¡±

    Bostarion and Azios dragged him from the back room and into the kitchen where the air was slightly cleaner.The healer rushed over and ripped open his trouser leg, revealing a pretty deep laceration that was bleeding heavily.

    ¡°Will I live, healer?¡± Pavano asked, a grimace on his face.

    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± the woman said and began wrapping up the wound. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to walk until I get it stitched and treated.Perhaps a few weeks.¡±

    ¡°Hetvana¡¯s cunt. Why is it always the leg!¡± Pavano cried.

    The wall cracked and shuddered again, while the others cared for Pavano, San pulled his sword out and faced the incoming creature.

    ¡°Reload those guns, guys!¡± San shouted.

    Bostarion cursed and rushed back to join San. The smoke was still heavy, but they could make out moving shapes, the stacks of stored foodstuff and equipment had been scattered all over, but there was no mistaking the massive figure that was struggling against the far wall.

    ¡°It¡¯ll break through,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Bostarion muttered while reloading his rifle.

    Azios handed San a reloaded pistol, then he rushed back and began reloading another. San marched forward into the smoke and walked to the wall, he saw the broken limb flailing about and fired the pistol.The batto screamed, San tossed the pistol away and pulled out his sword.

    He began hacking away at the massive batto. The creature screamed and a moment later the sound of Bostarion¡¯s rifle going off filled the room.Ichor splattered against San, but he ignored it.

    The batto struggled and struggled, finally it wrenched itself free, pulling itself backward and out of the hole.Along with the monster, came a large chunk of the wall, creating a whole twice the size of San¡¯s width.

    ¡°Shit,¡± San said.

    ¡°Back!¡± Bostarion yelled.The interior door was flimsy at best. It wouldn¡¯t hold against this creature.

    San charged forward, out of the hole.The batto was tossing it¡¯s body around, trying to remove the bits of wall that were still clinging to it. It¡¯s focus wasn¡¯t on San.

    ¡°Mad bastard!¡± Bostarion shouted, but came after him.

    The sword flickered in the night, slicing cleanly through a leg and then another.The monster screamed, the legs on one side of it¡¯s body suddenly gone.San didn¡¯t stop moving, aiming for the long thick tail that hadn¡¯t been used yet.He brought his blade down on it and there was a sickening resistance and then the tail flopped to the snowy ground.

    Bostarion stabbed his short sword between the batto¡¯s eyes, piercing the brain.

    San let out a sharp bark of laugher, breathing the icy air in and looking at Bostarion.The older man grinned and then frowned.San heard the buzzing and then the two ran back through the hole into the farmhouse.

    ¡°They¡¯re coming in from the roof!¡± Azios shouted. He fired a crossbow up the stairs, causing something to scream in pain.

    ¡°The back room has a hole in it, they¡¯ll be in there too!¡± Bostarion added.

    ¡°We need to get to the barn,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°Azios, grab a torch. Healer, Boss, help Pavano! Elgava keep Cassa safe!¡± San tossed her the short sword she had set down.She grabbed it and nodded, pulling the small girl into her arms. .

    San walked to Endaha, she was looking at him frantically. Fear and terror in her gaze.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be alright,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m going to pick you up and take you to the barn. It¡¯s going to be all right.¡±

    Endaha gasped in pain and fear as San picked her off the floor.

    ¡°We run.¡± San said and the others nodded. The noise from the backroom was growing louder and San saw legs starting to come down the stairs. ¡°Now!¡±

    They burst out of the farmhouse.

    ***

    San pushed open the barn door, it creaked on its hinges and the body of a batto was also pushed aside.

    ¡°Is it over?¡± Elgava asked.

    The sunlight was pouring in from the east and as San blinked away the bright light, he could see the smoke still rising from the military camp.At first all he saw were the black bodies of the battos, but soon he saw the stirring forms of the soldiers.

    ¡°They¡¯re alive,¡± San breathed.

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± Elgava whispered.

    The healer pushed her way pass San and blinked at the bright light. ¡°There are injured. I must go!¡± She began moving toward the camp. Elgava shrugged and followed.

    San looked back into the barn and saw Endaha holding her new child, Azios and Cassa sleeping beside her, Pavano wincing as he sat on a bed of straw, and Bostarion nodding off as he leaned against the barn wall, crossbow still in hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to the camp,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye, be careful lad.¡± Pavano said.

    San nodded and eased out of the barn.The day was mockingly clear and bright, the sun warm against his cold skin. Smoke rose from the military camp and already San could hear the noise of the after battle cleanup.

    ***

    The wailing of the injured filled the camp.San grimaced as he helped lift a man with deep lacerations across his arms and legs and move him toward the healer¡¯s makeshift tent.Elgava groaned as she lifted the other end of the stretcher.

    The battos had done their damage, nearly fifteen men lay dead and another fifteen were in no state to do anything but moan with pain.The battos had paid a price though, as more than three hundred of the creatures lay dead or dying in the morning light.

    What soldiers that were still mobile were moving bout the piles of corpses, stabbing and killing any that remained alive.

    The greatest pile of battos lay around the still burning brazier of magical fire that Havatair had brought with him.The fire was an enchantment, one that San heard was a hundred years old. A fire that would never need fuel and would always burn hot, used to keep a tent warm.

    It was a waste, San thought. If there was magic to create such things, why make it only to heat a tent?He couldn¡¯t understand it, but that was the way of the world. Luxuries trumped necessities, sometimes.Yet its flames were what saved the soldiers. Where the battos had snuffed out the other fires, that singular flame had burned all night and prevented the makeshift barricade from being overrun.

    The healer was bloodstained and exhausted.The fightduring the night and the delivery of Endaha¡¯s child.They took their toll.. She wiped her forehead and looked down at her bloody hands.

    ¡°Sanitize,¡± San said automatically.The blood on her hands and arms seemed to peel away and vanish.

    The healer looked at him, the exhaustion replaced by questions she had asked the night before but still hand¡¯t received an answer for.

    ¡°Later,¡± she said. ¡°You have anymore of that moonshine?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a couple of gallons,¡± San said.

    ¡°Bring it, if it does as you say, help keep festering wounds at bay, then it will save many of these soldiers lives.¡±

    San nodded, looking at the wounded.The battos weren¡¯t powerful, but their long limbs and tails could do damage.The main injuries were lacerations, along the legs and arms.The battos strike didn¡¯t pierce the brigandines the soldiers wore or the steel sallet helmets.But the exposed arms and legs were cut with the sharp claws of the monsters.

    Was it cowardice or prudence that he didn¡¯t offer the gems he had.He could hear the moans of the men and women, but he still hadn¡¯t offered it.He could remember telling Winter¡¯s Lament that he was saving it, saving it when it was needed to help someone.Yet he hadn¡¯t pulled it out even though many of the people were injured and a few would likely die.

    He was selfish, he knew.He would have willing given the gems to Endaha, Cassa, or Azios, even Pavano and Bostarion if they accepted, but these soldiers¡­ San didn¡¯t know.Was he being cruel by letting them suffer when he had the means to only help one person?

    Was the world getting to him. The cruel and callous nature of mankind in this place. Where life was valued so little and monsters roamed, making monsters of humanity? San was stuck in a loop of thought and could not escape it.

    ¡°Get moving!¡± the healer snapped, bringing San out of his thoughts.

    ¡°Yeah, sorry.¡± San muttered, leaving the tent.

    In the daylight, the farmhouse was an utter wreck.The roof was collapsing and there were multiple holes in the walls.The smoke from the fire pit was still exiting the smoke-hole and by some miracle the whole thing hadn¡¯t erupted in flames.San pushed open the heavy door and looked at the batto bodies littering the floor.They gave off the foul stench of dead things, but not recently dead things, but something that had been baking under the hot humid sun for days.

    San coughed and found the amphora he had been storing his moonshine in.He hefted the clay pot and returned to Zomia.

    ¡°Is he dead?¡± Elgava asked, standing beside the healer.On the blankets before them was a man stripped of armor and weapons.Havatair.

    ¡°No. He¡¯s got a lot of poison in him,¡± the healer said. Her hands floated over the man and her eyes were closed.Somekind of Power?

    San noted all the small wounds covering his body.The double pricks that were caused by the barbed tail fo the battos.The poison they used on their prey to make them docile and sleep. San counted dozens of them.

    ¡°How does a man survive that?¡± San asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be dead?¡±

    ¡°Levels,¡± the healer said, shaking her head. ¡°He¡¯ll have to clear the poison himself. I can¡¯t do anything for him.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s our leader, ain¡¯t he?¡± Elgava asked.

    ¡°No, he¡¯s not,¡± a voice announced.

    San looked to see the exhausted Mage Lieutenant enter the tent.His pristine armor was marred and he was covered in red ichor. He had been in the battle and San felt a twinge of regret for just running off when they were fighting the big batto.

    ¡°I am the leader of the White Tower defenses. This batto scourge must be destroyed. The nest must be eradicated.This attack is only a sign that it will soon be strong enough to endanger all the komais and settlements in the region. All wounded are to be left behind, those who are able, will follow me to destroy the nest!¡±

 023

    23

    ¡°It¡¯s a boy,¡± Endaha whispered.She lay in the barn, blankets wrapped around her and the new child. Cassa sat by her, staring wide eyed at the mewling bundle before her.

    ¡°The Exonaris komai grows,¡± Azios said, his voice barely a whisper.

    ¡°Break out the wine, it¡¯s a fine day,¡± Pavano said, then winced as he shifted on his bad leg.

    ¡°Fine day?¡± Bostarion muttered, glancing toward the military camp and wrecked farmhouse.

    ¡°We¡¯re alive, are we not?¡± Pavano grinned.

    ¡°I suppose.¡±

    ¡°What is his name?¡± San asked. He sat on a stool, wearily washing his hands and face within a bucket of icy water.The sun was beginning to set and the cries of the wounded were still echoing in the distance.

    Endaha looked at him and smiled. ¡°Kovass, of course.¡±

    ¡°The first male child is always named after their father,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°Foolish tradition,¡± Bostarion muttered.

    ¡°Huh,¡± San said, wiping his face.Although he hadn¡¯t intended it, his own son had been named after himself, but San always considered that little Sanjay had been named after his grandfather, not himself.

    The barn door creaked open, causing everyone to reach for weapons.

    ¡°I¡¯m unarmed!¡± Elgava shouted as she saw the weapons. She stood there, in her brigandine and clearly armed with sword and dagger on her belt. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t have a weapon drawn!¡±

    ¡°How do, Elgava?¡± Pavano asked, setting aside his crossbow.

    ¡°Damned tired, old man,¡± Elgava said, walking up to the fire and crouching before it. ¡°Came to return this.¡± She held out a quarter filled glass bottle.¡°Came in handy last night, nary anyone who drank it pissed themselves in fear.¡±

    San took the bottle and swirled the liquid within it.It had a faint reddish hue to it, as with the Fearless Flame.¡°I¡¯m surprised there¡¯s any left,¡± he said.

    ¡°Aye, the Mage Lieutenant was all for taking it, but many a solider knew what it did for them.Told him to return it to you in case you got pissy and tried to curse them all.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t curse anyone,¡± San said, setting the bottle aside. ¡°The bottle has more of a sentimental value to me. I suppose I can always make more of the Courage.¡±

    Elgava stared at him for a second. ¡°It¡¯s true then, you¡¯re a Mage?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m a Brewer,¡± San said.

    ¡°Never seen no brewer make Courage before, nor flames that could keep away monsters,¡± she said.

    San only shrugged.

    ¡°What¡¯s the Mage up to?¡± Bostarion asked. ¡°The little shit gonna charge the batto nest?¡±

    Elgava stared at the flames for a long moment and slowly nodded. ¡°Aye, he¡¯s determined to be rid of the creatures. Havatair would have made him wait, in fact, Havatair was counting on the Young Baron to arrive with his soldiers before they moved.¡±

    ¡°Now half of the soldiers are wounded or dead,¡± Bostarion muttered. ¡°Damned fool child is gonna get the rest killed.¡±

    ¡°We move at sunrise, heading north, across wild land. That¡¯ll be fun with the wagons,¡± she said.

    ¡°You¡¯re taking the mortars?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, best way to kill a nest. Just lob explosive shells into their nests.¡±

    ¡°You have explosive shells?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, did you not know the Mage is an Explosives Mage?¡± Elgava asked.

    ¡°No.No one said anything about that.¡±

    ¡°Still has a lot to learn, but he¡¯s one of the few Explosives Mage we have. The other three are with the Baron in Sentari.¡±

    ¡°What does an Explosives Mage do?¡± San asked.

    Elgava rolled her eyes. ¡°Make explosives,¡± she said. ¡°He can imbue catalyst rock with Power and use that to cause explosions or ignite stuff.¡±

    ¡°What is a catalyst rock?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Hetvana¡¯s wandering eye,¡± Elgava said in exasperation.She looked to Pavano and Bostarion who only shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s a rock, clear like crystal, hard, but not too hard.Mages use them to hold extra mana and then use it as a base for their bigger magics.¡±

    ¡°So he makes his own catalyst rocks explode? Is it added to other explosives, like a satchel of blackpowder?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, if you¡¯re mad and want to die, you can do that,¡± Elgava and Bostarion said together.

    ¡°Good in sieges,¡± Elgava said. ¡°My Pa fought the Empire when we broke away, laid siege to Blackened Bridge and occupied it from the savages.Took only one Explosives Mage to topple those woodland fuck¡¯s walls.¡± She grinned and then looked embarrassed as she saw Endaha. ¡°Sorry, ma¡¯am.¡±

    They sat in silence for a moment, staring into the flames.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to leave the komai,¡± San said.

    ¡°What? No!¡± Azios jumped to his feet.

    ¡°Aye, San¡¯s right, lad,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°We can fix the house!¡±

    ¡°Not in winter,¡± Endaha said with finality. Azios looked at her and then back at the others, his face contorting with barely restrained emotion.

    ¡°This is my family¡¯s land!¡± he shouted.

    ¡®And it¡¯ll still be here come spring,¡± Bostarion replied.

    ¡°No one¡¯s gonna take the komai from you, Azios,¡± San said. ¡°But you have a nephew there that needs a real roof over his head and a warm hearth to sleep by.This winter is already shown itself to be a difficult one, what will the rest of it bring?¡±

    Azios looked to his nephew and then back at San, his anger ebbing just a bit.¡°The komai has never been abandoned,¡± he said.

    ¡°Nor is it going to be,¡± San replied. ¡°You¡¯ll be back, your brother will be back, come spring.Then it will be returned to how it was before.¡±

    ¡°The Exonaris do not run,¡± Azios said his voice defeated.

    ¡°One person can probably live here through the winter,¡± Pavano said. ¡°But six? The snows will be deep this winter, we don¡¯t have enough firewood and even with the food San obtained, it will not last us more than a month.¡±

    Azios looked back to Endaha, she nodded to him, the small reddish face of baby Kovass crinkling up.Cassa toddled over to him and hugged him, sensing his emotions.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Azios finally said. ¡°Aye, we must find shelter for the winter.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll load up everything and you¡¯ll go back with the soldiers when they¡¯re ready to move,¡± San said to Azios. ¡°Pavano will help you. You will go to White Tower and find a place to stay.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not coming?¡± Endaha asked.Azios stared at him also.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m going with the Mage,¡± San said. ¡°The nest has to be destroyed and¡­¡± San shrugged. ¡°It has to be done.The Mage is going to attempt it and I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll succeed.He might fail, but I will go with him.¡±

    ¡°Aye, me too,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°Oh, good,¡± Elgava grinned. ¡°The Mage told me to see if you two would come along.You¡¯ll be paid, of course.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Bostarion said.

    San only nodded, looking into the fire.He could feel Endaha and Azio¡¯s gazes upon him.

    ***

    ¡°You are a brave young man,¡± San said to Azios. The boy had a petulant look on his face as he heated a pot of tea.¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone your age be so brave. That is why I know when you go to White Tower, all will be well. When I come back, I¡¯ll meet you there.You can tell me about the city and about the people, show me around.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve only been there twice,¡± Azios said.

    ¡°That¡¯s two times more than I have,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty bad at directions, I might need a guide. Pavano says Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve is supposed to be a grand celebration.¡±

    Azios nodded vigorously. ¡°It¡¯s the longest night of the year.They have singers that sing from dusk to dawn, regardless of how cold or snowy it is.The Last Emperor¡¯s son sends gifts to the Baron and people, bringing in Imperials from Votaro to celebrate the long night.¡±

    ¡°That sounds cool,¡± San said, getting a confused look from Azios.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if the merchants will be there.I know Suvanna wouldn¡¯t stop the cultists from crossing the border,¡± Azios said.

    ¡°Cultists?¡±

    ¡°Aye, the main cults in Votaro send emissaries to all the Baronies. Suvanna would be fools if they tried to stop them.Those priests and priestesses have Levels and aren¡¯t shy about using them.¡±

    San nodded and they sat in silence for a while.

    ¡°I want you to take care of something for me,¡± San said.He gestured to two clay pots that held the distiller¡¯s yeast and the unshakeable strain.They were happily consuming sugar and thriving better than San imagined.

    ¡°The yeast,¡± Azios said, looking at the clay pots.¡°The one that made the Courage.¡±

    ¡°You were there,¡± San said. ¡°You helped me make it.Now I need you to ensure that it survives until I return.¡±

    ¡°You will return?¡± Azios asked.

    ¡°Of course I will.¡±

    ¡°Just like Brother.¡±

    ¡°Yes, just like Brother. I will come back and we¡¯ll make more Courage together, yes?¡±

    Azios nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    San wrapped an arm around Azios shoulder and pulled him close. ¡°Take care of your nephew and niece. Trust Pavano. Don¡¯t let anyone know about the coin you carry,¡± he whispered.San pulled a sack of coins from his coat.He dropped them into Azios¡¯ hands.

    ¡°I can¡¯t take this,¡± he said.

    ¡°Hold onto it for me, like the yeast,¡± San said. ¡®I¡¯ll be back for it.But until that time, spend it wisely.Find a place to stay, food to last the winter, and safety.¡±

    Azios nodded. ¡°Aye,¡± he said softly.

    ¡°Good man,¡± San said.

    ***

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll know how to turn this into coin,¡± San said, offering Pavano the gold bracelet he had taken off the white furred creature.

    ¡°Aye, I know people,¡± Pavano said, sighing. ¡°Seems like you¡¯re preparing to die, giving away your worldly possessions.¡¯

    ¡°It¡¯s just a tent and a sleeping bag,¡± San said. ¡°Endaha and the baby need it more.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Pavano responded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking everything else. I suppose I¡¯ll need it on the trek,¡± San said.

    Pavano nodded and sighed once more.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± San asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re off on a grand adventure and here I be, crippled and old,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen you morose,¡± San said.

    ¡°Happens to any a man. Especially when he¡¯s wounded twice in the leg and now the cold makes his bones ache more than they used to.It ain¡¯t gonna be long before I can no longer travel the roads.¡±

    San was silent for a moment. ¡°Havatair says you¡¯re looking for a god,¡± he said.

    Pavano barked out a laugh. ¡°Aye, they say that the gods walk the land and offer you a chance at redemption.¡± Pavano let out a grim chuckle. ¡°Life is difficult, lad, and it forces you to make hard choices. I have lived too long and these days I fear my death, Hetvana will dance in my skin and flail me until the world breaks and all the gods die.¡±

    ¡°You have been a good man since I¡¯ve met you,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye, but I always wasn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t strong enough to do the right things and think beyond what I could gain for myself.¡±

    ¡°You are a good man, Pavano. I am glad you are my friend.I trust you enough to see after Endaha and the others. I trust you with my life.¡±

    Pavano only nodded, saying nothing.

    ¡°About time to leave, San,¡± Bostarion said from the barn entrance.

    San slapped Pavano on the back. ¡°See them to White Tower safely.Find them lodging and look after them until I return.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Off with you, now.¡±

    San grinned and got to his feet, the steel cuirass creaking as he rose.He was armed and armored, his hiking pack heavy, and two loaded pistols and a crossbow attached to it.He carried sword, buckler, dagger, camp knife, and the revolver from his world.

    Endaha rose from the tent, her bright eyes watching him.He smiled at her and stopped himself from stepping toward her.What was she to him? She was another man¡¯s wife and he was a foreigner with no ties to this land. San wanted to hug her and tell her the same words he had told Azios and Pavano. But that would be crossing a line that should not be crossed.

    ¡°Until we meet again, m¡¯lady Exonaris,¡± San said.

    ¡°Until we meet again, Adventurer San,¡± she said, holding herself formally and nodding to him.

    Pavano made a choking sound, but didn¡¯t remark.Azios waved at San and Cassa peered from the tent, watching everything.

    ¡°Get your ass moving, lad,¡± Bostarion muttered.

    San nodded and followed him out into the cold pre-dawn morning.

    ***

    ¡°Those big fuckers, like the one that tried to break into the farmhouse, those are the only ones that had gems in them,¡± Bostarion said as he and San headed to the military camp. ¡°The rest of the fuckers are just sword fodder, little workers that collect food and hunt.They¡¯re only good for the leather of their wings and the poison that can be harvested from their tails.¡±

    San watched as the bodies of the battos littered the ground around the farmstead.The bristle furred creatures were frozen in contorted forms, their last act as they tried to slash, rend, or stab.The ground was covered in a layer of frozen red ichor mush, squelching under their boots as they walked.

    ¡°Any gems belong to the Baron,¡± Bostarion added.He gestured to the massive batto that San and he had killed the day previous.It had been butchered and the gems removed by the soldiers under watch from the Mage.

    ¡°Did anyone Level?¡± San asked, there had been enough deaths, according to the healer.Twelve soldiers had died of their wounds with another twenty injured. That left only twenty soldiers and seven artillerymen who would be going on the excursion to the North.

    ¡°No,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°Death leveling is a fickle thing, it happens or it doesn¡¯t. Usually it¡¯s only the people who have never leveled that level in that manner, not those that already have levels.¡±

    San blinked at that information.He had been in this world for nearly a month and there was a lot he still didn¡¯t understand. It hadn¡¯t really occurred to him, but now the they were talking about it.San really did want to know how the leveling system worked, what the difference between Mages and Leveled people were, and why had the first gem he consumed had been blue?

    The questions filled his mind, but he set them aside. The cold pre-dawn morning was not the place to think about those things.The noise of the military camp was muted as if everyone were trying keep quiet in hopes that they would not be noticed.Soldiers moved crates into the lone wagon the would be accompanying them.Food, tents, supplies, and gunpowder, along with one of the mortars.

    Five of the artillerymen had been killed or injured, that left one gun unmanned. The Mage had been adamant about the addition of the weapon as they moved on the batto nest, but even he couldn¡¯t force the seven men to manage two guns with any accuracy or efficiency.

    Along with the injured, there was also a more pressing fact that there weren¡¯t many woollys left to pull the wagons. There had been six woollys per wagon and there had been four wagons in total.The wagons, San noted, were the same heavy wagons that Sagaris had used when moving furs from Blackened Bridge.They were built to carry cargo and required the strength of woollys to pull them.

    Havatair had the wagons pulled into a defensive square during the fight against the battos.How that occurred, San had no idea.During the fight, many of the woollys and horses had been attacked by the battos.Of the twenty four woollys brought, only twelve had survived, with two being unpaired.

    Pavano had negotiated with the Mage about using their own surviving woollys to pull one of the military wagons, the six would be able to do that.Another surviving six would pull another wagon and one wagon would have to be abandoned.

    The batto nest strike force on the other hand was left with only four woollys and a wagon.Most of the soldiers were still suffering from minor wounds and exhaustion, but the Mage was adamant about not losing any time.The battos had expended a lot of their force against the military camp and they would be vulnerable for the time being. If they waited until the Young Baron arrived, the battos might have restocked their numbers.

    San wasn¡¯t entirely on board with the Mage¡¯s plan.He didn¡¯t know enough about battos to agree or disagree.Bostarion merely grunted when asked questions, muttering to himself that he wanted to die in bed rather than out in the middle of nowhere during winter.That did not assuage any of San¡¯s feelings about the plan.

    ¡°Foreinger,¡± a soldier said, tipping his helmet to him in greeting.

    San nodded back.

    ¡°Foreigner,¡± another said.

    ¡°Real popular, aren¡¯t you?¡± Bostarion said as more soldiers greeted him.

    ¡°I just wish they¡¯d stop calling me foreigner,¡± San said.

    ¡°We must be fucking desperate,¡± a voice snarled. San looked to see Ilagio standing among the soldiers. The older man¡¯s face turned into a scowl and he spat into the muddy ground.¡°My ancestors weep at the state we¡¯re in.¡±

    San clamped his mouth shut, choking back a retort. ¡°Good morning, Landed Fomar,¡± San said instead. ¡°I am glad that you made it through the attack unscathed.¡±

    Ilagio frowned as some men chuckled.

    ¡°Bold move, lad,¡± Bostarion said as they walked away. There was a small burst of laughter from some of the soldiers.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You did not hear? Ilagio was knocked unconscious in the first minutes of the battle. Ran head first into one of the armored Guards as he rushed out of his tent.Was out the entire fight.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± San said.

    They joined the gathered soldiers as they stood around campfires, warming themselves before the cold march into the unknown woods to the north.

    ¡°Got anything to warm us up, foreigner?¡± Elgava asked as she sauntered up to the fire.

    ¡°I hear walking is a good way to keep warm,¡± San remarked.

    Elgava grinned. ¡°Zomia is pleased by your drink, foreigner.Moonshine, she says it might really be blessed by Corvanus.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± San said. ¡°Why is she pleased by it?¡±

    ¡°Zomia¡¯s got the Power to know if a wound will fester or not.Since she¡¯s been using your drink, the wounds of the soldiers aren¡¯t festering.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cool,¡± San said and grinned.

    Elgava shook her head.

    ¡°Soldiers of the Sol Savanis Barony!¡± the Mage Lieutenant shouted, riding up on a painted horse before them.¡°We are on a great crusade, to defend our land from the monsters that dwell upon the edges of civilization. We are marching into the darkness, with the light of Senta and the courage of our Imperial blood, we will destroy this horror that stalks this land and avenge our fallen.Raise your swords, soldiers. We march!¡±

    The Mage wheeled his horse around and clattered off.The soldiers groaned and Ilagio began screaming orders.The woollys brayed and took their first steps, the wagons creaking in protest and the men already cursing their lot in life.

    ¡°Off we go,¡± Elgava said, frowning. ¡°Off to death like a good Imperial.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Bostarion said, sighing.

    San looked to the north, the high distant mountains that dominated the horizon.The sky was lightening, the deep black moving to blue and the high clouds already haloed with yellow and oranges.The tall trees swayed in a gentle breeze and a distant howl echoed in the silences between cursing, braying, and creaking equipment.

    ***

    Bostarion left San, tossing his pack onto the wagon and heading off ahead of the soldiers to scout.The pace was set by the woollys and the wagon.There were some narrow tracks and areas where animals or people had traveled, making their expedition easier, but that all ended by midday when the ground grew rockier and harder.

    The woollys brayed and the men cursed as it seemed that every one hundred feet the wagon would get caught on something.San and Elgava helped put their shoulder into moving the wagon, cursing and sweating alongside the men.

    The tall conifers towered over everything, the only open area being along the banks of the creek, which had narrowed and flowed faster as they moved north. They crossed several small streams, forcing men to create makeshift bridges to cross over and by the evening, San wondered if it would have been easier just to carry everything on their back.

    ¡°Sweet Senta, foreigner,¡± Elgava said as they gathered around a fire when they made camp.¡°You part woolly?¡±

    ¡°Damn near big as one,¡± another soldier said. ¡°Hetvana¡¯s fiery ass, he damn near pushed the wagon out of the last hole it was in.¡± The soldier, Genreve chuckled.

    ¡°You, you, and you. You¡¯re on second watch,¡± Ilagio said.San was the third ¡®you¡¯ in that statement.Elgava and Genreve were the other two. They groaned and cursed, but Ilagio only glared at them.¡°We get eaten by fucking battos tonight, you can blame the fucking foreigner.¡± He left with that.

    ¡°Asshole,¡± Genreve muttered. ¡°Kinslaying asshole,¡± he added for good measure.

    ¡°Ey, best shut your flapping yap about that,¡± Elgava said. ¡°He¡¯s our boss for the time being, you say that in his presence, you¡¯re gonna be flogged just as bad as Hostin and Shinon.¡±

    ¡°Fucking Ilagio,¡± Genreve said, ¡°Those two were too fucked up to fight, died in their tents unable to defend themselves.¡±

    ¡°They died?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye.¡±

    San looked into the flames, guilt bubbling up.

    ¡°Ain¡¯t your fault,¡± Elgava said. ¡°They didn¡¯t have to drink on duty, especially not that fire water you¡¯re making.¡±

    San nodded.He might not have forced them to drink, but there was always some responsibility for his part.It was one of those things he had to overcome for himself as he had advanced in his career. For all the joy and accomplishment brewing gave him, he also knew it had a darker side. Addiction, violence, and drunk driving were some of those.

    A lot of brewers he knew just didn¡¯t think about it. It was one of those things that would lead to a spiraling of thoughts until the only answer seemed to not brew anymore.There would always be people who abused it, that seemed to be the nature of human beings.It had taken San a long time to build up his internal wall to separate what he did with what other people did.He might make the drink, but he wasn¡¯t responsible for the actions people took with it.

    Yet it still bothered him, especially when he had seen the results.It doubly hurt as he realized the two men had died because they couldn¡¯t fight due to their injuries. Which all stemmed from them drinking the moonshine he had created.

    ¡°We¡¯ll pay those fucking battos back tenfold,¡± Elgava said and in a lower voice. ¡°Same with Ilagio.¡±

    Genvere nodded.

    ¡°Get some sleep, it¡¯ll be a fucking cold night and we got the shit shift,¡± Elgava said.

    ***

    San jerked awake when someone kicked him in the back.He looked up to see Elgava grinning down at him.Her face barely illuminated by the firelight, giving her a hollowed dead look.

    ¡°Up,¡± she said and then did the same to Genreve. The other soldier cursed and groaned.

    San rose to his feet, pulling his blanket off and shivering in the cold.His breath plumed out before him and he wanted to go back to sleep.Elgava gestured for them to follow her.They silently walked the perimeter, away from the firelight and to the edge of the camp. The cold was more intense there, but bearable.

    The expeditionary force had camped along side the creek, the easy access to water was the main reason and the other being that there was a large clearing that offered them open lines of sight to spot anything trying to sneak up on them.

    The wagon stood between the woods and the creek, with the soldiers camping on the creekside of the wagon.Their fires glowed and the woollys grunted in their sleep.

    ¡°Gonna be a cold one,¡± Genreve muttered.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Elgava said.¡°You take east, I¡¯ll take north, Foreigner, you take west.¡±

    ¡°You can call me San, you know?¡±

    ¡°Aye, but foreigner just flows off the tongue better,¡± she said, grinning.

    San hefted his crossbow and walked around the wagon, the western side faced toward the dark woods.The east had another open clearing, a duplicate of the one they were in.While the north was as wooded and dark as the west.

    What did keeping watch involve? San didn¡¯t know.He had never had to keep watch in his life, well, perhaps the days he had spent in the Cursed City, but that had been more being unable to sleep due to the Flesh Horror wandering around.His trip from Forest River had been walking all day, sleeping during the night, and then doing it over again.

    Perhaps it was Wolfram¡¯s presence that had allowed him to sleep so peacefully while in Tribal lands.He knew the woodlanders did not like him and weren¡¯t above attacking him if they thought they could get away with it.

    He scanned the woods, hoping to catch a glimpse of the wolf ram.It had been days since he had last seen her, before Pavano had returned.He wasn¡¯t worried about her health, she was a fearsome creature and would survive things he apparently could not. The Flesh Horror¡¯s poison for one.Yet, a small part of himself missed her.

    She was not his pet or companion, but she had saved his life more than he had hers. San figured he owed her and it was a debt that he was willing to repay.

    For all he knew, she was probably shadowing him and the army.Besides Bostarion, no one here had much experience in woodcraft.Unless there was a obviously clear trail, San didn¡¯t think he could follow anything or anyone through the forests.

    He wondered again about the monsters and the beasts of the forests.Wolfram¡¯s species appeared to be magical, but not in the void monster sort of way.She hadn¡¯t been effected by the Fire in the Night spell, whereas it seemed to cause other magical beings to avoid it.What did that make her then? The thought wondered through his mind as he stared at the softly swaying trees.

    There was a clatter of cookware that startled him.San looked around and eased himself around the wagon, crossbow held and ready.

    The sight that greeted him gave him pause.The soldiers who had been sleeping were all standing up, blankets puddled to the ground and all their eyes staring westward.San shivered as he saw that their eyes seemed to be black voids.

    ¡°What the hell,¡± San said.He automatically crouched down, his gaze still locked on the soldiers. They did not move, they did not speak, they just stood there, staring westward with the black filled eyes.

    San took a breath and followed their gaze, looking slightly above the treetops and seeing nothing. He stared for a long moment and then he saw it, a flickering of the stars. No, not a flickering, but a bending of the light around something vast and tall.

    As he stared, he could see that the light of the stars was being warped, like looking through a wet pane of glass, or a science fiction cloaking field.Whatever was out there, did not want to be seen, but it was still out there, towering over the trees and it had some effect upon the soldiers.

    The figure seemed to be moving toward the camp, there were no booming steps or indication that it was walking, yet it grew larger, the warped light spreading and expanding, even though the trees were undisturbed.

    San cursed and rushed toward the campfires.He had been too tired to remember; how many times would he have to curse at himself for forgetting to use his Power as they were in the unforgiving woods.

    ¡°Fire in the Night.¡±

    ¡°Fire in the Night.¡±

    Four campfires flared with blue light.

    As if a string had been cut, the standing soldiers all flopped to the ground.San grabbed one man as he was about to fall into the fire.He rolled him onto the dirt and he groaned, opening his eyes.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± the man asked, staring at him.

    ¡°You nearly rolled into the fire,¡± San said.

    The man blinked and saw that he indeed was very close to the fire and his blanket was several feet from him.

    ¡°Uh, thanks, foreigner,¡± the man said groggily.

    San got to his feet, the rest of the soldiers were groaning and mumbling to themselves, several already snoring as they rewrapped themselves in their blankets and huddled together.

    The starry sky above the treetops weren¡¯t being warped anymore.The light shone steady and bright, with no signs of whatever that creature was.San took a breath and turned to see the Mage Lieutenant watching him.

    ¡°You saw?¡± he asked, his voice low.

    San nodded.

    The Mage Lieutenant didn¡¯t say anything, instead wrapping himself in his thick blanket and lying back down.

    San walked back around the wagon, this time dividing his focus on the dark woods and the tops of the trees and stars.The night was absolutely silent.

 024

    24

    The creek narrowed and the terrain grew rockier.San breathed in the cold air and looked up at the towering peaks to the north.They weren¡¯t anywhere close to those peaks, but the land had noticeably become more inclined in the last two days since they left the Exonaris Komai.

    Tall pines dominated sides of the steep valleys they were entering, the land changing and growing colder as they hiked ever northward.The thin trickle of the stream carved a crooked path through the valley, although judging by the steep banks, it was probably ten times wider in warmer weather.

    ¡°We should stop here,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°Why?¡± demanded the Mage Lieutenant.

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna be reaching the nest before nightfall,¡± the ranger replied, peering at the noonday sun.It shone down upon them, the skies brilliantly clear, but the dull sun had little warmth to bestow upon them.¡°We already saw what¡¯ll happen in a night battle.¡±

    The Mage scowled but glanced northward again. ¡°I don¡¯t see any sign of a nest near here,¡± he said.

    ¡°That¡¯s the way it is,¡± the ranger replied. ¡°Trust me, we were here not five days back.We killed the new queen and that¡¯s what caused the stampede upon the komai.¡±

    ¡°Fucking rangers,¡± Ilagio¡¯s voice bit through the silence. ¡°All those deaths are on your hands.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the only ranger here,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°The Baron bestowed the title on me for my twenty years of service to the Barony.¡±

    ¡°Sti-¡°

    ¡°Silence, Fomar,¡± the Mage said.

    The Landed turned a beet red. ¡°You dare-¡°

    ¡°This is a military endeavor,¡± the Mage snapped. ¡°You know your place here.¡±The Mage looked around. ¡°We will make camp, fortify it and in the morning we shall march upon the nest. I want fires, big ones. The foreigner will use his Power to keep the creatures at bay.¡±

    There was a grumble, one part relief and the other part annoyance.Relief they weren¡¯t about to fight the battos after their exhausting march and annoyance at having to do more work.

    Elgava tossed San an axe and grinned.¡°I hear big fuckers chop real good,¡± she said.

    ¡°I believe it is more due to experience and know-how than size,¡± San said.

    Genreve slapped San on the shoulder; he also carried an axe. ¡°Come on, San. Elgava there is more a danger when carrying a blade than she is a help.Ask her to chop a tree and she might end up killing you instead.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see how well I end up using a blade come morning,¡± Elgava shouted back.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Ilagio snapped, walking up to them. ¡°Shut up and get your country ass to work, commoner.¡±

    ¡°Aye, Landed,¡± Elgava snapped off a lazy salute and sauntered off.

    Ilagio glared at San and Genvere and then headed off, shouting more orders and cursing soldiers.

    ¡°Reminds me of someone,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye, a surly grazer with a stick up its ass,¡± Genvere said and laughed.

    San was constantly impressed at the speed and efficiency the soldiers achieved when they were working.He had thought it amazing that he had felled half a dozen trees and stopped them bare in a few days, but the ten soldiers and San who were ordered to get wood could have built a log cabin in a day if they were determined.

    The tall pines slammed to the earth, felled with precision and placed exactly in a spot that would make it easier to move into the camp.Even with his increased strength, San fell behind as the others stripped the trees, bucked the logs, and then finally split them for the campfires or use in their makeshift defenses.

    ¡°Ey, San!¡± Elgava shouted at San. He looked up, wiping away the sweat running down his face and panting from exertion. ¡°Mage wants to see you.¡±

    ¡°Saved by the Mage,¡± San gasped.

    ¡°Ya owe me a sar, Gen!¡± Folagin cried; the thin scarred woman cackled in glee as San picked up his coat.¡°Big foreigner didn¡¯t last.Ain¡¯t got the staying power.¡±

    ¡°Hurry your ass up,¡± Elgava said. ¡°I¡¯m freezing my ass off here.¡±

    ¡°Duty calls,¡± San said to the soldiers, shrugging and following Elgava.The workers sent lighthearted jeers and curses after him.

    The Mage and the leaders that remained were gathered beside the wagon, a hot fire burning before them as they listened to Bostarion¡¯s report.

    ¡°How do, San,¡± Bostarion said, nodding to him.

    ¡°Foreinger,¡± the Mage offered.

    Ilagio only sneered and turned away.

    ¡°You summoned me, Mage Lieutenant?¡± San asked.

    ¡°You have power, I need to know what you can do,¡± the Mage said. ¡°You might be needed in the morrow, your strength and Power.¡±

    San crouched before the fire, raising his hands. ¡°I¡¯m classed as a Brewer,¡± he said.Ilagio snorted and the Mage furrowed his brow. ¡°I¡¯m currently level 2 with the added strength, speed, and stamina that offers. I also have the ability to imbue a fire with either Fire in the Night, which repels mounters, and the Fearless Flame, which bolsters courage, I think.¡±

    ¡°You imbued Havatair¡¯s enchanted flame with Fire in the Night, how?¡± the Mage asked.San looked at the young man, it had been days since the battle at the komai had been fought. He had seen the Mage watching him on the march, his dark eyes peering at him from under his thick fur lined hood.

    San shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I couldn¡¯t do that,¡± he said.

    ¡°Woolly shit,¡± Ilagio snapped. ¡°What kind of Mage are you?None of this Brewer shit.¡±

    ¡°I am a Brewer,¡± San said again. ¡°It¡¯s the class I was given when I first leveled up.I don¡¯t know what else to say.¡±

    ¡°You made that drink,¡± the Mage said. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Courage?¡± San asked.¡°Yellow gems.¡±

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± Ilagio whispered, fear creasing his face.

    The Mage shifted uncomfortably as he looked at San.¡°You can¡¯t use yellow gems,¡± he said. ¡°They are forbidden. Only the Cults know how to use them.Where did you learn to use the gems?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not divulge that,¡± San said.

    The Mage frowned, working his jaw as if he were about to spit. ¡°What land do you come from?¡± he demanded.

    ¡°America,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯ve said it before.¡±

    ¡°You are something that cannot be,¡± the Mage said, still frowning. ¡°You cannot be just a simple Brewer, not when you can use yellow gems to create what amounts to a potion and not when you use magecraft to produce effects that require years of training to achieve.¡±

    ¡°The lad did good.That drink of his got many who¡¯d scream and piss themselves to pick up their swords and fight,¡± Bostarion said.He glanced over his shoulder toward the north. ¡°It don¡¯t matter what he is and how he gained that knowledge, what we should be focusing on is the battle to come. The battos, they know we¡¯re here. They ain¡¯t the most intelligent creatures, but they know how to defend their hive.¡±

    ¡°We have the mortar,¡± the Mage said. ¡°And my Power.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°But the queen needs to be killed. That means going into the hive and slaying the bitch.We can¡¯t do it with only twenty soldiers, especially when we only have one Leveled man and a single Mage.¡±

    ¡°We can do it,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°Aye, we made it this far, if we turn back, those fuckers will breed up another little army to hit us again,¡± Ilagio said.

    Bostarion only sighed, looking like a man who saw the future and it happened to be a dismal one.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need your Power,¡± the Mage said to San. ¡°The monsters fear it, we can use that to our advantage.¡± The Mage began sketching out the plan for tomorrow¡¯s attack.

    ***

    The mortar roared, a thunderous sound that echoed off the steep sides of the valley, sending up a thick cloud of smoke and shaking frozen snow off pine boughs.San unconsciously flinched, momentarily thinking that the bronze device had blown itself up.

    He, unlike many others, stood a healthy distance from the artillerymen.The thought of all that blackpowder sitting in open wooden crates sent a shiver down his spine.One spark and the whole mission to destroy the battos would end with a lot of screaming and dying.

    They had left the camp in the pre-dawn light, traveling northward again as the clouds thickened in the sky and the light that came through once dawn arrived was watery and weak.A cold wind blasted down the valley, the steep sides and narrow opening among the towering pines sharpened it until it cut through all their coats and gloves.

    The trickle of the creek finally lead them to a massive waterfall that had frozen as it descended down a craggy cliff.San had stared at it, the first time he¡¯d seen a sight like that.Thick icicles hung from the very top and stretched down to meet the rocky cliff floor.

    Near the bottom of the waterfall was the batto caver entrance.

    As San stared at the gaping cave next to the frozen waterfall, he figured the odds of the day ending with screaming and dying was very high.His hand unconsciously rested upon his sword hilt.It was odd, he thought, that his entire adult life the thought of owning a sword or using one had never crossed his mind. That was a dream of when he was a child.Yet now he had one and it was the first thing he went for when there was trouble.He had two blackpowder pistols, a crossbow, and four shots left in his revolver, but it was the enchanted sword that he automatically grabbed for.

    It was a shame that he still hadn¡¯t learned how to use it properly. Slashing and hitting was about the most he could do, his increased strength and speed covering for his lack of skill.

    Dirt fountained before the cave entrance, forty feet too short.The artillery leader began screaming at the soldiers and they rushed to reload and adjust the weapon.San watched as blocks were set into the ground, wet swabs shoved down the short smoking barrel, and then sacks of blackpowder shoved in afterward.

    San peered at the distant cave opening.The vague knowledge from high school physics tried to bubble up, but he couldn¡¯t grab a hold of the thought.He knew there were ways to determine how far an object would travel, dependent on the force the object left, the angle they began from, and the downward force of gravity.

    Another shot was fired, filling the valley with another thunderous roar of the mortar.San watched as the shell landed right before the mouth of the cave, more dirt and rock fountaining up.

    ¡°Got it set!¡± the artillerymen shouted, there was a brief cheer as they began in earnest to load the weapon.The Mage Lieutenant walked up to the pile of mortar shells, hollow bowling ball sized cast iron balls. They were explosive shells, San had discovered. The old bombs bursting in the air kind of explosive shells.

    From what San had seen, they were filled with powder, a fuse used to plug it, and then the shell shoved fuse down into the mortar.The firing of the cannon itself ignited the fuse, allowing it to detonate the blackpowder within.

    The Mage Lieutenant produced a sack of catalyst rock, the cloudy crystal seeming to glow in the mid-morning light.He held his hands over the crystals and they began to turn a midnight black color.San could almost feel the Power coming off the the Mage, like the heat from a fire, the wafting aroma from wort coming to a boil.

    An artilleryman carefully took the converted stones from the Mage and a pair of them began loading them into several explosive shells.

    ¡°Ey, eyes forward,¡± Elgava said beside him.

    San turned to the woman and she was posting toward the cave mouth.The other soldiers were moving into position behind their defenses, the woollys had already been taken away and the wagon was being used as the focal point of their defenses.

    Mounds of dirt and rock had already been set up, creating a chest high wall before them, long sharp stakes that had been made the night before pointed out toward the entrance of the cave. Crossbows were the weapon of choice in the upcoming battle, with spears coming in a close second.San could see why swords were always considered a secondary weapon, he lacked a spear and that was an issue.

    If there were more soldiers, San would have suggested that they create a pikewall backed up with crossbows.The long spears could have kept the battos from rushing them, allowing the crossbowmen to pick them off at close range.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    If his memory was correct, the pikeman would rule the battlefield for centuries. Great blocks of pikemen could stop cavalry charges and if backed by rifles or crossbows, they would be able to hold their own.That of course would mean that artillery would have to become more accurate and more devastating.

    San was lost in thought and didn¡¯t see the Mage¡¯s explosive shell be fired, instead he felt it. An explosion that nearly staggered him, followed by heat so intense that it felt like his lungs were on fire.San coughed and doubled over, trying to suck in cold air.A smell, like burned plastic filled the air.

    ¡°Sweet Senta!¡± Elgava coughed beside him. ¡°That was fucking amazing!¡±

    A thick wall of white smoke blew over them, causing more men to cough and gag at the smell.San knew that smell, it was the resin that the battos produced, he had burned every bit of it that had been excreted in the farmhouse.

    The artillerymen were shouting and within moments another shell was fired.Thick white smoke still blinded them, but it appeared they had the cave mouth zeroed in now.

    ¡°They¡¯ll be coming,¡± Bostarion¡¯s voice shouted.

    ¡°Man the defenses,¡± Ilagio shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t let them get near the mortar or we¡¯re all dead!¡±

    San surged forward with the rest of the soldiers.The nerves fo the upcoming battle began to fade away, the welcomed calmness settled upon him.Crossbows were pulled and the soldiers clattered to the defenses, trying to peer through the white cloud of smoke.

    The only thing San could see were the large bonfires that were still alight.Fire in the Night burning through the white smoke and protecting their flanks from the creatures.San hoped it would work, it wouldn¡¯t take much to snuff out of the fires, if the battos were able to push through their fear of the flame.

    There were piles of wood behind the defenses, ready to be ignited if they were about to be overrun.It was San¡¯s job to use his Power when they were lit, to keep the monsters at bay.As a large portion of their defenses relied on San, the reasonable thing to do would have been to stay back with the artillery and the Mage.Yet it didn¡¯t sit well with San.He was the only Leveled person and his strength and sword would be needed in the fight.Plus, he had become friends with some of the soldiers and leaving them to fight the battle wasn¡¯t something he was willing to do.If he could fight. He would fight.

    He took in a slow breath, grimacing at the burning plastic smell.He could hear the artillerymen shouting again, reloading the mortar, but over that, over the sounds of shifting armor, prayers, and the clinking of weapons; San could hear a different sound.A skittering noise that slowly began to grow.He could feel it through his boots, as a deep rumble began to shake the loose scree of the valley.

    ¡°Fuck, here they come,¡± Elgava whispered, her voice barely audible. ¡°Sweet Senta, see me through the day.I don¡¯t fear death, but my Ma will drag me back from Paradise if I do die here.She¡¯s that big of a bitch.¡±

    San had to snort at the prayer.Elgava gave him a weak grin.

    ¡°Prepare yourselves!¡± Ilagio¡¯s voice rose through the smoke. San could see the man standing behind the line, a spear in one hand and his helmet tucked under one arm. ¡°We are Imperials, our blood is saltier than the Inland Sea, we have conquered the known world, our ancestors look down upon us and await our victory! For Senta, for glory, for victory!¡±

    ¡°Senta! Senta!¡± the soldiers roared in a single voice, their collective scream burning away fear and dread.San felt his heart beginning to pound, not from fear, but from a anticipation.His hands were sweaty in his gloves as he gripped his crossbow.

    There was a distant screech, long and drawn out. Like a challenge or a rallying cry.The skittering noise rose and with it the buzzing of flying battos.

    The mortar roared again and the hot explosion filled the air.The screeches grew louder, this time in pain, not challenge.

    ¡°Faster!¡± someone screamed. ¡°Load. Load. Load!¡±

    The smoke swirled as the flying battos launched themselves into the air.San watched the dark shapes flit around the opening of the cave, waiting for the rest of their brethren to join them.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the entrance of the cave became clogged with scores of battos clamoring to exit.The defense line went silent as everyone stopped what they were doing.The only noise came from the mortar team as they hastily reloaded.

    ¡°It¡¯s been nice knowing you,¡± Elgava said staring ahead.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m making it through this,¡± Genreve said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell your sister you owed me twenty sars when we get back.¡±

    ¡°Good luck squeezing a single sar out of that bitch,¡± Elgava remarked.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t make it, tell my wife I was thinking about Rosimina to the end.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Rosimina?¡±

    ¡°Her sister,¡± Genreve laughed.

    The two laughed as the battos dressed their lines.San smiled at the gallows humor of the two, his gaze fixed upon the creatures.They seemed to be more ordered this time; the night attack on the komai had been a mess, the creatures attacking as they trickled in.There was a batto queen somewhere in the mountain, was she able to control the battos through some kind of telepathy?

    San shook his head.

    ¡°Here they come!¡± Ilagio shouted.

    San looked watched as the black tide surged toward them.He raised his crossbow and took a slow breath.

    ***

    The batto screamed as it swiped at San, he backed up, collided with a figure behind him and nearly tripped. The batto took the opportunity to heave itself over the barricade and lash out with its long tail. The barbed point snapped against San¡¯s cuirass, but did no damage.

    San batted away another slash with its long legs and drove his buckler into the battos eyestalks.The long fleshy apendage bent and gavesickening crunch of crushed cartilage or bone. The batto immediately screeched in pain and San drove his sword into the space between the eyestalks. The place Bostarion claimed the brain was.

    The creature flopped to the ground noiselessly.Another batto was already climbing over its dead companion, but San was ready this time.He slashed at the monster, slicing off an eyestalk and creating a long bloody gash across it.The monster fell backward, screaming in pain.

    Elgava was cursing, a batto clinging onto her shield and trying to stab at her.Her spear was gone and she was down to her shortsword.San stepped forward and cut through the monster¡¯s limbs, causing it to lurch forward and into the blade that Elgava readied. She nodded a thanks and went back to fighting another creature that was taking the dead one¡¯s place.

    The buzzing of a flying batto caught San¡¯s attention.He stabbed his sword into the body of a batto and pulled out the single unfired matchlock pistol he had.The bristle furred creature appeared, diving upon an unsuspecting soldier battling a beetle-like batto.San fired the pistol and was rewarded with a spray of red ichor; the flying batto tumbled out of the sky and into its brethren.

    He shoved the pistol back into its loop on his pack and pulled his sword out of the batto.A beetle batto was crawling over the dead, its massive pincers snapping at him.The enchanted blade cleaved through the pincers and with a backhanded swing, opened the front of the creature.Green ichor gushed out, soaking the already muddy ground of blood, viscera, and bodies.

    ¡°Sweet Senta!¡± someone screamed.

    San looked over the failing barricade and felt his heart seize at the sight.He had seen the massive battos before, the type that had battered a hole into the farmhouse, but the creature that emerged from the flaming cave entrance was something else all together.It was covered in the bristle black fur, but it had a dozen stout legs and three folding arms along its back.Those three arms ended in long bladed bone that gleamed sickly in the midday light.

    The Mage appeared by San¡¯s side, he arm cocked back, and he let fly a fist sized crystal toward the monster.The catalyst rock detonated with a boom that nearly pushed San back, but the distance it had traveled wasn¡¯t all that great. It did ravaged a few packed battos, but not much else.

    San didn¡¯t think that the Mage had spent three years playing baseball at his father¡¯s behest, so his throwing form was utter crap.

    ¡°Toss me a rock,¡± San said.The Mage glared at him, but then handed him a fist sized black rock.

    San looked to the big monster that was trying to push its way toward the defenses.He lined his body up with the creature, pulled his arm back and then pulled his chest toward his extended left hand, snapping his wrist just like his coach had taught him all those years ago.The rock flashed across the heads of the battos and then smacked the massive creature right in the face.The rock detonated and the creature reared back, a chuck of its face gone and blackish ichor flowing from the massive wound.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± San said and let out a bark of laughter.

    ¡°Hit it again!¡± the Mage cried, tossing San another rock.

    San threw the second rock, sending the explosive toward the monster.He had always been middling in his pitches, as it wasn¡¯t his strong suit. He could always hit the ball well, but throwing was something he had never excelled at.Yet as San threw the rock, he could feel where it would land, he could feel his body move into the right spots, all the old instructions that he hadn¡¯t fully understood, finally making sense.The rock exploded with another massive roar and the monster¡¯s legs collapsed from under it.The creature flopped over in the mud, crushing a few of the slower battos as it died.

    The Mage threw more of the rocks at the battos beyond the defenses, slaughtering them as they tried to climb their dead.San felt bloody chunks splatter against him, running down his scratched and battered cuirass and sallet helmet.

    Then the ground began rumbling.

    ¡°Earthquake,¡± San shouted, feeling the ground buckle under him.

    The ground under the trickle of the stream suddenly collapsed in on itself.A massive dark hole appearing in the middle of the valley floor.San immediately knew that was not a good thing.He saw a massive claw dig into the dirt and a black bristle fur arm began pulling itself up.

    ¡°Sweet Senta!¡± the Mage cried, horror on his face.

    ¡°Get that mortar turned around!¡± San shouted.The Mage only gaped. ¡°Get that gun turned around!¡±

    San pounded toward the mortar.The artillerymen were staring at the hole, mouths hanging.They weren¡¯t listening to him or anyone for that matter.

    A buzzing caught San¡¯s attention and he looked up to see a flying batto dropping like a falcon, aimed directly toward the artillerymen.A kamikaze batto.

    ¡°Look out!¡± San shouted, but the soldiers were still staring at the massive clawed hand.

    The batto slammed into one of the artillerymen, practically exploding into a mess of red ichor and human blood.The man screamed, others screamed as rocks, limbs, and shrapnel slammed into them. The six surviving men staggered around, yelling and screaming in horror.

    San reached the men and grabbed the first one, yanking him back to his feet.He stared at San, eyes wide and terrified.Blood from his compatriot leaked down from his pot helmet and soaked into his leather coat.His mouth open and closed like a fish.

    ¡°Get that gun turned around!¡± San shouted into his face.The man¡¯s eyes focused on San and then glanced toward the second hand that had joined the first in the hole.A deep bass rumble was coming from the hole, along with clouds of steam and an intense putrid stink of death and rot.

    The man began shouting, joining San in grabbing the other men and shaking sense into them.They saw the emerging form of the creature and began heaving the heavy bronze mortar.San lent his back, grabbing the mortar by its hot lip and yanking it with all the strength he had.The several hundred pound hunk of metal moved, turning to face the creature that was coming for them.

    San could hear screaming, from the defenders as the battos made a final surge to break their lines.San looked upfor a moment, cursing.

    ¡°Up. UP!¡± the artillery leader was yelling.

    San turned to see that a creature of horror had pulled itself out of the hole.Where the battos were oblong in shape, this monstrosity was more humanoid.It towered nearly twenty feet tall and nearly as wide, a massive torso of leathery skin and twisting muscle.It¡¯s head was conical in shape, hinging backward and from within it came long snake like tentacles with barbed hooks for pulling in prey.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Guardian!¡± Bostarion shouted. ¡°The Queen¡¯s Guardian!¡±

    The artillerymen were trying to adjust the angle of the mortar, fear numbing their hands and causing them to stumble in their work. San grabbed the lip of the mortar again and heaved, lifting it up so that the others could hammer home blocks.

    ¡°Good!¡± the leader yelled, as another man swabbed it out and another began shoving blackpowder into it. The Mage heaved over an explosive shell, sweat dripping down his face.San realized he was burning up his mana, reaching his limit.

    San looked to the creature, it had pulled itself out of the hole and seemed to be taking in the battle.Eye stalks protruded from the side of its cone head, twisting and bending in every direction. As one they all turned to stare at the mortar.

    ¡°Ready!¡± the leader shouted.

    San moved away from the front of the mortar and an idea struck him.He looked back at the beast and saw it turn toward them.

    ¡°Firing!¡± the leader shouted the warning to San. But San stood by the mortar, readying himself. ¡°Three, two, one!¡±

    ¡°Fire in the Night!¡± San screamed, willing the power to flow into the fire that was being launched at the creature.He could feel the mana suddenly whip away from him, like an icy breeze, dragged along by the explosive shell.He staggered back, half deafened and shaken by the close explosion.

    The world lit up with blue flame and the horrendous scream of an injured creature. San turned, hot fetid air blasting him. He stood his ground and when the smoke cleared saw that the explosive shell had struck true.Not only that, but the massive creature was wreathed in blue flames, it flailed and screamed, collapsing among the rushing battos.It¡¯s massive hands slashed and smashed, killing everything that it could grasp in its agony.

    The Power of the fire caused the battos to flee, but there was no place to flee, trapped between the flames and the soldiers.They were soon torn apart by the flailing monstrosity.San watched as it¡¯s leathery skin flaked and seared, the blue flames running across its body as if it were made of kindling.

    The surviving battos came to the decision that the humans were the lesser danger and charged their lines. San watched as a wave of black stabbing bodies rushed over the broken defenses and soon were among the surviving troops.San pulled his sword out and rushed back into the fray, kicking, slashing, and swatting with his sword.

    The battos were frenzied, uncaring about their own lives and lashing out at everything with the same mad energy as the dying guardian.San kicked a batto away, slashed at another, drove his sword into a third. He punched one and then grabbed an eyestalk of another and pulled it to the ground, stabbing it with his sword.

    Blood, ichor, and black body parts went flying. San didn¡¯t realize he was yelling as he was drenched in ichor and slashing at anything with black fur coming at him.Then the world came roaring back to him.He slipped in the mud and caught himself on the body of a soldier.

    Genreve¡¯s unseeing eyes stared back at him, a broken batto leg embedded into his throat. San staggered back, gasping in horror.He tripped over another body, the thin scarred face of Folagin.

    ¡°San¡­¡± a voice whispered.

    San turned to see Elgava.Her brigandine was ripped to shreds, the steel plates dented and lying around her.San rushed to her side, noting the deep gashes running along her chest and arms. A batto had torn open her armor and stabbed her repeatedly, the blood soaking her clothing showed she was dying.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± she coughed. ¡°I¡¯m dying.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡± San hissed. He shoved his hand into his armor, digging around until he pulled the plastic bag he carried.He opened it, nearly fumbling and dropping the precious gems.Five green gems and a red gem gleamed in his hands.

    He hadn¡¯t used them after the first attack. That had been selfishness on his part.He had already known he was going to fight the batto nest, a part of him had kept him from using the gems on the injured then. But now¡­ now it was Elgava, who was the first to buy his booze, the one who helped deliver Endaha¡¯s child, the one who had help him become friends with the other soldiers.

    San opened Elgava¡¯s mouth. She protested, trying to lift her arms to stop him, but she was weak.He dumped the gems into her mouth, forcing her mouth closed.She struggled, her eyes widening slightly in either horror or realization.

    Elgava¡¯s back arched and her body went rigid.San pulled his hand back and she let out a sharp hiss of breath.San stared down at her wounds and watched in amazement as they began stitching themselves back together. Black blood seemed to flow from the wounds, pulling out dirt and debris and infection.

    She shuddered and shook, but within moments the ruined flesh had returned to unblemished skin.

    ¡°Senta. What did you do?¡± Elgava gasped, her eyes wide.

    ¡°Gems,¡± San said.

    ¡°Sweet Senta, my tits are freezing,¡± she said and looked down at her exposed front.San coughed and turned away, suddenly realizing he had been staring at her naked body.¡°You¡¯re covered head to toe in blood and the sight of my tits makes you turn away in horror?¡± Elgava laughed and groaned. She sat up, pulling her tattered clothing close.¡°Hetvana¡¯s cunt, I nearly died. I¡¯m.. I¡¯m Leveled.¡± She whispered the last. ¡°Level one [Steadfast Knight]. I don¡¯t know what that is¡­¡±

    San got to his feet.He turned to look toward the cave, but his view was blocked.Before the their shattered defenses lay the massive creature, a burned and smoking husk was all that was left.The rest of the battos seemed to have either fled or died, their black bodies scattered everywhere.And eerie silence filled the valley, only the sounds of the wounded filled the air.

    Elgava grabbed San¡¯s extended hand and he pulled her to her feet.She was unsteady, but her eyes widen as she looked at the devastation around them.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± she said.San felt that summed it up.

 025

    25

    ¡°Sorry, friend,¡± Elgava muttered as San and she pulled Genreve out of his brigandine.The armor was soaked in blood and the fabric was torn, but it was whole unlike Elgava¡¯s own armor.

    They piled the salvaged weapons in the center of their small encampment, along with anything else they could find.The wounded groaned as they writhed upon the muddy ground, the rest of the surviving soldiers merely sitting down with stunned expressions.

    The fight had been bitter and the losses steep. Of the twenty seven who had trekked northward, only eleven remained hale enough to do anything.Nine lay dead and the rest wounded. Four soldiers, two Guards and two Militiamen, remained along with the Mage, Ilagio, Bostarion, Elgava, and San. There was an additional two artillerymen who were still walking around, San hadn¡¯t realized that the mortar had been overrun.The battos swarming past him and the defenses had torn up the fairly unarmored gunners, then fled off into the woods.

    The result was that the mortar was unusable and the woollys they had pulled to the back to keep them from harm had been attacked, four lay dead with miraculously a working pair surviving.

    ¡°We have to go back,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°Aye, we¡¯re fucked now,¡± Ilagio agreed. ¡°We¡¯re short on food and weapons. Most of us are wounded and we have three hard days of travel before we get back to the komai.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not leaving,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°Lad, you intend to kill us all?¡± Ilagio questioned.

    ¡°It¡¯s Mage Lieutenant, Landed,¡± the Mage snapped. ¡°We have a duty to the Barony. To destroy this scourge before it can grow. We have already killed the Guardian and most of the workers and warriors.It will be an easy task of going into the nest and killing the Birthing Mother.¡±

    ¡°Hetvana¡¯s flaming cunt,¡± Bostarion cursed. ¡°We¡¯re done here, lad. We¡¯re all gonna die if we go into that fucking nest.¡±

    ¡°Then we will have done our duty,¡± the Mage said, solemnly.

    ¡°Is there any other way?¡± San asked. The three men glared at him. ¡°Perhaps we can build a great fire in the entrance of the cave, use my Power to keep them from exiting.¡±

    ¡°Who would maintain such a fire?¡± Ilagio demanded. ¡°You?It is madness to think you will be able to keep such a fire going for more than a few days.¡±

    ¡°If need be, I will attempt it,¡± San said.

    ¡°He¡¯s right, lad.We have already seen the creatures burrow out another exit, they will just do the same again and hit you from behind,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°Even if we had Havatair¡¯s enchanted flame, we would not be able to hold this position for more than a few days at most.We do not know when the Young Baron will arrive or if he will even arrive.¡±

    ¡°He will come,¡± Ilagio said.

    ¡°We have already lost much,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°Too many have died in this expedition. We cannot lose anymore.¡±

    ¡°We will go in,¡± the Mage said. ¡°I will go in.¡±

    ¡°Then I will pray for your soul come midwinter,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°No one is fool enough to follow you into that hell.¡±

    ¡°I will go,¡± San said.

    Elgava kicked San in the backside. ¡°You are fucking mad, aren¡¯t you?¡± she demanded. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡±

    ¡°It needs to be done,¡± San said. ¡°I can maybe do it.¡±

    ¡°Is your fucking head full of rocks and shit?¡± Elgava snapped. ¡°Only a damned fool would think they can enter the lair of a batto queen and slay it.¡± She looked at the Mage as she said the last.

    The Mage Lieutenant didn¡¯t seem bothered by the outburst or San¡¯s volunteering.He merely nodded his head at San.

    ¡°Where the fiery hell did Pavano find you?¡± Bostarion muttered. ¡°Where you go, there goes death too.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± San asked. ¡°Pavano said that?¡±

    ¡°No, lad,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°He said you are god touched and that where you go, you challenge the horrors of this world. He didn¡¯t mention all the fucking dying and killing.¡±

    San mulled on his words.He frowned and looked to the jagged cave entrance.The air was still thick with the smoke fo the burning battos.The giant Guardian was still smoldering along with the others that had been caught in the Mage¡¯s explosions.

    He didn¡¯t want to admit it, but Bostarion¡¯s words felt like a strike too close to the heart of things.He had been in this world for a month and had been confronted by many unknown horrors. He had fought against man and monster, he had tried to keep his head low and out of sight, yet trouble seemed to come to him.The words of Winter¡¯s Lament echoed in his mind.That he was the reason the monsters were showing up. That his soul brought them out to confront or kill him.

    ¡°We can take the rest of the gunpowder, blow the tunnels and collapse this nest upon itself,¡± San said. ¡°A small group perhaps. It¡¯ll be like¡­ like a dungeon crawl.¡± San gave a brief smile at the words, the memory of the one and only time he had played DnD with some college friends.They had gotten drunk off his homemade beer and never finished the game.

    ¡°A dungeon crawl?¡± Elgava muttered. ¡°What in Hetvana¡¯s hell is that?¡±

    ¡°Just a thing from my homeland,¡± San said.He rubbed his face and looked back at the wounded and wagon. ¡°If you leave the mortar and most of the supplies, the wounded can be taken back.¡±

    Ilagio glanced to the exhausted troops. ¡°Aye, we¡¯ll need to drop everything and hope for the best.¡±

    Bostarion muttered a curse under his breath. ¡°I¡¯ll be going with you, San,¡± he said. ¡°Pavano¡¯s gonna have some sour words if I don¡¯t bring you back alive.¡±

    Elgava grunted and cracked her neck. ¡°I¡¯ll join y¡¯all if you¡¯re intent on going,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s death with only an old man and a big fucker who can¡¯t swing a sword.¡±

    ¡°You can count me out,¡± Ilagio snapped.

    ¡°The men will need leadership,¡± the Mage said. ¡°Take them back to the komai, perhaps Zomia hasn¡¯t left for White Tower yet.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± the Landed said.

    ¡°Prepare youselves,¡± the Mage said to San and the others. ¡°We shall rest for a few hours and then we shall go.We cannot wait too long, for they will regroup.¡±

    San nodded and the small meeting was adjourned.Ilagio began preparing for the journey back to the komai, while the Mage sat down to meditate or something.San wondered if that helped him regain his mana?

    He was exhausted, but the thought of resting didn¡¯t cross his mind.He got to his feet and headed to the wounded and began helping where he could.Elgava joined him and they worked without saying word. Elgava knew a lot of the soldiers and her face twisted with grief as they moved the dead and bandaged the injured.

    ¡°Fucking Mage,¡± she constantly whispered as she laid another friend to rest. ¡°Rest easy, Mogin, you drunk fucker.¡±

    San didn¡¯t know what the proper burial rites were done for the Imperial dead. The only deaths he had seen were the abandoned trappers after the Nox attack and the three strong-arms who had tried to rob them.The trappers had been abounded and the others San had burned in the wagon.

    ¡°How is this normally done?¡± San asked.

    ¡°We usually burn ¡®em,¡± Elgava said. ¡°Imperial ways.That way no one can use thier bodies for dark magic.¡±

    San didn¡¯t know if that was something that actually happened. There were some things that were said that he didn¡¯t know if it was reality or not.But in aworld of magic and monsters, he suspected that it was a possibility.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll burn them, we have wood left from the defenses,¡± San said. Elgava nodded and they got to work.

    It took them an hour to gather the firewood and set it up.Bostarion joined them and a few of the less injured soldiers.They stood before the pile of bodies.

    ¡°You were all brave fucks,¡± Elgava said. ¡°No one will ever say otherwise. You had our asses covered and we stood by you to the end. Rest easy, mates. We¡¯ll all be joining you sooner or later.¡±

    There was a muttering go ¡®ayes¡¯ as a torch was set to the wood.It took a moment, but soon the fire began burning.

    ¡°Best clean up and get ready,¡± Bostarion told San and Elgava. ¡°The Mage is about done.¡±

    Bostarion took them to the pile of excess armor and weapons.From what San understood, the brigandines wereexpensive and even if someone had died in it, they would be salvaged. Even Elgava¡¯s torn up brigandine was among the pile, with a smith or armorer being able to repair it later.

    ¡°These are for you, San,¡± the ranger said, gesturing to a pile of armor.San saw leg armor and pauldrons, along with steel back gauntlets.¡°Who they belong to doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re going into that hellhole and it¡¯ll be cheek to ass fighting, lad. We all need every bit of protection.¡±

    San nodded at the reasoning. ¡°Uh, I have no idea how to put this on,¡± he said.

    ¡°Like a moon faced babe, this fucker is,¡± Elgava muttered, shaking her head. ¡°Get your big ass here and I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    The extra metal weighed San down, but as he hopped and stretched, it was still easy to move around in.He headed toward the crates of gunpowder and joined the Mage.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The young man was intently examining a crate of metal canisters that length of San¡¯s hand.He paused as he saw them, realizing that they were grenades or perhaps a pipe bomb of some sort, thought he supposed they in the end did the same thing. The Mage pulled one out and frowned, setting it aside from the others.

    ¡°Grenades?¡± San asked, crouching down by the Mage.

    The young man looked up at him, his face expressionless. He merely nodded to San and returned to his task.San watched for a while, not saying anything.He didn¡¯t know how to talk to the young man.They had been traveling for nearly three days and he hadn¡¯t said more than a handful of words to the man.The Mage tended to keep to himself, often not joining the other men even where Ilagio occasionally joked or cursed the soldiers.The Mage sat alone, slept alone, and didn¡¯t talk much.Yet he was the leader of the troops.

    ¡°The fighting will be close quarters,¡± Bostarion said walking up to them.¡°Cut the fuses short, they¡¯ll have to be used fast.Although if Hetvana has anything to say about it, it¡¯ll probably bring the whole nest down upon us.¡±

    Elgava waddled up to them, dropping a load of pistols upon a tarp before them.She let out a ragged breath and looked at everyone as they stopped to stare at her. ¡°A bit smokey, sure, but we¡¯ll be needing every weapon we can get our hands on down there.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Bostarion muttered picking up a pistol and began loading it.

    San helped and they sat in silence as they loaded the weapons and prepared themselves for the fight to come.San finished up, then wandered to fill his water bladder and check on his supplies.The wagon returning to the komai would be taking nothing but food and the wounded.All the other equipement was being abandoned to ease their return.

    He double checked his pack, inventorying the items he still had on him.Compass, camping cookware, his water bladder, the camp saw, his bag of fire starting matches and lighters, the nearly empty first aid kit, flashlight, headlamp, and various other implements. He checked his revolver, wondering if he could find some cleaning oil or tools to keep it maintained. The four rounds were all that was left in the weapon and San didn¡¯t know what he was saving it for.A matchlock pistol did almost the same amount of damage as the revolver, although he would need five loaded to keep up with the rate of fire.

    The last thing he checked were his other weapons. The ornate dagger he had been given by Nexion, the camp knife he had in a sheath, the enchanted sword, and the little that remained in the canister of bear mace.San looked at the can, smiling at the memories of using it, on Wolfram and on Nexion and his men.There were also the two Nox matchlock pistols that Pavano had looted off the mercenaries.They seemed to be in good condition, even as he hadn¡¯t really been maintaining them as he should have.He picked up his stainless steel water bottle and unscrewed the top. The heavy odor wafted up to him, the last of the Courage he had brewed.

    Ilagio and others were loading the wounded onto the wagon.San walked up to them and took an iron pot.He filled it with wood and scraps of cloth, finally tossing a flaming brand into it.The pot began to smoke and soon a fire was burning from within it.

    ¡°Fire in the Night,¡± San said, putting his hands over the fire.The soldiers watched him silently. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll last, but try to keep this fire from going out.There are creatures in the woods.¡±

    The soldiers nodded and gingerly moved to pick up the pot. Ilagio watched them, his face still grimacing with distrust.

    San nodded to the Landed.He loaded his pack with more gunpowder and shot as he rejoined the others.Elgava handed San two additional pistols and a crossbow.San didn¡¯t know how well the crossbow would work in the supposed caves of the nest, but didn¡¯t refuse the weapon.

    They all stood in silence, looking at one another.

    ¡°Let¡¯s be off then,¡± the Mage said, hefting his pack and turning toward the cave.

    ¡°Senta watch over you!¡± a solider shouted.

    ¡°Kill that bitch!¡± another cried.

    There was a ragged cheer as they hiked toward the cave entrance.Those that could shouted and cheered.The Mage waved and then they entered the cave.

    ***

    ¡°Hetvana¡¯s arse, it¡¯s hot,¡± Elgava complained.

    ¡°Better drenched in sweat than blood,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°Have been,¡± Elgava said.

    Elgava¡¯s ascendence to being Leveled had been revealed.Her new status as a [Steadfast Knight] wasn¡¯t something the Mage or Bostarion had encountered before, but from some experimentation Elgava appeared to have a Power that allowed her to create a barrier for a few seconds, about five feet by five feet wide.Therefore she was placed in the lead with Bostarion following, then the Mage, and finally San taking up the rear.

    The batto nest was similar to the farmhouse, the walls layered with thick resin like material, the smell was equally horrible, rot and death. The difference was that the corridors were tall enough for even San to walk comfortably in and there was an odd bioluminescent plant that grew everywhere, providing much needed light.San guessed it was a mushroom of some sort.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to be going down?¡± the Mage asked, as they took another turn and the path edged slightly upward.

    ¡°This nest is built into a cliffside and a mountain,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°They might have just dug straight into it.This cave is natural, the battos must have found it and expanded on it.¡±

    ¡®Then how did that big fucker come out nearly under us?¡± Elgava asked.

    ¡°Perhaps it dug a tunnel while we were busy fighting,¡± the ranger answered.

    ¡°It matters not. We just need to kill the Birthing Mother and then this nest will die on its own,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°Can a new queen arise?¡± San wondered, the thoughts of bees or ants filled his head.He knew bees would give larva a special diet to make them into queens, did the battos do the same?

    ¡°No, only the queen can create another queen,¡± the ranger said.

    ¡°How fast can they create them?¡± San asked. ¡°If the one Pavano and I killed in the farmhouse was a new queen and the one Bostarion killed was another new queen, that¡¯s barely two weeks between the two.¡±

    ¡°No one knows about that,¡± the Mage said. ¡°But the consensus is that older queen, well established queens can make many new queens.Most don¡¯t because those queens begin competing against their former queens.¡±

    San nodded as they continued down the dimly lit corridor.The natural cave itself ended as they came to another twist in the corridor, this time it was clear that the battos had excavated this area. The ceiling was lower and the resin was thicker.There was still enough room for everyone to stand, but it appeared more claustrophobic.The glowing mushrooms grew more abundant in these areas and the lighting was brighter.

    ¡°Arm yourselves,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°We¡¯re entering the nest proper now.Battos are known for creating hidden tunnels and will pop out behind you to stab you in the back.There might also be traps, false floors, tripwires, and even smaller battos hiding in the resin.¡±

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± Elgava muttered. ¡°These fuckers are the worse.¡±

    ¡°Quiet now,¡± the Mage whispered. Everyone stopped talking and they crouched to the ground. Ahead of them the sounds of something skittering caused them to raise their crossbows.

    Bostarion eased his way forward, pushing into the darkness and then disappearing around a bend.They all waited, anxious and ready to fire.San faced in the opposite direction of the others, Bostarion¡¯s warning settling home.

    ¡°The tunnel opens up,¡± Bostarion said when he returned. ¡°Big room about thirty feet across and twenty high. There are ten battos in there. Six workers and four warriors.¡±

    ¡°We hit the warriors with the crossbows, then take out the workers,¡± the Mage said.

    Bostarion nodded and they eased their way forward.The tunnel dipped down and widened, allowing them to pause at the lip of the cavern.The four warrior battos were sitting in the center of the room while the workers were chipping away at the walls, extending the cave it seemed.The room was filled with the greenish bioluminescence they had become familiar with.

    San crouched by Elgava and raised his crossbow. ¡°I¡¯ve got far left,¡± he whispered. She nodded.

    ¡°Now!¡± the Mage cried.

    San sent the bolt flying, it slammed home into the batto¡¯s back, pinning one of its wings to its body and sending it tumbling off its feet.The other three followed suit.The workers stopped in their work as San yanked back the crossbow cord and slotted in another arrow.

    The first worker hissed in confusion, raised its eyestalks toward the four dead warriors and then before it could raise an alarm San sent a bolt into it.The worker flopped backward, striking its companions.In a moment, it was as if an ant nest had been kicked. The five remaining battos blindly charged them, letting out a screech.

    ¡°No pistols,¡± the Mage said as San pulled out his matchlock pistol.¡°Too much noise!¡±

    San armed himself with his battered buckler and sword, standing up and making himself the focus of the battos attack.His three companions hurriedly cranked back their crossbow strings and reloaded.Three bolts flashed out as the batto workers surged up the ramp toward them.Two battos tumbled away and a third tripped the other two.

    The workers fell in atangle of hissing limbs and snarls. San rushed forward, punched a batto that was rising to its legs and then stabbed the other uninjured one.It squealed, but went limp.Elgava was at his side, she slashed down with her short sword and finished the one he had punched.

    Silence filled the room as they breath heavily and waited.The cries of alarm and hissing seemed to have not been noticed.San and the others waited a while longer, taking the time to reload their crossbows.Nothing else arrived.

    ¡°Forward,¡± the Mage said. Bostarion nodded and led the way down into the cavern and toward another tunnel. There were three exits out of the cavern and San didn¡¯t know if Bostarion was picking randomly or not.He supposed they would find out sooner or later.

    ¡°Senta this place reeks,¡± Elgava muttered.

    San agreed, as they moved down the tunnel the stink that permeated the the place seemed to intensify.It brought back memories of the Flesh Horror¡¯s lair, the sickening stench of rot, death, but also something more.As if the mere presence of these void monsters caused the very air around them to decay and warp.

    In silence they trudged forward, until they arrived into another cavern.This time they all stopped at the lip and stared into it.San gulped, the scene before them was reminiscent of a space horror movie he had loved as a kid.Space marines, insect like alien monsters, colonists stuck to the walls, not as incubators here, but as food to be devoured by the newborn creatures.

    ¡°By all the holiness in the world,¡± Elgava whispered.

    The room was massive, about three hundred feet across and one hundred feet high.San didn¡¯t know how it remained standing as there were no pillars or supports to hold the massive room up.Within the chamber there were everything from skeletons to entire carcasses of half eaten beasts.

    Endaha and Cassa had been stuck to the wall of the farmhouse with the resin, the same was done in this place. All the creatures, people, and other animals were attached to the walls, some moving, most dead.

    ¡°Where did they get those people?¡± the Mage wondered.

    ¡°They look to be Tribal,¡± Bostarion remarked. ¡°There are hunters from the Tribes that go into the mountains to test themselves.¡±

    ¡°Sweet Senta, those poor fools,¡± Elgava said.

    ¡°One is still alive,¡± San said. He took out his binoculars and peered though the darkness with it.The bioluminescence wasn¡¯t as bright in this room, due to its size, but he could make out the weakly struggling figure of a man attached to the walls.

    ¡°Poor bastard,¡± Elgava said.

    San panned his binoculars around and stopped as he saw what lay at the far end of the chamber.It was a batto, but hugely massive. Around it swarmed worker battos, lifting and carrying ovoid fleshy objects that were being deposited onto the ground.

    ¡°The queen,¡± San said.

    Everyone stopped speaking and peered across the chamber. In the dim light, it was hard to make out, but there she sat.A massive creature laying the eggs of her nest. To one side sat a smaller creature with a long fleshy cord connecting the two.

    ¡°It¡¯s making another fucking queen,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°How are we doing this?¡± San asked, he peered around the chamber again.It was an entirely open area, they were in one of several tunnels that lead out of the cavern.It was very likely that if they began a fight, the other tunnels would spew out more workers or warriors.

    ¡°We need to do it fast,¡± the Mage said. ¡°You hit that big batto with the catalyst rocks, can you do this too?¡±

    San looked to the queen, she sat at the far end of the chamber. That was three hundred feet he would have to throw.The monster he had hit with the rocks was less than a third of that.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± San said. ¡°We need the element of surprise. I can¡­ try to get closer.¡±

    ¡°Fucking fool,¡± Elgava muttered.

    ¡°Alright,¡± the Mage said. ¡°This is what we-¡°

    The Mage paused and looked behind him.San followed his gaze but saw nothing. A moment later he felt it, a deep rumble that ran through the nest.Like a distant explosion.

    ¡°No,¡± the Mage whispered.

    ¡°What?¡± San asked.

    ¡°They¡¯ve blown the entrance,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Ilagio.That was a blackpowder explosion. I can sense when its going off,¡± the Mage said. ¡°They¡¯ve blown the entrance that we used to get in here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s madness. Why would they-¡°

    A different rumble began to fill the air.San turned toward the chamber and saw that it was filling with more workers and warriors.The queen began making a keening sound and San knew they were screwed.

 026

    26

    The cavern began filling with battos, scurrying in from deeper within the nest, arriving at the behest of their keening queen.

    ¡°We¡¯re fucked,¡± Elgava said.She immediately began pulling off the two pistols she carried, setting them on the ground before her and then setting out the crossbow bolts alongside them.She paused and looked at everyone else. ¡°Well, get ready. If we die, we die fighting.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not die,¡± San said.He peered throughout the large cavern. The battos hadn¡¯t noticed them yet and from what he could tell none were coming up from behind them.The tunnel they had followed to this place was fairly direct, if they had hidden tunnels or if there were battos they had bypassed, then they would be showing up soon.

    His focus was on the battos before them.Three hundred feet lay between the two groups, the battos milled around their queen but hadn¡¯t been ordered to do anything. San looked around the cavern, seeing if they could use any of it to their advantage.

    ¡°There,¡± the Mage Lieutenant whispered. San followed his pointing finger.Fifty feet from their position was a pile fo what looked like boards and planks.It was a pile of trash and debris that the battos had haphazardly left in one place.San peered through the semi-darkness and saw that it wasn¡¯t the only pile of trash within the cavern. Where had all this stuff come from?

    ¡°It¡¯s treasure,¡± Elgava said.San saw what she meant.Among the wooden boards and planks, there gleamed old and rusted suits of armor, weapons, and other things that soldiers, warriors, and Adventurers had once carried.He saw a wagon wheel among the debris.

    ¡°They¡¯ve been collecting the stuff people leave behind,¡± the Mage Lieutenant said.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°Sometimes there are good stuff in the batto hoards, but not much.Just a few coins and items they¡¯ve collected.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± San asked. ¡°They¡¯re just bringing trash into their nest.¡±

    The ranger shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re void monsters, who knows why they do anything.¡±

    ¡°I can make a fire,¡± San said. ¡°I can light that pile up and it will hold back most of the horde.¡±

    ¡°Aye, it¡¯ll be a real bitch to get there,¡± Bostarion said.San nodded, seeing that the path between them and the pile of trash was a twisted one, blocks of what appeared to be bricks lay scattered in large piles across the cavern floor.There were also resinous growths, that held up the bioluminescent fungi, spread everywhere.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a cave,¡± San said.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Elgava asked.

    San scooted toward the edge of the entrance they huddled in and scrapped away some of the resin covering the walls.Underneath lay brickwork. It was pitted and old, the mortar crumbling, but it was manmade. He peered back into the cave and saw what he had glossed over before.The piles of bricks weren¡¯t just random piles, they had once been pillars or arches to support the vast roof above them.

    ¡°Oh, great,¡± Elgava muttered. ¡°We¡¯re in some old Kingdom ruins. Bad enough there¡¯s battos, there¡¯s probably Hanged King shades wandering about too.¡±

    A sense of unease filled him as he looked up toward the roof of the cavern.There was only darkness in those upper reaches, the light too dim to reach and the fungi not growing in vast patches.Anything could be lurking up there and the battos could fly.

    ¡°The moment we make a move for the trash pile, they¡¯ll be on us,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°Ah, Hetvana¡¯s hell,¡± Elgava hissed. ¡°I just set up all my stuff.¡± She began rehooking her pistols and crossbow bolts back to her pack.

    ¡°Ready?¡± Bostarion asked.

    ¡°How many of the pipe bombs do you have?¡± San asked the Mage Lieutenant.

    ¡°Nine,¡± he responded.

    ¡°Give me four,¡± San said. The Mage hesitated for a moment and then dug into his pack, handing San four of the canisters.

    San removed his paracord from his pack and tightly bound the four bombs together.He then attached a four foot length of cord to it.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± the Mage asked.

    ¡°Hammer throw,¡± San smiled. ¡°My cousin used to love the sport. He tried getting me into it when we were younger, but I never really had the coordination.¡±

    He was different now, San thought.The power of the gems had made him sure footed and his aim unerringly good.He checked the weight of the four bombs and figured they were about twenty pounds total.He could do it.If they got to the pile of wood, that would cut the distance between them and the queen by fifty or more feet.He could make that kind of throw¡­ hopefully.

    San pulled out a torch from his pack.He took a deep breath and looked at everyone.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move,¡± San said. He cracked his neck and then jumped down into the darkness below them.The others followed suit. There was no way to move silently, as their armor clanked, the weapons and tools they carried hit metal, and their packs heavy with supplies.

    The battos heard the noise and began hissing, this time the queen¡¯s eye stalks snapped right at them.They were massive watery things that seemed to glow in the dark like the fungi. The queen let out a screech and the workers and warriors moved as one, bounding across the littered landscape with ease and agility.

    The pile of discarded wood and planks was only twenty feet before them when San ignited the torch. The oil soaked rags and twigs burst into flames and the others had their weapons ready.San skidded to a stop before the pile of material and from his pocket pulled out a plastic bag full of gunpowder.He dumped the powder upon the aged wood and tossed the torch after.

    The gunpowder ignited with a loud hiss and a flash of light and smoke.Flames roared as the dried wood and tinder caught fight.San raised his hands, shielding his face from the sudden heat and light.

    ¡°Fire in the Night!¡± he shouted.

    The fire roared once again, turning blue for a moment before returning to its normal color.The battos began screeching, their headlong charge unable to stop as they neared their position.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± San shouted and threw himself back from the fire.The first batto rammed into the pile of wood and debris, the fire hissing and crackled and the batto screamed in agony. Then another hit and another and another.

    ¡°The fire!¡± the Mage cried and then turned to fire his crossbow into a batto that had swerved around the the blaze.

    Half a dozen battos burned and screamed on the fire, their black bodies twisting and smothering the wood that had yet to fully ignite.San cursed and pulled another bag of gunpowder from his pack. He threw the plastic ziplock bag at the flames, cursing again as he saw that it was an entire gallon bag.

    The fire didn¡¯t explode, but it bloomed and soared, drenching the cavern in bright yellow light and scorching every bit of hair on San¡¯s face.He staggered back, coughing as the screams of battos sang as a choir of agony.His eyes cleared and he saw the battos scattering, many on fire and spreading those flames across the cavern.

    The roar of pistols filled the air, not all the battos were running. The workers were, but the warriors were steadfast in their determination to kill the invaders.

    Elgava was cursing, smashing her shield into a monster¡¯s side while stabbing with her short sword.San pulled out a pistol and rushed into the fight.He fired pointblank into the body of a batto and kicked it away, the expended pistol he dropped and the pulled another.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    There was a buzzing noise and San ducked this head just as a flying batto screeched by overhead.He heard a crash as the divebombing batto slammed heavily into the cavern floor.Another battos came at him and he fired the pistol.It roared in his hands and the batto slid by, red ichor pumping from the deadly wound.

    The Mage Lieutenant ignited a grenade and threw it into the mass of battos swarming around the fire.The grenade detonated, killing a few and pushing the horde back for a moment.

    San unhooked his last two pistols and shoved them into Elgava¡¯s hand. She nodded and stood by him as he pulled his bundle of bombs out.There was another screech and San looked beyond the flames to see the queen was rising to her feet.

    The Guardian that had attacked them had been twenty feet tall and nearly as wide.The queen, San realized, was nearly thirty and nearly just as wide. Suddenly the bundle of four grenades didn¡¯t seem all that much.

    ¡°She¡¯s coming!¡± Bostarion yelled, he loped off a tail and stabbed repeatedly into a batto.

    ¡°How long are these fuses?¡± San asked.

    ¡°About four seconds,¡± the Mage called back.He threw another grenade at a swarm of warriors.The creatures cried out and scurried back, leaving several of their injured behind.

    The queen roared as she began stomping in their direction.

    San shrugged and sparked his lighter against the fuse of the bombs.The fuse hissed and sputtered and San immediately began swinging the entire bundle around him. Hammer throwing was an Olympic sport.One that San had seen plenty of times and at his cousin¡¯s encouragement tried a few times himself.It required strength, balance, situational awareness, and technique.

    The queen was charging in a direct line at them.There were some debris scattered about, but she towered over all of them.San had to release at the right time and at the right angle, and with enough speed to cross the two hundred feet that separated them.

    Half praying and half by just feel, San released the bundle of bombs.It shot out into the darkness, heading straight toward the queen. He grinned until and long tail whipped out and slapped the sparking bundle away.The grenades were knocked off course, the canisters detonating in the air.

    Hot metal shards scattered and pinged off the walls and the battos. More cries of pain were sounded and the monsters swirled around their queen, pulling back for a moment. The thunderous roar of the detonating canisters filled the room and shook fine dust from the ceiling above them.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± San cried.

    There was another rumble, one that they all felt.The ground beneath them shuddered slightly and more dust shifted down from above.San looked up toward the ceiling and saw a lone brick drop down and hit the floor about twenty feet away.

    ¡°Give me a catalyst rock,¡± San said.

    The Mage looked at San and then toward the ceiling. ¡°No,¡± he said.

    ¡°Give it to me.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯ll kill us all,¡± the Mage snapped.

    ¡°Elgava, get that shield you can create ready,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aw, fuck, San,¡± the woman cried, seeing where they were looking. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can hold that all back.¡±

    ¡°Better do something fast,¡± Bostarion shouted, firing off his crossbow at the battos.

    ¡°Shit,¡± the Mage said and tossed San a fist sized crystal rock.

    The fire kept most of the battos away, but with the queen marching into battle, the workers had returned and were embolden by the presence of their leader.San looked toward the queen, she was eating up a lot of ground and her horde surrounded her.

    ¡°Get ready to run,¡± San said.

    He got back into his pitcher¡¯s pose and then flung the rock into the cavern ceiling.He didn¡¯t pause to see it hit or watch the catalyst rock explode, instead he turned and raced after the others.

    A loud boom resounded through the cavern almost as loud as the four bombs that had gone off. But the noise didn¡¯t end there, instead there was a sudden groan and what sounded like a series of rapid explosions.

    The group threw themselves behind a pile of bricks and San barreled into them.

    ¡°Barrier!¡± Elgava shouted as the roof above them collapsed.

    ***

    San groaned and opened his eyes.He coughed raggedly at the dust that filled the air.He heard moans of pain around him and puled himself into a sitting position.He saw Bostarion open his eyes and then spit out blood and dirt from his mouth.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Elgava groaned, shifting beside San.She looked at him, her helmet askew and the the fabric of her brigandine white with dust.¡°Are we dead?¡±

    ¡°It smells like we are,¡± the Mage said.San looked at him and then laughed.The Mage looked confused and then grinned also.

    Bostarion and Elgava gave a weary chuckle at the joke.¡°Looks like its still daylight,¡± Elgava remarked.

    San blinked and realized he could see, not from the bioluminescent fungi, but with real light.He looked into the cavern and saw a great beam of sunlight filtering down into the cavern. He also noted the air was getting colder too.

    He got to his feet, helping the others to theirs too.The cavern was still shrouded in darkness and dust, but nothing else moved or skittered about.

    ¡°That Tribal,¡± Elgava said.

    San silently cursed himself as he had forgotten about the man who had been tired to the wall. He wondered if he had survived or not.San began making his way across the rubble, thick slabs of rock, brick, and old rotten beams now lay scattered across the floor.He noted that all the eggs that had been within the chamber seemed to have been crushed and with the cold air and sprinkles of snow entering the cavern, they wouldn¡¯t be able to incubate.

    ¡°This nest is dead,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°They need it warm to keep their young alive, with a hole that big, they¡¯re fucked.¡± The ranger gave San a grin.

    ¡°It¡¯s not over until we get the queen¡¯s head,¡± the Mage said. ¡°Both queens.¡±

    Bostarion nodded and they treked across the broken landscape.

    ¡°Fuck, you¡¯re a tough one,¡± Elgava announced.She stood looking up at the Tribal who had been bound to the walls.The man cracked open redden eye and stared at them, dust and blood covered his half naked body.

    ¡°Blessed Mother,¡± he said.

    ¡°Must be mad to think I¡¯m their goddess,¡± Elgava cracked and grinned.

    ¡°You speak Tribal?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, good to know your enemy¡¯s lingo.Plus makes it better when you can curse at them fluently.¡±

    ¡°Help me get him down,¡± San said.He pulled himself up onto a rock and began ripping the resin away.Elgava joined him, using a dagger to chip and cut away the resin.

    Bostarion and the Mage eased their way toward the last known location of the queen.They had their crossbows and pistols reloaded and barely moved across the broken brick.The sunlight was weak, but it bathed them in a white glow, dusting them with blown in snow.

    They freed the man and set him down upon the ground.He groaned at their rough handling, but didn¡¯t complain otherwise.

    ¡°Poison¡¯s still got him,¡± Elgava said. ¡°Should be up soon, if he was already struggling to free himself.¡±

    San nodded, remembering Endaha and Cassa¡¯s own experience with the batto poison. San took off his pack and pulled out his blanket.He also pulled the nipple of his water bladder and held it up to the man¡¯s mouth.The man eagerly began sucking, pulling in the water.He drank his fill; then suddenly opened his eyes and began gasping.

    ¡°Blessed mother!¡± he screamed, sitting up right.

    ¡°Easy there,¡± San said.

    The man looked at him with wide eyes, finally focusing on his face. He blinked and then looked around.

    ¡°Am I dead?¡±

    ¡°I should hope not,¡± Elgava said. ¡°Though I¡¯d not be surprised to see the talking dead in a place like this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re alive, friend. What¡¯s your name?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Pivane,¡± the man said. He groaned and lay back down. ¡°Water please.¡±

    San gave him more water and the man greedily drank it.He lay there for a long while, his eyes opened and unfocused.

    ¡°My cousin and I were hunting the void monsters. We were fools, to think we could gain levels so easily. The battos, they caught us¡­ my cousin¡­ is he alive?¡±

    ¡°There is no one else living here,¡± San said. ¡°We are in the battos caverns, we have killed the queen¡­ I think.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s dead,¡± the Mage said. He lifted up a fleshy sack. ¡°Baron¡¯s gems.¡±

    San nodded. ¡°No bonus for those who killed it?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Up to the Baron,¡± the Mage replied. He looked to Elgava.¡°It could be said that there was payment already made. After all she leveled.¡±

    ¡°Those were San¡¯s gems,¡± Elgava said, eyes narrowing.

    The Mage shrugged. ¡°Not my call on how to divide the gems.¡±

    ¡°Those are white gems, four of them from the queen. She was an old one, that queen. The newborn only had a red in her,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°A gem for everyone,¡± Elgava stated.

    ¡°I¡¯m too damn old,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°Mage¡¯s don¡¯t level,¡±the Mage said.

    San looked up in surprise. ¡°You don¡¯t level?¡±

    The Mage looked at San with annoyance. ¡°Yes, we don¡¯t level. We naturally can warp and use mana, but we aren¡¯t changed by it like those that consume a gem,¡± he said. ¡°If we consume a gem we can die from it.We can gain great power, but we¡¯ll never be as fast or as strong as a Leveled.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that,¡± San said.

    ¡°Rocks for brains, I tell ya,¡± Elgava said. ¡°Means two gems for San and me.¡±

    ¡°Hetvan¡¯s cunt, girl,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°You get your first damn Level less than a day and you¡¯re already demanding another?¡± The ranger scoffed. ¡°Level too fast and you¡¯ll end up killing yourself.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called Leveling Sickness,¡± the Mage answered before San could ask.¡°Level too fast, it causes too many changes within you.You get sick and the mana burns you up from the inside.Leaves you a desiccated husk.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± San said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take one,¡± the man on the ground spoke.

    ¡°He lives?¡± Bostarion asked, looking down at the Tribal.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Elgava got to her feet, grunting with the weight of her armor and pack. ¡°Now,¡± she said looking up at the patch of sky above them, ¡°let¡¯s get the hell out of here.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t¡± Bostarion said. ¡°All the tunnels collapsed.¡±

    Elgava sighed and then sat back down. ¡°Wake me when you find a way out of here,¡± she said, then promptly fell asleep.

 027

    27

    ¡°We really can¡¯t get out through these tunnels,¡± San said as he shoved against the blockage of rocks and debris.He dusted the resin off his gauntlets and looked to Elgava who stood with a torch in hand.

    ¡°We¡¯re fucked,¡± she said.

    ¡°Not entirely,¡± San exited the tunnel, looking up toward the hole in the roof. ¡°We could climb out through there.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s about fifty feet from the floor to the roof, foreigner.Unless you can jump that high.¡±

    ¡°I really sucked at basketball,¡± San said. ¡°People always figured since I was tall, I¡¯d be good at it, but I was terrible.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes when you talk, I have no idea what you¡¯re saying,¡± Elgava said.She shrugged. ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll find a rope or something around here, perhaps built a staircase out of the dead bodies and batto corpses.¡±

    ¡®There¡¯s an idea,¡± Bostarion said as he neared them. ¡°I mean finding a rope or something, not building a staircase out of corpses.¡±

    ¡°There is a lot of trash in here,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye, but there might be treasures too,¡± Elgava said, nudging a rusted hammer half buried in resin. ¡°A fewhundred sars and some new gear, I could become an Adventurer.¡±

    ¡°You want to be an Adventurer?¡± San asked.

    Elgava shrugged. ¡°I have a level now.Never thought I¡¯d have one before.Not much you can do with a level like mine except fight or hunt monsters.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± San said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think about that.You might have had other dreams you wanted to follow.¡±

    Elgava snorted. ¡°Fuck that.What lay ahead of me was getting my narrow ass married and squeezing out babes for some half drunk farmer, like my sisters, like my cousins and every damn one I know.¡± She looked around at the semi-dark cavern. ¡°This is actually far worse, but it can get better if we survive.¡±

    ¡°If we survive,¡± Bostarion said.¡°We don¡¯t have much daylight left, so I¡¯d suggest you start looking for anything that can help. I¡¯ll get a camp set up and make sure the Mage and the Tribal don¡¯t wander off and get themselves killed.¡±

    ¡°Aye, aye,¡± Elgava saluted.

    Elgava walked up to the wall of the cavern and began tugging on something. San watched as she pulled a rusted spear from the wall, she knocked off some of the resin and eyed the dull oxidized blade. She shrugged and walked forward, stopping and then thrusted downward with it. There was a wet popping sound and she grimaced and spat.When she pulled the spear back, there was a fleshy orb stuck to it.

    ¡°Smells worse than the fuckers when they¡¯re older,¡± she said.

    Battos eggs, San realized.He scanned the floor and saw many of the head sized fleshy orbs.Bostarion said they needed the warmth to grow fully, but it seemed Elgava wasn¡¯t taking any chances.

    San dug into his pockets and pulled out his flashlight.He powered up the light and began looking in the dark corners of the cavern.The walls were thick we resin and old bones of animals and creatures.The heavy rotting stink was still everywhere, but with the opening in the roof, there was some fresh air coming in.The temperature had already dropped too, not freezing, but chilly.

    San kicked aside cast off egg sacks and peered behind anything that looked like it might hold something.If it weren¡¯t for the situation they were in and the fact that there were dead animals all around them, San might have enjoyed the treasure hunt.It reminded him somewhat of Mary¡¯s excitement when they would go looking at antiques or garage sales to find a perfect overlooked item. She had a taste for brass, wood, and glass, as she used to say: ¡¯stuff that would look cool in candlelight¡¯.

    There was a lot of trash and bone.Nothing that seemed useful. San walked along the edges of the room, staring up at the half devoured creatures that the battos had retrieved.He wondered with a nest this large, how they managed to stay hidden so long. It didn¡¯t seem that something this big could have gone unnoticed for so long. The sheer logistics of feeding the vast amount of workers would have stripped the entire forest and mountains of game.

    San came to a stop when he saw a pair of half rotted heads attached to the walls.The gnawed upon skeleton was scattered upon the floor, but San saw the white fur that was still embedded in the resin.He shone his light at the skulls, seeing black hollowed holes staring back at him.

    Shrugging, San used his sword to pry the heads from the wall and dropped them to the ground. He used his boots to stomp on the dried out heads, the skulls cracking like dried wood.He crouched down and used his dagger to dig through the desiccated remains. Among the shards of skull were six yellow gems apiece.

    ¡°Find something?¡± Elgava asked. ¡°Gold?¡±

    ¡°Better. Yellow gems,¡± San said.

    ¡°Fuck. No.¡± Elgava turned and walked away. ¡°You can court death all you want. Count me out.¡±

    ¡°Is it that bad to have these?¡±

    ¡°If the Cults find out you have yellows and can use them, they¡¯ll kill you and take the gems.Only their priests and holy ones can use them,¡± Elgava said. ¡°Everyone knows that.¡±

    San placed the one dozen gems into the plastic bag with the four he had remaining. He looked at them and shrugged. Life was dangerous enough as it was, what was a little more danger?He knew he could use the gems to make different fires and different strains of yeast. What else did the fire want to be, what else could the alcohol become?

    ¡°There¡¯s gold too,¡± San said, shining his light upon small oval shaped chunks of hammered gold.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s the lad I know and love!¡± Elgava cried, crouching down and picking up the chunks of gold. ¡°Worry not, we¡¯ll split this all even. Fifty fifty.¡±

    ¡°Thirty-three each,¡± Bostarion said looking down at Elgava.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± she muttered.

    ¡°Any gems found belong to the Baron,¡± the Mage said as San tucked away his plastic bag. ¡°Any other treasure will be taxed one fifth.¡±

    ¡°Fucking taxes,¡± Elgava muttered.

    ¡°Is that gold?¡± the Mage asked, crouching beside Elgava.

    ¡°I found it first,¡± she hissed.

    ¡°We¡¯re all in this together,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°Fuck you guys,¡± Elgava said. ¡°I was getting half of this, now I¡¯m only getting one fifth?¡±

    ¡°What about the Tribal?¡± San asked, glancing toward the unconscious man.There was a fire burning and the man had been placed beside it.

    ¡°Fuck him,¡± Bostarion and Elgava stated.

    ¡°Anyone find anything useful?¡± San asked.

    Bostarion sighed and looked around. ¡°Nah, there ain¡¯t shit here but shit and trash.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we can excavate one of these tunnels,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°There¡¯s usually only one way in and out of a batto nest,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°Those fuckers, if you¡¯re right, blew the entrance. We¡¯re fucked.¡±

    ¡°Well that Guardian had to come out somewhere, these tunnels seem a bit too small for that big guy,¡± San said.He didn¡¯t see any other exit that would have been large enough to accommodate the creature.Unless it manage to somehow squeeze itself through the tunnels and snake its way to underneath their camp. ¡°Maybe it was guarding something else than the queen.¡±

    ¡°What would it be guarding besides the queen?¡± the Mage asked.

    San shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not the batto expert here,¡± he said.

    ¡°The queen¡¯s all they think about,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°They¡¯d only be protecting her and her young.¡±

    ¡°The queen commands them, right?¡± San asked. ¡°Otherwise it wouldn¡¯t have come out of the nest and attacked us.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Aye, she can make them do things,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°So there¡¯s either another way out of here or the Guardian was guarding something else,¡± San said.

    ¡°That¡¯s a strange leap of logic,¡± the Mage said.¡°It also doesn¡¯t help us, unless there is another exit from here.¡±

    San shrugged again.

    ¡°With our luck, it¡¯ll be buried under all the rubble,¡± Elgava said.

    ¡°With our luck.¡±

    Everyone looked to the large pile of bricks, rock, dirt, and snow.The mound reached about fifteen feet high, leaving another forty or more feet to the opening.

    ***

    San jerked awake, he sat up quickly and cast around.The fire burned low beside him and the night air was chilly and rotten smelling.He took a slow breath and blinked.

    The Mage sat across the fire from him, his dark eyes peering at him.

    ¡°Nightmares?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San said. ¡°The Nox attack.I keep seeing the yellow eyes.¡±

    ¡°You killed a Mage in that fight, yes?¡± the Mage asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San said slowly. ¡°He was doing something, made everyone want to just rest and give up.I managed to shoot him when he wasn¡¯t looking.¡±

    ¡°A poor Mage then,¡± the man said dismissively.

    San didn¡¯t say anything, instead looking out into the dark cavern.They had moved their camp into one of the tunnels, the cavern left them too exposed and no one was positive all the battos were dead.

    ¡°I-¡° San began but stopped as there was a loud crash within the cavern.He reached for his loaded pistol and with the Mage edged toward the entrance of the tunnel.

    Bostarion and Elgava jerked awake, seeing the two of them moving, they grabbed their weapons and wordlessly joined them. Only the Tribal was fast asleep.

    There was another crash and a rumble. San looked up toward the ceiling of the cavern.

    ¡°I think it might be collapsing,¡± San said.

    ¡°Fuck. Been pure shit knowing you all,¡± Elgava said.

    A cluster of bricks visibly fell from the ceiling, the hole widening slightly.San peered at the hole, seeing towering dark shapes that seemed to cluster around the hole. The stars seemed to waver for a moment, as if something moved in front of it.

    ¡°What is that?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Trees,¡± Elgava said, squinting. ¡°Fucking trees.¡±

    ¡°No that isn¡¯t a fucking tree,¡± San said. ¡°It¡¯s that thing I saw the first night out of the komai.¡±

    There was another crash.

    ¡°Best we back away from here,¡± Bostarion said, there was fear in his voice as he saw the smearing light.He could see the near humanoid shape, the figure of something they could not entirely see, but it was there.¡°It¡¯s big, we¡¯ll be safer in the tunnel.¡±

    Everyone agreed and headed back into the tunnel.A moment later there was another crash and a loud rumbling that filled the entire cavern.The Tribal sat up, eyes wide with horror.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Bostarion said.

    It began with the clattering of stone and debris, then it began increasing like a hailstorm.Loud cracks, booms, and thunderous rumbling.Then there was a loud thump that shook everyone and the entire cavern¡¯s ceiling collapsed.

    San was the last into the tunnel and he saw a shape descending with the cavern roof, the dust and debris coalescing around a massive humanoid shape.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± San said.

    The dust, debris, and falling rock clattered everywhere.The others rushed into the tunnels, followed by a billowing clouds of rancid dust and debris. Small stones pinged off of San¡¯s armor and he heard Bostarion curse as he was hit.

    They all crouched to the ground, coughing and gagging.

    ¡°Quiet,¡± San hissed. ¡°That thing came down.¡±

    Immediatley everyone shut up, eyes wide.The fire billowed and stuttered, then finally was snuffed out.They were plunged into darkness. The only noise was the whimpering got the Tribal and muttered prayers from Elgava.

    ¡°You saw?¡± the Mage whispered.

    ¡°I saw it coming down, I think its what collapsed the roof,¡± San said back in a low voice.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Bostarion asked.

    ¡°I have no clue, but it¡¯s human shaped, with four arms, and what looks like a giant square head, maybe forty feet tall.¡± San said.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Elgava whimpered.

    ¡°Blessed Mother!¡± the Tribal cried out.There was the sound of scuffling and the man seemed to have been dog piled and his mouth covered as the next words were a low muffled sob.

    ¡°Shut the fuck up,¡± Elgava hissed. ¡°You wanna die, bastard?¡±

    ¡°Quiet,¡± Bostarion said.

    They sat in the darkness, straining to hear anything.San could feel his heart thundering, the harder he tried to listen, the sound of his heart beat seemed to drown out everything.He could feel something, something moving out there.San remembered seeing the creature coming toward their camp the first night, it had moved through the trees without disturbing them.

    Was it some kind of creature that could phase through objects? Like a ghost or something?

    The sound of crumbling brick caused everyone to hold thier breaths.More brick clattered about and the noise of something moving in the darkness pulled all their nerves taunt. Could it see them? Were they hiding in the dark for no reason? San didn¡¯t know, the creature had moved easily through the night, perhaps it could see in the dark.If that were the case, they would all be dead before they knew what was happening.

    San tensed and strained his ears.He could feel the footfalls more than he could hear them.They were coming closer to their position. Fire in the Night had kept it at bay before, perhaps it would again.

    It might work, if he could see anything.The bioluminescent fungi had died once the cold entered the cavern, leaving the entire place a dark and lightless pit.

    ¡°Aw, fuck,¡± Elgava whispered.¡°The fire didn¡¯t go out completely.¡±

    There was a soft muttering of curses as San began to smell something burning.Smoke tickled his nose, but he couldn¡¯t see any light or flame.

    ¡°What is that?¡± he asked softly.

    ¡°I think one of the packs is starting to burn,¡± Bostarion whispered back.

    ¡°There¡¯s gunpowder in all our packs,¡± the Mage replied.

    San moved slowly, his hands roaming the floor of the tunnel and he hissed in pain as his bare hands touched something hot. In the darkness he peered at it and saw the red glow of embers from the fire.He felt around and felt a cloth bag that held some food was smoldering in the ashes of the fire.

    He quietly told the others and the managed to shift away from the smoldering embers. Outside of the tunnel, more brick clattered and a strange keening noise began to fill the cavern.

    San moved slowly and as quietly at he could. His hands roamed across everything he could touch, feeling the packs they hard carried, discarded resin, and the rocks that littered the cave.He finally found his own pack and slowly began to unzip it.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Bostarion whispered.

    ¡°The fire,¡± San said.¡°The Power kept it away last time in the woods. If we can get the fire going, maybe we can chase this monster away.¡±

    ¡°Or it¡¯ll kill us,¡± the Mage¡¯s voice responded.

    ¡°Maybe. But it won¡¯t be long before it does find us. This cavern isn¡¯t so big we can hide forever.¡±

    No one argued with that.

    ¡°Elgava,¡± San said. ¡°Can you cast your barrier again?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to get this fire lit, but once it is lit, that monster¡¯s gonna know where we are.It might try to attack us,¡± San said. ¡°I need that barrier up as the fire gets lit.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that strong,¡± Elgava said. ¡°I can hold it for only a few seconds, but anything big hitting it will destroy it easily.¡±

    ¡°I can assist,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I am a Mage. I can provide her mana as she uses her Power.It can make her barrier stronger and last longer.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± San was surprised.

    ¡°It is a skill that I have learned and mastered,¡± the Mage said. ¡°One that all Mages must know so that great magics can be cast.¡±

    San nodded in the darkness. ¡°Okay,¡± he said. He opened his pack and pulled out the stainless steel water bottle. He also pulled out the small bag of tinder and kindling he carried with him.

    Bostarion moved around, bringing out wood and pulling together the embers of the fire.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to act quick,¡± the ranger said.

    ¡°One of these days I¡¯m going to have to find something that¡¯ll start a fire faster,¡± San said. The remainder of the bottle of Courage was still a high proof alcohol, but it wasn¡¯t guaranteed to ignite fast.

    San took a deep breath. ¡°Ready?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Good to go, San,¡± Elgava whispered back.

    Bostarion blew on the embers while San tossed the tinder and kindling atop of it.He then splashed the Courage onto the dried sticks. The fire flared as the alcohol ignited and the kindling and tinder caught fire.

    ¡°Fire in the Night,¡± San said and the fire blossomed with blue. The sudden roar of the fire caused the remaining dried wood to ignite.

    There was a loud screech that filled the air, a rumble of bricks and pounding footsteps.

    ¡°Barrier!¡± Elgava screamed and San turned to see a massive twisted fist slam into her barrier. The invisible shield shuddered and flared, but the Mage had his hands around Elgava¡¯s heads.A faint blue glow crossing between his hand and her temples, a look of concentration and straining on the mans¡¯ face.

    San picked up a torch and shoved it into the fire.The oil soaked rags and wood flared to life and he pushed himself toward the barrier.Elgava was pale as she strained to hold back the pummeling of the monster.

    The barrier shattered as San reached them.He thrust the torch out before him and the fist that had been flying toward them, jerked back.San staggered out of the tunnel, waving the fiery torch before him.

    In the light of the torch, he saw the creature fully. He had only seen the outline as it had descended into the cavern. It¡¯s body finally revealed in the clouds of dust.Like Wolfram, this creature could be invisible, but it still left a mark on the world.

    San stared up at the monstrosity, his hands trembling as he saw glittering scaled flesh.Iridescent colors, like motor oil in water, wavered and sparkled as hand sized scales reflected the torchlight.The creature was tall, but narrowly built.It was like a man who had been stretched to an impossibly length and covered in scales.

    The head was a massive rectangular thing, a massive hinging jaw and scores of eyes dotted the block. It was attached to an impossibly thin neck and shoulders, the arms are multi-jointed and hung nearly to the ground, two sets that ended in oversized mitts with black talons at the end. The legs were bowed and the knees inverted, allowing it to crouch low and scream its rage at San.

    ¡°Begone!¡± the Mage shouted.

    There was an explosion as a catalyst rock slammed into the side of the monster¡¯s head.An eruption of flesh and scales formed and the monster screamed in pain. It skittered back, terrifyingly fast and very agile. The iridescent scales flickered and parts of its body began to vanish.

    Bostarion rushed out of the tunnel with another torch, followed by Elgava, still looking pale and sweating, who carried a crossbow.

    The monster screeched at them and the Mage threw another catalyst rock. It detonated and the monster turned and fled. San watched as it dragged itself back through the now expanded hole in the roof, knocking down more debris and torn up trees.

    No one said anything as they stood there, the torchlight illuminated a small patch in the darkness.They couldn¡¯t hear the monster anymore; the only noise was the crackling of the fire and the sputtering of the torches.

    ¡°Hetvana¡¯s cunt,¡± Elgava said. ¡°We make more torches and we keep a fire burning all the fucking time from now on.¡±

    No one disagreed with her on that point.

 028

    28

    Dawn arrived none too soon.San wearily looked out of the tunnel they were hidden within and scanned the cavern that was still bathed in mostly darkness, but with enough light now that the roof was shredded that it made seeing much easier.

    San stared at the hole in the roof. Before it had been merely a large circular opening, allowing in a bit of snow and light, but after that iridescent creature had escaped, the roof was now a wide and jagged opening that showed a brilliant patch of turquoise sky.

    The invisible monster hadn¡¯t just opened a hole, it had also pulled down trees and other detritus that had been covering the buried great hall.It was a great hall of some sort, San saw.It was not a naturally made cavern, it might have connected to the cave system that had brought them to this place, but the cavern itself was manmade or San thought it might have been made by man.He didn¡¯t know if there were other sentient beings on this planet. It was a weird fantasy world so it wasn¡¯t out of the possibility.

    The escaping monster had gifted them with apath out of the cavern.The trees, debris, and rocks that had cascadedinto the cavern now created a path that allowed them to exit the cavern.San noted that it would be a difficult path, but it was doable.

    ¡°That¡¯s not going to be pleasant to climb up,¡± Bostarion said as he peered toward the dangling roots and branches they would have to clamor up to reach the exit.

    ¡°We can leave the armor,¡± Elgava responded.

    ¡°Are you also mad, woman?¡± Bostarion said. ¡°You think we¡¯ll be safe out there?¡±

    Elgava grumbled but didn¡¯t say anything.

    The Tribal man looked around, his eyes alighting upon the corpses of the battos and the destruction that had been wrought. He dug through some of the debris and pulled out a rusty sword.The blade was pitted and dull and San assumed it would break with a practice swing.

    ¡°Better to die with a weapon in your hand than defenseless,¡± he said at San¡¯s questioning look.

    ¡°Only if we could have had time to find more loot,¡± Elgava said.

    ¡°We¡¯re low on food, water, and we don¡¯t know how far we¡¯ve come in these caves,¡± the Mage said.He looked up the dangling roots and the rubble that made a bridge toward them. ¡°We weren¡¯t supposed to take more than a day in this place.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Elgava said. ¡°That fucker Ilagio¡¯s gonna get my sword up his ass when we get back.Why blow the fucking entrance?¡±

    ¡°To keep the battos in place,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°He didn¡¯t think we were gonna survive this, so he blew it.¡±

    ¡°That fucker,¡± Elgava said again.

    ¡°At the time it might have seen like the right choice to make,¡± San said.

    ¡°You backing up that lump of woolly shit?¡± Elgava asked. ¡°You¡¯re stuck here with us too, y¡¯know.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Aw, to Hetvana¡¯s hell with it,¡± Elgava grumbled. ¡°Let¡¯s load up and leave this shithole. I¡¯ll never get the smell of this place outta my skin.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to actually bathe for once in your damn life,¡± Bostarion muttered.

    ¡°Fuck you, old man,¡± Elgava hissed.

    San chuckled and gathered up his meager belongings.As a group they had lost two pistols and two crossbows.San didn¡¯t know if it was during the fight or during the second monster attack.They were also limited on crossbow bolts and gunpowder, although San carried a large amount of pistol shot.

    They spent a few moments loading the pistols and then trudged up the debris mound to reach the lower branches and roots hanging down.

    ¡°Up you go, foreigner,¡± Elgava said. ¡°You¡¯re probably the heaviest, and if it holds, we all can go.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the lightest go first?¡± San asked. ¡°Carry up some rope and secure a path for us to all follow?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s madness,¡± Elgava said. ¡°We don¡¯t have any rope anyway.¡±

    San nodded at that.He had some bits of paracord left, but they were all shorter than a couple of feet.He wished he had thought about bringing some cordage with him, for moments like this.

    Shaking his head and sighing, San approached the wall of roots and grabbed a hold of them. They were wet and a few already snapped as he put weight on it.He looked up at the tree that was dangling precariously over the edge.More trees had fallen around the central one, locking it in place, but San wasn¡¯t confident about its stability.

    ¡°I¡¯m not good at climbing,¡± San said.

    ¡°The only thing you¡¯re good at is trying to get yourself killed,¡± Elgava said. ¡°No wait, you¡¯re shit at that too!¡±

    Sighing once more, San crouched down and then thrusted upward with his legs.He got a few feet off the ground, the realization of how much physical power he possessed shocked him.He didn¡¯t think on it too much as he grabbed a thick root and held onto it.

    ¡°See that¡¯s why he goes first,¡± Elgava said.

    San grunted and grabbed a second root, performing a maneuver he hadn¡¯t been able to do in years.He pulled himself up by the strength of his arms, throwing his arm over another root and then gaining purchase to pull himself up further. Bit by bit, he pulled and struggled, until he reached the crown of roots that blocked the way to the trunk of the tree.

    The roots were thick and sturdy and San could get firm footing underneath him.He reached for his sword and pulled it free, his left arm wrapped around a thick root.The sword chopped easily into the roots, carving a rough hole into the root crown to push himself onto the tree trunk.

    Elgava was cheering from below. ¡°Now, make us a path, foreigner.¡±

    San sat there for a moment, breathing heavily.He looked over the root crown and saw he was at least fifteen feet from the debris pile.That put him nearly thirty feet up in the air. He wasn¡¯t afraid of heights, but the vast darkness fo the cavern filled him with a bit of vertigo.

    He stood up slowly, feeling the tree shift with his weight on it.He looked back over toward the others, waved, and then used his sword to chop away branches that were in his path. It was hard and dirty work, the pine needles and sap covered his sword and made it difficult to cut at times.He had to stop repeatedly to clean his blade and then continue on again.

    Bostarion appeared by his side, nearly spooking him off the tree.The old ranger only grinned and began pulling up thin branches and quickly braiding them into a rope to give the others something sturdier to hold onto.

    San pushed forward, reaching the roof of the cavern and the stacks of fallen trees that seemed to be twined among each other.It was like a giant sized game of Pick up Sticks.San looked at the trees and worried about how precariously they were stacked. A wrong move could cause it all to tumble down.

    He studied the trees for a moment and then pushed word, cutting more branches and making a way out of the piles of trees.There was a narrow opening and he barely managed to fit himself into it, his pack catching on some branches and his less than flexible armor not allowing him full articulation.

    After much swearing and cursing, San pulled himself out of the darkness and into the sunlight.He breathed deeply, the stench of the cavern finally gone.He took another deep breath and pulled himself fully out of the cavern. He sat on a tree trunk and stared at the giant hole before him.

    He would have enjoyed the moment longer, but the realization of where he was hit him like a hammer.San slowly got up, sheathing his sword.He reached over his shoulder and grabbed a hold of the torch they had made the night before. Everyone carried a crude torch, just in case they had to face another monster so soon.

    San made his way across the trees wincing every time the trees shuddered and groaned under him.He felt as if a wrong step would send it all tumbling down upon his friends.

    Soon the rest of the group began emerging. Following San¡¯s path, they made it to the edge of the pit, with Bostarion being the last to exit the cavern.

    ¡°Well, now we just head home,¡± Elgava said, shivering slightly. Even with the battos now dead, the cavern had still retained some of its warmth.Now they stood on what appeared to be a large mound in a clearing created by falling trees. The cold winter wind blew and the bright blue sky was already being laced with thin clouds moving fast.

    San dug in his pack and pulled out his compass.He faced a southernly direction and looked at his compass again.

    ¡°Guys,¡± he said. ¡°Was that always there?¡±

    To their south, beyond the gaping void of the pit, stood a massive stone fortress.The stone walls were crumbling and the gaping windows were black pits staring at them. It reminded San of the Mage Chief¡¯s own keep, but this on was built on a far larger scale, dwarfing the village the Tribals called the Cursed City by sheer size.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°A Kingdom fortress,¡± the Mage said. He looked puzzled. ¡°That is south, no? We moved north through the caves, that should not be there.¡±

    ¡°Yet it is,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°We would have seen a massive fortress on the horizon when we approached the batto entrance,¡± the Mage said. ¡°We didn¡¯t see anything of the like.¡±

    San realized what the Mage was speaking of.He looked at the massive fortress, it sat nearly half a mile from their position, but as he thought back on their travels through the caves; they hadn¡¯t traveled all that far perhaps, at most, two miles.

    Maybe they had walked further east or west than they thought?San looked east, but the remaining towering trees blocked his view and to the west there loomed a massive hill of exposed rock and a thin wisp of trees crowning it.

    ¡°There was a stream right?¡± San said, remembering the frozen waterfall. ¡°We just find that and follow it.¡±

    ¡°That is an evil place,¡± the Tribal stated.Pivane looked at everyone, his eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. ¡°That is a place of horror.It is wise to avoid it.¡±

    ¡°I agree with Pivane,¡± San said. ¡°Everyone knows not to go near old ruins while there are monsters about.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°But it may hold ancient secrets,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°You can die for those secrets on your own time,¡± Bostarion said, ¡°and without me.¡± Bostarion looked at Pivane. ¡°You, Tribal, we are returning to the Baronies.You either come with us or we can part ways now.¡±

    The man looked down at his tattered clothing and rusty sword. ¡°I will not last more than a day or two,¡± he said.

    ¡°Your choice,¡± Bostarion said.

    The man hesitated. ¡°I shall travel with you back to the Baronies,¡± he finally said. ¡°If I can obtain a pass to return to the Tribelands.¡±

    ¡°We got White Tower¡¯s Mage with us,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m sure he can write up something to see you safely from the Baronies.¡±

    The Mage frowned but then nodded. ¡°I can,¡± he said.

    ¡°We head south,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°We skirt that fortress and we see what lays beyond it. We might have moved further west or east than we thought.¡±

    ¡°What kind of ranger are you?¡± the Mage demanded.

    ¡°I am a ranger of the Southern Forests,¡± Bostarion snapped. ¡°This place, I have never been. We find out where we are and then we find this stream and we shall be back at the komai within a few days.¡±

    ¡°Days,¡± Elgava sighed. ¡°With no food and little water.I will kill Ilagio twice.¡±

    ¡°He shall feel the Baron¡¯s wrath,¡± the Mage said.¡°No commoner will harm him for he is Landed.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Elgava muttered. ¡°A woman can dream, can¡¯t she?¡±

    San checked the straps of his pack, balanced the load, and then followed the others as they marched across the ruined landscape and toward the fortress.That was the only clear path that San could see, the rest of the forest was jagged rocks and ruined earth that had occurred when the trees had fallen.

    He kept an eye out for the tracks of the monster they had seen.Yet, as they travelled, San saw none. Surely a creature of its size would leave behind noticeable tracks?He had seen the monster and it had been struck by the catalyst rock, it was a corporeal being. Yet there were no tracks anywhere he could see.

    Where the creature had gone, San didn¡¯t know and hoped that it would stay forever gone.They didn¡¯t have the weaponry or the manpower to kill it.Such a creature would need an army or more than five battered people to take it down.

    The bright blue sky that had welcomed them from the darkness began to fade as they travelled.Clouds began to tear across the sky, growing thicker and darker as the day progressed. The wind began blowing from the west, stingingly cold as bits of snow was kicked up.

    ¡°We need to find shelter,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°We can keep going,¡± the Mage responded.

    ¡°You wanna die, lad?¡± the ranger asked. ¡°That,¡± he pointed to the sky and clouds, ¡°means there¡¯s a big storm coming. We need to find shelter and hunker down until it passes.¡±

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not thinking about the fortress,¡± Elgava said.

    ¡°It¡¯s an evil place,¡± Pivane said again.

    ¡°We have San¡¯s fire,¡± Bostarion said, looking at San. ¡°It kept that monster away last night, whatever ¡®evil¡¯ may lurk in that fortress, we will be protected from it.¡±

    San only nodded. Although his luck with ruined fortresses could be considered either bad or very good. It was the Flesh Horror that had given him his first level and the Mage Chief that had given him the Fire in the Night Power that had kept them safe.It had also been a place of horror and horrendous smell.

    ¡°We go,¡± the Mage finally said.

    Pivane moaned with fear and regret.He looked at the towering trees, hard rocky landscape, and finally followed them. He wouldn¡¯t survive the storm in his condition and clothing.

    They moved quickly, crossing the remaining distance to the walls of the fortress.San looked at them admiringly.They towered nearly thirty feet above them, thick slabs of stone that had once been covered in plaster or some kind of stucco. Now the stucco was falling off and revealed the impressively smooth mined stone beneath. He could see where each block fit together, perfectly chiseled so that there was barely a seam between two pieces.

    The Cursed City, that had been the Mage Chief¡¯s capitol, was a child¡¯s attempt at making a fortress compared to the one he stood before.It loomed over him, a massive hulking construction of stone and wood.The Mage Chief¡¯s town had only wooden palisades, this place had actual stone walls and was built by master stoneworkers and craftsmen. It cried out to him, a wordless announcement that it was a place of safety, of security, that it would keep all danger out.

    ¡°You gonna stare at them walls all day, foreigner?¡± Elgava shouted. San saw that the group had already left and were a hundred feet from him. He shook his head and quickly followed them.

    They found the entrance to the fortress on the east facing walls.It was a massive door of wood and iron, the metal heavily rusted and the thick boards rotting and crumbling.The door towered twenty feet tall, but age and disrepair left a man sized gaping hole at its bottom.

    Bostarion moved easily and quickly through the hole, telling them to wait until he returned.They stood there, weapon drawn and looking down an ancient road of stone and brick.

    The road disappeared into the thick forests, vanishing only after a quarter of a mile.He took out his binoculars and saw that the road ended as thick trees and pushed through the stones of the road and thick roots had warped it until it was only scattered blocks.It seemed as if the forest itself was trying to erase the existence of the road.

    ¡°Looks clear,¡± Bostarion said as he returned.

    The wind had decidedly gotten worst as they stood waiting for Bostarion.Loose snow was being whipped up in stinging particles and everyone, especially Pivane, wanted out of the cold.

    Bostarion lead them pass the first massive gates, down what San assumed was a kill room as he noted holes in the ceiling, then pass a rusted out portcullis, and finally into the fortress.

    What greeted them was a small village built along side an inner wall. San noted the collapsed thatch roofs and weather beaten single family huts that clung to the wall for support.Aged and broken debris littered the ground, the bleached bones of rodents, twisted bits of the wood, and what looked like centuries of bird shit on everything that could give them a ledge to stand on.

    ¡°Well, at least the wind isn¡¯t strong in here,¡± Elgava said. She was hugging herself and looked miserable.

    ¡°Gather up what we can burn,¡± the Mage said.He too looked miserable as the temperature dropped and the skies got darker. ¡°We need to find shelter quickly.¡±

    San nodded and along with the others collected bits of wood and trash to burn.They followed Bostarion as he lead them through cracked and buckling streets. Age had not been kind to this place, for all the solidity of the walls of the fortress, everything else seemed to be crumbling.

    Snow began pelting them as they moved through the village, the narrow streets funneling the biting wind through their armor and clothing underneath. Pivane was shivering violently as Bostarion found a still standing building.

    The building was thick and squat, a large rectangle that didn¡¯t seem to have any embellishments or decorations upon it.San realized the entire fortress and homes within it were all the similar.The Kingdom architecture seemed to be low squat buildings and sharp corners.

    Bostarion led the way into the building, kicking aside the crumbling door and peering into the darkness.San handed him his headlamp and the ranger took it without question.It was one of the strange things both the world, that San¡¯s technological equipment was taken without questions or concern since there appeared to be equally magical items that exists.The others figured that San¡¯s flashlight and headlamp were just magic items and they were used to such things.

    The building was empty, but it provided enough protection against the now howling wind and sleeting snow.San pulled off his pack and dug through it, offering Pivane a towel to wipe away the melting snow and one of the emergency blankets he still had left. The thin foil like blanket wrapped around him as he huddled in a corner, letting out gasps of cold.

    The Mage and Elgava got to building a fire, while Bostarion scouted the building.He returned with more broken firewood and added it to the pile they had managed to collect.

    ¡°Gonna be cold,¡± the man said.San only nodded and helped the others start the fire.It was upon the bare stone of the building¡¯s floor.There didn¡¯t seem to be a chimney or smoke hole so San figured it was a race against freezing to death or dying of smoke inhalation.

    They huddled down around the fire, San exited the building and scooped up some freshly fallen snow.He began boiling the water as the others watched.In a few minutes he offered Pivane, who was still shaking with cold, a hot cup of tea.

    ¡°Wanderer¡¯s Tea?¡± the man asked, sighing at the taste.

    ¡°I got it from Forest River,¡± San said.

    ¡°I have been there, my uncle was sick for so long. The healer made him better,¡± the man replied, a small smile on his face.

    ¡°I hear that Tribal witch can heal anything,¡± Elgava said. ¡°Even the Baron went to see her once, when his wife was ill.She was healed, but a year later she threw herself off of the White Tower after she lost one of her children.¡±

    ¡°She is not a witch,¡± Pivane said, anger in his voice.

    ¡°She is what I say she is,¡± Elgava said ¡°Or do you want to argue the point?¡±

    ¡°There is no need for arguments,¡± San said. ¡°Let us enjoy the fire and be thankful we¡¯re not stuck in the snowstorm.¡±

    Elgava grunted and glared at Pivane.

    ¡°Do you know this place?¡± Bostarion asked the Tribal. ¡°How to get back to the Baronies?¡±

    ¡°No. I was captured far to the west of here. My cousin and I were hunting the rippers we heard were coming south. We were ambushed by the battos, tied up and drugged. I don¡¯t know for how long or how far we were taken.¡±

    Bostarion scratched his face, his expression perturbed.

    ¡°We¡¯re far from where we entered the caves,¡± he said.

    ¡°How far?¡± the Mage asked.

    ¡°I got a good look at some of the peaks and mountains as we came to the batto caverns. Normally I could use them as landmarks, but from what I¡¯ve seen outside, there¡¯s nothing that matches what I saw.¡±

    ¡°Meaning?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it means,¡± the ranger said, frustration on his face. ¡°I think we¡¯re lost and I think somehow we¡¯ve traveled a lot longer than we should have.¡±

    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Elgava demanded.

    Bostarion shrugged. ¡°These are Kingdom ruins, they might have magicked those caves.¡±

    ¡°Magicked caves, battos, invisible monsters, and now old Kingdom ruins.¡± Elgava shivered and not from the cold.

    ¡°We just have to travel south, don¡¯t we?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, but the land south of here is rocky as all hell,¡± the ranger said.¡°We might have to detour east or west to find a less rocky road.¡±

    ¡°And we¡¯re out of food and have little water,¡± the Mage added.

    ¡°How could it get any wor-¡° Elgava began.

    A distant noise filled the air. A rising and falling screech that pierced the howling wind.It reminded San of the emergency warning sirens, only higher pitched and more focused.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Elgava muttered.

    San and Bostarion moved toward the entrance of the building, they had broken furniture and other items that blocked most of the wind, but the door was a lost cause.They crouched by the open door, watching as the snow turned the world into a sheet of white. The wind died down for a moment and that¡¯s when they felt it, a distant thump.

    For a moment, they saw a massive figure thumping along the stone walls of the distant fortress.It tilted back its head and let out a long wail.San used his binoculars on the creature and saw that it wore clothing like a person and its body was covered in white fur.

 029

    29

    ¡°Put out the fire,¡± San hissed.Elgava and the others looked at him like he was insane.Pivane was still recovering from nearly getting hypothermia and Elgava was heating up another pot of tea.¡°Now.¡±

    Putting out a fire that was keeping the howling wind and freezing cold at bay wasn¡¯t an easy task. It was built high and they had to waste the water they had melted upon it. The hissing steam and smoke sent everyone coughing until Bostarion told them to shut up.

    ¡°What the hell, San?¡± Elgava demanded.

    ¡°There are monsters out there,¡± San said.That shut them all up.A look of horror crossed Elgava¡¯s face and Pivane began shaking and whimpering. The Mage frowned and began digging through his pack, pulling out the last sack of catalyst rock he had.

    The action caused everyone to move toward their discarded weapons.Pistols were checked and the crossbows loaded.They moved quickly and quietly, Bostarion still guarding the entrance into the building.

    ¡°That¡¯s what you killed?¡± Bostarion asked as they crouched by the door once more.

    San looked at the massive creature, it towered more than a dozen feet in height, it¡¯s shoulders were massive and in one hand it carried a thick iron axe. It definitely was not the creature he had fought.

    ¡°The one I killed was a lot smaller,¡± San said. ¡®Maybe seven feet tall.¡±

    ¡°Guess you ran into a runt,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°They sing,¡± San said. ¡°It makes you think you¡¯re calm and fine.Like nothing matters.Then they move in and kill or kidnap.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± the ranger muttered.He continued to watch the creature, squinting until his eyes seemed to be closed. ¡°It didn¡¯t notice the smoke.¡±

    ¡°That good?¡±

    ¡°Aye. We can maybe wait until night or until the weather calms down before we make a move to leave,¡± the ranger said.

    ¡°What are they doing here?¡± San wondered.

    ¡°Old Kingdom ruins, might be they¡¯re just squatting in them,¡± the Mage said appearing by their side.

    ¡°An Old Kingdom fortress right over a batto cavern,¡± San said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like a good idea to live there.I found a pair of the creatures skulls down there. The monsters, I mean.¡±

    ¡°These void horrors sometimes work together,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°Maybe they made a deal with the batto queen.¡±

    ¡°The Birthing Mother has no intelligence,¡± the Mage said. ¡°It is a beast that spawns more beasts.¡±

    Bostarion snorted. ¡°Perhaps, but I¡¯d rather not try to test that theory, Mage.¡±

    ¡°Are they a people?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Void horrors are not feral animals,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°Some can think and feel and plan just like a human.¡±

    ¡°So they say,¡± the Mage added.

    ¡°No,¡± the ranger said firmly. ¡°There are some that are as smart as a human being and more that are even smarter. What separates us from them is that void horrors carry the gems in their heads and they enjoy inflicting pain, emotional, physical, or spiritual.¡±

    San watched as the massive white furred creature howled once more into the snow and wind before turning back and heading down some hidden stairs.It was soon out of sight and San felt a bit of relief at that.

    ¡°We keep watch,¡± the ranger said. ¡°Once we can move, we will.Pivane won¡¯t last long out there in this weather and we¡¯re not dressed to survive any kind of blizzard.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± the Mage agreed. ¡°We wait until the storm passes.¡±

    Without the fire to keep them warm, everyone was cold and miserable.San took the first watch, while the other four huddled together, using the emergency blankets San had given them and trying to keep warm with water heated on the small camp stove.Pivane was the worst off.San didn¡¯t have much to offer the man, besides some extra pairs of socks to cover his feet and hands with and a tattered T-shirt. No one else had brought extra clothing and no one was willing to part with what they had.

    The storm raged for most of the day, finally calming as evening approached.San had been relieved of his watch and rested among the others, everyone packed cheek to jowl beneath the emergency blankets.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move out,¡± Bostarion said as the sun began to descend toward the western mountains. ¡°We need to move fast to the gate, then we get the fuck out of here. We¡¯ll travel the entire night if we have to.¡± The ranger looked at Pivane and the man only nodded back.

    With Bostarion leading them, they exited the building and moved within the deepening shadows of the ruined village.The wind had ceased, but the snow was deep and Pivane was already looking miserable.The man didn¡¯t complain and pushed forward the same as everyone.There was no other choice but to leave the fortress.

    The massive gates loomed before them and Bostarion came to a stop.He bade everyone to hold as he moved forward and peered through the man sized hole in the gates. He crouched for a moment and then froze.Slowly, he backed away from the gate and made his way to the group.

    ¡°Its out there,¡± he whispered.

    San didn¡¯t have to ask what ¡®it¡¯ was.The invisible monstrosity.

    ¡°Shit,¡± Elgava muttered. ¡°Is it after us or something?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± the ranger admitted. ¡°If San is right, it was about to attack the wagon the first night we camped.Its either been following us or there are more than one of these creatures.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± Elgava muttered again.

    ¡°What are we gonna do?¡± Pivane asked.He was shivering, both from the cold and from their predicament.

    ¡°Hope it doesn¡¯t see us,¡± the ranger said, his face set into a frown. ¡°We can¡¯t stay here. We need to leave.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll all die if we leave,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°It¡¯s scared of Fire in the Night,¡± San said. He looked toward the distant fortress walls. ¡°Maybe these void horrors aren¡¯t on friendly terms with one another.¡±

    ***

    ¡°You go left, then right, and then straight until the red house, then turn left again.That¡¯ll lead you to the gates,¡± Bostarion sketched out a series of marks in the snow before them.He and San crouched in the shadow of a collapsed hut.The ranger looked at San. ¡°You sure about this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the only plan we have,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m the fastest also.¡±

    The old ranger nodded and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not one to dissuade a man from making his own choices, but I¡¯ll have to admit. This one is a real idiotic one.¡±

    San smiled. ¡°The most outrageous ideas are usually the best ones,¡± he said.

    ¡°Or the one that¡¯ll lead to your death.¡±

    San only nodded in response.He rolled his shoulders, finally able to after removing his steel cuirass and pauldrons.He felt surprisingly light without the steel armor and pack, almost as if he would float away if he wasn¡¯t careful.

    He double checked his weapons, two pistols, a crossbow, his sword, dagger, camp knife, and bear mace, along with the pistol from his own world.He doubled checked the laces on his boots and stretched his legs.It was freezing out, the sun having half descended behind the distant peaks and turning the world into a gloomy blue.

    The white furred creatures were active as the night began to descend.San and the others had noted the torches and braziers being lit within the fortress. It appeared the creatures had made it their home. San only hoped they would be willing to defend it.

    It all depended upon him, San realized.Perhaps he was overestimating his physical abilities, perhaps he would falter when push came to shove.Either way, the others might have a chance if he distracted the monster.

    ¡°Alright¡± San said, crouching once more.From his pocket he pulled out a lighter and sparked the flame.Bostarion held out a torch and it ignited. ¡°Fire in the Night.¡±

    The torch flared and Bostarion moved it to where the light wouldn¡¯t be seen by anyone looking in their direction. The ranger slapped San on the shoulder and nodded to him.San returned the gesture and rose to his feet.

    Now or never.

    The depth of the snow was going to be an issue, but as San moved along the abandoned streets, he felt he could keep up a good pace in it.The snow was powdery and didn¡¯t impede him too much.

    The gates were soon upon him and San slowed his pace, moving quietly as possible toward the opening.He peered out, scanning the treetops for the telltale shimmer of the creature.It didn¡¯t take too long for him to notice the warping of the horizon, like a heat shimmer.It moved slightly, as if the creature were swaying back and forth.

    San took a deep breath.He would have called what he was attempting suicidal, but so far everything he had done was suicidal.He should have died on the plateau over a month ago. He should have died to the Flesh Horror, the Rippers, and during the Nox attack. Yet he was still alive, he had Power now, he had strength, and he had people who were depending on him.The thoughts of Pavano, Azios, Endaha, Cassa, and even little Kovass all ran through his head.He had to return and help them.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    San removed his crossbow and loaded the bolt.He exited through the hole in the gates and stood in the open.He couldn¡¯t see the eyes of the creature, but he could feel its gaze settle upon him.He could feel its eyes burrowing into him, recognizing him.The creature moved forward.

    In the dimming daylight, San saw its movements.It lumbered through the snow, kicking it up and stamping down with heavy footfalls. San paused, wondering if this was the creature that had attacked them.It didn¡¯t seem to move with the gracefulness as it had the night before or three nights previously.It staggered about as if barely able to hold its massive frame upright.

    San raised the crossbow and fired it at the shimmering beast.He immediately turned and threw himself back through the hole in the gates and then began running as fast as he could.The sound of the creature¡¯s scream filled the air.He had hit it and it was pissed.

    As he passed a rundown hut San tossed the crossbow toward a small opening. The weapon sunk into the snow and a moment later Elgava¡¯s hand snaked out and pulled it in.They only had two crossbows left.

    San cast a look over his shoulder and nearly skidded to a stop. The creature wasn¡¯t slowed by the massive gates, instead it phased through the entire wall.One moment there was the thundering of its steps chasing after him and in the next the creature appeared as if stepping out of the wall as if it hadn¡¯t been there.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± San said, staring.

    Not only could the creature turn invisible, but it could also phase through objects or barriers.San cursed at the unfairness of it.How could they hope to kill a creature that could turn itself incorporeal.How then; how had he shot it with the crossbow bolt?

    The creature roared and stepped forward, turning solid once more.San stared at it, seeing the reddish splotch in the center of its chest where he had shot it.He could see the crossbow still there, he could see it bleeding, therefore it wasn¡¯t invulnerable to attacks.

    He turned and ran once more.A bit of hope blossoming in his chest.If it could be hurt, it could be killed. It¡¯s incorporeal powers didn¡¯t seem to be a passive thing, it had to activate them.That meant it was limited and possibly couldn¡¯t be used all the time.

    San careened left onto a side street, barreling down the empty cobblestones.A thunderous crash filled the air and San could feel the rumble under his boots.He cast a quick look behind him and saw that the monster had collided with a building, then righted itself and pursued.

    It was no longer invisible.It stood its full forty feet height, towering over the ruined buildings, its iridescent scales glittering in the waning light. The creature roared again and then began giving chase.

    San was fast, but he knew he couldn¡¯t outrun the massive strides the creature was taking.In seconds it would close the distance and then it would swipe down at him with one of its four arms. San pushed himself.He was stronger now, faster, and he didn¡¯t have all the gear and armor on him this time. He had to outrun it.

    He skidded and turned right on the street, racing down another debris and snow covered street. The monster crashed into another building, screeching in anger.It was big and fast, but it didn¡¯t have a quick turning radius.San filed away the information.

    About three hundred feet ahead of him lay the red painted ruins of a house. He needed to reach it and then turn left, from there it was a straight shot up toward the walls that loomed over them and into the fortress. The home of the white furred creatures.

    San ran.

    A rock shattered before him, exploding into stinging shards against his coat.San nearly staggered to a stop, but he knew stopping would be death.Another rock exploded before him, kicking up snow and shards.San finally looked up toward the inner walls of the fortress. Upon the walls stood two white furred monsters, not the massive twelve foot one, but smaller.They were throwing stones at him.

    San cursed and dodged another thrown stone. The white furred monsters seemed to be laughing at him.San cast a look behind him and saw the monster was barreling down toward him. Maybe he had been wrong in his assumption that the invisible monster would not like the white furred creatures. Perhaps they were working together all this time.

    The red house approached and San skidded and changed directions, turning left and toward the long road that led to another set of ruined gates.Like the old keep in the Mage Chief¡¯s cursed city, there was a wide ramped road that lead toward the inner gates.

    Any kind of army would have had a tough time trying to lay siege to the inner walls, if they didn¡¯t have blackpowder.San passed debris and fumbled for his pistol. The monster crashed into another building, this time its screech was more of annoyance and anger.

    San¡¯s legs were burning and the incline toward the gates was steep. The white furred creatures must have realized his destination for they had stopped throwing stones at him and seemed to have rushed back into the fortress to warn the others.San could hear a keening noise, like a song combined with a warning.He pulled a pair of earplugs from his pocket and shoved them into his ears.

    The world muffled and the only sound he could hear was the thundering of his heart and his bellowing breaths.A white furred monster appeared by the gates, it held a long spear and its mouth was hinged open, either screaming or singing.San didn¡¯t know. Instead San pulled out a pistol and skidded to a stop.He aimed the heavy blackpowder pistol and fired.

    He could hear the thunderous roar through his earplugs.San shoved the pistol into his coat and then threw himself off the edge of the road.Bostarion had scouted the location and had told him the moat around the inner walls wasn¡¯t filled with anything but snow. Age and no maintenance had filled the original moat with dirt and debris, nearly filling it.

    San plunged into hip deep snow, grunting in pain as his hip hit something hard.He groaned and pulled himself forward, clambering out of the moat.He could feel rumbling and roaring, but he didn¡¯t look. Instead he dug his hands into the soft soil and pulled himself forward.Pivane appeared before him and grabbed his outstretched hand. The man pulled San up and over the last remaining obstacle and they fell into a pile of snow.

    Pivane had cloth stuffed in his ears and he pointed toward the gates.San looked and saw that the plan had worked.

    The now visible scaled monster was battling two white furred creatures, while another lay ravaged and bloodied on the road.The only problem was that there were more white furred creatures racing to defend the gates, all of them armed.The scaled monster had size and power going for it, but the white furred creatures had numbers and weapons.

    A fire was burning in the street past the red house, Bostarion standing to the side, crossbow ready.He nodded to San and they all paused for a second, watching as the fight between the creatures progressed. Two more white furred creatures were dead and five more appeared.San didn¡¯t see the massive twelve foot one, only smaller ones in the seven or eight foot range.

    Bostarion tapped his shoulder and mimed running away.San glanced back at the fight, with the sun now setting they were being shrouded in darkness.The white furred creatures were going to win the fight, the scaled monster was bleeding from wounds and screeching in pain.The axes, swords, and spears the white furred creatures wielded were making quick work of the monster. How long would it be before they chased after them?

    San made up his mind.He tossed Bostarion his empty pistol and pulled the ranger¡¯s own from his belt.The man shouted something at him, but with his earplugs he didn¡¯t hear him. San turned and raced toward the towering monster.

    The big beast was going to die, but that creature was just like an animal.It was hunting prey, it was chasing after food, the white furred creatures were smart.They had tried to kidnap Cassa.How many others had they taken?

    Black blood dripped to the ground, hissing in the snow and reeking like a mixture of gasoline and rotting flesh.The white furred creatures were focused on the monster and didn¡¯t realize San had approached.Up until he fired one pistol in pointblank range of a white furred creature with its back turned to him.The lead ball punched through its tattered cloak and into the space between its shoulder blades.The creature staggered forward and then flopped to the ground, dead.

    There was a moment of silence as all eyes turned to San.He raised his second pistol and fired it into the face of another white furred creature. This one saw the shot coming and tried to move, the lead ball clipped the side of its face. An eruption of blood and flesh showed it had been hit.The creature dropped its axe and clutched at its face, screaming.

    The scaled monster took the opportunity of the shocked reactions to grab another white furred creature and throw it against the stone gatehouse.The creature went limp and bounced off the wall, leaving behind a splotch of blood.

    San felt more than heard a crossbow bolt flash by him.He saw the bolt sticking out of the throat of the white furred creature he had grazed.This time its screaming stopped and it clutched at the bolt, before falling backwards and off of the road.

    The scaled monster stabbed down with all four arms into one of the furred creatures, the ends of its long arms turning into sharpen points. The impaled furred creature continued to snarl and brought its axe down upon the monster, shearing away one arm before it bled out.

    The last white furred creature screamed and charged the scaled monster.It carried a long spear and shove it up and through the multi jointed leg of the monster.As if its strings were cut, the monster crumpled down, the long blade of the spear having sliced through something important.The white furred creature backed up, pulling out a sword and then began stabbing at the monster.

    The monster wasn¡¯t dead yet, just crippled.It swiped out with one arm and the white furred creature brought its sword up and cleaved through the limb.More blood and screaming followed as the white furred creature followed up by removing the damaged leg from the monster.

    Two crossbow bolts slammed home into the white furred creature¡¯s chest.It staggered back, shock on its face.San surged forward, pulling his sword free and bringing it down in a deep slash across the creature¡¯s chest.Blood erupted and San could see the bone beneath its breast exposed.The creature staggered back and fell over.San dodged the last flailing attack by the dying monster and turned to retreat.

    Through his muffled hearing he could both feel and hear the roaring of something else.He looked toward the fortress gates and saw the twelve foot figure of the massive white furred creature finally arriving.It wore what looked like bronze armor and carried its massive axe in one hand and a large shield in the other.

    San took one look at it and then turned and ran.

    The white furred creature pursued him.Its footsteps seemed louder and heavier than that of the scaled monster.San saw Bostarion, Elgava, and Pivane rise up.The ranger and the soldier were carrying crossbows and Pivane had a pistol in his hands.

    San dropped to the road, throwing himself flat.He could feel the passing of the crossbows and the roar of the pistol.He immediately pulled himself up and raced toward his friends.The Mage appeared before him, tossing San a rock.San skidded to a halt, plunged his sword into the road and faced the creature.

    A crossbow bolt was sticking out of its thigh, which was unarmored. A large dent showed where the pistol had struck it in the breastplate.The fire burning behind San cast the white furred creature in stark shadows, making its eyes seem to glow in the coming twilight.

    The white furred creature spread its arms and roared at them.It just wasn¡¯t a roar, it was a song within it.A noise that seemed to tell them all to stop. To lay down. To not resist. That they were safe and everything would be fine.San fought against the feeling and threw the catalyst rock with all his strength.

    The explosion from the rock cleared the air.The feeling of comfort and no worries was expelled and the world came rushing back.San looked to see the Mage was lying on the ground blinking.He reached down and yanked the pistol from the man¡¯s belt and faced the white furred creature again.

    The creature looked stunned, its left arm, from the forearm downward was missing. All that was left was the remains of the shield it carried and a bloodied stump that was scorched.

    San leveled the pistol and fired.He wasn¡¯t aiming for anything but the exposed kneecap.The leg exploded with blood and fur, the creature snapped out of its shock and screamed, collapsing into the snow and black blood of the dying scaled monster.

    He pulled his sword from the ground and raced forward.The creature had released its hold on its axe, using its remaining good hand to try and push itself up.San brought down the sword in an overhead chop onto the creature¡¯s head. The enchanted blade cleaved the skull of the creature open.

    It shuddered under his blade and then went still.San breathed heavily, a grin forming on his face.They had done it. They had defeated them.

    He looked up and saw a massive arm swinging toward him.Pain exploded across his body and he felt himself flying.

    Then there was darkness.

 030

    30

    San walked along a sidewalk, the sounds of traffic filled the air and the chilled humid air blew through his light coat.He felt a figure pressed against him, leaning in against the cold and against the wind, or maybe just wanting to be close to him.

    ¡°It¡¯s cold,¡± Mary said.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± San replied. ¡°It¡¯s not even cloudy.¡± He pointed up to the sunny sky, but this late in November the air was cold and even the sunny skies didn¡¯t do more than make the world a little brighter.

    ¡°You¡¯re never cold,¡± Mary said.

    ¡°I¡¯ve grown up in Seattle my entire life,¡± San replied. ¡°I probably would lose my shit if I ever had to live through actual snowy weather.¡±

    ¡°City folk,¡± Mary grinned.

    ¡°You can take the girl outta the country, but you can¡¯t take the country outta the girl,¡± San replied, also grinning down at Mary.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t say that to my parents,¡± Mary warned.

    ¡°Pfft, I¡¯ll be all smiles, bowing, and making pronouncements on how awesome their daughter is and how glad I am she¡¯s sharing my bed.¡±

    ¡°Definitely don¡¯t say that last part,¡± Mary warned, nudging her elbow into his side.

    San grunted, raising his hands in submission.¡°I guess I can tell them the boring stuff. How nice you are and how compatible we are. Boring.¡±

    Mary chuckled. ¡°Dad will probably like you.Mom, I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s a bit weird. Kinda like your mom.¡±

    ¡°Moms never like the partners their children bring home,¡± San replied.

    Mary reached down and touched her stomach.It wasn¡¯t showing yet, but soon there would be a small bump that would eventually turn into a child.San couldn¡¯t stop himself from grinning again as he looked down at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m totally gonna hate whoever she/he brings back,¡± Mary said, rubbing her stomach.

    ¡°I agree absolutely.We¡¯ll make their partner¡¯s lives hell,¡± San said.

    Mary wrapped her grip tighter around him. ¡°They¡¯re here you know?¡± she said. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean you have to stop fighting. We¡¯ll always be here, waiting for you, San.¡±

    San misstepped and stumbled, Mary¡¯s arm tightening around his own, keeping him from falling.He looked down at her, confused and worried.

    ¡°What?¡± he asked.

    ¡°A shadow is falling across the world, San. You can do so much there. We will wait for you.Make them pr-¡°

    ***

    San gasped in a breath and opened his eyes.He could feel pain, but just as suddenly as he felt it, the pain began o fade.He could feel his arms and bones seemingly snapping back into place and his skin itching where it knitted back together.

    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">

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    <td style="width: 98.27586206896551%">

    Sanjay Elias King

    [Brewer] Level 3

    - Filter I

    </td>

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    </tbody>

    </table>

    ¡°You¡¯re alive!¡± Elgava¡¯s face looked down at him.Her expression was one of joy and amazement.San groaned and saw that he was lying in a snow drift.His coat was damp with the melting snow and as he looked down, it was torn to tatters.

    It wasn¡¯t difficult to realize that the red stained snow was from his own blood.

    ¡°Gem?¡± San asked.

    ¡°You did me, I did you,¡± Elgava grinned. ¡°It¡¯s incredible.You heal completely when you level.¡±

    ¡°Not if you lose a limb,¡± San said and with Elgava¡¯s help, sat up.He felt a little woozy and the world spun around him.He sat there, noting that the Mage was crouched near him.A bag opened in the snow and the gleaming gems he had taken from the dead queens glinting in the torchlight.¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°That scaled monster took you out,¡± Elgava said. ¡°We all thought it was dead, but it seemed to want to have the last word in that fight.It¡¯s truly dead now, we took its fucking head off.¡± The soldier sighed and looked at San. ¡°Almost lost you there.¡±

    ¡°I was¡­¡± San paused, the memory of Mary and him walking down the streets of Seattle made it way back into his head.Was she really there? Was that her speaking?He didn¡¯t know.¡°I had a dream.¡±

    ¡°I hope it¡¯s not freezing to death,¡± Bostarion said, ¡°because with what that creature did to you, you and Pivane are a lost cause.¡±

    The Tribal frowned at Bostarion, but didn¡¯t say anything. San noted that he was already beginning to shiver, the adrenaline and exertion of the fight leaving him.

    ¡°Are they all dead?¡± San asked.

    ¡°The white furred fucks?¡± Elgava asked. ¡°Maybe.None have come out since the big one was killed.¡±

    ¡°Are we going in?¡± the Mage asked, his eyes glinted in the torch light.San could tell he was eager to enter.

    ¡°How are we on weapons?¡± San asked.Elgava helped heave him to his feet.He stood there, swaying back and forth for a bit.His stomach wanted to screw out everything he had eaten, but it had been well over a day since he¡¯d eaten anything.He took a deep cleansing breath.

    ¡°We got everything reloaded,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°We¡¯ve got about three bolts left for each crossbow.The others were all damaged.Enough shot to fire the pistols at least twice.¡±

    Elgava handed San a reloaded pistol.He looked at the smoking match cord and nodded.Pivane gave him his enchanted sword.San thanked the man.

    ¡°What are the chances there are more of them up there?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Dunno,¡± the ranger replied. ¡°Could be more, could be that this was all of them.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m freezing my balls off,¡± Pivane said. ¡°We need to either leave or go up to the fortress.¡±

    San shivered, his wet blood had soaked through his clothing and now as the temperature began to drop, it was hardening and he was beginning to freeze from the draft .

    ¡°We go in,¡± San said.

    The others nodded.There were no complaints about being crazy or insane, they all knew their choices were limited.San sheathed his sword and took a firmer grip on the pistol in his hands.

    Elgava took the lead, a crossbow in her arms.San followed behind, while Bostarion took the rear, also carrying the other crossbow.The inclined road was slick with freezing blood and the twisted faces of the dead white furred monsters stared up at them.

    ¡°We collecting the gems?¡± Elgava asked.

    ¡°We see what we¡¯re facing first,¡± the Mage said.

    San agreed with him.The gates had been torn down by the big white furred creature and the path in the snow was easy to follow. Also the direction the creatures had come from was clearly marked with flaming torches and lit braziers.Another door, this one seemingly well maintained, was ajar, warm light coming from it.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    They paused as they neared the door. San wrinkled his nose as the pungent order filled the air, wafting from within the room. It smelled of wet dog and aged manure. There was also another smell, beyond the woodsmoke, it was metallic and coppery.

    ¡°Blood,¡± Bostarion whispered. ¡°This place reeks of blood.¡± The others all nodded, their grips tightening on their weapons.

    ¡°Kill anything that¡¯s not human,¡± Elgava said. ¡°I¡¯ll go in first, if there¡¯s anything shooting at us, I¡¯ll use Barrier.Then we kill everything.¡±

    Everyone nodded in agreement once again.

    ¡°Here goes.¡±

    Elgava pushed her way passed the open door, moving quickly and not making a sound.Her crossbow was up, reminding San of the cop shows Mary would sometimes watch.San followed behind her, pistol at the ready.

    The warmth of the room hit him like a wall, it wasn¡¯t just warm, it was hot. Nearly as hot as the batto caverns, but this heat wasn¡¯t produced by weird magical resin, it was from a massive fire that was burning in the center of a huge chamber.

    The door led into a smallish chamber, but that chamber was attached to a larger room. A massive circular room that had three levels that overlooked it.They were on the bottom most level, the stone and wrought iron arches and columns towered over them.In the center of the circular room was a massive bonfire, seemingly trying to reach the domed ceiling shrouded in darkness.

    The great fire didn¡¯t stop the group in their tracks, instead it was all the blood that covered the floors.

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± Elgava gasped and then gagged.

    San followed her gaze and nearly did the same.

    Bodies lay in piles in the corner of the room. San had heard the expression stacked like cordwood, but he had never imagined bodies could be stacked in such a way.He stared, feeling his grip on his pistol loosen and the weapon clattered to the floor.

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± the others whispered.

    ¡°Blessed Mother,¡± Pivane added.

    ¡°Sacrifices,¡± the Mage spoke, recovering from the surprise and horror quicker than the others.¡°Those poor people have been sacrificed.It is said the void horrors sacrifice the living to their gods.¡±

    San steadied his nerves and picked up his dropped pistol.He cringed as he saw that something wet and tacky had stuck to it.Blood.

    He saw movement and San snapped up the pistol.He strode forward, curving around the massive flame, and saw a huge figure lying on the stone floor near the fire.He saw a body made of blackened flesh as if it had been charred, he saw thick ropy veins that pulsed and throbbed, and a stunted body that was crooked and unnatural.

    ¡°What in the name of all that is holy,¡± San said, his grip tightening on the pistol. ¡°What the fuck is that!¡±

    Horror hit him like a tidal wave, so thick, so heavy, and so visceral it nearly doubled him over.He had thought he had seen absolute horror when he saw the Flesh Horror, but the sight before him boggled his mind and sickened him.It was unnatural, something that the human mind wasn¡¯t meant to see, something that no living thing should bear witness to.

    San staggered back, retching and screaming.He wanted to run, he wanted to flee, he wanted to die.He gagged and vomited, he cried and felt the spreading warmth across his trousers.His body was in rebellion.He couldn¡¯t control anything.

    What the fuck is that! The words screamed in his head.

    That thing writhed on the blood soaked floor. It moved and cried, a wailing noise that was a mockery of a child¡¯s cry.The noise cut at him, slicing deep into his mind.It dredged up pain, misery, fear, and terror.San sobbed, choking on bile.He collapsed to the stone floor, the tacky drying blood of the human sacrifices seemed to burn across his skin.He could feel the thing pulsing and crying, calling for more blood, for more death, like some hungry newborn.

    What the fuck is that!

    It moved, sensing others near it. The massive oblong head twisting to peer at them.A face of rot, of bone, and grasping hands turned to him, dozens of mouths screamed and cried for mercy and death. San could only stare at it.

    ¡°No!¡± San screamed. He could feel it trying to grasp at his mind, like cold hands fumbling in the dark.It tried to pull him into that mass of flesh, not psychically, but his mind, his soul.San was rushing the creature before he knew it, his sword out and cutting deep into the massive inhuman head.

    The voices screamed and the hands grabbed at him, tearing at his tattered coat and their sharp nails cutting into his skin.San didn¡¯t slow nor did he falter, his blade slashed down, cutting through flesh and bone, plunging deep into the monstrosity.Thick and hot blood poured off his weapon and his body.He staggered back, feeling the grasping hands go still.He fell back onto his backside, breathing heavily and shuddering with what he had done.

    He heard sobbing, not from the monster, but from his companions.Elgava, the Mage, Bostarion and Pivane were all on the ground, clutching thier heads and sobbing.San painfully got to his feet, staggering toward the others.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± San asked as he collapsed before the Mage.The man looked up at him and San nearly reeled back.Blood ran from his eyes like tears, from his nose, and from his ears. It was smeared across his mouth and bloodshot eyes stared at him with an unfocused gaze.

    ¡°San¡­¡± the Mage said, his voice was hoarse as if he had been screaming for a long time. ¡°It is death. It is the end of all things. An eternity of torture and madness¡­¡±

    The Mage collapsed to the bloody floor.San leaned over him and noted he was still breathing.His gaze turned the the rest of his companions, Elgava was shaking back and forth while Bostarion and Pivane had joined the Mage in unconsciousness.

    San crawled over to Elgava, the thought of standing up was too much for him.He grabbed her shoulders and she looked up at him with the same bloodshot eyes of the Mage.Blood was smeared across her cheeks, from her ears, and along the corners of her mouth and nose. She was shuddering and not saying anything.

    ¡°Elgava,¡± San said.

    The woman only continued shuddering, bloody drool dripping from her opened mouth.She let out a ragged cough and then sagged in his arms.Joining the others in hopefully sweet slumber.

    San groaned as he got to his feet.An exhaustion pulled at him, it tried to drag him down to the floor, but he stood and swayed.He hooked his hands under Elgava¡¯s armor and pulled the woman from the blood soaked stone.He did the same with the others, pulling them near the open door they had entered.

    Cold air blasted in from the outside, bringing fresh air and clearing San¡¯s head of the muddied thoughts.He leaned against the doorframe, breathing in deeply.

    What was that thing?His mind stuttered at the thoughts of the creature, as if it couldn¡¯t bear to remember it.San shook his aching head and entered the room once again.

    The great fire was still burning, next to it was the body of the monstrosity that the white furred creatures were sacrificing to or bringing into the world. San didn¡¯t know which it was.Something of that monster¡¯s nature couldn¡¯t have been formed naturally.It had to have been somehow brought into the world.

    Whatever it was, whatever reason it had been here, it was dead and the plans for it by the white furred creatures was at an end.San stared at the hot fire before him and dug into his pocket.He still had his plastic bag of sixteen yellow gems.He stared at the flames.

    What could a great fire do? What did it want?

    A fire could cleanse an area.In times of plague and pestilence bodies were burned to keep the disease from spreading. A cleansing flame would clear this place of the evil that had been committed here.

    San looked at the massive fire and then pulled four gems from the bag.He didn¡¯t know why he needed four, but that seemed the right number.He stood before the fire, the great heat feeling as if it were searing his flesh.He threw the gems into the flame and concentrated.

    A cleansing flame. A fire to rid the world of evil.A flame to undo the evil that had been done.

    The Cleansing Flame

    San felt a shudder run through his body.He stared up at the flame, it flashed a color that he could only describe as sunlight.It bathed him, the light caressed his skin, it pulsed through him, crawled across his skin.It was hot and it seared him, he cried out and staggered back, but the flame clung to his skin.

    He screamed as his flesh was covered in fire like sunlight.

    ***

    ¡°Ah, my love,¡± a woman¡¯s voice said.San felt cold hands upon his skin.Strong hands rolled him over and he groaned as pain seemed to radiate from every nerve. ¡°You have done well.More than I thought you would be able to do.¡±

    Cold hands touched his skin and San sighed as the pain began to bleed away.He tried opening his eyes, but he couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Who?¡± he asked, his voice dry and cracked.

    ¡°You know who I am, love,¡± the voice said and San felt the fine tips of hair tickle across his face.

    With effort, San pried his eyes open.It hurt, like everything.He stared up at the dark eyes of a pale woman.She smiled at him, sharp teeth flashing in the light from the fire.The fire¡­

    San tried lifting his head toward the fire that had burned him.He saw it was now a regular flame, not the sunlight burning him.

    ¡°A Cleansing Flame,¡± the woman said. ¡°Impressive. A flame to destroy an area infected with evil, to push away the horrors that have corrupted a place.¡±

    Cold hands stroked San¡¯s face.He realized he couldn¡¯t feel his beard anymore, that the icy hands hurt his tender face.

    ¡°What happened?¡± San asked.

    The pale woman only smiled at him. ¡°You have done well, love. Rest. Sleep. I shall be here with you.¡±

    ¡°The others?¡± San asked.

    ¡°They live as well, although I do not know what the sight of such a thing will do to them.It is their own challenge to face. I cannot help them there.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± San asked.

    ¡°The thing you destroyed. The horror that the Cursed Walkers were summoning.It was not meant to be seen by the eyes of man, it will be up to them to face that monstrosity themselves.¡±

    San stared up at the dark eyes of the woman, she brushed a cold hand across his cheeks. ¡°You live though.You saw the darkness and the horrors that it represented and you stood fast before it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± San trailed off, trying to figure out what he had done.It seemed like a nightmare, as if the things he had seen weren¡¯t real memories.The thoughts were like jagged splinters in his mind, he could barely touch them without feeling pain, so he moved around them and avoided touching them.

    ¡°A good plan,¡± Winter¡¯s Lament said. ¡°Do not try to linger upon them, for only misery will come from that.But you already know how to deal with that, yes?¡±

    San nodded.

    ¡°Rest, love. I shall be here. No harm shall come to you,¡± she said.

    ¡°And my friends?¡±

    The woman smiled at him. ¡°No harm shall come to them while you rest.¡±

    San felt exhaustion overcome him.His eyes drooped and the last thing he saw was the pale woman¡¯s sharp smile glinting in the firelight.

 031

    31

    San awoke to the chill of the morning light.He stared at the stone ceiling above him, it was painted with scenes of men battling ebony and crimson monstrosities.Soldiers wearing armor and mages lit up in green light casting spells.He hadn¡¯t noticed them the night before, all his focus had been on the dead, the blood, and the creature¡­

    Pain stabbed his head as he tried to finish the thought.It was like a recently removed tooth, a pain that throbbed and ached, and a sense that something had been there before. San shook his head and sat up, shivering as a cold breeze moved its way into the chamber he lay in.

    The great fire was nearly burned out, the thick logs and timbers that had burned the night before were smoldering piles of red embers. Looking at the fire, San couldn¡¯t stop himself on thinking about the back on the sunlight fire.It had burned him, seared his skin, and it had been so beautiful.

    The Cleansing Flame.

    He looked at his hands.They were covered in his tattered camp gloves, a month of hard work and battles had made holes within the leather.His coat given to him by the Forest River tribe was shredded and torn, the t-shirts beneath it also ripped.He had given away his rain jacket to Endaha, so that she could keep the baby warm and dry.He touched his face, feeling bare cheeks that he hadn¡¯t had since he first arrived into the world.

    As he stood up, San realized the stone floors he and the others had been lying upon were nolonger covered in blood.His own clothing that had been soaked in his blood was clean, if shredded.San looked to his companions, still slumbering and saw that they too were free of the grime and blood that had been their lives for days now.

    His eyes moved around the great chamber, resting on the spot where the dead had been piled like wood. The numerous corpses that had been living people who had been sacrificed to the¡­

    Pain stabbed his brain again and San shook his head.He had seen something the night before, something that had been truly horrifying.His mind, he realized, did not want him to remember it.Maybe it wasn¡¯t his mind, perhaps it was the pale woman, Winter¡¯s Lament.San looked around the chamber, but there were no signs of the pale woman.

    He walked across the quiet chamber, his boots echoing in the space.He saw clothing, tools, weapons, and other discarded items lying against the walls of the circular room.There was no signs of bodies though.It looked as if they had just vanished, or had been¡­ cleansed away.

    Was this the same place? San wondered.He turned back to his companions and checked each of them.They were breathing and sleeping, their chests rising and eyes twitching beneath eyelids.He moved toward the door, which was now closed.

    It creaked as he opened it.The cold morning air stung him, but as he exited he saw that it was a clear and bright day.The sun was rising in the east and the world was alight with the glow of the rising sun.He shivered but continued onward.His boots crunched in the snow and he made it to the gates where they had battled the scaled monster and the white furred creatures.

    The bodies were still there, the road up to the gates still covered in the now frozen black blood of the monster and the blood of the white furred creatures. This battle had happened and the things they had seen the night before were real.San shivered and turned back to the fortress.

    He heard birds singing in the air. It was the first time he had heard birds in days.San stopped and looked out upon the ancient fortress.It wasn¡¯t an evil place anymore, it was just stone and walls.

    ***

    By the dying fire San found a black gem.He stared at it and it felt wrong in his vision, as if it were twisting or changing before his sight.The gem was a perfect sphere the size of his fingernail.Almost like a pearl.

    Light twisted around the gem, almost as if it didn¡¯t want to touch it.San wanted to leave it and forget about it, but his hands were moving before he knew it.He picked up the gem and stared at it.It gleamed at him, the light twisting, and shapes seemingly moving within it.He wanted to consume it.

    He placed the black gem into his plastic bag of yellow gems.His head was aching from staring at the thing.

    Elgava groaned as she sat up.She looked at San and weariness aged her by a decade.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± San asked, moving toward the woman.He offered her a cup of tea, the only food they had left.While they slept San had retrieved their packs and the armor he had left behind.

    ¡°I feel horrible,¡± the woman said.She gratefully accepted the cup and drank it.¡°Its like I didn¡¯t even sleep. I had such terrible nightmares.¡±

    That surprised San.They hadn¡¯t seemed to be in any kind of distress.The words of Winter¡¯s Lament echoed in his mind.They would have to face what they had seen on their own.He could still feel the hole in his memories that the¡­ San winced.

    ¡°Drink up and take it easy,¡± San said. ¡°There¡¯s no rush.¡±

    ¡°The white furred monsters?¡± she asked.

    ¡°All dead. This place is safe from them now,¡± San said.

    ¡°How?¡± Elgava asked, but then shook her head. ¡°Yeah, I think I can feel that. It doesn¡¯t feel wrong to be here anymore.¡±

    ¡°It has been cleansed,¡± the Mage said.He looked up at them from where he lay.His eyes blinking rapidly. ¡°It is a Power that the cultists have, to cleanse a place of the evil that has taken it over.¡± His eyes fell upon San. ¡°Your doing?¡±

    ¡°I think so.¡±

    The Mage only nodded and closed his eyes. ¡°I cannot remember anything after entering this room.All I can recall is pain and a hole where those memories should be,¡± he said. ¡°I also suffered terrible nightmares.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember much either,¡± San said. ¡°There was something¡­ something evil.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Bostarion responded sitting up. The old man looked older, his steel colored hair seemingly now completely white. He looked down at his hands and clenched them. ¡°I remember blood and dead people. I remember some-¡° the ranger winced and clutched his head.¡°Shit. That hurts.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t remember it,¡± the Mage said. ¡°Senta¡¯s blessing, perhaps.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Bostarion said, rubbing his temples.

    ¡°We must leave this place,¡± Pivane said. He had sat up and pushed himself against the wall.His eyes looked haunted and were still bloodshot. ¡°Evil has set its sight upon us all.It has seen into our souls and seeks our death.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Elgava remarked.She extended a hand and San helped her to her feet.She gave San back the empty cup, which he refilled from the small pot they had carried.The Mage accepted the offered tea.

    ¡°There are some clothing and tools against the walls,¡± San said. ¡°All seemingly clean.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll need some better clothing if we¡¯ve got far to trek,¡± Bostarion said, rising to his feet.He helped Pivane up, the man still looking spooked. ¡°I don¡¯t know where we are and when there¡¯s magic involved, we could be half way across the world for all we know.¡±

    ¡°Be a shame,¡± Elgava said. ¡°I¡¯m still owed some money back in White Tower.¡±

    ¡°You have your share of the gold,¡± the ranger remarked.

    ¡°Still. Sars are sars,¡± she answered.

    San felt a grin tugging at his face.

    ¡°You look damn weird without the beard,¡± Elgava said, peering at him. ¡°Almost like a child. A damn big child, but a child.¡±

    San self-consciously rubbed his hairless face.He had checked his arms and skin, they were also hairless. The places where he had felt the fire burn him, the hair had been singed away. It wasn¡¯t a dream or nightmare. It had been reality.

    Elgava busied herself with making more tea as the others dug through the pile of clothing that was all that remained of the victims.San didn¡¯t feel anything untoward about the clothing, it wasn¡¯t as if those that wore it were still around and they were also clean. A side effect of the cleansing fire, perhaps.Unless Winter¡¯s Lament had cleaned the cloth, as well as removed the bodies and blood within the chamber.

    It was magic and San knew not to question it too much.Magic did not conform to the rules he had grown up with.

    A couple of wool tunics and a scarf went on under his tattered coat, there wasn¡¯t any real winter gear, but there was enough cloth to pad out their clothing.Pivane looked somewhat pleased with the extra clothes, even as he muttered about Imperial cloth.

    San gave the Mage a sack of yellow gems and several red gems.He had harvested the bodies of the creatures killed. The scaled monster had four red gems in its head and each of the smaller white furred monsters carried six yellow gems, with the bigger one carrying a red gem and five green gems. San wondered if the ¡®level¡¯ of the monster determined the gem color that was in their heads.

    Did the yellow gems of the white furred creatures mean they were low leveled? The batto drones and queens gave out greens and reds, but they were fairly weak compared to the white furred creatures. San would have to ask someone more knowledgeable about the world sooner or later.

    The Mage looked at the gems and then at San. He only nodded and tucked them away.San figured he didn¡¯t have to tell the Mage he had taken a quarter of the yellows and enough of the other gems to increase a level.The level increase healing was just too important to not have on hand.

    Elgava grinned at him as San handed her more of the golden bracelets.She hefted the thick gold links and grunted as she threw them into her pack.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna retire and drink my days away,¡± she said as she put on her pack. ¡°You can join me, San.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± San smiled at her.

    ¡°We split it,¡± Bostarion said from across the room.

    Elgava scowled at the ranger but nodded.

    Everyone had more tea as it was their only food and they set out of the fortress.San looked back at the towering walls and thick stone.It was a well made structure he saw, good enough to hold thousands and keep them safe.

    ¡°We should burn it down,¡± San said.

    ¡°You gather up the wood then,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°It may not be cursed or evil anymore, but it is not easy to destroy such a place.¡±

    San continued looking at the fortress.He stared at the tall towers and spires, the dark gaping windows, and saw smoke rising from one of those towers.He watched as a face peered down at him from high above, it was a human figure but it wore a golden mask and had long white hair framing its face. Even from the distance San was, he could see the eyes glowing a pale blue in the darkness of the window.

    ¡°Bostarion,¡± San said.

    ¡°We see it,¡± the Mage said. ¡°Ignore it.¡±

    ¡°What?

    ¡°Leave it be, lad.Just be glad we can walk away from here. We don¡¯t need to be disturbing anything else. I for one want to return to my cabin and maybe drink more of the liquid you brew.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Elgava said. ¡°We¡¯ve done enough, just leave it be.¡±

    ¡°There is no gain from dealing with spirits,¡± Pivane said.

    San was about to object at their words, but stopped himself.He looked back toward the tower and saw nothing up there, although smoke was still rising from the tower.He shook his head, adjusted his pack and followed the others as they made their way through the abandoned fortress.

    ¡°There could have been more treasure,¡± San said. A prickling feeling itched between his shoulder blades, as if something were watching him.He wanted to look back toward the tower, but stopped himself.

    ¡°I want to live to spend this gold,¡± Elgava snapped.

    ***

    ¡°I love you, Bostarion,¡± Elgava said.

    The ranger entered the camp carrying a large furred animal. San peered at it and saw that it was the same large rabbit that Azios had taken from the farmhouse all those weeks ago. Snow rabbit? Snow hare.

    ¡°I killed it, you cook it,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°I take it back, Bostarion. You are a cruel and heartless man.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± the ranger said. ¡°Say that when your belly is full and warm.¡±

    Elgava and Pivane made quick work of the hare, spitting the meat and soon their camp was filled with the smell of cooking meat. San felt his stomach rumbling with the thought of food.It had been two days since they left the fortress and the forests around it seemed to be bare of any kind of large game.

    It might have been the battos, the white furred creatures, or even the scaled monsters, or all three combined.With the exception of Pivane, everyone was uncomfortable but they weren¡¯t on the verge of starving.Pivane had spent several days in the batto dungeon and all his excess fat had been depleted.

    The Tribal was gaunt and pale.He had been getting paler and skinnier as the days went by.He still kept up pace with them, but every day he looked to be on the verge of just falling apart.Perhaps with some food in his belly he would feel better.

    While they prepared the hare, San took a pot and collected more fresh snow.They had been traveling south and west, the fortress had sat upon a high cliff overlooking a valley that no one recognized. It wasn¡¯t the one that had brought them to the batto cavern, instead it was a craggy place of wind shaped rocks and skeletal trees.

    Everyone felt that it was a bad place to enter and they had skirted the valley.Although San had a compass and Bostarion could navigate by the stars and sun, they were completely lost.

    San stood at the rocky edge of the ridge they were crossing.To the south was the dead valley, the distant rocks and trees were hard to make out in the dimming light, but the feeling of wrongness wafted from the valley like a foul stench.

    Blame lay solely upon magic, as far as San understood it.The batto caverns had somehow moved them further than they would have gone otherwise.The valleys and mountains and peaks were all different and according to Bostarion they were a lot further north than they should have been.

    With all the things that had occurred in the last few days, San felt that the magical traveling was on the bottom of the worries he was facing.Until they came across a familiar landmark, they were walking blind.Until they figured where they were, they didn¡¯t know how far away White Tower or the Exonaris Komai were.

    Being lost in a relatively unexplored and unknown area wasn¡¯t the best situation to be in.With the monstrosities that prowled the world, San figured they weren¡¯t too far from encountering another one.He stared out into the darkening valley below and wondered how Pavano and the others were doing.They should be in White Tower by now, hopefully the old man had found a place to lodge them for the winter.

    ¡°It is all nothing but darkness,¡± Pivane said, appearing by San¡¯s side.

    San glanced at the gaunt man.His skin looked pulled tighter against his skull, his once thick hair was thinned and patchy.It wasn¡¯t just a lack of food and the cold that was effecting the man.San¡¯s thoughts went back to the what Winter¡¯s Lament had said.It was up to each of them to face the horror they had seen that night.

    What that horror was, San didn¡¯t know.Every time he nudged the thought, there was only blackness and pain in his head.He had gotten the message and didn¡¯t prod those memories anymore.

    Perhaps it was the sight of that¡­ thing, that had caused the last few days to be one of the quietest that San had experienced. The Mage and Bostarion weren¡¯t much in the way of talkers, but Elgava could talk the dead into annoyance and Bostarion was always good for a harsh quip or barb. But the group interactions were listless and more rote than anything. Like everyone was going through the motions to pretend they were all doing well.

    ¡°There¡¯s always light,¡± San said.

    ¡°No.There is nothing, just darkness and pain,¡± the man said. His eyes were unfocused and he stared at the distant valley.His breathing was shallow and labored as if he were sick, his taunt skin was slick with sweat even though he shivered from the cold.¡°It is all darkness and pain.¡±

    ¡°I think we should head back to the camp,¡± San said.He set his hand on the man¡¯s shoulder and Pivane snapped his head so fast that San heard his neck crack.

    ¡°Darkness and pain. She calls out to be freed.Death upon the world and blood to feed the masses.¡±

    ¡°I think-¡° Pivane slapped away San¡¯s hand.San jerked it back, the sting of the strike numbing his limb.Pivane stared at him and his nose began leaking blood.

    ¡°She is coming,¡± he said and ran forward.

    ¡°Stop!¡± San cried, dropping his pot and trying to grab for the man.He was too slow and Pivane threw himself off the cliff and into the darkness.He didn¡¯t cry out, he didn¡¯t say anything as he vanished.Sanstared down into the dark valley and he never heard him hit the ground.

    It was as if he had just vanished.

    ***

    ¡°There,¡± Bostarion said, his redden eyes blinking in the mid-day light.He gave a ragged cough and wiped his forehead, which was slick with sweat turning to ice on his skin.¡°That¡¯s the valley.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, I¡¯m a fucking ranger, lad,¡± he snapped and then coughed raggedly.He wiped at his red raw nose and spat into the snow.San saw the snow speckled with red.

    ¡°We keep going then,¡± Elgava rasped.She had shed her brigandine the day before and now leaned heavily upon a walking stick, her eyes red and her skin taunt against her skin. ¡°We keep moving. Don¡¯t stop. Never stop.¡±

    ¡°Its following us,¡± the Mage said.He like the other two was also red eyed and coughing raggedly.He had been a thin man, but now he was almost as gaunt as Pivane had been. He looked at San with eyes that didn¡¯t focus and wouldn¡¯t stay still.They moved, looking at everything, never stopping, always moving.

    Two days had passed since Pivane killed himself. The body had never been found. It just vanished.There had been no signs that something had dragged it away or that he had even struck the base of the cliff.He had jumped off the cliff and vanished.

    Two days since Pivane died and San saw the same affliction infecting his friends.They appeared sick, but they weren¡¯t, it was as if something were consuming them from within.No matter how much they ate, no matter how much they rested, their eyes continued to redden and their breathing became labored.

    It had to do something with the thing they had seen.That¡­ monster that was before the-San winced in pain at the thought.Through the last few days the three had begun muttering in their sleep, speaking the same words that Pivane had said before he vanished.

    She seeks to be freed. Darkness and pain. Blood to feed the masses.

    San didn¡¯t know what the words related to.Was it some kind of monster, perhaps like a batto queen? With the strange magic and creatures that filled the world, it might have been Winter¡¯s Lament that they were talking about.San didn¡¯t know anything about the pale woman, what she represented, what she wanted. But she had been there that night.

    Was she evil? Was she a monster? Was she a god? San didn¡¯t know.She had done something for him. She had erased the memory of the monster from his mind, preventing him from suffering as his friends were.

    What could he do to help them? San didn¡¯t know.But he looked at the trio and bore witness to their descent and mental deterioration.They weren¡¯t well and San could do nothing.The only hope lay in getting to the komai and¡­ doing something.

    ¡°We go,¡± Bostarion said and staggered forward. The snow kicked up around his soaked leggings, but he ignored it.He kept moving forward and the others followed in his wake.

    ¡°The darkness is spreading,¡± the Mage coughed and passed San. ¡°She will be freed.¡±

    San kept himself from shivering and followed them.If they got back to the komai, he could do something for them.If they got back to civilization, he could find them help.

    He would not let them follow Pivane.He would do something to save them.What he would do, San didn¡¯t know.

    ***

    Fire like sunlight burned a great forest. San leaned heavily against a broken spear as he gazed at the fire. Thick billows of smoke raised into the air and a hot breeze was blowing as the fire sucked in air.He could feel the heat, but he could also feel the Power within it.

    His skin crackled and burned, fine black flakes rising off of it.It hurt so badly, but he knew it was what was needed.He stared at the flame and felt it cleanse him of everything.

    San jerked awake, staring at the sharp stars in the sky.The small campfire burning beside him cracked and sizzled as fine powdered snow drifted on a breeze.He blinked his eyes and shivered as the cold struck him.

    ¡°Darkness and pain,¡± Bostarion¡¯s voice was whispering.It sounded dry and cracked, as if the very effort to draw in breath was too difficult.

    Elgava whimpered in her sleep, shifting and muttering barely audible words.The Mage was sobbing, curled into a fetal position and hugging himself.

    The three lay beside one another, practically lying on top of one another.They had made it to the camp outside of the batto¡¯s nest. Half a day travel from the now closed cavern and battle site.

    The old barricades that had been erected were falling apart, some of the wood having been salvaged as Ilagio and the survivors passed on their way back. There was enough to last them the night and then some.San peered at the fire, it had a faint blue cast to it.Fire in the Night.

    What was his dream about? He wondered.A great fire burning the forest.The Cleansing Flame.

    The memories were scattered and disjointed, but San remembered the burning. The fire like sunlight that had seared his flesh.It had burned him, the lack of hair on his exposed skin had been a sign of that.What had the fire done to him?

    Winter¡¯s Lament had claimed it pushed away the evil that had infected a place.The Cleansing Flame had turned the slaughter house of the fortress into one that was free of its curse.San had been burned by the fire and he hadn¡¯t been effected as the others were.

    Could a place be a person too?

    San shook his head, trying not to dwell on the thought. But the thought would not go away. It pushed its way back into his forethoughts.A fire to cleanse. To remove evil. An infection that seemed to be afflicted his friends. Their nightmares, their increasingly insane ramblings, and the gauntness and sickness that was weakening them.Pivane had already been weakened, from his days of being a captive by the battos.His resistances were lowered and he had gotten ¡®sick¡¯ faster.

    He needed to do something. They would not make it to the komai, not in their condition.San looked at the flames.

    ¡°The Cleansing Flame,¡± he said.

    The fire roared, higher and brighter than before. He could feel the heat off of it, but it was more than that. It felt as if the warmth passed through his skin, it moved along his muscles and pumped along his veins.It was glorious, but it was also painful.

    San rose to his feet.The logs and branches crackled and popped from the fire.San took a breath.His friends, for they were all his friends now, huddled together.Their mutterings intertwined and melded, causing San¡¯s skin to prickle as he heard what they said.

    ¡°Her eyes pierce the veil.You cannot hide. She sees you, Sanjay,¡± the three said.

    He made his decision there.The words echoed in his head as he reached into the fire and pulled out a burning brand.The three let out a low moan as the sunlight fire approached them. They clung to one another, their eyes clenched shut.

    San dropped the brand upon them.The old and tattered blankets they wrapped themselves in burst into flames as if they had been soaked in gasoline.San shielded his face as the fires lept up.

    They screamed and wailed as the fire reached their flesh.Yet their eyes never opened.

 032

    32

    San scooped up water from the low flowing creek. Brittle ice cracked under the bronze pot and the rounded rocks of on the creaked scratched the metal.Brown tinged water flowed into the pot and San pulled it out.

    He looked to the sky, the thin clouds didn¡¯t hold anything that looked like a storm, but they still bothered him.It was odd, he thought, that the weather was so much on his mind these days.He had arrived in winter in this world over a month ago but now it was truly setting in.The creek that the tiny army had traveled along a week before had become more of an icy path than a flowing water source.

    Winter was truly setting in across the world.A month before he had thought it was truly freezing in the cursed city. There had been storms, but San now knew that it had been early winter in those places.If that had been the beginning of winter, he didn¡¯t know how the Tribals lived out there when winter really arrived.

    Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve, that was less than two weeks away, according to the math and Bostarion¡¯s tracking of the days.All talk pointed to the fact that the weather after Midwinter would be even worst.San shivered as he set the pot of dirty water beside the fire.

    ¡°Filter,¡± he said, setting his hands palm upward over the pot.

    He could feel the water churning beneath his hands, it twisted and spun, and after a long moment he could feel dry material upon his palm.San looked down to see bits of dirt and other material now upon his palm.

    The water in the pot was clear and clean, without sediment or dirt.San set the pot on the fire.The Power Filter he had gained when he became Level 3, but he didn¡¯t trust it to remove bacteria or viruses from the water. The last thing he wanted was a brain eating amoeba accidentally ingested.

    He looked down into his palm, the detritus that he had removed from the water was dry to the touch. Power was an interesting thing, the magic that he had gained did some remarkable things.San sorted through the dirt and on his fingertip was a small glitter of a gold flake.

    A day spent testing the Filter Power had gained him some insight into what it could do.He had a friend once who sought to strike it rich panning for gold in the deserts of Arizona.He had leased out land to dig through old arroyos and ditches, claiming that he would recoup his expenditures and come back wealthy.

    He didn¡¯t, of course. He had lost twenty pounds and nearly died of sunstroke.But the friend still considered it the best vacation he had in years.

    San flicked the tiny fleck of gold away.It wasn¡¯t a keeper, but it could possibly mean that there was gold somewhere in the hills and valleys around the batto caves.He had absolutely zero idea or knowledge about gold mining or gold panning and didn¡¯t think he would ever gain it.There were easier ways of making gold than risking one¡¯s life in monster infested lands and hard labor.

    ¡°I would have taken that,¡± Elgava rasped.

    San looked up to see the woman¡¯s eyes open.She was thin, pale, and gaunt, but her eyes were clear.She let out a ragged cough.

    ¡°You throw away wealth, then the gods will never give you wealth,¡± she said.

    San smiled at her.¡°How are you?¡±

    ¡°I feel¡­¡± Elgava coughed again. ¡°I feel like shit.What happened. I can¡¯t.. I can¡¯t remember much after the fortress.¡±

    ¡°You all became sick,¡± San said. ¡°I did what I could.¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°I burned you.¡±

    ¡°I had a dream I was on fire.It was like sunlight burning through my eyes.I was screaming, but there was something else screaming with me.A shape¡­ a voice?¡± Elgava shook her head and closed her eyes. ¡°I just remember the nightmares. Me dying. You dying. Everyone dying. A world drenched in blood and the horizon on fire.With great horrible monsters walking across the land. Horrors that would make those white things we fought look like puppies.¡±

    San sat in silence as she spoke.He had thought long on the words that they had spoken when they were sick.He wasn¡¯t foolish enough to assume they were just the ramblings of feverish people.They were words that were being spoken through them, they were a warning, or perhaps a promise?

    This was a world of magic and Power.There were creatures with magical abilities, ghosts, and beings with great power.Who was so say that there also weren¡¯t gods and devils?Was something seeking to bring death and destruction to this world?

    The thought was almost too big for San¡¯s mind.He hadn¡¯t even traveled to the nearest city since he had arrived and now there might be a possible world ending event?

    ¡°You are fine now,¡± San said. ¡°I think you are fine now.¡±

    ¡°I feel like shit,¡± Elgava said, sighing. ¡°But it¡¯s better than how I felt before.¡± She coughed again and closed her eyes.

    San stirred some tea leaves into the pot and watched as it boiled. The three continued sleeping and San looked up at the sky once more.There appeared some blue among the clouds.

    ***

    ¡°Looks like everyone left,¡± Elgava said as they exited the forest and finally entered the Exonaris Komai.San looked across the cleared land and spotted the farmhouse and barn. The barn doors were opened and he noted some damage to the walls.

    San frowned as he took in the sight.He could see old blood on the ground and white fur clinging to posts and brush.It wasn¡¯t the white fire of the creatures, instead it was the white fur of the grazers.

    ¡°They killed the grazers?¡± San asked as they neared.He could see the skull of one of the ant eater faced creatures.It lay picked clean on the ground.He noted the frozen boot marks of men. ¡°Why would Endaha choose to slaughter them?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like they had much choice in the matter,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°I can tell a scuffle when I see one.¡± The ranger squatted and peered at the tracks that led back to the barn. ¡°These aren¡¯t that old, about four days back.¡± The ranger peered at the old camp of the soldiers. ¡°Aye. Looks like the injured and the healer stayed her until four days ago.That¡¯s about the time Ilagio would have returned, maybe sooner.¡±

    ¡°That fucker. If I see him, I¡¯ll gut him.¡±

    ¡°He will face the Baron¡¯s justice,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°After I gut him.¡±

    ¡°They killed the grazers, packed up everything they could and then left.¡± The ranger walked and the others followed as they made they way to the barn. The well built structure was ajar and the smell of dead animals filled the air. ¡°Well, they just seemed to have killed those they couldn¡¯t eat.¡±

    San looked at the gnawed upon bodies that littered the barn. He felt a bit of sadness at the sight. The grazers were like sheep from his world. They were fairly docile and even the noises they made was something he had come to enjoy.

    ¡°This was unnecessary,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye,¡± the ranger remarked.

    ¡°That much wealth wasted,¡± Elgava added. ¡°Havatair wouldn¡¯t have approved of this.His family is common and they¡¯re herders.He knows the value of grazers.¡±

    ¡°Ilagio? Or the healer?¡± San asked.

    ¡°If it is either, then their judgement is final,¡± the Mage said. ¡°We were not here when this occurred and we do not know what transpired.¡±

    ¡°That fucker left us to die in that batto cave,¡± Elgava said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to stick up for him because he¡¯s Landed.¡±

    ¡°It is not because he is Landed,¡± the Mage said. ¡°It is because this is a decision that will fall upon the Baron to decide what to do.¡±

    ¡°Could¡¯ve been bandits,¡± Bostarion said.

    San looked into the barn. He didn¡¯t see any signs of habitation.The farmhouse had a big hole in its side and the upstairs windows had been destroyed, therefore it wasn¡¯t the best place to set up camp.

    ¡°Looks like no one¡¯s been here in a while,¡± San said.

    Elgava let out a long sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s see if they¡¯ve left any food. I haven¡¯t eaten in days and those rotting grazers are looking mighty tasty.¡±

    The others agreed and headed toward the farmhouse.Perhaps Endaha had left some food behind.

    San took the time to close the doors and bar them shut.He looked at the damage to the barn and noted that it looked like bulletholes and crossbow bolt strikes. He ran his hands along it and pried loose a deformed lead ball.

    ¡°What happened?¡± he wondered. He turned to follow the others who had reached the farmhouse and hear shouting and yelling.

    Elgava and the Mage rushed back out of the farmhouse, while Bostarion was trying to load a crossbow.

    ¡°Horned wolf!¡± Elgava cried, nearly tripping on her sword.

    ¡°Wolfram,¡± San said and rushed forward. ¡°Stop! Hold on!¡±

    The Mage was shakily holding his pistol while Elgava had her sword out.Bostarion loaded the crossbow and aimed it into the entrance of the farmhouse. San got there in time to prevent them from shooting.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Get out of the way, idiot!¡± Bostarion shouted.

    ¡°Hold on!¡± San snapped. He blocked the door and slowly turned his back on them.San walked to the farmhouse door and stood there for a moment. It smelled of woodsmoke and old battos.The somewhat rotting meat stench, but also something else. A thicker, muskier smell.

    There was a low growl and a figure padded down from the upper stairs.The eyes seemed to glow in the dim light of the farmhouse.San immediately recognized the wolf ram before him

    ¡°You¡¯re alive,¡± he said.A weight he hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d been carrying seemed to melt off of him.He stared at the dark furred creature that sat on its haunches like a dog, her head tilted and mouth slightly opened.

    San stepped into the farmhouse, those outside cursing and shouting for him to get out of there.He crossed the distance between the stairs and the door and stood before Wolfram.The horned wolf sniffed him and looked at ease.

    ¡°How do, Wolfram?¡± San smiled down at her and gently patted her head.She didn¡¯t bite his arm off and instead continued looking at him. ¡°Where have you been? I though you finally left.¡± He crouched down before her, tousling the fur on her face.She didn¡¯t move or growl, but continued staring at him.

    His vision adjusted to the dim light and he saw something. Her stomach was loose and he could see the mottled flesh of teats exposed. He frowned and looked up toward the floor above him.He could hear the soft whimpering of small animals.

    ¡°You had pups?¡± San asked.

    She turned and clamored back up the stairs, leaving him.He wanted to follow, but those were her pups.He knew what could happen if someone got between a mother and her pups.

    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll be staying in the barn,¡± San told the others when he exited.

    ¡°Rather dead grazers than a dead me,¡± Elgava muttered heading back toward the barn.

    ¡°Horned wolves don¡¯t come this far south,¡± Bostarion muttered.He glared at San as if he were the reason she was here and the reason she had pups. ¡°Now they¡¯ll never leave.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Stay safe, girl,¡± San said as he crouched before the hole into the farmhouse.The ragged hole the big batto had made was easily accessible by Wolfram, therefore San had closed and locked the main door.The stout wooden door would keep much of the farmhouse from falling into complete disrepair during the winter months.

    San set down a stack of still warm roti bread he had made that morning.Elgava and Bostarion had found a clay pot of grains and another of wine hidden among the imbar that had been left behind.Bostarion claimed it was Pavano¡¯s doing and San was thankful for the man.

    There had been enough flour and wine to sate all of their hunger and that had led to the first good night of sleep since they had left the komai.San had cooked up the rest of the bread and it looked to be enough to see them to White Tower.

    Wolfram sniffed the bread and took one into her mouth.She choked it down and greedily took the rest.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be back in the spring,¡± San said.He touched her head and scratched it. ¡°See you then.¡±

    San got up and headed toward the others who were waiting for him.The early morning light was still dim, but it was enough to travel by.Everyone wanted to get a start on the journey to White Tower.The last few days of hard trekking and little food had left them all battered and exhausted. A warm fire, a hot meal, and a bath would make a world of difference.

    A howl followed them as they left the komai.

    Even in their battered and foot weary state, they made it to the Trade Road in record time. By mid morning they were starting down the road to White Tower. By evening they had made a fair bit of progress as the weather was holding and the skies were clear and bright.They settled down in a campsite that seemed to be one that was used often by travelers.

    San sat first watch, sitting with his back against a tree and peering into the night.He watched as the stars shone brightly above him and he sketched out various constellations from the patterns. The Frowny Face, the Beer Pint, and the Keg were his favorites.

    ¡°I find travellers by the road,¡± a familiar voice said.

    San looked to see a figure walking along the Trade Road.She was still a fair distance away from him, walking slowly and leisurely.Yet her voice had sounded as if she were right by him.San sat up straighter and watched as the Winter¡¯s Lament approached him.

    ¡°Can a traveler share your fire,¡± she asked.

    ¡°If you come in peace, then you¡¯ll find it here,¡± San responded.

    The woman smiled, her sharp teeth flashing. ¡°You are learning, Sanjay.¡± She leaned close to him. ¡°Words have power, love.Deals made have power.Promises given have power. Do not make them so casually, love. You may regret them one day.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m glad it¡¯s night,¡± San said.

    The pale woman smiled again and gracefully sat down by him.¡°You lived,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ve been using your Power.¡±She wrapped her arms around his chest, pushing her body against his.Even with his armor on he could almost feel the coldness of her skin.

    ¡°I have,¡± San said.¡°That thing-¡°

    ¡°No,¡± the pale woman said. ¡°Do not ask about that thing you saw.Do not dwell upon it.It is a horror that you will not be able to shake twice, love.¡± She tapped her long nails, almost talons, upon his cuirass. ¡°It is done and it is gone.Be glad for that.Your friends have survived and that is what you wanted, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San said.

    ¡°Then rejoice. You live. They live.¡±

    ¡°Who is the ¡®she¡¯ they were talking about?¡± San asked. ¡°She knew my name.¡±

    ¡°Your soul screams out your name across the aether, Sanjay,¡± she said. ¡°It is not hard to see it and its bright flame brings all those that only know darkness to its light.She, is one of those creatures.She is trapped though and shall never walk this world.¡±

    ¡°But who is she?¡±

    ¡°You need not know, Sanjay. Like the thing, if you dwell upon it too much, it will seek you out.¡±

    ¡°Why do you come around?¡± San asked.

    ¡°To feel your warmth, love,¡± the woman whispered.Sher voice was ice upon his skin.San shivered. ¡°Your soul is so bright, it burns me and beckons me.¡± San felt a shudder and a single icy tear plinked off his cuirass.It felt heavy and it felt solid. San automatically caught it in his gloved hand.

    He stared down at it, it wasn¡¯t a piece of ice. Instead it was a crystal or maybe a gem.It gleamed in the night, seemingly giving off its own glow.

    ¡°What-¡°

    ¡°San?¡±

    San blinked and looked up to see Elgava standing over him.She frowned down at him.

    ¡°You sleeping on watch?¡± she demanded.

    ¡°No¡­ I ¡­¡± San looked around and saw that he was alone.His eyes felt gritty and exhaustion pulled at him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said.Had he been sleeping? Was it a dream?Confusion clouded his head.

    Elgava sighed. ¡°We¡¯re all slacking,¡± she said. ¡°This close to White Tower and we¡¯re all letting things slide.Get your ass to sleep, San. You earned it.¡±

    San rose to his feet and felt something in his hands.He looked down at it and saw a gem in the middle of it.

    ***

    The Trade Road winded through the forests, although as San and the others walked through it, these woods felt different than the ones he knew from his own world or even the Northern Woods they had been lost in for a while.The woods and trails Mary and he had walked through always seemed, tamed.It wasn¡¯t that there weren¡¯t any wild animals or dangers within it, but such encounters were rare.In all the years Mary and he had hiked across multiple forests and trails, they had never encountered any animals.

    The feeling was the same as they walked along the wide Trade Road.Perhaps there was just too many people walking through the area, there was plenty of trash and detritus that littered the area, along with many winding roads that lead off into the woods.Bostarion stated there were farms and other places to the south nearer the Red River.

    They came across their first travelers, a wagon carrying cargo that was pulled by four skinny woollys. A big man sat on the wagon along with three kids that weren¡¯t anywhere near their teenage years.The big man eyed their ragged group and visibly set a crossbow across his lap.The action was copied by the oldest boy.

    ¡°Friendly,¡± San said.He wondered how Pavano would approach this.Within five minutes San was sure he¡¯d have been able to get them a ride and have the children and big man laughing with jokes and tales.

    San looked at his exhausted group.The only extrovert was Elgava and she leaned more to complaining and cursing the ills of the world. San chuckled at the thought as they walked beside the wagon.

    Tensions were eased when the Mage showed the man his Identification Seal as a Mage of the Barony.The man showed more respect and even allowed the Mage to ride upon the wagon.San and the others continued to walk, although taking up the offer to add their packs to the wagon to ease their traveling.

    ¡°It¡¯s been rough,¡± the farmer said.His name was Givain Gen and he was taking his children to stay with his sister in White Tower.There were too many tales of bandits along the Red River and some major trading caravans being attacked by Nox.¡°At least we weren¡¯t foolish enough to just plant imbar.I kept telling my neighbors they need to diversify their crops. We can¡¯t always count on the Empire buying up all the imbar and shipping it South.Now we¡¯re at war with Suvanna and they¡¯re holding all the passes South and the imbar trade has collapsed.¡± The big farmer shook his head, turning to look at his son. ¡°Nothing¡¯s a certain thing, lad. Always plan for something going wrong.¡±

    The boy nodded solemnly.

    ¡°There¡¯s also tales being told of monsters coming from the North,¡± the man continued. ¡°A group of men were wiped out camping on the Trade Road not two weeks back. Then the Baron sent soldiers to some komai near the mountains.Less than half returned and they were beaten all to hell.¡± The man shook his head again. ¡°The world¡¯s slipping, lads. The world¡¯s slipping into the darkness.¡±

    San trudged alongside the wagon and listened as the man complained and gossiped.It felt good to not have to worry so much about what was lurking in the woods around them.Although the Trade Road wasn¡¯t a safe place, it was far better than the wilds of the Northern Woods.

    The trees began to thin as they continued down the Road.Soon they were replaced with farmsteads, the fields covered in snow and houses emitting smoke in the distance. The road became better, as it was graveled and well defined.There weren¡¯t as many wagon ruts and potholes and even the woollys picked up their pace.

    Houses and farms dotted the land.As they crested a hill, San paused and looked down into the valley that spread before him.

    ¡°This is the heart of the Barony,¡± Bostarion said as he stood by San.

    Before them for miles upon miles were farms that spread from horizon to horizon.San could see scores of irrigation canals, the bright ribbon of the Red River, and at the end of the valley, upon a cliff, rose a White Tower that looked down upon all the land.

    The tower was a feat of engineering, from what San could make out.It towered perhaps a few hundred feet above a large town or city.The dimming light of the later afternoon reflected off the stone of the tower, making it shine brightly.

    The city of White Tower was set below the tower itself.San could make out massive walls and the smoke rising from hundreds or thousands of hearths.He saw that the Red River snaked its way into the city, splitting it in two.Boats moved along the river, plying their trade or carrying cargo.

    The roads were thick with people too, wagons of all sizes and shapes moved along the well maintained roads.Even in winter farmers were out in their fields, laying down manure or letting animals roam.More were hauling goods into the city, their wagons heavily loaded and their shouts, curses, and calls filling the air.

    ¡°Rich and fertile lands,¡± Bostarion continued. ¡°But filled with Landed assholes.¡± The ranger spat.

    San took in the sight.It was his first real look at a city in this world. Blackened Bridge was more of a fort and shanty town, the same with Midway.The woodland villages were all small and for the most part built in the same manner.

    This was an actual city and he couldn¡¯t help but feel some excitement to see what it held.He knew his excitement was probably misplaced; how many times had he heard that medieval towns were nothing but shit running down the streets and sickness? How without refrigeration and proper food storage, one would die from the food just as fast as they would catch a disease from the contaminated water.

    Well, he did have Sanitize as a Power and he was a [Brewer] so at a minimum he¡¯d have something clean to drink.

    ¡°Come on, boys!¡± Elgava said, grinning. ¡°We¡¯re nearly to White Tower. If we push it we¡¯ll get there before they close the gates and then we can spend our ill gotten gains to get so drunk we end up in Senta¡¯s embrace.¡±

    ¡°We must report to the Young Baron,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°Fuck ¡®im.He can wait,¡± Elgava said.¡°He¡¯s probably not even here.¡±

    ¡°The Baron¡¯s Banner flies over the walls,¡± the Mage replied. ¡°He is here.¡±

    Elgava squinted at the distant city and frowned. ¡°Fuck.¡±

    ¡°Come, lass. We¡¯ll get Ilagio strung up and dead before dawn.Wine tastes sweeter after you¡¯ve gotten revenge,¡± Bostarion said.

    Elgava grinned at that. ¡°Aye. Let¡¯s get going, boys.We got a Landed that needs dying.¡±

    The Landed Gen looked uneasily at the group as they grabbed their packs and headed toward the city.

 033

    ¡°I am Histoa! Explosive Mage of White Tower and the Barony of Sol Suvanis!¡± the Mage declared at the guards manning the entrance into White Tower.

    The thick gates had been closed by the time they reached the city, and a dozen guards had set up a small camp outside of the walls.They all looked tired and worn, their armor dirty and their demeanor sliding toward sour.

    San watched as they rolled their eyes and glanced at one another.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look like a Mage,¡± one of the men said. ¡°You some kind of hedge mage? A witch mage? Like those tree fuckers?¡±The gathered soldiers chuckled.

    ¡°Who is your commanding officer?¡± the Mage demanded.¡°I do not recognize you nor your insignia.¡±

    ¡°Look, kid. You don¡¯t look like any kind of Mage I¡¯ve seen. You look like something a woolly shit out after being dead for a week,¡± the leader of the men said. ¡°Just set up camp down the way, two hundred paces from the wall, and come sunup you and your band of dirty fucks can come in.¡±

    ¡°I am Elgava Sonnis, of Ilagio¡¯s 3<sup>rd</sup> Militia out of South Blackrock.¡±

    ¡°Ilagio Fomar?He¡¯s put word out that one of his soldiers deserted in a fight not long ago,¡± another soldier said. ¡°These Landed Komai cunts can¡¯t keep their men from running at the first sight of danger.¡± The other soldiers laughed. ¡°You, girl, don¡¯t look like a solider. From where I¡¯m standing you¡¯d look better on your knees.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± San said, stepping forward.

    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this? Some big fucker with stolen armor?¡± the leader of the soldiers said.He looked San up and down. ¡°Where the fuck are you coming from, foreigner?¡±

    ¡±Your mother¡¯s bedroom, asshole,¡± San said.

    There was a hiss of steel at those words.The soldier¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of his skull as his face turned a fuming red in the torchlight.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna die for that, foreigner.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen horror and death aplenty,¡± San said. He stepped back, Elgava, Bostarion, and the Mage moving along with him. ¡°You are being rude and antagonistic for no reason.These are my companions and I will not stand for them to be mocked, not after what we¡¯ve done for the Barony.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t give two shits,¡± the soldier said.¡°I¡¯m gonna carve you up slow, fucker.¡±

    ¡°Halt!¡±a voice boomed from the walls.All eyes turned upward to see a face silhouetted by torchlight.It was a familiar face.Havatair.

    ¡°Oh, fuck,¡± one of the soldiers muttered.

    The thick gates creaked as they began to open.San kept his hand on his sword and Bostarion lowered his crossbow.They all waited as the dozen soldiers glared at them, but didn¡¯t move.

    Havatair strode through the gates, followed by half a dozen armed and armored soldiers.San had forgotten how big the man was, even without his armor he was still massive.His wide face split into a grin when he saw the Mage.

    ¡°Histoa!¡± he cried, opening his arms. ¡°Senta watches over you.Ilagio claimed you were dead, along with your companions.¡±

    The big man pulled the thin Mage into a bear hug.The Mage struggled, but could not pull himself from his grip.

    ¡°Hetvana¡¯s cunt, son, you¡¯re thinner than a rail and reek like these fucking mercenaries assholes.¡± The big man gave a look of disgust to the men standing by the gates.

    ¡°Mercenaries?¡± the Mage asked.

    ¡°Aye, the Young Baron returned with more men than he took.The message of the battos arrived and he made the decision to bring a large force upon it.We are still gathering and preparing to burn that fucking queen out.¡±

    ¡°There is no need,¡± the Mage said. ¡°We have destroyed the queen and the nest.¡±

    Havatair¡¯s eyebrows rose high and he let out a bark of laughter.The Mage frowned at the laugh as Havatair looked at each of them, seeing if they were joking.

    ¡°Truly?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the Mage responded. ¡®The Birthing Mother is dead. Along with some evil white furred monsters that were infesting an Old Kingdom fortress.¡±

    Havatair laughed again, but not one of mocking or disbelief.This one was from his gut and it was one of excitement and joy.¡°The Young Baron will want to see you. Come.¡±

    ¡°These men were rude to me and my companions,¡± the Mage stated, tilting his head toward the mercenaries. ¡°They threatened to carve up my friend, San the Foreigner.¡±

    Havatair¡¯s expression moved from joy to stony silence as he took in the mercenaries. ¡°This is a Mage of Sol Suvanis,¡± he barked. ¡°All respect and honor is to be given to him.Understood!¡±

    The mercenaries wilted under the man¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± they murmured.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±

    ¡°Pardon me, sir,¡± San said. ¡°I wish to know where to find Pavano and the Exonaris family.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Old guy who won¡¯t shut up and a woman and some kids,¡± Bostarion clarified.

    ¡°Ah, them,¡± the big man shrugged. ¡°Who knows. They came with us from their wrecked komai and I haven¡¯t seen nor cared to find out what happened to them.¡±

    San shared a look with Bostarion and the old man nodded.

    ¡°We shall be on our way, then,¡± San said. ¡°We hope to find our friends safe.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere,¡± the big man said. ¡°I said the Young Baron will want to see you.Until the Young Baron relinquishes you, then you shall come.¡±

    ¡°I-¡°

    ¡°San,¡± the Mage said. ¡°Please.¡±

    San looked at the Mage, at Elgava, and then at Bostarion.There was resignation in their eyes.This was something they would not fight.

    ¡°Okay,¡± San said.

    ¡°Look at you two,¡± the big man grinned. ¡°Fast friends and companions now aren¡¯t you?¡± he laughed and began walking into the city, they followed, and the half dozen Guards trailed them.

    It was San¡¯s first time in a medieval city. He was expecting foul smells and ill maintained streets, but was surprised to find men and women moving along the streets, sweeping the cobblestones and removing refuse.They worked by dim paper lantern, the light barely enough for them to see by.

    ¡°The Filth,¡± Havatair said, noticing San¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°The Filth?¡±

    ¡°Those that Senta has deemed worthless.Their are tainted and will not be blessed with knowing Senta¡¯s true light.¡±

    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± San asked.

    ¡°They live in the sewers and clean the place. It¡¯s the punishment for their sins,¡± Elgava clarified.

    ¡°What sins?¡±

    ¡°Of being born Filth,¡± she said.

    One of the figures turned their heads to follow the group. San saw the twisted visage in the dim light. A face that was pocked, lumpy, and with a singular dark eye peering out from the mass of flesh. He saw the twisted arm that held a broom and the hunched back that caused the person to move in slow hobbled movements.

    ¡°They¡¯re deformed,¡± San said.

    ¡°They are Filth. Senta and Koza cursed them to live in suffering,¡± Bostarion said.

    San stopped and watched as the figure returned to the work they were doing. Cleaning up after the ¡®normal¡¯ people.He felt a flash of rage at that.What kind of reasoning was that? Filth?

    ¡°This is wrong,¡± San said.¡°They are people, just like you and I.¡±

    ¡°Woolly shit,¡± Havatair said, his expression souring. ¡°They¡¯re Filth and they¡¯ll live and die as such.Senta has cursed them, Hetvana has disowned them, and Kazo has forged them in this way to punish them for the sins of their past lives.¡±

    ¡°It was not long ago that commoners were considered no higher than Filth,¡± a voice said.A woman wearing a long yellow and white robe appeared from a side street.A tall thin man with half of his face scarred stood by her, carrying a lantern.

    ¡°Madam Densa,¡± Havatair said, nodding his head to the woman. ¡°I did not see you there.¡±

    ¡°Would you have softened your words if you had?¡± the woman asked.She held her head high, staring down the big man.¡°Softening words of hate would not sway my own thoughts on you, Havatair.You have already shown me who you are and what you believe.Do not demean yourself by pretending that I cannot see the truth written in your soul.¡±

    The big man didn¡¯t say anything, instead he just glared at the woman.

    ¡°You keep fine company, Havatair,¡± the woman said, turning to San and the group. ¡°It is good to see you, Mage Histoa.I heard you were dead.I prayed to Senta that Landed Fomar was mistaken.I am glad you have returned to us.¡± She looked him up and down and smiled. ¡°You have also grown stronger in your journey, that is wonderful news. The world grows dark and the Barony needs all of its Mages.¡±

    ¡°My lady,¡± the Mage said, bowing slightly. ¡°I humbles me that you know who I am.¡±

    ¡°Ah, it seems you were not the only one to grow stronger,¡± the woman smiled at Elgava.The soldier blushed as the woman looked her up and down. ¡°Levels, the journey you were on must have been a dangerous one indeed.The Cults are always looking for strong warriors to defend the faith against monsters.¡±

    ¡°Densa,¡± Bostarion said, nodding at her.The woman¡¯s smile faltered just a little bit.

    ¡°Bostarion, you still live. A shame,¡± she said. Havatair let out a bark of laughter.

    ¡°The gods haven¡¯t decided when I¡¯m gonna die yet,¡± the ranger said. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll outlive even them.¡±

    ¡°Blasphemy,¡± the woman chided, but there was no heat in her voice. ¡°You will die like all men.¡±

    ¡°Drunk and atop a woman?¡± Bostarion asked.

    ¡°You tread dangerously, old man,¡± Havatair said.

    ¡°Always headed to a fight, no matter how much you complain,¡± the woman said, clasping Bostarion¡¯s calloused hands.¡°Senta sees your deeds, old friend. She will welcome you when your work is done.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Bostarion jerked away and said nothing, but San saw something in his eyes, like fear or worry.

    ¡°And finally you,¡± Densa stepped before San. ¡°A foreigner who sees the humanity behind the horror.¡± She stepped into his personal space and peered into his eyes.¡°When you see one thing everyday all your life, you begin to believe that is how it should be.What say you, foreigner?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of perspective.People aren¡¯t inherently evil or cursed.There is no original sin.People are people and they should be judged on what they do, not how they came into this world.¡±

    ¡°Aptly put, foreigner,¡± the woman said. She bowed before him. ¡°I am Densa, High Healer of Senta and the Barony of Sol Suvanis. I am also the caretaker of these that the people of White Tower call Filth.¡±She twisted her mouth at the words, seemingly finding them distasteful. ¡°So many see the maladies of bad birth, sickness, and injury to mean that Senta and Koza look upon them unfavorably.Anything that is ¡®strange¡¯ or ¡®unnatural¡¯ is deemed ungodly and punishment for crimes that no one knows of.¡±

    ¡°This nonsense,¡± Havatair muttered. ¡°Foolish woman, they¡¯re cursed.¡±

    ¡°It is easy for those that are big, strong, and with levels to say that,¡± Densa said. ¡°Those that have been graced with a life that has not seen their limbs shattered and cannot obtain gems to heal themselves of mortal wounds, they are the first to cry out how those below them should only work harder and be better.That their suffering is the gods¡¯ will.¡±

    ¡°We are off to see the Young Baron,¡± Havatair said. ¡°We do not have the time to talk about this nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Then I shall travel with you.For the Young Baron is one who does not see these people as true people.A part of his upbringing that I had hoped to help sway.For these people are his people as any craftsman or solider who lives in this city.¡±

    Havatair let out an annoyed groan.

    ¡°You help them?¡± San asked.

    ¡°They help themselves. I only offer them what little I can do.I heal their wounds, I try to reset old broken bones, fix the wounds that were badly healed.¡±

    ¡°We have real people that need that kind of healing,¡± Havatair snapped.

    ¡°All souls were forged by Kazo and blessed by Senta,¡± Densa said. ¡°Until the day they come to us and tell us that these poor people are cursed, then I shall treat them as ¡®real¡¯ people too, Havatair.¡±

    ¡°How many are there?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Hundreds.The Baron refuses to allow them on the streets in the day.He demands they clean the streets and do the work no ¡®real¡¯ person wants to do.Removing shit and cleaning piss, being abused by the public, being raped and killed without consequences.¡±

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± Havatair muttered. ¡°Will you shut up?¡±

    ¡°Havatair and the other Leveled all want to see the world as this great struggle against the darkness, but they refuse to see that same darkness in the very place they call home.It is the plight of man that we call one thing evil and yet call another the will of the gods. All should be judged on the merit of what it is and how it effects the living.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± San said. Havatair muttered something, it was joined by Elgava and Bostarion.

    ¡°There are, sadly, few who agree with that sentiment.The gods are the gods and by applying the belief that only bad things happen to bad people, distorts their teachings.We know injustices fill the world, we know that the ¡®bad¡¯ people still gain wealth and power.The Last Emperor¡¯s son is one such figure.For all the death and destruction he has caused, no god has struck him down, no ill will has befallen him.¡±

    ¡°He lost the Red Gates battle last year,¡± Havatair said.

    ¡°People such as Havatair see that as the gods¡¯ will too.Not tactics or planning or generalship, but the gods granting favors in wars and battles.¡±

    ¡°What do you know of war, woman?¡± Havatair hissed.

    ¡°I have seen more battles, been in more wars, and seen the price paid by those who were not born into wealth and lucky enough to gain levels,¡± Densa said.The chill of her words ran down San¡¯s spine.They all stopped talking, instead walking down stone corridors and passing Guards patrolling the grounds.

    San realized they had left the dark streets and now were walking among thicker and stouter stone buildings.The light of the dark streets had brightening and tall lamps glowed.He could see light spilling out of small windows, with actual glass. The sounds of people laughing, cheering, and talking wafted out of the open doors of what looked to be alehouse and restaurants.

    ¡°Sweet Senta, I¡¯m hungry,¡± Elgava muttered. ¡°I¡¯d give anything for a barrel of wine and a pot of pickled tarrowfin.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s tarrowfin?¡± San asked.

    ¡°A fish, a local delicacy,¡± Densa replied. ¡°It is pickled and added to the fermented dish, sovassa.¡± It took San a moment to figure out the sovassa was the kimchi they made.He had never actually heard its name before.

    ¡°It¡¯s heavenly,¡± Elgava said.

    ¡°I like the kimchi¡­ uh.. sovassa,¡± San said. ¡°There was a dish similar in my homeland.¡±

    ¡°I am glad that Sol Suvanis can offer some familiarity to a traveller like you,¡± Densa said.

    San took in the sights of what he suspected was the upper class part of the city. The streets were well cobblestoned, clean, and well lit. The alehouses and restaurants weren¡¯t packed, but light spilled out of them and so did music.San nearly stopped at the sound.It had been weeks since he had heard live music.

    ¡°It¡¯d take me a month¡¯s pay just to buy a drink there,¡± Elgava said.

    ¡°Like they¡¯d let your low born ass in there in the first place,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°Sars are sars and my family are Landed,¡± Elgava replied.

    ¡°And the stench of low Landed komai reeks fouler than woolly shit,¡± the ranger said. ¡°Best not wallow in that hell, lass. The rich are far crueler and vicious than the battos we fought.¡±

    ¡°What do you think, foreigner?¡± the woman asked San.

    ¡°Wealth and power reveals who you are,¡± San said. ¡°The things you do with that wealth and power says everything about the kind of person you are.¡±

    ¡°Indeed,¡± the woman said as Havatair snorted.

    They continued onward, the street began to slope slightly upward as they reached a series of high walls manned by more Guards.San looked to see a large red and white banner hanging from the walls.It showed a stylized man on a horse holding a sword aloft.Fire burned in the background and framed the rider.

    ¡°The Young Baron awaits,¡± a man called out.He was tall and thin, wearing a tight red and white robe.He looked at Densa and her tall companion that carried the lantern. ¡°Filth are not to set foot upon holy ground.¡±

    ¡°Am I being turned away?¡± Densa asked.

    ¡°That thing beside you is, my lady.¡±

    ¡°Then I bid you goodnight, new companions. Sanjay, we should talk more,¡± she said before turning and walking away.

    San watched her as she walked along.He had never told her his name.

    ***

    San walked along with his companions within the keep of the Baron.The white tower that gave the city its name was an ancient structure that had been built by the Old Kingdom.One of their great achievements to praise their gods.The Empire had turned it into a sort of lighthouse, a burning light that would burn all night to represent Senta¡¯s light.

    With his experiences in the Cursed City and the Old Kingdom fortress, San was expecting grey stone and guttering torches, instead he was surprised by the brightly painted plastered walls.Dark wood inlays and framed paintings decorated the walls and they were lit by oil lamps with mirrored backing and housed in glass lanterns.

    The floors were well worn stone, in the less travelled areas they were covered in thick colorful rugs.Havatair led them through a series of corridors and halls, passing by red and white uniformed men and women rushing about to clean, fix, or do the other myriad of chores needed to keep such a place running.

    They came to a large pair of doors with a solider standing guard.The man opened the door as they approached and San and the others walked into large dining room.A massive fire was burning in a fireplace on one wall and the wall opposite of it was covered in a wall of glass, overlooking the city of White Tower.

    San peered at the glass, wondering how much something like that would cost.It seemed extraordinarily expensive, seeing as he hadn¡¯t seen much glass being used before arriving to White Tower.

    ¡°Havatair, Captain of the Guards.Histoa, Explosive Mage of Sol Suvannis,¡± the man who had led them there announced. ¡°And companions.¡±

    ¡°We bring news of the batto swarm, m¡¯lord!¡± Havatair announced.

    San peered beyond Havatair and saw a large wooden table stacked with food and wine.At the head sat two men and a boy, nearly Azios¡¯ age.The two men were older, white haired, one was overweight while the other was rail thin.They sat at either side of the young boy, who was at the thad of the table.

    The Young Baron, San guessed.

    The boy waved a hand in annoyance and continued eating.

    ¡°The Baron of Sol Suvannis, Vasona Sol Suvannis, will hear your report,¡± the man announced stepping aside.

    ¡°M¡¯lord,¡± Havatair said, stepping forward. ¡°We bring news of the batto swarm has been defeated. The Birthing Mother has been killed and the nest wastes away.¡±

    The boy looked up from his meal and glanced to the two men at his sides. Aides? Advisors?

    ¡°Explain,¡± the overweight man said.He picked up a goblet and began drinking from it.

    The Mage stepped forward and bowed at the gathered men.¡°M¡¯lord,¡± the Mage began and told them the tales of their adventures and week spent traveling from the battos caverns and back to White Tower.

    San stood there with the others, his travel clothing was meant to keep him warm in the outdoor weather and with the heat of the room he began sweating.The story was dragged out as the overweight man kept interrupting with questions and wanted parts clarified. The Young Baron didn¡¯t seem interested, instead he was stuffing his face and looking bored.The thin man seemed equally disinterested.

    ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m starving,¡± Elgava muttered. Bostarion grunted in response.

    ¡°And then we arrived to the mercenaries, m¡¯lord,¡± the Mage finished.

    ¡°Get rid of the mercenaries then,¡± the Young Baron said. ¡°They¡¯re costing a lot to just drinking, get in fights, and steal from our true citizens.¡±

    ¡°M¡¯lord, we have signed a month long contract with Alvo Din Sovin,¡± the thin man replied. .

    ¡°When we thought that we were fighting battos,¡± the boy said. ¡°Get rid of them.Only the Suvanna deals with trash like mercenaries.True Barons can always count on their citizens.¡±

    ¡°I assume there were gems taken from the creatures you defeated?¡± the overweight man asked.The Mage immediately pulled a small bag from his robes and handed them to Havatair. The big man peered into the bag, whistled and handed it off to the overweight man.

    ¡°Shall I gain a level?¡± the boy asked. ¡°Father says that I can gain a level every year.¡±

    ¡°Aye, m¡¯lord,¡± the overweight man said. ¡°We must hear from your father first.¡±

    The boy grumbled and looked sour as he turned his attention to San and the others. ¡°That woman is leveled, is she one of ours? That other one is a foreigner, what is he doing here?¡±

    ¡°Guess I¡¯m invisible,¡± Bostarion muttered.

    ¡°I am Elgava Sonnis, m¡¯lord, out of South Blackrock,¡± Elgava gave a bow.

    ¡°A soldier, then,¡± the boy said.He peered at her. ¡°You gained a level in this fight against the battos, yes?You shall be moved to the Guards then.The Barony welcomes another soldier to their ranks.¡±

    ¡°M¡¯lord,¡± the Mage stepped up. ¡°Sonnis did not gain her level through Death Leveling, m¡¯lord. She was given gems by her companion, San the Foreigner.¡±

    ¡°Given?¡± the overweight man asked. He finally looked at San and frowned.¡°Where did you get the gems for leveling, foreigner?¡±

    ¡°I came from the Forest Tribes¡¯ lands,¡± San said. ¡°I fought Rippers there and kept enough gems to provide me with a level in case I was ever injured.¡±

    ¡°Level healing?¡± the boy snorted.

    ¡°You gave this girl your gems?¡± the overweight man snorted also. ¡°Are you a fool?¡±

    ¡°She was dying. I had the gems,¡± San replied.

    ¡°She is still apart of the Suvanis levy,¡± the boy said.¡°She will be turned over to the Guards.¡±

    ¡°Pardon, m¡¯lord,¡± the Mage said.¡°By the laws set down by your father, those that Level without taking from the Barony are to be allowed to leave the service of the Barony and sign up as an Adventurer.¡±

    ¡°She wishes to be an Adventurer and not serve the Barony?We are at war, man,¡± the overweight man said.

    ¡°It is the law, m¡¯lord,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°Girl. Do you wish to sign up with the Corvanus Cult and become an Adventurer?¡± the thin man asked.

    Elgava hesitated for a moment. ¡°Yes, m¡¯lord,¡± she finally said.

    ¡°So be it,¡± the thin man said.

    The overweight man rolled his eyes while the boy frowned. ¡°She is our citizen. Why does she wish to forego the honor of serving in the Guards and protecting the Barony?¡±

    ¡°The Barony needs Adventurers just as it needs Guards, m¡¯lord,¡± Havatair said.¡°There are few that willingly go out into the world to fight the void horrors.¡±

    The boy gave a dismissive look at the words. ¡°We could send the army and destroy all the creatures that plague the North, along with the tree fuckers.¡±

    ¡°One war at a time, m¡¯lord,¡± the thin man replied.

    ¡°Begone,¡± the Young Baron snapped. ¡°I wish to dine in peace and without the stench of these people.¡±

    Havatair bowed to the Young Baron and jerked his head at San and the others for them to leave.They exited the dining hall and Havatair grinned at them.

    ¡°That went well,¡± he said. ¡°Off with you, then.¡±

    ¡°San and I were told we would be paid for our service,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°There is also the bounty for killing the queen, bringing back her gems, and destroying the batto swarm.Along with that fucker Ilagio blowing the cave while we were in it and then saying we died.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we need to kill Ilagio,¡± Elgava said.

    ¡°Easy, there.¡± Havatair gestured them to follow him.They entered another large room, this one lit by dim lanterns and chilly without a fire.

    ¡°You will all be paid the reward for killing the batto Birthing Mother,¡± Havatair said, sitting on the edge of a table. ¡°The foreigner and ranger will be paid for their services as auxiliaries.Girl, I will have your papers of release from the levy, you shall have to sign up with the Corvanus Cult on Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve.The representatives of the Cults will be here soon and it will be a good move to have the Corvanus Cult induct more members.

    ¡°I will deal with Ilagio Fomar.¡± Havatair crossed his massive arms, stretching the fabric of his robes. ¡°That skinny fucker has lied to me for the last fucking time.¡±

    Bostarion and Elgava grumbled but nodded. ¡°So be it,¡± the ranger said. ¡°We shall await news of his skinning and hanging.¡±

    Havatair laughed. ¡°Landed get it easy, Bostarion.¡±

    ¡°Aye.¡±

    ¡°Off with you all then. My dinner was interrupted by your arrival and I¡¯ve just been given a headache to deal with.We had been planning to move our army out to the batto swarm to destroy it, now we must call it off and that¡¯s going to take a lot of sars and harsh words.¡± The big man sighed. ¡°At least Histoa is back and can handle most of that.¡±

    The Mage nodded. ¡°I shall have to rest and eat, first,¡± he said. ¡°Then I shall do my duty.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good man,¡± Havatair slapped him on the shoulder,

    ¡°We need to find our companions,¡± San said. ¡°Pavano and the Exonaris family.¡±

    Havatair shrugged. ¡°Ask around at the inns and whatnot. They arrived, they were given coin, and then we sent them off.¡±

    San glanced at the ranger. ¡°Know where Pavano would be?¡±

    ¡°If he¡¯s got sars, alehouses or whorehouses,¡± he said.

    ¡°I suppose you¡¯ll need armed company,¡± Elgava grinned.

    ¡°Thank you, Histoa,¡± San said, shaking the Mage¡¯s hand. The man looked surprised at the gesture. ¡°You¡¯ve been a fine companion and I¡¯m glad you were there to have my back.¡±

    ¡°Aye, lad,¡± Bostarion said.¡°Good to have a Mage on our side.¡±

    ¡°What they said,¡± Elgava grinned at the Mage. ¡°You move around too much when you sleep, though.¡±

    San and the others laughed as they left the room and went to seek their friends.

 034

    34

    Attempting to find Pavano and the Exonaris family within White Tower at night was a near impossible task.It wasn¡¯t that the city was a sprawling place, it was actually fairly condensed, with homes, warehouses, and workshops all tightly packed within three story building that towered everywhere.

    The city reminded San of the denser parts of Seattle, but without the wide streets and with a bit more foulness to the air.A world without refrigeration and limited washing and waste disposal left a ripe smell in the air.It wasn¡¯t as bad as Blackened Bridge, but it would take some getting used to.As it was, San hadn¡¯t bathed in days so he was felt as if he were contributing to the overall aroma of the city.

    ¡°I should have just gone back to the barracks,¡± Elgava said. ¡°I¡¯d have gotten some soup and a couple of mugs of free wine.¡±She hugged herself as they walked down the streets.

    ¡°Perhaps, but you¡¯ve been kicked out of the Levy now, lass,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°The Mage saw to that.¡±

    ¡°What was with that?¡± San asked. ¡°You¡¯ve always sounded like you didn¡¯t want to continue being a soldier.¡±

    ¡°Aye, spending my life fighting for the Baron would have been hell,¡± Elgava said. ¡°But as you used your own gems to Level me, I¡¯m no longer subject to the Baron¡¯s Levy.If I had gained a level from Death Leveling or taking gems that were supposed to be the Baron¡¯s then I¡¯d be in his service for the rest of my life. Havatair is like that.You can get rich in the Baron¡¯s service, but mostly you end up dead.¡±

    ¡°Becoming an Adventurer ain¡¯t any easier,¡± Bostarion muttered.

    ¡°Aye, but I got San here to do the heavy lifting,¡± Elgava said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll continue being an Adventurer,¡± San said.

    ¡°What?¡± Elgava demanded. ¡°I have Levels. I can¡¯t just walk away from this now.Unless I want to run away to live with the fucking woodland savages.It¡¯s either fight for the Baron or sign up as an Adventurer with the Corvanus Cult.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not registered as an Adventurer,¡± San said. ¡°Nor am I a Barony citizen.I am a Brewer.¡±

    ¡°Woolly shit,¡± Elgava spat. ¡°You¡¯re shit with a sword, but you¡¯ve got strength and speed and luck on your side, San.You¡¯ll make a decent Adventurer. Imagine all the wealth you¡¯d obtain, all the wine you could drink, all the meat you¡¯d eat.¡±

    ¡°I think I can make my own wine,¡± San said.

    ¡°Leave the lad be, lass,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°As a Sol Suvanis Adventurer, you¡¯ll only need to give the Barony an equivalent of one level every two years. That¡¯s ten green gems, we grabbed more than that in less than two weeks.¡±

    ¡°Forty thousand sars,¡± Elgava said. ¡°Can you even imagine that many sars?¡±she shook her head.

    ¡°Ten thousand in White Tower,¡± San said, remembering Pavano telling him the prices.

    San wondered about the gems he was carrying, over a dozen yellows, a red, five green, and the black one that the had no idea what to do with.The strange gem was terrifying to look at, as if it were calling to him.San shook his head.He couldn¡¯t sell the yellow gems and the Cults would kill him if they found out he was carrying so many on his person.The red and greens he could make a decent profit from. As for the black, maybe he could find a deep hole to throw it down into.

    ¡°Still more than my family¡¯s made in the last ten years,¡± Elgava said. ¡°More than I¡¯ve ever seen in my life.¡±

    ¡°I was given a two thousand five hundred sar Nox warhorse,¡± San said. ¡°Pavano sold it for three woollys.¡±

    Bostarion laughed and Elgava groaned.They made their way down the streets, following Bostarion as he knew where to look first.It was several minutes later they arrived to a run down warehouse that smelled of horse manure and urine.

    The ranger banged on a door for several minutes before a small dark man carrying an oil lamp appeared.He glared at the three of them and spat onto the ground.

    ¡°If you wanna rent out a stall for your ¡®fun¡¯,¡± he looked from Bostarion to Elgava, ¡°it¡¯ll be a sar for the night.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a high price,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°A bunkhouse is two sars a week.¡±

    ¡°Try fucking in one of those places,¡± the man spat back.

    ¡°I ain¡¯t looking for a place to fuck,¡± Bostarion growled.

    The man squinted and saw San. ¡°You like watching? If you let me watch, you can have a stall for two hours.That¡¯s a big foreigner you got there, could probably put on a show. Give me a few hours and I can make you some sars.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re looking for some woollys,¡± Bostarion said.

    ¡°To fuck?¡± the man looked confused.

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± Bostarion muttered. ¡°You damned fool. We¡¯re not here to fuck or fuck anything.¡± The ranger grabbed the man by the tunic, yanking him out of the threshold. ¡°We¡¯re here looking for six woollys that might have arrived within the last few days. There¡¯s an old man and a young lad, the old man talks a lot and goes by the name Pavano. The boy¡¯s Exonaris komai.¡±

    The man blinked for a moment. ¡°Ah, yes. I know of them,¡± he said.¡°They¡¯ve stabled their woollys here. That old fool overpaid me.¡± The man grinned.

    ¡°Know where they¡¯re staying?¡± Bostarion asked.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You have any sars?¡± Bostarion asked San and Elgava. San shook his head as did Elgava. ¡°Fuck.¡±

    ¡°No coin? Get the fuck out of here,¡± the man said. ¡°You¡¯re interrupting my dinner.¡±

    ¡°You know anyone that can¡­ turn nuggets into sars?¡± Elgava asked Bostarion.The ranger frowned and shook his head. ¡°Fuck.¡±

    San held back his chuckle.They had survived so long within the deadly forests and were literally carrying around a huge amount of wealth. Yet none of them had any sars they could use to purchase food, a place to sleep, or even information.

    ¡°Tell us where they¡¯re staying, sir,¡± Elgava said. ¡°Come daybreak we¡¯ll pay you a handsome reward.¡±

    ¡°Unless it¡¯s you tussling with yonder foreigner, I ain¡¯t interested,¡± the man said.

    ¡°Up for a tussle, San?¡± Bostarion asked.

    ¡°With you?¡± San said.

    The ranger turned red and didn¡¯t say anything. Elgava slapped him on the back and laughed hysterically. Even the stable master let out a yipping laugh.

    San looked down the street and saw one of the hunched robed figures limping in their direction.They carried a basket upon their back and pulled a wooden sled filled with garbage.The sight killed San¡¯s levity.

    ¡°Maybe we can find some help from Lady Densa,¡± San said.

    Elgava looked up and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Seems she likes you, foreigner.Best not bark up that tree; I hear she breaks men bigger than you.¡±

    ¡°Breaks men?¡± San asked.

    ¡°She is of the Senta Cult and is a healer,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°They hold their faith very tightly and they are the first to draw the blade when they think they are right.¡±

    ¡°All of that means what?¡± San asked. ¡°She seems to be doing her god¡¯s work, helping those in need.¡±

    Bostarion shook his head.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be busy,¡± Elgava said. ¡°The representatives of the Cults are arriving from the Empire. They¡¯ll be here soon, before Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve and I¡¯m sure she has much to do before then.¡±

    San nodded. ¡°Then what are we going to do?¡± San asked.

    The three stood there in silence. The stable owner slammed his door shut.The street cleaner passed them by, moving in slow shuffling steps.

    ¡°Three tough spawns of bitches, armed to the teeth with gunpowder, steel, and bolts, and no money. There¡¯s only one thing we can do if we want some sars,¡± Elgava said.

    ***

    ¡°Kill him! Kill him!¡± Elgava screamed.

    The big man, stripped to his waist and shining with applied oil, moved deftly as his opponent swung clumsily.The big man snapped forward as the other man recovered from his swing; sending a wet thudding punch into the man¡¯s side.

    The opponent grunted, he reached to clutch his side and the big man¡¯s fist connected with his chin as he dropped his guard.The opponent staggered for a moment and then sat down heavily, blood dripping from his nose.The crowd screamed and shouted as the big man showboated, dancing around the ring.He threw up his arms and roared in victory at the crowd.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    He was showboating so much that the other man managed to shake his head and then rise to his feet.The big man turned as his opponent pulled back his arm.There was a look of shock and the first slammed into the man¡¯s face.

    The big man flopped to the ground bonelessly.He let out a groan and then was still. His bloodied opponent looked down at the defeated man and only grinned.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± someone said.

    The word seemed to echo in the quiet that had descended among those watching the fight.Then the realization the big man had lost hit them.There was a thunderous roar of anger and cries of outrage.

    ¡°The gods are looking out for us,¡± Elgava grinned as she raised her betting token.

    San watched as she shoved her way through the crowd.Her enchanted strength pushed men bigger than her out of the way.She shouted to a man in a well made tunic and hat, waving her token.

    The man looked displeased as he noted down her bet and winnings.A pouch of coins exchanged hands and Elgava shoved her way back out.The sight of the shortsword on her hip kept many hands to themselves.

    ¡°Always bet on the underdog!¡± Elgava cried, joining San and Bostarion at a table.Her eyes were bright and she grabbed the jug of wine that sat between them.

    San sipped at his own cup. It was bad wine, but then again he had only had bad wine since arriving.It was almost a point of pride among the Imperials to have vinegar like wine.

    ¡°Bare knuckle boxing seems a bit¡­ dangerous,¡± San said.He could only imagine all the pain and damage one could take from such a sport.There were very little doctor and from what he had seen, medical science wasn¡¯t that advanced.A broken bone, tooth, jaw, or most injuries that resulting from fighting could lead to a pretty painful death.

    ¡°The Leveled Fights are even better,¡± Elgava said, grinning widely.She quaffed her cup and then began refilling it.¡®We got enough sars to buy an entire barrel of wine and eat an entire woolly.¡±

    Elgava split the coins between them, Bostarion slipping them into a pouch and then taking another drink.San scooped up his coins and placed them in a pocket.Elgava was already waving to the server for another jug of wine.

    ¡°You seem to be on a winning streak?¡± a voice said.

    San looked up to see a tall, lean woman walking up to their table. She carried a new jug of wine and grinned at San. Saggaris.

    ¡°You can turn a silver sar into gold in one night,¡± Elgava said.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t spend it all on wine,¡± Bostarion muttered.

    The trader turned to San, offering to fill his cup.He nodded.They had spent an hour trying to find a buyer from the gold they had taken from the white furred monsters, but between being heavily armed and filthy from weeks of travel and fighting, no one wanted to do business with them. It was until they had arrived to the fighting club that San ran into Saggaris.

    The trader had been in the company of several others, but as soon as she saw him, she had left them to glare at him.

    ¡°You¡¯re alive,¡± she said.

    It took a moment for San to realize who she was.When they left Blackened Bridge, she had been dressed to travel and wore a thick coat and armor.Now she was dressed like someone enjoying a night out. Which it happened she was doing.Her hair was neatly combed and styled, a link of fine silver hung around her throat along with silver earrings, she wore a long robe stitched with moons and stars, that made it look like she was a wizard.

    ¡°Trader Saggaris,¡± San said, finally remembering. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±

    ¡°You stole three woollys from me,¡± she said.

    ¡°You gained a Nox warhorse,¡± San said.

    ¡°Do you know how fucking hard it is to buy good, young, and trained woollys?¡± she demanded.

    San shrugged. ¡°No.But it was a legal purchase, we got the tags for them and everything. Signed off by your quartermaster.¡±

    ¡°I fired that drunken fuck,¡± Saggaris hissed.

    San shrugged again. ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I guess it¡¯s better than being ¡®accidentally¡¯ killed in Midway.¡±

    Saggaris jerked back and looked at him. Then she laughed. ¡°How true, foreigner.¡± She looked passed him and at Elgava and Bostarion.¡°New friends? Where¡¯s the old man? Pavano.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re looking for him,¡± San said.

    ¡°He take your money and run?¡± Saggaris asked. She looked down at his weapons, armor, and gear. ¡°You become a mercenary now?¡±

    San thought about it.He did volunteer to fight the batto queen, but he was also being paid by the Barony to fight for them.Even if it was a one time thing. Did that make him a mercenary?

    ¡°No, still just traveling,¡± San said. ¡°Seeing the rest of the Barony.¡±

    Bostarion grunted in barely held in laughter.

    ¡°You look like shit, smell like it too,¡± Saggaris added.

    ¡°It¡¯s been an interesting time since we last parted ways,¡± San said.

    ¡°Would have been more interesting if you waited in Midway,¡± Saggaris said. ¡°Nothing safer than a Guard escorted trip back to White Tower.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather have lived,¡± San said.

    Saggaris chuckled again. ¡°True.¡± She dug into a pocket of her fine robe and tossed San a coin.San snatched it out of the air, seeing a silver sar in his palm. ¡°You paid for us to get you to White Tower.Seems we didn¡¯t complete the deal. Let it not be said that Trader Saggaris doesn¡¯t hold up her end of the deal.¡±

    ¡°And the trappers, didn¡¯t they pay?¡±

    ¡°Had a different deal with the Barony.They paid me far more,¡± Saggaris said. ¡°Three sars doesn¡¯t buy you much loyalty.¡±

    ¡°Three sars? ¡® San looked at the silver sar. That was twenty sars in value. ¡°You charged me twenty to get to White Tower.¡±

    Saggaris laughed again.

    ***

    ¡°Saggaris, love.Your friend are going to beggar me,¡± the large man said as he stepped up to the table they were occupying. ¡°That girl knows how to pick winners, doesn¡¯t she?¡±

    San looked to Elgava who was hanging onto one of the former fighters who had joined the crowd.He was a slim man with a shaven head and there were cuts and bruises on his face and body.San remembered he had also won a fight too.

    ¡°Luck is with them tonight,¡± Saggaris said, wrapping her arm around the man¡¯s own.¡°The gods smile upon them, for they are heroes.¡±

    ¡°Heroes?¡± The man raised an eyebrow. ¡°What have you saved White Tower from, friend?¡± he asked San.

    ¡°Battos,¡± Saggaris said. ¡°They killed two batto queens. Walked into their cavern and slaughtered the bitches.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± the man asked.

    San nodded. ¡°Elgava, Bostarion, the Mage Histoa, and I all entered the batto cave north of the Exonaris komai not seven days ago,¡± he said. ¡°We killed the queen there and the¡­ princess? Too.¡±

    ¡°Hotvar! Bring me a pitcher of Almarano red!We have a genuine hero here!¡±

    ¡°Uh, thanks,¡± San said.

    ¡°Saddan Hion,¡± the man introduced himself. ¡°I own this establishment, friend.Any friend of Saggaris is a friend of mine.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call us friends,¡± San said.

    ¡°Oh, bygones are bygones,¡± Saggaris said. ¡°He¡¯s a bit sore that I tried to have him captured.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Saddan raised another eyebrow.¡°Any person willing to go into a batto cavern to kill those fuckers is a friend of mine, then.Horrible creatures, battos.I saw an entire region devastated by a nest that grew huge, the Empire had to send in an entire legion to deal with it.Weakened the Tang Governor so much that they lost the port city of Genshen to the Last Emperor¡¯s son.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re from the Empire?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, lad. Born and raised there. Decided to make my fortune giving the hicks of the Barony a taste of the Empire.¡±

    ¡°With a fighting club?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Best entertainment in the Empire, lad.You¡¯re a big one, you should sign up.If you win your first fight against one of my established men, I¡¯ll pay you a bonus.¡±

    ¡°No, thanks.¡±

    Hotvar arrived with a small jug of wine.The man was rail thin and had a wispy mustache and looked displeased at who he was serving. ¡°Wasting it on foreigners,¡± he said before leaving.

    ¡°Drink up, friends,¡± Saddan said, pouring for them. ¡°It¡¯s going to be soon when I run out of this stuff.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Suvanna has reinforced their blockades to the Empire,¡± Saggaris said. ¡°It¡¯s why I¡¯m still fucking here.I can¡¯t leave and no one can.They¡¯re letting the Cults through, but anyone trading or traveling is robbed and sent back.¡±

    ¡°Aye, the tiresome parts of war,¡± Saddan replied. ¡°I can¡¯t get anything from the Empire anymore.Soon I¡¯ll be down to my last few amphoras of Almarano, which I¡¯ll have to save so that I can sell it at triple the price to those rich Landed fucks.¡±

    ¡°Is the Empire the only place to get wine?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Decent wine, yes,¡± Saddan replied. ¡°The Baronies are blessed with plenty of resources and can grow imbar without barely any effort, but grapes? No decent grapes or vintages grow here, it¡¯s a shame really.¡±

    ¡°What about branching out?¡± San asked. ¡°Fruit wines, mead, beer?¡±

    The fight club owner scoffed. ¡°Only if I were desperate,¡± he said. ¡°Only the woodland savages drink mead, foul stuff.Although beer is starting to become popular, but they all taste like week old piss.¡±

    San nodded, sipping at the cup of wine.The taste lingered on his tongue, the flavors of dark cheeries and vanilla swirling in his mouth.It was a bit sweeter than merlot, but compared to what he had been drinking, it was heavenly.

    ¡°This is very good,¡± San said.

    ¡°Almarano is the best wine growing region in the Empire,¡± the man said. ¡°The truly best are found in Votaro, but this swill is good enough.¡±

    San smiled behind his cup.It seemed wine snobbery crossed time and dimensions.He liked wine as he liked any other alcoholic beverage, but his draw had been to beer and distilled spirits.He wondered if anyone was making brandy?

    ¡°Ah, Sanjay, we meet once again,¡± Densa said as she walked up to him. San fumbled with his cup of wine. ¡°Such a small city White Tower appears to be.¡±

    ¡°Lady Densa,¡± San said, stuttering a bit.

    ¡°Lady?¡± the woman smiled at him.¡°My parents are mere commoners without land, dear Sanjay.I am not afforded such titles,.¡±

    ¡°If those born into titles exist, then those whose deeds elevate them into the same titles should also exist,¡± San said. ¡°I would think there are plenty of people deserving of acknowledgement of their deeds rather than their birth.¡±

    Densa laughed and smiled at him. ¡°You are a strange one, Sanjay.Many claim those that live outside the borders of the Empire are savages, but you do not seem so.¡±

    ¡°The world is vast and strange, my lady.To think that all thoughts and philosophies can be contained in only one region is a foolish concept,¡± San said.He emptied his cup as Densa who only smiled back at him.Nervousness shuddered through him and his thoughts raced on without his guidance.She was a member of the Senta cult and Bostarion¡¯s words echoed in his head. ¡°Where I come from, it is generally believed that one¡¯s merits elevate them rather than their birth.¡±

    ¡°You say that Kazo does not choose wisely in what souls he places into each body?¡± Densa asked.

    ¡°Kazo is not a god where I come from,¡± San said. ¡°The land where I come from believes in many different gods. But ultimately it is up to humanity to create their own path in life.¡±

    ¡°That would be blasphemy in our lands,¡± Densa said.

    San only smiled back at her. ¡°What brings you to such a place, Lady Densa?¡±

    Saddan chuckled.San realized he had completely forgotten about his table companions as he spoke to the woman.He faced the others, who were all watching him.Elgava and Bostarion had also returned, with Bostarion¡¯s eyebrow raised and a grin on Elgava¡¯s face.

    ¡°Saddan is a contributor to my endeavors, Sanjay,¡± she said. ¡°I help heal his injured combatants, also.¡±

    ¡°Best healer in all the Barony¡¯s,¡± Saddan said.

    ¡°What endeavors?¡± San asked.He still hadn¡¯t gained much information about the woman, besides her care for the Filth that everyone seemed to dislike.

    ¡°Our dear Densa is a kind heart,¡± Saggaris replied, her tone was one of annoyance. ¡°She cares for the sick, the wounded, the orphans, and the Filth.She trains healers who do not have levels how to stitch, wrap, and care for the wounded. ¡° Saggaris¡¯ eyes widen a bit. ¡°Ah, you should show her your own skills, San.He saved many of my men¡¯s lives when we were attacked by bandits.Sewed them up like they were cloth and kept their wounds clean until that shit healer in Midway nearly killed them all.¡±

    Densa smiled at San as Saddan poured her a cup of wine.She accepted the cup with a small bow of her head and sipped it, her eyes not leaving San. ¡°You are a trained healer, Sanjay?¡±

    ¡°Uh, no. I got some training from¡­ someone.Just basic first aid stuff.¡±

    ¡°First aid?¡± the woman asked.

    ¡°Uh¡­ that¡¯s what we call it from where I come from. It¡¯s just minor training to bandage and splint wounds and breaks.¡±

    ¡°Tell me more,¡± she said.

 035

    35

    San groaned as he opened his eyes.A foul sourness filled his mouth and his head was pounding with every beat of his heart.He groaned again and saw the beam of sunlight playing across his tattered coat.

    Sunlight? San lay back his head, resting on something soft.What had happened? He remembered going to the fight club with Elgava and Bostarion, meeting Saggaris and then Densa, and then¡­ nothing.

    The familiar taste of alcohol and hangover were old friends.San lay there, thinking back on the month he had been fairly sober.He had drank bad wine, decent mead, and even his moonshine, but that had been a restrained drinking.He hadn¡¯t indulged in the complete oblivion of alcohol since before he decided to go on his final hike.

    He had a reason to drink his woes away then, to seek completely blackness in whiskey, but that seemed like a lifetime ago. He was in a new world, he knew his family awaited him, he had seen the spirits of the dead. They were out there, beyond his reach, but Mary had said they would be waiting.San took a long and slow breath, feeling his headache subsiding somewhat.

    Although he had seen more horrors and terrors in the last week than he had in his entire life, San didn¡¯t feel as if were effecting him. Although he didn¡¯t know if that would change.He had finally gotten over the nightmares of the Nox attacking and killing him while he slept.There had been no nightmares of the battos, the white furred creatures, the scaled monster, or even Pivane¡¯s strange death.He doubted he was getting desensitized to the death and horrors, but he didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± a voice said.

    San turned to see Lady Densa standing within an open threshold fifteen feet from him. She was dressed in a simple yellow and white robe, her hair tied back with a long red and white scarf.San realized he was lying upon a cot, his pack, weapons, and armor all lying beside him against a plastered blue wall.

    The room he was in was large and there were more figures occupying simple wood and straw cots.The occupants of the room seemed to be all of the same class, the poor.Somekind of boarding house?

    ¡°I think so,¡± San said. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth.He stared at Lady Densa, for some reason he felt nervous around her.Yet she only smiled back at him.

    ¡°Your friends are awake and they have found the people you are looking for. Pavano the Godseeker.¡±

    ¡°You know him?¡± San asked.He sat up, stifling the groan of his abused body.It was the first time he¡¯d slept in a bed since¡­ since Blackened Bridge.He shuddered at the thought.

    ¡°There are those that seek the gods on the roads, where it is said they often travel to meet mankind,¡± Densa said.¡°Godseekers are more common in the Empire, but you find them many places. We all have our sins that we want purged and it is said the gods will do so if you find them on the roads.¡±

    San nodded, remembering what he had heard about Pavano.¡°Where are my friends¡­ and uh¡­ where am I?¡±

    Densa looked amused by his question. ¡°We are in Senta¡¯s House, Sanjay.Your friends had found other accommodations for the night and Saddan didn¡¯t want you to pass out in his establishment, for there are thieves that would gladly take all you had upon yourself.¡±

    A spike of panic filled San as he realized he was carrying everything of value on himself. The gems, his weapons, and all the tools and items he had brought from his own world.He glanced back at the pile of armor and pack.

    ¡°All is well, Sanjay, ¡° she said. ¡°I do allow theft in this place. All your items are still there. Worry not.¡±

    San only nodded. He trusted her.

    ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯ll see my friends now, if I may.¡± San said.

    Densa nodded and beckoned him to follow her.San stumbled as he took his first step, but weighted himself.His head was aching again and he had a desperate need to clean his mouth and drink some water.

    They walked down a neatly swept corridor, plastered and painted with iconography of a bare breasted woman enveloped in a golden halo.There were different images of her; one where she was breastfeeding ill men and women, another where she poured wine for elders, and one where she had a sword in her hands and the dead piled at her feet.

    It was Senta, San understood, and it seemed her domain spanned the spectrum.Bostarion had stated the Senta Cult was quick to draw the sword.He glanced at Densa and wondered if she would go on crusade for her cult.She had to have levels if she was the High Healer of White Tower.That would mean she was strong, fast, and tougher than everyone, depending upon her levels.

    ¡°Hetvana¡¯s cunt, lad,¡± Pavano said, seeing San. ¡°You got some kind of luck, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡± San asked.Densa frowned at Pavano¡¯s words.

    Pavano, Bostarion, and Elgava all sat at a stone table, a bowl of porridge before them and a cup of sour wine.Bostarion and Elgava looked like San felt, their eyes were red and they winced as Pavano spoke loudly.

    ¡°You go off to fight battos and come back to tell about it. The first night you¡¯re in White Tower you meet and befriend not only Lady Densa, but Saddan Hion, not to mention walking away with nearly five hundred sars of his money.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you Pavano,¡± San said, with true feeling. The old man scowled, but grinned at the greeting. ¡°What¡¯s this about five hundred sars?¡±

    Elgava plopped a heavy sack on the table. ¡°It seems I turned your twenty sars into five hundred last night,¡± she said. ¡°Even after buying an amphora of wine.¡±

    A teenage girl interrupted their talk as she brought two bowls of porridge and two cups of wine for San and Densa.They joined the group at the table, San¡¯s mood lightening as he saw Pavano. The old man was moving fine and seemed healthy and unhurt.

    The damage to the komai and the death of the grazers had troubled San for days now.He didn¡¯t know the story there or even if Ilagio had mistreated his friends.Yet, if Pavano looked fine, his clothing seemed new, and he wasn¡¯t sickly or still injured, then the others surely would be in good health also.

    ¡°Well, Elgava did all the betting and it was Saggaris that gave me the twenty sars and introduced me to Saddan,¡± San said. He watched as Densa bowed her head and prayed before eating her own food.He dipped his spoon into the bowl and ate the meal, it was simple porridge without flavor or additions.The wine was more of the cheap vinegar wine beloved by all. He supposed a bit of hair of the dog would ease his hangover, but from the pained looks of Bostarion and Elgava, maybe he needed something stronger.

    ¡°Ah, Saggaris.¡± Pavano shook his head. ¡°Well, that¡¯s one lass you don¡¯t have to worry about,¡± he said. ¡°Her deal is done and the Baron knows who you are now.He can¡¯t go about hanging the man who helped destroy a batto nest.¡±

    ¡°Cool,¡± San said blandly.

    ¡°Although she is profit driven, Saggaris is not a terrible person,¡± Densa said. ¡°She does what she needs to for the Barony and believes in its survival.¡±

    San didn¡¯t mention the deaths of the trappers that had seen the gold that the caravan was carrying. It left a sour taste in his mouth, but that was a bit of information that wouldn¡¯t do anyone any good. It would just make him a target and anyone associated with him.He met Pavano¡¯s eyes and the man gave him a nod.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be dealing with Saggaris anymore,¡± San said. ¡°I just happened to run into her last night.She refunded me the sars I paid for passage to White Tower.¡±

    ¡°Twenty sars?¡± Pavano asked and then chuckled over his wine. ¡°You poor lad.Twenty sars would have got you food, wine, a ride on the wagon, and a warm spot by the fire.¡±

    San shrugged.¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now,¡± he said. He brushed away thoughts of Saggaris.She had her own thing going and he wasn¡¯t about to deal with her anymore.¡°What of Azios, Endaha, and the children?¡±

    ¡°Ah, they¡¯re fine, lad. Azios is keen to show you the city and the wee Kovass is coming along nicely. I got them set up in a good place, away from all the foulness of the city. That link fetched a good price.¡±

    San felt another weight slide off his back.He straightened up and grinned at the table.

    ¡°Your family?¡± Densa asked.

    ¡°The Exonaris family,¡± San said. ¡°Pavano and I have been keeping an eye upon them until the Landed komai returns from the war with in Sentari.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± the woman smiled. ¡°That should be soon, I hear.¡±

    ¡®Oh?¡± Pavano tilted his head at her.

    ¡°I have heard that last weekthe Barons have crushed the Suvanna invasion force.The Nox Mercenaries have been defeated and the threat of other Baronies to Suvanna¡¯s borders is forcing them back to their lands.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°So the war is over?¡± San asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s wrapping up,¡± she replied. ¡°Soon Sol Savanis¡¯ sons and daughters will be returning, perhaps in time for Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve.¡± She sighed. ¡°Although there is the price to pay for the war, in dead and injured.¡±

    San and the others sat there silently.

    ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡± San asked. Pavano stifled a groan, that was echoed by Elgava and Bostarion.

    Densa smiled at him, seemingly radiating a glow around their table. ¡°You are kind, Sanjay. Senta¡¯s blessing is upon all those that wish to help their fellow man, even Adventurers in the service of Corvanus are welcomed to lend their expertise and services for the those less fortunate.¡±

    ¡°Once the lad has been reunited with the Exonaris family and taken a proper bath, then he shall gladly devote his time to the Cult, Lady Densa,¡± Pavano said.¡°I fear the reek alone will drive many to use Senta¡¯s name in vain.¡±

    Densa laughed. ¡°I shall await your arrival, Sanjay.The world needs more men and women who are willing to lend a hand.There are many who have had misfortune fall upon them, from war, disease, bad weather, or just sheer accidents.The war, the blockade, and now these encroaching monsters has not made anything better.¡±Densa turned to everyone. ¡°I thank you all for what you have done, for destroying that foul nest of monsters and coming back alive. Senta¡¯s Blessing on you all.¡±

    A golden light blossomed from Densa¡¯s hand and enveloped them all. San felt the pain, aches, pains, and minor injuries all fade away. He felt suddenly fully awake and ready to do anything and everything that needed doing.

    ¡°Holy shit,¡± San muttered, taking a sudden long breath.He felt great.

    ¡°Thank you, m¡¯lady,¡± Elgava said, solemnly.¡°You honor us with your blessing.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Pavano said, looking shocked.

    ¡°Could¡¯ve done it sooner,¡± Bostarion muttered finishing his wine.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± San said.He clenched his hands.¡°This is amazing.¡±

    ¡°It is one of my Powers,¡± Densa said. ¡°It removes all the pain, injuries, and minor aches from the body.¡±

    San wondered if the old healer back at Forest River could have done the same thing. He was so lost in that thought he didn¡¯t see as a troop of armed men walked into he cafeteria.They spotted Densa and approached.

    ¡°My apologies,¡± Densa said, standing up. ¡°But I have business with the Baron and the Guards.¡±

    ¡°The Foreinger comes with us too,¡± one of the soldiers said.

    San looked up surprised.

    ¡°Why?¡± Pavano demanded.

    ¡°He¡¯s a foreigner, he¡¯s got no rights here. We can do whatever the hell we want,¡± another Guard said.The Head Guard hit him in the shoulder with the back of his hand.The loud thunk filled the room.

    ¡°Watch your mouth before Lady Densa,¡± the man said.He looked to Pavano, seemingly ignoring San. ¡°We have our orders.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll come,¡± San said.He looked to Pavano and the man nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out for you, lad.¡±

    ¡°My gear,¡± San said and Pavano nodded again.

    ¡°Come on, now,¡± the Head Guard said, annoyed at the delay.¡°Lady Densa, its an honor.You might remember me, I¡¯m Koval Bikeel, we met at the the Harvest Ball.¡±The man jutted out an arm for her to hold.

    The teenage girl that had served them returned, she carried a cloak and a satchel for the healer.

    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Densa said. ¡°Did that rash clear up?¡±

    ***

    ¡°You look like shit,¡± Havatair said as San entered his office. The big man sat at a long table, wearing heavy robes edged with fur and a giant copper mug of something steaming beside him.Beside the big soldier sat the overweight man San had seen the night before.One of the Young Baron¡¯s advisors.

    ¡°Smells like it too,¡± the overweight man stated.

    San stood there, not responding to the comments. There was little that he could do now and it wasn¡¯t as if he¡¯d been expecting to see Havatair or the advisor that morning.His plans had been finding the Exonaris family and finally taking a bath or something similar, even if it was just a quick dunk into the Red River.

    ¡°I¡¯m oddly relived,¡± Havatair said.¡°I lost the bet that you would go find that Tribal girl, instead like any man who¡¯s been out in the world too long you went to a fight club and got drunk. You can¡¯t trust a man who doesn¡¯t look to get drunk and try to fuck someone after coming back from the Barren North.¡±

    ¡°So you didn¡¯t trust me before?¡± San asked.

    The overweight man snorted, casting a look at Havatair. The big soldier only grimaced.

    ¡°Being level headed is all good and fine,¡± the overweight man stated, ¡°but to err is human.¡±

    San didn¡¯t say anything again, just watching the men. They had brought him here for a reason and it wasn¡¯t to discuss the night he and the others had indulged in.San still felt slightly sick, even the cold walk to the keep hadn¡¯t been a cure for his hangover.Although the cup of wine had helped.

    ¡°We want to sign you up,¡± Havatair said.¡°Good pay, a hundred sars a month, food, lodging, we¡¯ll even have an enchanter take a look at your sword to see it¡¯s status.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± San said.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be making a fortune,¡± the overweight man said.

    ¡°I understand, but I still have to decline.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Havatair demanded. ¡°You¡¯re a foreigner here, lad.Rights and protections don¡¯t apply to you.Take up a position in the Guard for a decade and you¡¯ll be a citizen and Landed when you¡¯re done.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t wish to be a solider,¡± San said. ¡°I understand the need, but I¡¯m not a solider.¡±

    ¡°You leveled up, since the last time I saw you,¡± Havatair said. ¡°That means you took gems from the void horrors you killed.¡±

    ¡°I had my own gems,¡± San said.

    ¡°And you never took them?¡± the overweight man scoffed. ¡°No one just saves gems for later.¡±

    ¡°Gems what saved Elgava¡¯s and my life,¡± San said.

    ¡°Fucking leveled healing,¡± Havatair grunted. ¡°Stealing from the Baron is a hanging offense, son.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t steal from anyone,¡± San said. ¡°What I used was rightfully mine.¡±

    A silence hung in the room as the three looked at one another. Finally the overweight man simply nodded.

    ¡°He¡¯s telling the truth or as far as I can tell.¡±

    Havatair grunted again and leaned back in his chair. He picked up his steaming mug and drank a long pull from it before letting out a steamy breath.

    ¡°That Courage you cooked up,¡± he said finally. ¡°Can you make more of it?¡±

    ¡°I believe so. It¡¯s a Power, I think.¡±

    ¡°You think?¡± the overweight man asked.

    ¡°It seems you can tell if I¡¯m lying or not,¡± San said to the man. ¡°Am I lying?¡±

    ¡°No, but your thoughts are muddled about it, I don¡¯t believe you don¡¯t understand what Power you have.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± San said. ¡°I know I am a Brewer and if you want me to brew you Courage, then all you have to do is ask and I will sell it to you.¡±

    ¡°Sell? We¡¯re at war, lad. We can make you make it,¡± Havatair said.

    ¡°I hear the war is ending,¡± San replied. ¡°The Nox have been beaten, Suvanna didn¡¯t break Sentari and Savanis; now with Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve coming and after that, the heavy snows, they can¡¯t do much until spring.¡±

    ¡°Who have you been talking with?¡± the overweight man demanded.

    ¡°People talk, especially when they drink,¡± San said. ¡°A lot of high ranking people like watching people beat the hell out of one another.¡±

    Havatair chuckled at the overweight man. ¡°Your people leak like a sieve, Donsval.And you thought my men would go babbling if they heard the news.¡± Havatair looked at San.¡°You¡¯re right, lad. The war with Suvanna is winding down.They couldn¡¯t take the High Pass and with the heavy snows coming, they¡¯re heading home with thier dicks in their hands. The Baron will be back soon and life will go on until war starts up again in the spring.Suvanna wants that pass and control of the gold mines in Sentari. They won¡¯t let this minor defeat keep them from trying again.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ll need me to make this Courage by the time the fighting begins again?¡± San asked.

    ¡°I would have preferred you be inducted into the Guards and fight with us.With your levels, we¡¯d have made you a junior officer.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a bit old to be junior anything,¡± San said.

    ¡°Corvanus Laws,¡± the overweight man, Donsval, muttered. ¡°The Cult of Corvanus forbids us from forcing those who fight the void horrors into joining national militaries.You might be a foreigner, but that law still applies.¡±

    ¡°Cool,¡± San said.¡°So I would have had to volunteer?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And the whole lack of rights and protections thing?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that is true. You¡¯re not a citizen,¡± Donsval said.¡°Anyone would be able to do anything they wanted to you and they would not be subjected to the law.¡±

    ¡°If they could do something to me,¡± San said.

    Havatair chuckled again. ¡°Aye, if they could.¡±

    ¡°And this Corvanus Law? How does that apply to me?¡± San asked.

    ¡°You and the others killed the batto queens,¡± Donsval said. ¡°Histoa wrote up the report and cites you heavily as being essential to the success of the operation.As a destroyer of void horrors and having levels, you technically apply as an Adventurer.¡±

    ¡°Foreign Adventurer,¡± Havatair clarified.

    ¡°But the Sol Suvanis Barony appreciates and respects all of Corvanus¡¯ followers and Adventurers,¡± Donsval said in a monotone voice. ¡°Therefore we are willing to cede Corvanus¡¯ protection upon you for as long as you stay in White Tower.¡±

    San frowned, disliking their method of making a deal.The Guards had threatened him when they arrived, then the same by the two men before him, and then came the semi-bribe to join the Guards.He knew they wanted him to make more Courage and their method of getting him to work with them was to threaten him again.Then offer the carrot of being an Adventurer and being protected by Corvanus¡¯ Laws.They hadn¡¯t managed to get him to enroll in the Guards and now they were trying to get him to sign up with the Corvanus Cult like Elgava had to.

    He had grown up very irreligious and the thought of devoting his life to some foreign god in a strange magical land did not sit well with him.He didn¡¯t know what being a Corvanus follower entailed, but San knew it wasn¡¯t for him.Elgava might be fine with it, but she grew up in this land. It was her decision.He was barely being given one as it was.

    ¡°I¡¯m not an Adventurer,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m a Brewer.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve said before,¡± Havatair sighed. ¡°We¡¯re just trying to look out for you, lad.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± San said. ¡°I have something you want and you¡¯re trying to secure it, to keep it under your thumb, right?¡±

    Donsval nodded.

    ¡°Then just ask me,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere for a while.I came here to make sure the Exonaris family and Pavano made it here fine. You want me to brew you Courage, then give me coin and the rights to set up a brewery.¡±

    ¡°A brewery?¡± Havatair looked to Donsval.

    ¡°You¡¯re the government here.The Young Baron for all his title and heritage doesn¡¯t make the rules.You can give me what I need to start brewing you Courage.Pavano says that the drink is like some of the potions that the Cults make, if that¡¯s the case then it¡¯s something that people will want to get their hands on. How long do you think it¡¯ll take for word to spread about it? How long before they see that there¡¯s a new and strange brewer working in the keep? How long before they act to sabotage or destroy your ability to make more?¡±

    ¡°And you think by allowing you to do it on your own, without any obvious signs that we¡¯re working together, you¡¯ll go unnoticed?¡± Donsval asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s my life,¡± San said. ¡°You¡¯ll get what you want and I won¡¯t get killed by spies.¡±

    ¡°There are no spies here,¡± Havatair said.

    It was San¡¯s turn to chuckle, it was also joined by Donsval¡¯s.

    ¡°How would you go about this?¡± Donsval asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m a brewer. I can smell the wine from here, everyone likes to drink alcohol¡± San said. Havatair looked into his cup.¡°I¡¯ve got a new drink from my homeland, moonshine. I¡¯ll set up a distillery to make it, then you¡¯ll buy several gallons of it a month, and it¡¯ll just look like the higher ups in the keep like the beverage.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ll be able to hide that fact that you are brewing this Courage?¡± Donsval asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s similar to the distilling I¡¯ll be doing anyway,¡± San said. ¡°No one would be able to tell if I¡¯m making moonshine or Courage.¡±

    ¡°And you have people you trust to help you?¡± Havatair asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    The two men looked at one another for a moment.Donsval leaned back in his chair. ¡°How many gallons a month do you think you¡¯ll be able to make? How long will it take to set up?¡±

    San stilled his face, to hide his smile.He had awoken with a hangover and now it looked like he was going to open a brewery and distillery.

 036

    36

    Clothing was an indication of status and San¡¯s status was that of a foreign savage.His tattered winter coat and trousers given to him in Forest River had seen better days.Between the hard traveling and fights against inhuman monsters, the leather coat and pants were on their last legs.San still had an extra pair of trousers in his gear, but he had been whisked away from Densa¡¯s Senta Temple before he could grab a change of clothing.

    As he was technically working for the Sol Suvanis Baron and would be a legitimate business man, Donsval had decided San needed a makeover.There was not catchy upbeat music as San was pulled out of the meeting room and rushed straight into a boiling hot bath.

    A pair of iron haired older women, trusted individuals, stripped him naked, tutted about his clothing, and looked him over in the most appraising manner possible. San wasn¡¯t a shy person, but their gaze held only judgement.He would have cracked a joke about the coldness of the room, but he feared the old women would not be pleased with any kind of levity.

    He was at least allowed to bathe in private. San luxuriated in the hot steaming water.His understanding of history was that such things were indeed a luxury.There were no water heaters and everything had to be boiled, the wood chopped, the water carried by buckets, and then lugged up to the bathtub itself.It was a minor logistic feat that required organization and labor just so that one person could feel clean.

    He noted that the water was a filthy gray and brown color as he got out of the tub.But for the first time in weeks, he felt clean and properly human.There was a small highly polished metal oval that acted as a mirror.San looked at his warped reflection, barely recognizing the man that looked back at him.

    He had been fairly hefty when he arrived to the world. Six months of drinking and depression had its effects on his body, but with the hundreds of miles trekked, the hard labor of the farm and the battles, along with the bonuses given to Leveling; San was back to his physical prime nearly a decade previously.

    The women seemed to know when he was done and they marched in while he stood there naked, carrying clothing and gesturing him to allow them to dress him.They didn¡¯t say a word to him, their mouths set into a permanent frown and their eyes betraying nothing.

    The fashion of the Baronies hadn¡¯t been something San paid attention to.He had seen the robes of the higher ranked people, with their long sleeves and long hems, but for the most part it was the general day to day laborers and soldiers clothing he had seen the most of.

    The clothing the women brought him seemed to be a middle ground between general commoner attire and high ranked official.He was given clean undyed underwear and an undershirt, then made to put on what appeared to be a crimson dyed oversized pair of shortcuts that were cinched to his waist with cloth cords and ended at mid calf.Over that was a long sleeveless tunic of fine cloth dyed a muted gray that also fell to mid-calf length.Finally came a thick robe of black wool trimmed in blue.

    The robe was heavy and the sleeves tapered at his wrists, not the long and wide sleeves of the rich or high ranked.It was comfortable.Around his waist the women wrapped a thick sash of blue fabric and over it they looped a leather belt.

    The cloth was all very well made, San saw as he inspected his clothing.The underwear was soft linen, the layer over that felt like cotton, and final layer was wool.

    San inspected himself in the mirror again, rolling his shoulders and letting the clothing settle on his frame.

    ¡°Looks good,¡± he said to the women.They only stared at him and then left the room.A moment later they came back with his old clothing, from the looks of it freshly washed and dried.He wondered about the latter, how did they dry it so fast?

    From the pile of clothing he took his hiking socks and boots, both freshly cleaned and put them on. The women stood there silently as he picked up the rest of the stuff they had taken from him.He hadn¡¯t parted with his wedding ring or the necklace with Mary¡¯s he wore around his neck.

    The wrist watch from his grandfather went back on his wrist.It was still a good thing to know how much time had passed, even if this world had longer days.Twenty eight hours to Earth¡¯s twenty four.

    He paused as he looked at the watch, turning it over he read the old inscription on it¡¯s back.

    To Edward, May God watch over you.

    He had always asked his grandfather who Edward was.From what he gathered from his own father, Edward was just a British soldier his grandfather had looted.It was always an interesting thought, that his grandfather had lived a violent life in a different land.He had always been the boisterous and beer brewing old man of San¡¯s memories, but there was a time when he was solidly against British rule in India.

    It had been the reason he had left his homeland. Supposedly he had been wanted for murder or something, possibly the wristwatch that San had been given when he died was spoils from that conflict.

    His grandfather had fought and killed in his youth.Yet he had managed to settle down, find a wife, and have a family.San looked down at the watch and felt that his life was going in the inverse of his grandfathers.He had a family and had settled down, but now he was living a life ofviolence in a world full of monsters, magic, and strange beings.

    San shook his head and strapped on the watch.There was a small pocket stitched into the inside of his robes and San stashed the rest of his belongings within.A lighter, the compass, a few copper sars, and various other things he had been carrying.

    His sword, dagger, and utility knife had been all left with his belongings. Also the gems he had taken, stuffed deep within his bags.

    ¡°From a distance you could almost pass for Imperial,¡± Donsval said. The big man entered the room and the two women bowed before scurrying out.

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s the point,¡± San said, looking at himself in the mirror again. ¡°Passing for Imperial, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Donsval set down a leather satchel.¡°I¡¯ve drawn up the Letters of Approval and have created a Identification Seal for you. With it you can do business within Sol Suvanis. You can¡¯t own property or land, but you can rent and lease, if you have the patronage of a Landed, you can own things in their name.¡±

    ¡°Do the Exonaris count?¡±

    ¡°They would count, yes.¡±

    San nodded.

    ¡°I have included several seals of recommendation to smiths that are trusted.You say you need to build these¡­ stills.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, anyone who can work copper would be awesome.¡±

    The man shook his head. ¡°There are several, but you¡¯ll wish to speak to Mastersmith Sanos.He can keep his mouth shut, but will overcharge you.Here is a list of warehouses and buildings that fall into the category of what you require.¡± He handed San a sheaf of paper.

    ¡°I can¡¯t read,¡± San said, looking down at the illegible scribbles.He hadn¡¯t seen much writing in this world, the mage¡¯s tome he still carried had been the only thing he had found.Books appeared to be a costly expense and literacy in this world was similar to what it was in his own world hundreds of years ago.

    ¡°It matters not,¡± the man said, sighing. ¡°All of these properties are held by a single company.Bring these documents to the Tower Property Company on Harbor Road.It is easy to find.¡±

    San nodded.

    The final thing was a sack of sars that clunked heavily on the table.San looked at the bulging sack.

    ¡°This is the bounty of the batto queen, split in five ways.One for the Baron, one for the Mage, and the rest for the three of you.¡±

    ¡°The Baron gets a cut?¡± San asked.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°There is also payment for you and Bostarion within it, a total of a forty sars for your service,¡± Donsval continued ignoring San¡¯s question. ¡°Another two hundred sars for retrieving and bringing back the gems and another two hundred sars for ridding the land of this invisible scaled monster and the white furred creatures.¡±

    ¡°What about Elgava?¡± San asked.

    ¡°She was in the service of the Baron at the time.It was her duty.¡±

    San frowned at that, but said nothing.

    ¡°It¡¯s a total of sixteen hundred sars, in silver and copper.Only Recognized Merchants, Traders, and the Baron are allowed to carry gold.¡±

    San looked at the coins and felt a little cheated.Twenty sars for risking his life, and only sixty or so sars for bringing back what would be worth tens of thousands of sars?He sighed, working for the government in any world was a bad idea.At least he had all the gold that he had collected off of the white furred creatures.

    ¡°The gold you collected will have to be exchanged at a Money Changer on Gold Road.They will take the Baron¡¯s Fifth there.¡±

    San sighed. It seemed Histoa had mentioned the gold to the man too.

    ¡°I think we¡¯re set then,¡± San said. He stuffed the papers and seals into the leather satchel, along with the sars.Donsval looked miffed at his treatment of the documents.

    ¡°When times permits and things settle down,¡± Donsval began, ¡°I wish to talk to you about where you come from.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± San said, a little hesitant.

    ¡°You carry items that we have not seen and although they are not magical, they appear to be.¡± The man looked at San¡¯s wrist where the watch was.

    ¡°Yeah, if you¡¯re gonna ask me how they¡¯re made, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just a brewer, not an engineer.¡±

    ¡°It is still a conversation I wish to have,¡± Donsval replied.He nodded once and walked out of the room.San watched him leave, letting out a sigh.

    He looked at the satchel filled with the things he would need to set up another brewery and distillery.He didn¡¯t feel the same excitement and worry that he had years ago when he started up King Brewery. There he had done it on his own, he had taken all the risk and all the reward had been gained from his sweat, blood, and tears.

    The Barony wanted what he could make with his Power.They wouldn¡¯t let him fail.San supposed that the safety net was a good thing, but it also felt like manacles being locked onto his legs.He was now an agent of the Barony, for good or ill.

    San sighed.He picked up the satchel and his clothing.

    ***

    ¡°If you weren¡¯t head and shoulders taller than everyone here, I¡¯d have thought you were some Imperial Merchant,¡± Pavano said as San exited the keep.The old man was sitting on the edge of a fountain, a man in marble staring into the far horizon while soldiers toiled beneath him.

    ¡°The clothes make the man,¡± San said, feeling the weight of the words.He was now technically a Barony merchant, without the rights and freedoms one gained as a citizen or Landed, but for all whom it concerned, he had the papers and seals to prove he could do business.

    ¡°Hetvana Cultists would claim vanity is their prorogative,¡± Pavano said, hopping to his feet.The man looked San up and down again and a grin appeared on his face. ¡°You¡¯re coming up in the world, lad.A scruffy foreigner overpaying Saggaris to follow her caravan and now this, a merchant of Sol Suvanis.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t technically be a merchant,¡± San said. ¡°I don¡¯t have citizenship.Although I can use the Exonaris name to further my goals.¡±

    ¡°Always good to have one of the Landed on your side, even if its in name only.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll see if Azios wants to help out.At least until his brother returns.¡±

    ¡°Giving the Landed a copper sar only makes them want the whole silver,¡± Pavano warned.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need someone who knows the city and can sweet talk the devil into bed,¡± San said, eyeing Pavano.

    ¡°Many a woman can vouch for my silver tongue, lad.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather not know about that, Pavano.¡±

    ¡°Come one, let¡¯s be gone from this place.All these rich fools only make me want to rob them blind.¡± The old man barely hid the sneer as a portly man and young lady walked by, they held up their noses and looked annoyed at seeing Pavano in his commoner dress.They clocked San¡¯s foreigness and their noses went up higher.

    ¡°Yeah, this place sucks,¡± San replied.He looked to the sky and saw that the sun was heading toward evening. It had been a late morning start with being hungover and now the day had passed in negotiations and bathing.San felt his stomach rumble with hunger.For all the gifts that Donsval bestowed on his, food hadn¡¯t been one.¡°Let¡¯s find a place to eat, with the rest of the family.¡±

    ¡°Family,¡± Pavano muttered and shook his head. ¡°Come on, lad. I¡¯ll show you around. With those clothes, you¡¯ll be robbed once you step out into the real White Tower.¡±

    ¡°We walked through White Tower last night,¡± San said.He paused shaking his head.It really had been less than a day since they arrived.The issue with the mercenaries at the gates, meeting Densa, then meeting the Young Baron, finding where the woollys had been stabled, and finally ending up meeting Saggaris again.¡°Seems different in daylight.¡±

    San looked at the buildings as they passed out of the richer part of the city.The cobblestones were rougher and well worn, the lamps that lit the streets were bird shit covered poles that hadn¡¯t seen a lantern in years, and the homes were the wattle and daub that the farmhouse had been made of.

    He glanced at the three story timber framed buildings.The Exonaris household had been roofed with thatch, but here they used wooden shingles.People, horses, woollys, and wagons filled the streets, a different sight from when evening fell.People talked, went about their business or hurried home, San watched as Guards and Levy soldiers wandered through the town, their armor bright and shiny.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need a smith to look at my armor too,¡± San said. ¡°It¡¯s been through a lot.¡±

    ¡°Aye, Elgava and Bostarion have been filling my ears with your adventures.Hardly seems real,¡± Pavano said. ¡°That cuirass wasn¡¯t fitted to you, but with a proper smith we¡¯ll get it snug to your frame and you¡¯ll barely notice you¡¯re wearing it.¡±

    ¡°The pauldrons, gauntlets, and leg armor aren¡¯t mine,¡± San said.

    ¡°Until the Guards come for them, they¡¯re yours,¡± Pavano remarked. ¡°The pay for risking your life and killing a batto queen is pure woolly shit.¡±

    ¡°You heard?¡±

    ¡°No, I know that shitheel Donsval.He¡¯s the money man of the Baron. He¡¯ll pinch every copper and shake out every coin purse for the gold dust.¡±

    ¡°Well, I also got some nice clothes and a satchel,¡± San said, patting the leather pack.

    ¡°Good job, lad,¡± Pavano remarked sarcastically.

    ¡°We¡¯ve made a deal for Courage,¡± San said.He didn¡¯t think anyone would know what he was talking about, even if Ilagio and the soldiers talked about it.For now, his utter anonymity was his protection.

    ¡°I figured,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Be a damned fool if the Barony didn¡¯t lock that down.I thought they would have tempted you with citizenship and even a Landed title.You know how many potion makers there are in White Tower? None.¡±

    ¡°They tried to make me join the Guards or sign up with the Corvanus Cult,¡± San said.

    Pavano spat onto the cobblestone, narrowly missing a man¡¯s boot. The man glared at Pavano.¡°Donsval for you,¡± he said. ¡°The man would get the best for a few gold coins and some paper, but he wants things for free.That¡¯s power for you, lad.Those fucks just think they can walk over everyone and force all to do their bidding.¡±

    ¡°Those with wealth and power are the same in any land,¡± San said.

    ¡°So you¡¯re gonna begin making more of it?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°Yeah. I just need to find a place and then a smith to make some equipment.I think we¡¯ll have enough sars to rent a place, refurbish it, and buy gear.¡± San mentally began calculating the expenses needed to set up a brewery.Although he realized that everything he knew was for a twenty-first century set up, not a pre-industrial one.

    ¡°I know of a place,¡± Pavano grinned.

    ¡°I need some paper and ink,¡± San said. ¡°Maybe a chalk board?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I need to figure things out. It¡¯s better to write it down to figure things out,¡± San said.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t know you could read,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°Not Imperial, the language from my homeland.¡±

    ¡°Right.If you want, I know some people who could teach you Imperial.That magic you use to communicate is well and good, but it works better when you also understand the language and how its written.¡±

    San had to agree.He hadn¡¯t had any issues with the Power Many Tongues, it had become something that just was, always on and always translating.He often forgot he wasn¡¯t talking in the language of this land.¡°I guess I¡¯ll need to hire a tutor.¡±

    ¡°Someone to teach you how to use that sword also,¡± Pavano said.

    San sighed, already seeing his hard earned sars vanishing away. ¡°We¡¯ll need to cash in that gold Elgava has.Donsval knows we have it and he wants the Baron¡¯s Fifth deposited soonish.¡±

    Pavano grunted. ¡°I suppose the Mage was too honest.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a good guy.He doesn¡¯t talk much and is kinda strange, but he¡¯s a good guy. Loyal to the Baron,¡± San said. ¡°He did the right thing.¡±

    Pavano grunted again. ¡°Aye,¡± he said after a long pause.

    ¡°San!¡± a voice cried.

    San looked up to see a figure rushing toward him.He saw the blue of his raincoat and then the figure nearly collided with him.San nearly dropped his bundle of clothing and the satchel; he looked down to see Azios staring up at him.

    ¡°You¡¯re alive!¡± he cried.

    San grinned, giving the boy a hug and pulling him off the ground.He struggled and huffed, but hugged him back.

    ¡°Pavano tell you he found me?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Yeah, but he lies,¡± Azios replied.

    ¡°Straight to me heart, lad.I don¡¯t tell lies, boy, I only embellish.¡±

    ¡°Ilagio said he¡¯d cut out his tongue if he didn¡¯t shut up,¡± Azios said.

    San snapped his fingers. ¡°Damn it, I forgot about him.I was going to ask Havatair about him.¡±

    ¡°We got it covered,¡± Elgava said.¡°Bostarion¡¯s at the keep right now, making sure that Havatair sends us the invitation when Ilagio is hanged.If he¡¯s hanged. Landed are slippery buggers, buying off punishment and claiming their ancestors were awe inspiring heroes of the Barony.¡±She looked him up and down. ¡°You go shopping, San? Barely recognize you.¡±

    San twirled in the street, the hem of the robes flaring out as he moved. ¡°Like it? The Baron¡¯s money man used it to buy my loyalty.¡±

    ¡°Eh, beats being dead,¡± Elgava replied. ¡°I guess your little beverage is the talk of the keep now that you¡¯re back.Figured they¡¯d rope you into making it for them.¡±

    ¡°Seems everyone expected that except for me,¡± San said.

    ¡°You¡¯re a slow one, probably due to you being so damn big,¡± Elgava said. ¡°Well, what are we gonna do now?¡±

    ¡°Feel like investing in a magical brewery?¡± San asked.

 037

    37

    ¡°She¡¯ll not bite, lad,¡± Pavano said as San stood by the entryway.

    The world seemed to be holding its breath.The sounds of the busy street outside was muted, the cold wind blowing down the street lost its bite, and San could feel the thundering of his heart as his hand hovered over the latch to the apartment that Pavano had rented for Endaha and the children.

    He had faced monsters and creatures of horror, but now he couldn¡¯t move.Another man¡¯s wife, another man¡¯s children, that was what Pavano had said to him not too long ago. Love? He didn¡¯t know what he felt for Endaha, she was practically a child, or would have been in his world.

    The little he knew she was about eighteen years old, already a mother of two, with one miscarriage.She was from a completely different culture than his own, she was more importantly another man¡¯s wife.

    Azios pushed open the door before he could react.The boy practically shoved him aside as he barreled into the room beyond.San stood there, mouth agape as he saw Endaha standing in the center of an open room, breastfeeding little Kovass.

    ¡°Hi,¡± San said, fumbling for words.

    ¡°Adventurer San,¡± Endaha said, nodding her head in greeting. ¡°You¡¯ve returned as promised.¡±

    San straightened his back and gave a slight bow to her, not knowing why.¡°I said I¡¯d be back. I¡¯ve come back.¡± He stood there, not knowing what else to do.He walked up to her, she stepped back slightly and then stopped herself.San looked down at little Kovass in her arms. The dark hair newborn looked up at him, his eyes unfocused.

    At less than two weeks old, a baby could barely see two feet in front of them.San remembered from all the baby books Mary and he had read.He looked at the baby, noting that he looked healthy even after traveling three days on wagon during the winter.

    San made a mental note to look for more nutritious food for them. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you and the children are doing well,¡±he said, stepping back to give them space.

    ¡°Pavano¡¯s been kind to help us in this strange city,¡± Endaha said, her formal expression slipping a bit. ¡°It¡¯s an ugly place, too many people and it stinks.¡±

    San chuckled. ¡°I know what you mean, but sadly the Exonaris komai isn¡¯t as it used to be.¡±

    Endaha¡¯s face fell at that remark.She looked down at Kovass at her breast and stroked his head. ¡°You saw the grazers?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± San said. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Ilagio,¡± Azios said, his voice dripping with anger. ¡°He killed what couldn¡¯t be taken or eaten.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because he is a raging asshole,¡± Azios said, still angry.

    ¡°He claims you all died and that the battos would see the grazers as a free meal.He had the soldiers kill them and then tried to take our woollys by force.¡±

    San clenched his jaw, glancing to Pavano.

    ¡°Aye, Zomia backed us up there.. We made an agreement and he was trying to stiff us on it, but you can¡¯t go against the Healers or Senta¡¯s Cult like that.Thankfully, Havatair regained consciousness as we were leaving, otherwise we¡¯d have been forced to follow on foot.¡±

    ¡°Wanna go find Ilagio ourselves and hang the fucker?¡± Elgava asked, standing at the threshold.She had her hand on her short sword.

    ¡°We see what Bostarion says first,¡± San said.The idea of revenge, of killing a man was something that San had never thought of before.Yet now if Ilagio had stood before him, he would have strangled the life out of him.Had he changed that much?

    San set down the satchel and his bundle of clothing.He sighed, taking in the apartment. It was fairly large, with three rooms; a common room, and two bedrooms.He noticed there wasn¡¯t a kitchen or anywhere to prepare meals.Then again as the building was timber with wattle and daub walls, he didn¡¯t want to imagine an open flame in the confines of the apartment building.Perhaps there was a communal cooking area.

    ¡°Well, we survived the battos and strange monsters, I guess we¡¯ll be able to survive this city,¡± San said.He smiled at Endaha and ruffled Azios¡¯ hair.

    ¡°Ey, this city chews up more people than the Hanged King¡¯s Forest,¡± Elgava said. ¡°People think it¡¯s safe here, that they can let their guard down, but there¡¯s plenty of monsters here too.¡±

    ¡°What will you be doing?¡± San asked Elgava. The former soldier shrugged. She leaned against the wall with her arms folded, the days of hard travel and little food left the woman lean and hard. Her face was narrow lines and high cheekbones, chapped and and redden from snow and travel.

    ¡°I¡¯ll sign up with the Corvanus Cult come Midwinter,¡± she said. ¡°After that, I dunno. I¡¯ll have to go hunt for void horrors, I guess.¡± She frowned and looked down at her simple, travel worn clothing and battered short sword. ¡°I¡¯ve got a Level, but I¡¯ve got nothing to my name.I¡¯ll need to gear up, find others to work with, and then go hunting.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t get support from the Barony?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Adventurers are independent contractors,¡± Pavano said. ¡°They adhere to the local laws, but their loyalty lies with the Corvanus Cult, not with the Baronies.¡±

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have lost my brigandine,¡± Elgava muttered. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of sars right there.¡±

    ¡°Well, we have sars,¡± San said as he dropped the sack of coins that Donsval had given him.¡°That¡¯s for Bostarion, you, and I. Then we have the gold.¡± San looked to Pavano.

    ¡°Aye, I got a friend who¡¯s a [Goldsmith], Leveled.He checked the gold links you gave me and says they¡¯e not pure, but good enough. He says the entire thing is worth about two golden sars, but selling it under the table, he¡¯ll give us two thirds of what they¡¯re worth. So we¡¯re looking at maybe two thousand six hundred sars from the man.¡±

    ¡°We collected six other bracelets in our journey,¡± San said. ¡°But Donsval wants it exchanged at a legitimate place.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no legitimate places in White Tower,¡± Pavnao said. ¡°What he wants is his cut from the exchange.Between the Baron¡¯s Fifth and the taxes and exchange rates and not being a certified Merchant or Trader, you¡¯ll be lucky to get half of what those gold pieces are worth.¡±

    ¡°Six golden sars is still a lot,¡± San said. ¡°That¡¯s twelve thousand sars.¡±

    ¡°I could get some decent gear with three thousand sars,¡± Elgava replied. ¡°I could get some good wine with three thousand sars.¡± She grinned at the thought.

    ¡°Ey, don¡¯t go counting sars you ain¡¯t got in your pouch,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°Aye, there might be a blood price on Ilagio¡¯s head if we kill him,¡± Elgava said, nodding her head.¡°Being Landed and all.¡±

    San frowned at the continual mentioning of killing Ilagio. It had only been minutes before that he had wanted him also dead, but as his blood cooled and logic prevailed; he was the foreigner here and Donsval¡¯s words echoed in his head.He had no rights or protections; the only thing that he had going for him was the Barony¡¯s need for the Courage he could create.

    ¡°There¡¯s enough daylight to go see the man about the warehouse or go see the exchangers about the gold,¡± Pavano said.

    ¡°Gold,¡± Elgava replied.

    ¡°Warehouse,¡± San said.¡°We need to know what we¡¯re working with, the prices, and we¡¯ll need to see about a smith to make the items I need.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Pavano said.

    Elgava cursed. ¡°Bring back wine when you return,¡± She said.She tossed her pack on the floor and began to unroll her sleeping gear.

    ¡°Make yourself at home,¡± San said, smirking. Endaha looked annoyed as Elgava pulled off her boots and stuffed a wadded up shirt under her head.

    ¡°I¡¯ve done enough walking around,¡± she said.

    ¡°It¡¯s good you¡¯re staying,¡± San said.He walked to his pile of armor and his pack, unstrapping the crossbow and pistols.He looked at the battered weapons, wondering if there were people who could do maintenance on them.He would also have to get more lead and shot, along with more bolts for the crossbow.

    The steel cuirass and leg armor gleamed up at him.He didn¡¯t know who the leg armor, pauldrons, and gauntlets had belonged to, but since no one was asking for them back he had taken ownership of them.The cuirass taken from one of the dead Nox mercenaries was battered and scratched, there were dents and bits of rust beginning to mar its surface.His father had always told him to take care of his tools, in this world the armor, sword, and other weapons were now his tools.

    San strapped the sword to his belt, along with the dagger, and handed the pistol and crossbow to Elgava, who wordlessly took them.

    ¡°It¡¯s your money you¡¯re also protecting,¡± San said.

    ¡°I know, I know,¡± the woman muttered.

    ¡°Is there trouble?¡± Endaha asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s always trouble, m¡¯lady Komai,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Cities are the worst.¡±

    ¡°Azios will be coming with us,¡± San said.

    Endaha looked at the boy and shook her head. ¡°No, he stays.¡±

    ¡°I need his Komai status to back up my position,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m a foreigner and even Donsval¡¯s paperwork won¡¯t do much for me, unless its backed by a Landed.¡±

    Azios puffed up his chest, grinning. ¡°I promised to show you around too, San.¡±

    ¡°That you did, buddy,¡± San said.He dug around in his pack again and took out the revolver.There were only two rounds left in the weapon, but he had been saving the shells when they were expended.Hopefully he could figure out a way to reload them in time. He slipped the weapon into his robes and then looked at Endaha.¡°He¡¯ll be safe and we¡¯ll be back.¡±

    She nodded, bouncing Kovass lightly in her arms. The newborn¡¯s large eyes locked on his for a moment before they began to close. San couldn¡¯t help but feel the sudden ache in his chest as he looked at the young boy.Why did he look so much like little Sanjay?

    ***

    As they headed to the warehouse, Sannoted that gentrification didn¡¯t just occur in his own world.Wherever there were poorer people who could be pushed out and richer ones with the money to spend it happened.

    San wondered about the real estate market within White Tower.This was a world of wars and raids, of monsters and horrors.Real estate within the walls of White Tower had to be at a premium, as there was a finite amount.It wasn¡¯t as if he could purchase any of it anyway, the joys of being a foreigner.

    ¡°Only citizens can own property,¡± Pavano said when San asked.¡°But you have to be Landed to own land, and Komai to own large tracts of land. A citizen can become a Landed, if they buy enough land, but a Landed can¡¯t become Komai.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    ¡°But Komai and Landed all seemed to be used interchangeably,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye, used to be Komai was a real big deal.They ran the small villages on their estates and gathered up men and soldiers for the local barons and higher nobility, but these days they¡¯re slipping from power.The Exonaris are an example, they¡¯ve got good land, but not enough people to run it.They can¡¯t compete with other Landed who own shops and run businesses on the side, trade, mining, etc.¡±

    Opening a brewery and a distillery in a market he had no clue about was a foolish thing, San knew, but he also understood that there was almost no risk.The Barony would have the Courage and even if he failed at the business, they would still make he brew for them. Even if that meant he was in chains, in a dungeon.

    Plus there had been no discussion on the cost of making Courage or the price we was going to sell it to them.With the Powers he had gained from his levels in combination with the right gear and set up, he could begin flooding the entire city with the drink within weeks.

    Brightly painted shops stood beside more run down buildings, with paint chipping and some wooden shingles missing.San noted men working on one of the three story buildings that seemed to be the default housing template.He paused watching as the tunic wearing mean, heaved buckets, wheelbarrows, and wagons of sand, clay, water, and wattle as they rebuilt walls or replaced rotting timbers.

    The speed and skill they showed was impressive.

    ¡°How much does it cost to build a house?¡± San asked as Azios and he watched.

    ¡°A lot,¡± Pavano said.He thought for a moment and then shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, maybe forty thousand sars for one inside White Tower.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot,¡± San said.

    ¡°Everything within the walls are probably three times what they would cost outside of the walls,¡± Pavano replied, answering one of San¡¯s unspoken questions. ¡°Safety costs sars.¡±

    San nodded and they continued on down the street.People moved aside for them, bobbing their head in a respectful manner when they saw San. It took him a moment to realize it was due to the clothing he was wearing ,the sword he was carrying, and being led by Pavano.He nearly laughed as he realized the clothes did make the man in this place.

    Azios looked up to San, his face nearly concealed in the hood of the oversized rain jacket he was wearing.San had to admit the Gore-tex jacket was pretty pricey in his own world and would be entirely irreplaceable in this one.

    ¡°He we are,¡± Pavano exclaimed as they reached the end of the street.

    San looked around, noting that the building was a corner location, the intersection between the long street they had been walking on and a busier road that bustled with industrial goods and materials. Woollys, horses, and mules pulled, carried, or dragged material down the wide road, beyond that the smell of foulness wafted up, the stench of food processing areas, and beyond that he could see the Red River flowing.

    ¡°It¡¯s a good location,¡± San said.He could see an aqueduct of some sort rising over the low buildings, bringing river water to the businesses and buildings around them.They were also located at a higher elevation than the river, the street sloping gently down toward the water as it transitioned from a street to docks where fishermen, river cargo ships, and other crafts were loading or unloading.

    Beyond the Red River San could see the other side of White Tower. The city was split in two by the Red River, with a pair of massive stone bridges that spanned the wide slow moving river and smoke rising from the chimneys of houses and businesses across the river.

    San stood there for a moment marveling at the site.Sure, it was nothing compared to Seattle and the other cities he had seen in his life, but it was still a wondrous sight.He might not have traveled through time, but he looked out upon a world that was bustling along in this world, living as well as they could.

    ¡°Pavo, you old woolly,¡± a man cried out.

    San snapped out of reverie and looked to see a stout man with a shaven head and wispy beard exit a door from the warehouse.He wore colorful tattered robes and carried a shortsword at his waist.

    The man looked to San and Azios, his eyes flickering to the sword at San¡¯s waist.

    ¡°Herokov,¡± Pavano exclaimed, a wide smile splitting his beard.

    ¡°What brings your old ass bones here,¡± the man demanded.He leaned against the door, arms folded, but also ready to pull his weapon if needed.

    ¡°You still own this crumbling warehouse?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°Aye, I¡¯ll not let it go until Senta herself drags my soul from this world,¡± the man replied.He looked at San again, his eyes narrowing.¡°You licking the boots of Merchants now, Pavo?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s where all the sars are, my boy,¡± Pavano said, strutting up to the man.He clasped him on the shoulder and grinned. ¡°This here is my friend, San Magekiller.He¡¯s come to ask about your warehouse and wishes to rent it from you for the winter.¡±

    ¡°Magekiller, huh?¡± The man looked San up and down. ¡°You an Adventurer, boy?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m a brewer,¡± San replied.

    ¡°A brewer?¡± The man turned to Pavano and scowled. ¡°A bit late to try making wine or beer, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s got a new drink, something not seen in the Baronies,¡± Pavano said in a not so quiet whisper.From a small pack he wore across his back, Pavano pulled out a bottle of clear liquid.

    It was the whiskey bottle he had poured Courage into.The bottle didn¡¯t contain Courage as he had used all he had left when they headed to the batto cavern, but he still had some distilled moonshine left over back in the komai.

    ¡°What the hell is that? A glass bottle filled with water?¡¯ the man asked.

    ¡°Not water, Herokov. Moonshine.¡±

    ¡°Looks like water.¡±

    ¡°Have a taste. It¡¯ll burn its way down your throat and to your balls, if you still have them.¡±

    Pavano unscrewed the cap and handed the man the bottle.With a glare, Herokov snatched the bottle up and took a long pull of it.San would have laughed at the shocked expression in his eyes and then the immediate explosion of moonshine across the cobblestoned street before them.The stout man began raggedly coughing and Pavano neatly grabbed the bottle before he could drop it.

    ¡°Hetvana¡¯s cunt man, what is that!¡± he demanded, tears running down his cheeks and still coughing.

    ¡°A drink of Adventurers,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Moonshine, made in honor of Corvanus, goddess of madmen and horror destroyers.¡±Pavano took a long pull from the bottle, smacking his lips and exhaling dramatically. ¡°It¡¯ll put a fire in your belly and get you drunker faster than you can say ¡®Hetvana¡¯s Cunt¡¯.¡±

    Herokov wiped his eyes, glared at Pavano and pulled the bottle from his hands.He gingerly sniffed at it, winced, and then took a long pull from it. His eyes widened again and he took a long time swallowing, but when he did, he blinked and let out a short cough.

    ¡°It just tastes of burning,¡± he said.

    ¡°Moonshine, practically burns the evil out of you,¡± Pavano said.

    The stout man chuckled and glanced back at San and Azios.¡°You make this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m a brewer. I can make beer and other distilled drinks.¡±

    The man looked down at the bottle again and took another pull from it.This time he didn¡¯t react.¡°Let¡¯s talk,¡± he said.

    ***

    ¡°As a production facility, it¡¯s not terrible,¡± San said as Pavano, Azios, and he left the warehouse. ¡°It had access to water, there¡¯s an industrial road that can bring us fuel, we can send off the spent husks and grains to the stockyards down the road for a tiny re-compensation of funds, and there are other warehouses holding all the unsold imbar in White Tower.¡±

    ¡°See, Pavano knows best,¡± the older man said, grinning.

    ¡°It¡¯s nearly falling apart,¡± Azios said. ¡°That man knows nothing about keeping a building maintained.Kovass would kick his ass if he lived in the komai.¡±

    ¡°Ey, Herokov¡¯s a good man.That building is all that he has left to his name.Rents it out to cover his taxes and fees, but won¡¯t let go of it.Plenty of rich Merchants have tried.¡±

    San nodded.Although the building was fairly run down, Herokov had put up a hard sell to allow them to use it.He would remain in the building, as he had no where else to go and they would provide him with a moderate supply of what San brewed and addition to monthly rent of three silver.

    The price was fairly cheap, according to Pavano.The Suvanna trade blockade had the unfortunate side effect of no one wanting to rent warehouses for the usual high prices as imbar wasn¡¯t being allowed to be traded with the Empire.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for the gold that San had obtained and the sars he had been paid for killing the batto queen, the Exnoaris family would have been devastated by the lack of imbar trade.It was the major cash crop of the area.How other families were being effected by the lack of trade niggled at San¡¯s mind.There was Orbaris¡¯ family ofthe Alkavarea komai, who were farmers and relied upon the imbar trade.

    ¡°How much imbar is being stored in White Tower?¡± San asked. ¡°How much would it cost us to buy?¡±

    ¡°Ah, we¡¯ll have to see at the markets,¡± Pavano said. Azios brightened up.

    ¡°Can we get Kovass something?¡± he asked.

    San paused and dug into his pocket, pulling out a handful of sars.He handed him half a dozen copper coins.¡°You did well; keeping your family safe, Azios.It¡¯s not much, but right now its all that I can offer you.Buy something for your niece and nephew.¡±

    Azios gladly took the coins and grinned up at him.

    ¡°You need to know how to count sars,¡± Pavano muttered. ¡°I could buy a day¡¯s worth of cheap wine and bread with two sars.¡±

    Pavano took them down more streets and through some alleyways.San took note of the businesses that were opened, most of the buildings within the walls were housing, the same three story timber structures with wattle and daub facades housed everyone. The only difference between neighborhoods and streets were the colors that the buildings were painted. Most were the dull white and brown, but richer neighborhoods had their buildings in a variety of colors.

    Men in cuirasses and pot helmets strode the streets, they carried short swords, a small billy club, and a cudgel as they patrolled the streets.Their cuirasses were painted in red and white, the Barony colors, and like any patrolling cop, they looked bored and tired.

    Craftspeople worked out of street level floors of the three floor buildings.There weren¡¯t the usual glass shopfronts that San was expecting, instead the walls were painted with icons and Imperial lettering that told of what they did.Even without knowing how to read, San understood what each shop was.There were seamstresses, cobblers, furniture makers, weavers, and various other occupations that were needed.San figured these were the light industrial jobs that didn¡¯t make much noise or cause much pollution, as there were housing above each of the shops.

    Market Street was a bustling place, even as the late afternoon began to settle toward evening, the street was busy and the Market Square was even busier.San and the others paused at an intersection between the narrow street they had traveled down and Market Street.

    Here the road was nearly triple the size of lanes within White Tower.There were no woolly, horse, or mule traffic, instead cargo was being moved by men and women pulling or pushing carts.San had seen enough woolly and horse droppings on the other streets to see why they weren¡¯t allowed here.

    As it was in the richer neighborhood San had passed through the night before, there were plenty of lamp posts and lanterns to illuminate the street for about half a mile.The shops that lined the streets were tall and narrow, two stories of shops and the third housing for the owners.The design seemed to be to put as much shops into one area as possible.

    The smell of the marketplace also hit him, the usual odor of unwashed bodies was dampened by the smell of fresh bread, cooking meat, and other spices and aromas that wafted from the Market Square.San felt his stomach rumbling, as he hadn¡¯t eaten much besides the porridge that he had eaten with Densa earlier that day.

    ¡°Never come to the Market on an empty stomach,¡± Pavano said. ¡°You¡¯ll lose all your sars before you come and get what you¡¯re looking for.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to get some protein, fruits, and vegetables for Endaha and the baby,¡± San said. ¡°She¡¯ll need a healthy diet to ensure Kovass is strong.¡±

    ¡°Somethings you say, lad,¡± Pavano shook his head. ¡°My own mother raised me on nothing but woolly milk, wine, and bread.¡±

    ¡°And see how you turned out,¡± San replied.

    The old man laughed and slapped Azios on the back. ¡°Come on, son. We¡¯ll take a look at what we can get and find an imbar dealer.¡±

    San walked behind them, taking a look at the items being sold or displayed. The permanent shops appeared to deal in finished goods.He saw bolts of cloth, armor, weapons, jewelry, and other goods. The Market Square dealt in traveling traders, tinkerers, and hawkers for food and items.It had a rambunctious flea market air to it, with people jostling one another, others yelling out their wares, combined with stalls cooking food on grills and open fires.

    There were a lot more of the White Tower cops wandering around too, their red and white striped armor standing out in the muted browns and white colors of the the commoner tunics and coats.San also stood out, due to his size, his clothing, and his weapon.People glanced up at him, down at his sword, and then at his clothes before weighing the options of bothering him or not.

    The clothes really did make the man, San thought again as he strode through the Market Square.

    San paused before a mural that displayed scrolls and an open book.It was a bookstore, he realized.He looked to see Pavano and Azios talking with a man selling what looked like roasted nuts in a stall.San opened the well oiled wooden door and entered the shop.

    The ringing of a bell nearly caused him to stop and chuckle. San looked up to see a small notification bell ringing as he stepped into the bookstore. Almost immediately a short woman in spectacles appeared.She was dark haired and wore a thickly padded robe of greens and silver embroidered spiderwebs.

    ¡°Good day, citizen,¡± the woman said, a smile on her face.

    San nearly chuckled at the citizen comment.He should have gotten decent clothing the first chance he got¡­ then again this was the first chance he had to purchase anything besides cheap wine and an overpriced spot in a caravan.

    ¡°Good day,¡± San repeated.He looked through the shelves and nooks, holding leather bound books and scrolls.The smell was different, but he could still smell ink and the aroma of aged leather.¡°I¡¯m looking for a primer to learn to read.¡±

    Annoyance flashed quickly across the woman¡¯s face. ¡°Illiterate, are you?¡± she asked, her voice dropping from bright and cheery to one of rougher speech. ¡°I¡¯m not a tutor and this isn¡¯t a place of learning.¡±

    It was obvious she didn¡¯t like San already.In a world where everyone was mostly illiterate, she should have been used to such a thing. Instead she seemed annoyed and put off by his lack of reading skills.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking to better myself,¡± San said. ¡°There is ancient knowledge locked in books and scrolls, knowledge that could help me become a better man. I¡¯ve lived my entire life in ignorance, only being told what things say and not truly knowing them for myself.¡±

    The woman perked up at that. ¡°Yes, yes,¡± she said. ¡°The knowledge of ancient Imperials, of great Adventurers, and Generals are all locked away in these books.Learning and growing as a human being is what life should be about, learning as much as you can about everything, that is the goal of Senta and the gods.¡±

    ¡°Knowledge is power,¡± San said, feeling like an utter idiot in saying it.

    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± the woman agreed.

    ¡°I am ignorant and I don¡¯t wish to be anymore,¡± San said, looking at the woman. ¡°I would like you to help me with that.Whatever you can suggest. If you know a tutor or a person who can teach me to read, you would be saving an ignorant fool.¡±

    The woman¡¯s eyes sparkled as she picked up a book.

    ¡°You have sars, right?¡±

 038

    38

    San awakened, confused and disorientated by his surroundings, or lack of surroundings.Darkness enveloped him, no lights, no sounds of vehicles, and none of the white noise of the fan that Mary always insisted on keeping on.Still air was bad air, she¡¯d always say.Therefore she had kept a fan on, even during the coldest of winter nights.

    He was cold, but it wasn¡¯t a painful or hard kind of cold, it just was.It permeated the darkness and he could feel it prickling at his exposed lips and face.The air he sucked in was chilled, but not terrible.It was far warmer than the nights he had spent traveling from Forest River and the days they trekked back from the Haunted Fortress.

    With that thought, the memories and adventurers he had been on in the last month came flooding back. San lay there on the hard floor of the apartment that Pavano had rented for them and took slow breaths.He wasn¡¯t in Seattle anymore.He wasn¡¯t in bed with Mary.

    Elgava¡¯s snoring reached his ears.The heavy uncaring sleep of someone who had nearly emptied an entire gallon amphora of wine they had brought back from the Market.He lay there for a moment more, the sounds of other people sleeping reached his ears. Pavano¡¯s slow breathing, Bostarion¡¯s slight wheezing, and Azios¡¯ steady deep breaths.

    It felt as if they were still camping outside the walls of White Tower.If not for the hard wooden floors and the slight creaking and groaning of settling wood, San would have imagined they were still traveling.

    Fire was the ultimate fear.It was why there was no heating in the apartment, it was why there was no kitchen in which to prepare food.San understood the reasoning, but as they were still fairly unprepared for city living, he hadn¡¯t thought about getting extra blankets or bedding.

    If they had Havatair¡¯s magical brazier perhaps they could have spent a decent night without the cold seeping into everything.Even Endaha and Cassa and the baby were still using San¡¯s tent to sleep in, along with his sleeping bag, pad, and their own bedding.Elgava and Bostarion both had made off with San¡¯s emergency blankets, having gotten used to them in their trek from the batto caverns.He could hear the crinkling of the fabric as they shifted in their sleep.Pavano had a thick sleeping pad, claiming his old bones couldn¡¯t sleep on the floor anymore, and even Azios had several blankets he had taken from the farmhouse to warm himself in.

    San looked up into the darkness above him.The sounds of the others sleeping brought a sense of peace and calmness to his mind.Ever since arriving into this world San hadn¡¯t been alone.He could not say the same about his old life back in Seattle.

    It wasn¡¯t that his parents, Mary¡¯s parents, or his own siblings didn¡¯t care about him, but his own depression had cut off all ties with everyone.Would he ever get home? Did he want to go home? San didn¡¯t know. But in this terrifying world of monsters and strange creatures, San had companionship.He had people he knew he could count on, who would stand beside him in a fight, who would risk their lives for him and for whom he would do the same.

    He wasn¡¯t alone. That¡¯s what mattered the most.

    San took in a long breath, memories of Mary flittering through his mind.She would have loved it here.She would have loved being in this world, even with all the dangers.

    He wiped his eyes and pulled his tattered blanket around him.

    ***

    ¡°We deal in iron and steel, citizen,¡± the wiry man said.He pushed up a pair of spectacles and peered at Azios and then Pavano, but his eyes stopped on San. ¡°The Baron has use make the guns and swords the Guards use and we¡¯re the best at it.We don¡¯t make copper pots.¡±

    ¡°Well, Donsval directed us here,¡± San said, looking down at the man.They had made their way into the industrial section of White Tower.It was along the Red River and San was impressed by the scale of things.

    He had come to find a blacksmith, the image of which had been shaped by too many fantasy games and bad sword and sorcery movies.Instead of a massive muscular smith hammering away on iron, stripped to his waist in the cold winter air, they arrived to a large warehouse that thundered and boomed with the hammering of metal and curses of men working around hot fire.

    San could smell the heavy smoke and hot iron in the air, the rhythmic thumping of trip hammers seemed to vibrate the air as the massive several ton hammer slammed down upon red hot ingot of iron or steel.Smiths rushed about, more than two dozen from what San could see, carrying fuel, more iron, and tools as the more experienced hammered at metal or shoved them back into red hot forges.

    The man they spoke to was named Hanova Sonos, the owner of Redside Iron Works.He occupied an office with a view out upon the factory, a sheaf of papers before him and with ink stained hands.Donsval had said he was a mastersmith, but to San he looked like a bureaucrat.

    ¡°Donsval a fool with too much sars in his pockets,¡± the man said.¡°If you¡¯re looking for cooking pots, there¡¯s a coppersmith, Eldaro, three blocks down from here. He¡¯s the a brazier and pot maker.¡±

    ¡°I was hoping for copper pots in an industrial size,¡± San said. ¡°Fifty gallons or so, along with copper pipe.¡±

    ¡°Sweet Senta, what are you planning on cooking? A whole person?¡± the man replied.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Well, as I stated, we¡¯re an iron and steel works. If you need iron or steel, coem back. Otherwise, get out for I¡¯ve got more work than a healer after a battle.¡± The man promptly ignored them and returned to his paperwork.

    Pavano shrugged and they left the office and exited to the street.San cleared his throat, the smoke was heavy in the air as scores of towering chimneys billowed out smoke from dozens of other warehouses that were in the metal working business.

    It wasn¡¯t just metal working that occupied the industrial area of White Tower, there were also potters, tanners, and other very noisy and foul smelling industries that lined the Red River. From what he could see the industrial waste, along with human waste, was being flushed out into the river, in long yellowish green unnatural streaks in the slow flowing water.

    San was just glad that the warehouse and aqueduct that they were using was upstream from the industrial areas.At least the cold wind was blocked by the large buildings and there seemed to be an excess of heat provided by all the forges that raised the temperature in the area.

    ¡°Have you ever seen so much metal?¡± Azios asked.

    San had to stop himself from smiling.For all the industrial capability and work being done, it was probably just a fraction of what a steel mill back in his world could have produced in an hour.He had to admire the entire enterprise, though. There was a lot of organization and skill that had went into setting up the dozens of massive waterwheels that powered the trip hammers and various other tools.The logistics network designed to bring in materials, workers, fuel, and then ship out the product was very impressive.

    There was dozens of massive wagons hauling charcoal that stopped at every warehouse and scores skinny kids probably Azios¡¯ age that rushed out and began tossing sacks or wicker baskets or even just buckets and shovelful of charcoal from the back of the wagons.They were all filthy, covered in black from head to toe.

    ¡°Apprentices,¡± Pavano said, seeing where San was looking. ¡°You start at the bottom and work your way up.One day they¡¯ll be smiths themselves.¡±

    San nodded.¡°If they live that long,¡± he said.

    ¡°Smithing is still good work.Plenty of small villages and komais would love to get their hands on a White Tower smith.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Azios said ¡°We had a smith twenty years back, my grandfather¡¯s brother.He was a drunk, supposedly, and died in a fire during one winter.Father said it was the height of the Exonaris power.We were well thought of in those days.¡±

    The boy shrugged and watched as the skinny kids worked while the wagon driver and a foreman talked and laughed beside the woollys pulling the wagon.

    ¡°Let¡¯s find this coppersmith,¡± San said. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Pavano led the way, as if he already knew where to go.Azios and San followed, distracted by the work and the things going on around them.San stopped as he watched a squad of Baron Guards and a dozen smiths pull a bronze cannon from a warehouse.The officer and warehouse foreman were shouting orders, nearly contradicting one another as the cannon was lifted into the back of a heavy wagon.

    San wondered how much the mortar they had abandoned at the batto cavern had cost the Barony.The thought of salvaging it crossed his mind, but that would require a lot of time, effort, and more than himself to retrieve it.Not to mention that there would be monsters to contend with.

    Eldaro¡¯s workshop was a small workshop tucked between two larger workshops.There was a large copper pot mural on the wall and an odd silence coming from the workshop.

    San pushed his way into the shop and stopped at the sight before him.

    A big man held a short sword and had it set upon a thin man¡¯s shoulder, the look of rage and anger creased the big man¡¯s face. The thin man looked defiant and wasn¡¯t flinching at the exposed blade.

    ¡°You say that again, you little shit,¡± the big man hissed.San spotted two other men toward the back of the room, they noticed San before the big man did.

    ¡°Tell Panchavi Sominia to stick his dick into a woollys asshole and leave me the fuck alone,¡± the thin man snapped back.¡°I already paid him back what I owed and I¡¯ll not be harassed every fucking week for woollyshit claims of fucking interest.You think I¡¯m some dipshit yokel from a komai that can barely count to eleven with his dick in his hand?I know what a fucking contract is, I know what fucking interest is, and if Panchavi claims he¡¯s a business man he¡¯ll know he¡¯s in the fucking wrong.Either he¡¯s dumber than the imbar he grows or you fucks are trying to shake me down for more sars without his knowledge.Shall I go and ask the honored Landed if his goons are on the level?¡±

    The big man glared and the two other men stirred.

    ¡°You¡¯ll not be able to say much without a head,¡± the big man said.

    ¡°Things must be desperate for Panchavi if his goons are out on their own looking for money.I hear half a dozen of you disappeared on the Trade Road, nothing but torn up flesh in the snow.¡±

    ¡°My brother Poxi was one of those that got killed,¡± one of the other men stated.He cracked his knuckles and stalked forward. ¡°Move aside, Bunto.We¡¯ll see how much work he can get done with broken arms and legs.¡±

    ¡°Pardon me,¡± San said, stepping forward. ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that.¡±

    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± the big man snarled, his sword aimed at San¡¯s chest.

    San looked down at the weapon, noting the knicks in the blade and the rust scaling on the steel.Whoever the big man was, he didn¡¯t seem to take much care of his weapons.

    ¡°Sanjay King,¡± San replied. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m afraid I have some business to do with an Eldaro, anyone of you them?¡±

    ¡°Some fucking Merchant,¡± the third man spat. ¡°Bet he can¡¯t use that fancy sword of his.¡±

    Facing a giant scaled monster, terrible white furred creatures, and some kind of abomination that infected the minds of his friends with misery and pain, the three men before him weren¡¯t all that terrifying.They could still kill him, he knew. He wasn¡¯t immune from bladed weapons or pistol shot, but the fear of his situation didn¡¯t stir within him.

    Before he knew it, San¡¯s left forearm was up and it slapped aside the sword in his face.The flat of the blade his his cloth covered army and the man¡¯s relaxed grip released the blade at the strike. The big man looked surprised but that turned to pain and San¡¯s right fist slammed into his sternum.

    The man let out an explosion of breath and flew backward, colliding with a table and bouncing off of it.He collapsed to the floor, gasping in pain and trying to breath. The second man looked shocked for a moment, but then grabbed for his dagger at his waist.San stepped forward, clamped his left hand down upon the man¡¯s forearm, preventing him from pulling out the weapon.He slammed his right fist into the man¡¯s jaw.The man staggered back, cursing in pain, his dagger clattered to the floor and a moment later so did he.

    Pavano was shouting and San looked to see the old man and Azios pummeling the third man. The third man was on the ground, hands over his head and curled into ball while the two kicked at him. San was going to move to stop them, but instead turned to face the coppersmith.

    ¡°Friends of yours?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Eldaro snapped.He looked to Pavano and Azios. ¡°They friends of yours?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± San said.

    ¡°Tell them to stop, would you? Not even Kelgo deserves to be kicked repeatedly in the nuts.¡±

    ¡°Hey, guys. Chill out,¡± San said. Pavano looked up and sighed, grabbing Azios by the shoulder and pulling him off the man.

    ¡°Many thanks, stranger,¡± the coppersmith said.He walked over to the second man, grabbed his dagger and tossed it on a table out of arm¡¯s reach.He did the same with the short sword and club Kelgo was carrying.¡°Normally these woolly turds wouldn¡¯t come here, but my apprentices and journeyman are out delivering stuff and my wife is at her woolly of a mother¡¯s place.¡± The man leaned against a table and looked San and the others up and down. ¡°You a foreigner?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Komai of Exonaris Komai,¡± Azios said. ¡°I vouch for him.¡±

    ¡°Taking advantage of young komais?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°He is under Exonaris Komai protection,¡± Azios said.

    ¡°Just looking to do some business. I hear you work with copper.¡±

    ¡°Aye, did you not read the sign outside? Eldaro Copper, Honored Citizen,¡± he said. ¡°How do?¡±

    ¡°Good, good.I¡¯m looking for some copper pots.¡±

    ¡°I would have thought you were looking for weapons, not cookware.¡±The smith nudged the unconscious bodies of the two men, while the third, Kelgo, groaned in pain in the corner.¡°What do you need, I¡¯ve got plenty of wares to peruse.¡± The man jerked his head and lead them out of the shop front.

    The coppersmith¡¯s workshop was a smaller version of the iron works they had come from.There was a small forge and smaller anvils and tools scattered along a long workshop.San noted the stacks of hammered copper and brass sheetmetal stacked neatly in four foot squares.

    ¡°I¡¯m making a still,¡± San said. ¡°Do you have paper? Or something to draw what I want on?¡±

    The man pulled out a small chalkboard, using the sleeve of his tunic to wipe off a stick figure drawing on it.

    San picked up the chalk and began drawing.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of copper you¡¯re asking for,¡± the smith replied, looking at San¡¯s sketch.¡°It¡¯s gonna cost you about six hundred sars for material alone. Maybe another four hundred for labor.¡±

    ¡°But you can make it?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, I¡¯m the best coppersmith in White Tower.I can damn near make a cannon if I had to.¡± The man laughed.He set down the chalk board. ¡°Don¡¯t know the measurements you¡¯re using, but I can get the gist of it. Copper pipe will be a bit difficult, but the rest of it, I can do it with what I have on stock. What do you call this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a pot still,¡± San said, looking down at the simple cylinder drawing.It was as simple as he could make it, a twenty gallon copper drum with a lid and a long copper pipe extending from it.Eldaro had plenty of large copper pots that he already made, a sale to some rich Landed had fallen through as the imbar trade had imploded.He was happy to sell them to San, although Pavano had to haggle for him.

    San¡¯s first introduction to distilling had been buying a pressure cooker, modifying it, and then attaching a hose to it to make his first batch of moonshine.A pot still was the simple method to make distilled spirits, although many would say that a reflux still was better.

    It all depended upon the spirit being made or what was being distilled. A pot still allowed for more flavor, which was good in whiskeys, but a reflux still gave a cleaner flavor found in vodkas and gins.Imbar was a strange thing, San didn¡¯t know what it really was.It was a root vegetable he understood, but it also had seeds within it, which was similar to a fruit.

    Therefore calling it moonshine wasn¡¯t the correct term, as it wasn¡¯t distilled from grains.He could probably get his hands on the barley that was used, but for simple distillation of sugar, imbar was a cheaper alternative.Since it was fruit like, it would fall under the heading of a brandy.Perhaps it was a vodka, since vodka tended to be a catchall in his world. It was made from potatoes or it was made from grains, depending on where it came from.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get those pots to you by nightfall,¡± Eldaro said.He set aside the chalk board.

    As they had spoken, the men they had subdued had awakened and left without a word, taking their weapons and scurrying out of the shop.

    ¡°Are you going to be all right?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Absolutely. I¡¯m not a pushover. I served in the Levy for ten years, boy.Fought tree fuckers, Suvanna, bandits, monsters, and even my wife¡¯s father.¡± He laughed at the last. ¡°Plus Panchavi¡¯s a sack of woolly shit and equally as dangerous. He¡¯s old news, drowning in debt and trying to gather up sars like a drunkard.¡±

    Panchavi Sominia, the name caused Azios to frown and barely hold back his anger.He had been the one responsible for taking the Exonaris¡¯ wealth of animals and supplies as the older brother and komai was off to war.Three of his men had been killed by San and Wolfram, with another four being killed by Winter¡¯s Lament on the road.

    San set a hand on Azios¡¯ shoulder.Panchavi was someone they would eventually have to deal with, just like Ilagio.Right now was not the time.

    ¡°Later,¡± San said to the boy.He nodded, understanding him.¡°Thank you for your help,¡± San told the coppersmith. ¡°If they work well, we¡¯ll order a few more.¡±

    The smith grinned at that. ¡°Excellent. This whole Suvanna holding the passes south is woollyshit.The rich lose a bit of sars in trade and product and the next thing you know, they aren¡¯t paying their debts and sending lawyers to speak for them. Fucking rich bastards,¡± the smith muttered. ¡°Cold hard sars always speaks loudest.¡±

    San thanked the smith again and they left the shop. The streets were bustling with more men and animals, cargo being loaded and unloaded.San scanned the people, seeing if the men they had fought in the shop were waiting for them anywhere.

    ¡°Can we go back to the Market?¡± Azios asked.

    ¡°We need to see the Exchangers,¡± San said.

    ¡°It¡¯s on the way,¡± Pavano said. ¡°You looking for anything good, lad?¡±

    ¡°I want to get Cassa something. They have those dolls dressed like Corvanus priestess,¡± Azios said excitedly.

    San smiled at the boy, sometimes he seemed like an adult, other times he was what he was. A child.They walked down the street, heading toward the Market.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Azios asked as they walked down the wide open streets.

    The crowd was abuzz, the trading, selling, and hawking of wares stuttered to a stop as people clustered together and then as if controlled by a single mind, they began leaving the Market Square.

    ¡°Pardon, sir. What¡¯s going on?¡± San asked a short man who was walking by them fast.

    He looked annoyed. ¡°The Baron has returned. His banner has been seen!The Baron had returned.¡± The man rushed off.

    ¡°That means the Levy and Guards have returned,¡± Azios said, a grin on his face. ¡°Brother has returned!¡±

    Before he could say anything, Azios raced off, dodging through the crowds and vanishing in a blink of an eye.

 039

    39

    ¡°Azios, hold up!¡± San called, but the boy was already gone.

    ¡°Fool, boy,¡± Pavano muttered.

    The pair rushed off after the boy, pushing through the crowds and getting glares and curses tossed their way.San pushed out of the crowd, nearly stumbling as he left the stream of people moving down the street.

    Pavano was nowhere to be seen and a slight panic bubbled up, but San pushed it away.A mental map of the city and areas he had traversed formed in his mind. He knew how to get back to the apartment from the Market and he was sure Pavano would be safe on his own.

    San peered above the heads of the people, trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of Azios.The attempt was futile, but it did help himself orientate where he was.San rushed off down the street and ducked through an alleyway that Pavano and he had crossed through before.The city of White Tower wasn¡¯t a vast place.

    It was large, but it was also very dense, nothing like the sprawling cities of the western USA.Everything important was behind the towering walls with twenty to thirty thousand people living within its safety.There were miles and miles of roads and streets to walk down, but he walked briskly San figured he could get across the city in less than an hour.

    Silence filled the street as San exited the alleyway.He paused at the sudden lack of noise, looking up and down the empty street.The draw of the arrival of the Baron seemed to have pulled everyone toward the gates.San hurried down the street, spotting landmarks that showed him he was going the right direction.

    He turned down a side street and skidded to a stop.

    The street ended and an open field extended before him.It was as if a great knife had cut away a portion of the city and replaced with with nature.San stopped at the edge, the rough stone underfoot and before him the sight of a perfect summer day.

    Grass grew tall and a soft wind rustled leaves in oak and birch trees, the sounds of birds and insects filled the air.San felt the warm breeze against his cheeks and without thinking stepped forward. The grass brushed around the calves of his robes, the ground was soft under his boots, and San felt a complete sense of calm.

    He looked behind him and saw the empty street he had been walking on and saw the cold wintery day, the clouds streaking across the sky and a bitter wind blowing.The warmth of this strange patch of nature called to San and he continued forward.

    A great obelisk sat in the center of the field.It towered over San, possibly forty or fifty feet high and ten feet across at the base. San was drawn to the black rose that gleamed like obsidian, but upon its surface were white carvings of strange symbols that seemed to move and shift as he looked at it.It was the same written language that was in the Mage Chief¡¯s Tome, he realized.

    He heard a chanting song and San walked around the obelisk, finding an older man sitting in the shade of the stone.The man was dressed in only a leather loin cloth, his dark skin tattooed heavily with strange symbols that seemed far too clear and bright to be ink.Like the obelisk and the tome, the lines, swirls, and strange shapes glowed across his skin, seemingly to pulse with the beat of his heart.

    His eyes were bright green and his face creased and leathery, like a man who spent his entire life outdoors.The hair on his head was the reddish color of the Tribals and braided into long thin strands that hung down his back.

    The old man paused what he was doing. San noted a leather cloth on the man¡¯s lap covered in fine black chips of rock or glass.The man was holding a smooth rock in one hand and what looked to be a chunk of obsidian in the other.

    ¡°How do, Sanjay?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°Good, I suppose.¡± San looked around, no longer seeing the street that he had entered from. All around him was the forest and the tall grass and the obelisk.

    ¡°Not scared? Not confused?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of strange things since arriving into this world,¡± San replied.What was this man? Another powerful being, something like Winter¡¯s Lament?

    ¡°Ah, the Brewer who carries the weapon of war,¡± the man said, smiling.His teeth were yellowed and cracked. ¡°The man from another world.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything I can do for you?¡± San asked, feeling slightly annoyed.His head was clearing and he realized the stupidity of walking into whatever this place was.Yet he could still feel the lingering need to approach the obelisk. The thought that his mind was being played with set him on edge.

    ¡°Yes, there is many things you can do for me,¡± the man replied, returning to his work.He struck the smooth stone against the obsidian and a flake was removed.He worked for a few moments, while San stood there being ignored.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± San asked.

    ¡°We are where you are,¡± the man replied. He jerked his head, using it to point into the eastern direction.

    San peered to the east and saw a towering ivory obelisk rising above the treetops. Where this obelisk he stood by was black, the other was massively tall and white.San stared at it for a moment, seeing the same strange writing upon its surface, but this time in black.

    It was the White Tower, he realized.The tower that named the city.

    ¡°Is this the past?¡¯ San asked.

    ¡°Past, future, present, they don¡¯t matter,¡± the man said. ¡°But yeah, this is how this land looked seven hundred years ago.¡±

    ¡°The Old Kingdom?¡± San asked.

    The man scoffed. ¡°The Mage Kingdom,¡± the man said. ¡°Great men and women wielding great power used to rule this land.They created impressive things and were poised to bring forth a golden age across the world.¡±

    ¡°And the Empire destroyed that?¡±

    ¡°Aye, god fearing fools that they are.¡±

    ¡°God fearing,¡± San replied. ¡°Who are you? You know my name.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just a Stoneman, Sanjay. Nothing more. The veil between worlds is growing thin and I thought I¡¯d see what all the fuss was about.¡±

    ¡°Fuss?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Your soul blazes strongly, Sanjay.It is the beacon that many are drawn to, many fear, and many others seek to snuff out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been told,¡± San replied.

    ¡°Ah, you smell of her.¡±

    ¡°Winter¡¯s Lament,¡± San clarified.

    ¡°Yes, her.Selflessness is rarely the motivation of anyone or anything,¡± the Stoneman said. ¡°No one does anything for nothing.¡±

    San was silent, waiting for the man to elaborate.Winter¡¯s Lament was not his friend or companion, and San understood she was doing what she did for her own reasons.He didn¡¯t question them and figured she would tell him in time.

    The Stoneman didn¡¯t speak, instead continuing to chip away at the obsidian. San watched as the chunk of black rock began to take shape into an eight inch long tapered blade.When he was done the man took the point of the obsidian blade and pierced the center of his hand with it.

    Crimson blood poured from the wound and, as San watched, it was absorbed by the blade itself.San stepped back, an ill feeling emanating from the blade.

    ¡°I offer you a trade,¡± the man said.

    ¡°What kind of trade?¡± San asked.

    ¡°You have the ebony gem,¡± he said. ¡°I wish to have it, in exchange you can have this blade.¡±

    The man lay the blade on the grass, the green foliage began to wither and wilt, losing its color and then finally turing to dust.A bare patch of earth surrounded the ebony weapon.

    ¡°What is that blade?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Whatever you wish dead, it shall make it so,¡± the man said.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± San asked.

    ¡°I am the Stoneman, Sanjay.¡±

    ¡°That means nothing to me,¡± San replied. ¡°Elaborate.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    They stood there in silence.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to trade for the knife,¡± San said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the black gem does, but it¡¯s not right. It¡¯s¡­ it feels evil.¡±

    The man flashed his yellow cracked teeth.¡°Evil, good, they are all foolish concepts, Sanjay. Survival is all that matters. Shaping the world is what matters.Morality is foolishness.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who or what you are,¡± San said. ¡°You might be some kind of powerful Mage or a diety, but the fact that you say morality is foolishness doesn¡¯t make me want to have anything to do with you.I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m refusing this trade you¡¯re offering.I would like to return to White Tower, if you may.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re already there,¡± the man said. ¡°I could leave you here, for the rest of your life.¡±

    San looked around, at the tall trees and the warm summer air.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem too bad,¡± he replied.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    The man laughed and rose to his feet. He barely reached San¡¯s chest, but that didn¡¯t diminish the power that emanated from him. The bright green eyes burned into his own.

    ¡°Hold onto that grief in your soul, Sanjay.Cling to it and don¡¯t let it subside. Misery is your salvation.¡± The man picked up the knife and threw it into the trees.A loud thud sounded and San watched as a distant tree began to wilt and die.The man crossed the field and vanished into the woods.

    ¡°San?¡± a voice asked.

    ¡°Mary?¡± San turned and saw Endaha standing near him. Azios, Pavano, and Cassa were all at her side, along with little Kovass wrapped in a blanket and carried by Azios.

    San blinked and saw that he was standing in the middle of an empty street.

    ¡°Are you okay, lad?¡± Pavano asked.

    ¡°I just¡­¡± San shook his head. ¡°Nothing. It was nothing.¡±

    ¡°Come on, the Baron¡¯s almost to the gates!¡± Azios said excitedly.Endaha and Pavano watched San as they proceeded back down the streets.

    ***

    The crowds were jostling, but with San¡¯s size and height, he guided Pavano and the others to a spot that they could all see from.The good viewing spots weren¡¯t first come first served, instead they were whomever could push whomever out of the way to occupy the spot. San would have been terribly sorry for what he was doing, shoving smaller people out of the way, but this wasn¡¯t Earth and he really did want to see the arrival of the Baron.

    San carried Cassa, as the young girl was being bounced around by the crowd.He set her on his shoulders and she screamed in delight and some fear as she towered over the crowds, with a clear view of everything that lay before them.San saw that he wasn¡¯t the only one doing so for young children, as many adults carried their children on their shoulders, pointing out as the Levy and Guards began marching down the wide Market Street.

    The first group of soldiers were men and women in full plate armor, from head to toe they were covered in brilliantly buffed steel armor.They carried rifles at their shoulders and bandoliers of blackpowder across their chests.San watched them, they marched with steely determination and didn¡¯t seem to be effected by the cheering and screaming of the crowds.

    ¡°Those are the Leveled troops,¡± Pavano was telling Azios.¡°They¡¯re the Baron¡¯s Sword, although these days they mostly use rifles and hand cannons.No one else can carry as much ammunition and those big guns like they can.¡±

    San scanned the soldiers and saw what Pavano was talking about.On the backs of a few of the soldiers were strapped what San could only call a miniature cannon, a swivel gun that he had seen in pirate movies.Along with the rifles and cannons, the soldiers also carried a variety of swords, daggers, and other weapons that made them look like walking armories.

    They passed by San and there others, their eyes focused purely ahead of them.Behind the Swords came the Guards, normal men and women, but in the Barons¡¯ colors and not covered from head to toe in armor.They seemed to be less ready for battle and more relaxed, their cuirasses loose and most of their armor removed.They carried their packs and waved to the people lining the street.

    Behind them came the Levy, the citizen army of the Barony.As he had seen in the Exonaris Komai, they were armed and geared in what they could find or buy before being shipped out.Most wore brigandines, some even had cuirasses, and they carried long spears that almost were like pikes.They marched in a ragged manner, less professional and more just weary soldier ready for a drink and a sleep.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see Brother,¡± Azios said anxiously.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be there, somewhere,¡± Endaha said, her voice also anxious.

    San scanned the troops as they marched by, but behind the sallet helmets and hats, he could barely make out a face, let alone a person he had never met.The soldiers marched by and behind them came the camp followers, herd animals, gear, and wagons.San watched the soldiers vanish down the street.

    ¡°That¡¯s all of the troops?¡± he asked. He hadn¡¯t kept count, but that seemed less than three hundred men, twenty Leveled and fifty Guards.

    ¡°Seems a bit short,¡± Pavano said, a worried expression on his face.¡°They don¡¯t usually parade the wounded or sick in front of everyone.Sickness is usually what kills most men.¡±

    ¡°Brother wasn¡¯t among them,¡± Azios said. ¡°Nearly a thousand soldiers left in the spring.¡±

    Pavano glanced down the street, the crowds were beginning to disperse and there was a somber air about it as they all realized how few soldiers had passed by.San could feel the tension and worry in the air.Many were rushing toward the Keep, where the barracks and Guards were located.If there was anywhere they could get information on the wounded or dead, that would be the place.

    ¡°We should go to the Keep,¡± Elgava said.She looked a bit worried too. ¡°My brother left with the Baron.He should have come back with him.¡±

    They all agreed and joined the crowds that were streaming toward the Keep.San watched as the White Tower cops began to appear alongside the streets, batons and armor on.He could feel the tension in the air, a spark could light it all up.

    ¡°Get the fuck back!¡± a guard was shouting at the entrance of the richer neighborhood.He was backed by a dozen Guards, who all looked ready to draw their swords.¡°Get the fuck back. No one crosses through.¡±

    ¡°Where is my daughter!¡± a man shouted.

    ¡°What has happened to the rest of the soldiers!¡± another cried.

    The shouting grew louder and the Guards¡¯ grips tightened on their swords. There was a rattle of armor as more soldiers rushed toward the entrance, fanning out behind the Guards and bolstering their numbers.San turned behind him to see that the cops had also gathered up all their number and were marching toward the crowds, ready to bust heads to disperse the crowds.

    ¡°Hold up!¡± a voice boomed.

    Havatair pushed his way through the Guards and glared at the lone guard with his sword out.

    ¡°You know who I am,¡± Havatair said. ¡°I come with news of our brave soldiers. Of the one thousand two hundred that left this spring, only five hundred return.¡± The crowd reeled back from that news, but the shock was soon replaced by outrage. ¡°Hold up! Five hundred have returned, but five hundred remain in Sentari for the winter.The Sentari will feed and keep them until spring arrives and then we shall see what the Suvanna do.¡±

    ¡°What about the rest!¡± someone shouted.

    ¡°Dead.¡± Havatair said flatly. ¡°There will be list and a crier to give the news tomorrow morning in the Market. There are many that are sick and there are many still injured.But our boys gave those Suvanna and Nox fucks a battering they¡¯ll not forget soon.¡±

    A ragged cheer rose at the exclamation.

    ¡°Many of our boys and girls have given the greatest service they can to the Barony,¡± Havatair shouted. ¡°We shall give them all the rites and prayers that will see them off into the next world.Senta¡¯s priestesses are helping the wounded and the other Cults are doing what they can.Disperse, people. There is little you can do here and tomorrow the news of who lives and who does not shall be given.¡±

    The crowd silenced as worry and fear gnawed at them.San glanced to Endaha and Azios who were nervously shifting in the cold.Was Kovass among the dead, sick, or left in Sentari, had he returned?Would he have rushed back to the komai, only to find it abandoned and half destroyed? Never knowing what happened to his family?

    San pushed his way forward, he pushed past the guard with the sword, who belatedly realized what was happening.

    ¡°Stop,¡± the guard squawked.

    ¡°San,¡± Havatair said as he approached. ¡°He¡¯s a friend, leave off.¡±

    The guard gave another squawk and then sheathed his sword.

    ¡°Havatair, sir,¡± San said. Havatair chuckled at that. ¡°I wonder if you have any information of Kovass Exonaris.¡±

    ¡°Ah, the komai.¡± Havatair grunted and snapped his fingers. A thin woman carrying papers and scrolls appeared. ¡°Komai, Exonaris, Kovass. Should be a platoon leader if this is his first war.¡± He told the woman.

    She expertly dug through the scrolls, pulling one out and then scanning it. ¡°He¡¯s in Sentari. Not wounded. Promoted to company leader.The notes say he wants his wife and brother to receive all his back pay and prize money.¡±

    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± San said, feeling a weight of relief.

    ¡°Guess you can¡¯t go wooing that young lass, then,¡± Havatair said, his eyes glancing toward Endaha and the others who were being held back by the guards.

    ¡°The komai had to be abandoned, I just didn¡¯t want him to try and go there to find out what¡¯s happened,¡± San said.

    ¡°Right, right, sure, lad,¡± Havatair boomed with laughter.¡°Now, I must go.¡± His face sobered and looked drawn. ¡°The Baron has been wounded.You have Power, lad. Do you have anything that can help him?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s wrong with him,¡± San said. ¡°I have a Sanitize Power, it kills bacteria and such.¡±

    The big man shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is,¡± he said. He looked to a Guard.¡°Bring him along.¡± The Guard nodded; he and several others moved to box San in as Havatair began stomping back toward the keep.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± San said, but was shoved with the large shield one of the Guards carried.

    ¡°Move it, Adventurer,¡± the man said.

    ¡°He¡¯s alive!¡± San shouted to Endaha.She heard him and nodded, her expression not changing.

    ***

    ¡°Sanjay?¡± Densa said as he was shoved into the hall.

    Light was streaming in from large windows set in alcoves near the ceiling, the air smelled of flowers, and it was actually warm in the hall.San adjusted his mussed robes and grinned as he spotted the Head Healer.

    ¡°Lady Densa,¡± he said.

    ¡°What brings you here?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Havatair,¡± he replied.

    Densa nodded as if that explained everything. ¡°He¡¯s gathering anyone who has a Power that could be used to help the Baron,¡± she said.

    ¡°What is wrong with the Baron?¡± San asked.

    ¡°War,¡± Densa replied. ¡°He has lived a long life of battle and raids, he glorified the sword and the spear, and now it is his undoing.¡±

    ¡°So he got stabbed?¡± San asked.

    ¡°He was injured in battle against the Nox.The great victory I told you of, more than a week ago.A Leveled Nox killed his warhorse and the fall shattered his leg.It has become infected.¡±

    San held back the wince.¡°They did not amputate?¡± he asked.

    Densa raised an eyebrow.¡°No.The healer who had gone with the Baron said he could save the leg, he was a fool.¡±

    With the Power some people had, San was surprised that someone of the Barons¡¯ station could be injured so.He would have expected all the Cults and those in charge to move heaven and earth to see him healed.

    ¡°You¡¯re the head healer, right?¡± San said.

    Densa gave a rueful chuckle. ¡°I am looked down upon by the Baron,¡± she said. ¡°I am not a woman of politics or subterfuge. I work to heal any and all, my loyalty lies with Senta, not the Baron.¡±

    ¡°So he doesn¡¯t trust and like you?¡± San asked.

    ¡°To put it bluntly, Sanjay,¡± she replied.

    San paused, a trickle of realization finally hitting him. ¡°Uh,¡± he began, ¡°Where did you learn my name?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Densa was caught off guard for a moment.

    ¡°There are only three people who knew my ¡®real¡¯ name before I ever gave it to them. You are one of those three.The first time I met you several days ago, you knew my name without me ever telling you it.¡±

    ¡°Surely, you must have given it to me,¡± she said, a look of nervousness flashing across her face.

    ¡°No.Unless I¡¯m introducing myself, most people just call me San.The other two who have known my name is Sanjay without my introducing myself are-¡°

    A door crashed open and a stream of cursing erupted from a tall, lean man as he entered the hall.San¡¯s words died in his mouth as the man dragged another man in yellow and white robes behind him.He threw the man to the floor, where the bounced, rolled, and curled up in a ball.

    ¡°Fool!¡¯ the man shouted. ¡°Your incompetence is killing the Baron.That is treason!¡±

    The man grabbed a spear from one of the Guards and raised it, the gleaming blade pointed at the man on the floor.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Densa roared.San flinched as her voice boomed across the room.The tall man¡¯s eyes snapped up and focused upon her and then San.¡°That is a Priest of Senta.Your blade shall not touch him. Any wrongdoing on his part will be seen to by the Senta Cult.¡±

    ¡°Densa,¡± he said, tossing aside the spear. It clattered loudly to the stone floor.¡°What wretch allowed you to enter the Keep while my father lays dying? Have you come to dance upon his cooling corpse?¡±

    There was a murmur among the gathered people, some moving away from Densa and making it clear they were trying not to associate themselves with her.

    ¡°Heir Esomir, I bring my knowledge and wisdom to help those in need. The issues your father, the Baron, and I have are inconsequential.The safety and well being of the people of the Sol Suvanis Barony is all that matters to me, and your father¡¯s recovery is key to that.¡±

    The man, Esomir Sol Suvanis, glared at Densa.¡°Were you the one who taught this fool?¡± he demanded.

    Densa looked cooly down at the man still on the floor. Fear had kept him from getting up and he lay there, peeking through his hands as his fate was decided.

    ¡°No. I was trained in Voltar, m¡¯lord. I gained my status as Head Healer for a reason.One your father knew and respected, before we had our falling out.¡±

    The man snorted and looked back down at the priest.

    ¡°Get the fuck out of here,¡± he said to the man. ¡°If I see you again, I¡¯ll tie you to a tree and let you die like a tree fucker criminal.¡±

    The man staggered to his feet and rushed out of the hall.

    ¡°Lady Densa,¡± Esomir said, his voice courtly and carrying. ¡°I implore you to see my father and rend what services you can.¡±

    ¡°It is my honor, Lord Sol Suvanis,¡± Densa replied.She stepped forward, stopped, and looked at San. ¡°Come.¡±

 040

    40

    As Esomir Sol Suvanis lead Densa, San, and other officials to his father¡¯s rooms, San wondered about the Powers he had.He didn¡¯t have much time to ponder wha the Powers or Levels were doing to him.They made him stronger, faster, and more resilient, but did they also change his mind?

    He had been a fearful man before coming to this world.A general anxiety about the world, about his place in it, and how failure at his business my mean ruin for him and his family. Yet in the days since receiving the first Level from the Mage Chief, the constant fear he always knew was subdued.He still felt the sharp spike of it in situations where it was needed, but the everyday anxiety and fear he would normally feel were gone.

    Had the Levels reshaped his mind?San found that he could remember things more clearly now, if he concentrated on it.Old books, articles, and memories of his past were becoming clearer and clearer in his mind every time he Leveled up.Perhaps one day he would remember everything he had ever seen or read.

    Although dwelling on the thought that his mind itself was being changed was cause for some existential anxiety, San was more concerned with the fact that he could in fact; ¡®go with the flow¡¯ of events nowadays.It had barely been more than two hours before he had fought Panchavi¡¯s men in the coppersmith shop, then he had met some kind of magical being trying to sell him a Knife of Death, and now he was being ushered into the Baron¡¯s suite to see if he could help the man.

    Before, such series of events would have left him dazed and confused, his ability to adapt to the changing situations would have degraded with the first confrontation of the day.Yet he strode confidently behind Densa and took in the glances of the Guards.They of course were stiff and concerned about his presence, especially with the sword and dagger at his waist.Densa was unarmed, as she was a healer, so what was he supposed to be?

    ¡°You her bodyguard?¡± Esomir demanded as they rounded a corner.

    ¡°Pardon?¡± San asked.

    ¡°You. Foreigner. Are. You. Densa¡¯s. Bodyguard,¡± he said slowly.

    ¡°No,¡± San replied.

    ¡°Then why in Senta¡¯s tits are you here?¡± he asked.

    Densa scowled at what was probably a bit of blasphemy.

    ¡°Lady Densa and I were having a conversation before you interrupted it with your theatrics,¡± San said.He felt a bit of annoyance at the man, the fact that he was the Heir of the Barony did not change that.He seemed arrogant and from his previous actions, pretty rude and showy. There was no need to throw the priest around, even if the man had been incompetent, the public shaming was uncalled for.

    ¡°San is a knowledgeable healer in his own right,¡± Densa said, casting a look at San.It was one he recognize, Mary would give him the same look when he was being obnoxious.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem to like me, though,¡± the Heir grinned at San.It lacked any mirth and was colder than the storms San and the others had faced returning to the Barony.¡°Respect is due to my title and heritage.¡±

    ¡°Respect is earned,¡± San said. ¡°M¡¯lord.¡±He added.

    The Heir rolled his eyes and glanced to one of the Guards.The man had a hand on his sword and was scowling. ¡°My Guard, Altaron, doesn¡¯t think so, don¡¯t you, Al?¡±

    ¡°Aye, m¡¯lord. This foreign fuck is being pretty mouthy, m¡¯lord. Me and the boys can take him out back and show him what we do to mouthy fucks.¡± He stopped and looked to Densa. ¡°Pardon my language, m¡¯lady.¡±

    ¡°Shall we see if we can save your father before you threaten one another?¡± Densa demanded, annoyed at the posturing. ¡°I brought him along and as long as I am with him, he is under Senta¡¯s protection.¡±

    ¡°Another one of your bleeding heart causes?¡± Esomir snickered. ¡°Is he like the Filth you claim are people? Is he like the sick and poor that you try to help? Tell me foreigner, does Densa also wipe your ass and feed you from her tit?¡±

    San stopped and the hall went silent and tense.

    ¡°Apologize,¡± San said.

    ¡°To you?¡±

    ¡°To Densa. You mock her and you goad her. She is the one who will help your father and yet you try to antagonize her.¡±

    ¡°Me and the boys¡¯ll take him out back and cut off his balls,¡± the Guard Altaron said. ¡°Geld him like they do in theFar Kingdoms.We¡¯ll see how mouthy he is then.¡±

    Esomir peered at San, looking him up and down. ¡°He¡¯s got Levels,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯ll probably be able to kill you all, especially with that sword of his.¡±

    The Guards looked to San¡¯s waist, finally seeing the basket hilt broadsword in its sheath.San wasn¡¯t entirely sure how people knew what was an enchanted weapon, but the men obviously saw what the sword was.

    ¡°I got a message from old Havatair, that there was a tough foreigner who went to kill the batto queen,¡± Esomir looked San up and down again. ¡°Made an impression on the old shit.Are you really as tough as the old man says?¡±

    ¡°Doubtful,¡± San replied.

    ¡°Enough of this,¡± Densa said.¡°Your father lays dying and you indulge in this?¡±

    ¡°The Baron¡¯s been dying since Mother passed,¡± Esomir said. ¡°His heart grew cold and rotten when she left this world.Hetvana awaits his arrival, Densa.Why rob her of such a treat?¡±

    ¡°All are redeemable in Senta¡¯s heart,¡± Densa said.

    ¡°Ah, but you didn¡¯t see what he did to those Nox we captured.Even with his shattered leg he still took his time with many of them, their screams were heard for miles.¡±

    ¡°Do you want him dead or alive?¡± Densa hissed. ¡°Publicly shaming Garatov like that was unnecessary.He is a good healer and to do that to him, that is unacceptable.¡±

    ¡°It is time for the Barony to change hands, Lady Densa. I need to at least look the part of the favored son trying to do all he can to help his ailing father.¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s with all of this, then?¡± San asked. ¡°Just a big song and dance?¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯ll go and see him. Discover if he¡¯s healable or not, if not then let him die.The Barony needs a change and his reign will be over.The years of his foul mood infecting this city will be gone and we can finally move forward with defeating the Suvanna and then securing our place as the dominate Barony.¡±

    ¡°This nonsense is why I left your father¡¯s service,¡± Densa said. ¡°Foolish politics and lies.Everyone proclaims devotion to the gods, but the moment their backs are turned, you all begin plotting.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the way of Power, Lady Densa. Commoners like you would not understand.¡±

    ¡°Show us to your father, foolish boy,¡± Densa snapped.

    Esomir stared at San, a slight grin on his face. ¡°After you, foreigner.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the way,¡± San replied.

    ¡°Al will lead you.¡±

    Altaron grabbed San¡¯s arm, the man was decked in full Guard armor but he barley came up to San¡¯s shoulder.He glared at San, looking up at him.

    ¡°Forward,¡± he said.

    ***The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The overpowering stench of rotting meat filled the room.The Guards and Esomir gagged and pulled handkerchiefs to their noses as they entered. San winced at the smell, it wasn¡¯t as terrible as the Flesh Horror¡¯s den or the batto caverns.The musky stench was heavy in the air, but it didn¡¯t have the trace of evil or horror within it.

    The Baron of Sol Suvanis lay on a wide simple bed in the center of the room. San took in the Baron¡¯s suite and saw that it was minimally decorated. A few paintings on the walls and a lone bust of a woman at the foot of the bed.She was dark haired and lovely; with faint crowsfeet at the corner of her eyes and stern thin lips.The bust was painted with life like skill, showing her bronzed skin and a slight reddening on her cheeks.Her eyes were brilliant green and a pair of moles sat at the edge of her left eye.

    The man moaned. The Baron was a big man, thick in shoulders and in his gut.He lay bare chested and nearly stripped naked, but sweat ran down his skin even as cold air blew in from an opened window.His entire left leg was wrapped in gauze and splints, but even San could see it was beginning to soak through with blood and yellow fluid.

    ¡°He was fine until a few days ago,¡± Esomir said. ¡°That idiot healer said if we got back quick, we could save the leg.Said there was Powers the other healers had. I guess he was talking about you.¡±

    Densa walked up the Baron, San trailed after.She raised her hands and hovered them over the leg, flinching and gagging a moment later.

    ¡°The leg needs to be removed,¡± she said. ¡°It should have been several days ago.¡±

    ¡°Father didn¡¯t want to be a cripple,¡± Esomir said, leaning against the opened window. ¡°Forbade the hacking off of his leg.¡±

    ¡°It has to be done.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use a Level gem?¡± San asked.

    Densa frowned and Esomir scoffed.

    ¡°It won¡¯t work,¡± Densa said.

    San understood the use of Level gems when you were already well into your years wasn¡¯t ideal, as Bostarion and Pavano stated, one could die from it.But surely the Baron was already Leveled and another gem wouldn¡¯t do any harm?

    ¡°Why?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Level Sickness,¡± Esomir responded. ¡°Father has already leveled twice this year, he¡¯ll die if he gains another one.¡±

    San frowned, looking down at the injured man. ¡°If he was going to war, why did he not save one?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Are you a fool?¡± Esomir demanded. ¡°Why would you not want to level before going to war? You might gain a Power that could turn an entire battle.Also, we supposedly had the best healers in the Baronies alongside us.¡± Esomir scoffed at that and folded his arms.

    Densa poked and prodded at the leg, eliciting a pained groan from the Baron who was unconscious.The healer cringed and shook her head.

    ¡°We might be too late,¡± she said. ¡°The infection is deep and the bones that are shattered, the tibia and ulna, are nothing but shards.We must at a minimum amputate that limb in order to get the infection under control. I can slow the spread of the infection and boost his immune system, but everything below the knee is dead.¡±

    Esomir looked annoyed. ¡°Do what you must,¡± he said. ¡°If it fails, so be it.¡±

    Densa frowned again and looked down at the Baron.

    ¡°I can sanitize the wounds,¡± San replied. ¡°That¡¯ll removed some of the bacteria infecting him and I have a bit of antibiotics left, they kill bacterial infections.I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be enough, though.¡±

    Densa shook her head. ¡°I have no idea what those are, something from your land?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, medicine. But it¡¯s limited and I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll fully work on him.¡±

    ¡°The infection is deep in his leg, we¡¯ll have to cut away a lot of the flesh and hope that it doesn¡¯t spread after that,¡± Densa said as she looked at the wound some more and sighed. ¡°All we can do is try.¡± She turned to the Heir.¡°I will need more help, a few of my nurses and some other healers will be needed. He will bleed a lot and he is already weak, therefore those with Power to reinforce him and strengthen him are also needed.¡±

    ¡°I have a few of the Leveled Guards with boosting Powers,¡± Esomir replied. He looked to one of the Guards. ¡°Get Taggor and Dominov.¡± The Guard snapped a salute and rushed off with a clatter of armor, shouting out orders.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need to get the antibiotics,¡± San said.

    Densa nodded. ¡°It will be a while before we gather all, be back within an hour.We shall proceed then.¡±

    San took his leave, one of the Guards leading him back out of the Keep and toward the gates.He looked up to see the the sun was already heading toward the horizon, the hours of the day already being spent without much progress on his part.The thought of setting up his brewery and distillery had been pushed back, but as he hurried down the streets; he had to wonder if he could make something out of the Cleansing Fire and other yeasts he had created.

    High proof distilled alcohol was good to have around to treat wounds.He could already make a sanitizer from the imbar, but what if he could make something more from it?There was magic in what he could brew, the same as Courage.He could distill something that would kill germs and promote healing?

    San was lost in thought as he headed down the street toward the apartment.He skidded to a halt as he saw five men walk into the street before him.San realized he was suddenly alone, the well traveled street was empty of pedestrians.

    ¡°You the fucking asshole that attacked my men?¡± a bald man demanded, pushing his way forward.He was rotund, his once fine tunic stretched over his belly and his thick woolen cloak tattered at the edge.There was a cruelness in his expression that put San on edge.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± San asked.

    That annoyed the man. ¡°Panchavi,¡± he stated.

    ¡°Who?¡± San asked.

    ¡°I know who you¡¯re with,¡± the man said. ¡°The fucking Exonaris, those fuckers owe me sars.You¡¯re gonna give me what I¡¯m owed and then you¡¯re gonna pay for attacking my men, with sars or with your ass.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a prostitute,¡± San replied.He glanced over his shoulder to see three more men arriving.Two of the men he recognized from the brawl that morning, Bunto and Kelgo, although the third was missing.

    ¡°You think this is funny, Merchant?¡± Panchavi demanded.¡°You¡¯re gonna give us every sar you have on you, everything of value, and then we¡¯ll see what else you have back at the shitty apartment you¡¯re all hiding in.¡±

    ¡°You seem to know a lot,¡± San said.

    ¡°It¡¯s my business to know, asshole.¡±

    San rolled his shoulders and straightened his back.¡°Then you must know that I¡¯m not just a Merchant, I¡¯m an Adventurer.A Level Three adventurer,¡± San said, setting his hand on his sword hilt.

    The men behind Panchavi shifted uneasily.They cast nervous looks at one another.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Panchavi snapped, although fear was evident in his voice.¡°Corvanus don¡¯t mean shit to me, asshole. Your levels don¡¯t mean shit, there is nine of us and only one of you.¡±

    ¡°Mind if I tag in?¡± a female voice said.

    San looked at the speaker, for a moment thinking it was Elgava and the others.Instead he saw a lean woman carrying a staff in one hand and a pack on her back.She looked to be a traveler of some kind, but San also noted the sword at her hip and the shield across her back.A soldier?The most notable thing about her was a large leather cuirass she wore over her robes, on it was a stylized moon and sword.

    ¡°Oh, fuck,¡± one of the men muttered.

    ¡°Peace be to you, Priestess,¡± Panchavi suddenly said.

    ¡°Peace? I don¡¯t like peace,¡± the woman stated.She leaned against her staff, eyeing Panchavi and his men. ¡°I think someone stated that Corvanus is shit or something?¡±

    Panchavi visibly paled, the men around him moved away from him.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t made in jest, to our friend here,¡± Panchavi said.¡°We were only joking, Priestess.¡±

    ¡°Corvanus does enjoy a good joke,¡± the woman said. ¡°Here¡¯s one.Nine men set upon a lone Merchant and mock the God of Adventurers.¡±

    A silence filled the street.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a punchline,¡± the woman said.¡°Corvanus also likes blood drawn in acts of justice and protection.¡±

    San had never seen someone say anything that caused grown men to nearly piss themselves before.He stood there in faint awe as half of the men ran away, leaving behind Panchavi, and moving like the devil was on their trail.The others just stood there frozen; the lizard part of their brain telling them to stay very still so that a predator wouldn¡¯t see them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know you,¡± the woman said walking up to Panchavi, ¡°and I don¡¯t like you.I hope to never see you again.¡±

    Panchavi nodded automatically, not saying anything. His eyes were glued to the woman and if she had stated the moon was made of cheese, he probably would have agreed.

    ¡°Go,¡± she hissed.

    The spell was broken and the others fled the scene.Panchavi huffed down the street after them and ducked into an alley, vanishing from sight.

    ¡°Impressive,¡± San said, with genuine feeling. ¡°Also, thank you.¡±

    The woman turned to him, looking him up and down. ¡°You¡¯ve got Levels, but you¡¯re not an Adventurer,¡± she said.

    ¡°That obvious?¡± San asked.Panchavi¡¯s men had called her a priestess, but of what Cult?

    ¡°You have the heart of one though,¡± she continued. She walked up to him and although her height reached his shoulder, San felt as if she towered over him.He unconsciously stepped back.¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°San,¡± he replied. ¡°Thank you for you assistance.I think I might have been in trouble there.¡± He smiled nervously as she continued to stare at him. ¡®If you¡¯ll excuse me, I am on an errand to help the Baron.¡±

    ¡°Him? He lacks the heart of an Adventurer,¡± she replied. ¡°Drink, women, and torture, rarely has a man courted Hetvanna so.¡±

    ¡°To each their own, I suppose,¡± San replied, taking another step back.

    ¡°I am Livonna, Priestess of the Corvanus Cult, here to represent my Cult and prepare for Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve,¡± she said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t the representatives report to the Baron first?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Corvanus commands me, not some backwater Baron,¡± the woman replied. ¡°My first duty is to my cult, therefore I have come to see how they fare before I go to present myself before this Baron.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯m holding you up,¡± San said. ¡°Thank you again for your assistance. I hope you find your cult well.¡±

    She didn¡¯t reply, instead her eyes peering at him again. ¡°There is something about you,¡± she said. ¡°You must always be prepared to draw blood, San.Your life and future depend on action without hesitation.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    The woman turned and marched her way down the street, leaving San to stand there.He took a breath, feeling an odd relief she had left, then rushed the remainder of the distance to the apartment.

    Panchavi had been forced to leave, but San wasn¡¯t foolish enough to think that would be the last he would see of him.He knew where they were staying and he knew who he was staying with.San sighed, it had been only three days in White Tower.

 041

    41

    San knocked on the apartment door, still perturbed by Panchavi¡¯s appearance.The Landed crime boss knew far too much about San and the others.That put the Exonaris family in danger, as he understood that Panchavi was hurting for money and even if it was a lie, he would try to obtain what he could from those he claimed owed him.

    Pavano would know where to go.The old man was wily and clever.

    The door creaked open, with Azios standing there, crossbow in hand.

    ¡°San!¡± he cried out, relief on his face.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± San asked, worried as he saw the boy armed and ready for a fight.

    ¡°Pavano and Elgava left to the Exchanger,¡± Azios stated when the door was shut.He leaned the loaded crossbow against the wall.

    ¡°Without me?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Pavano said they needed it to pay for the delivery of the copper pots and to get some men cleaning the warehouse for you.¡±

    San paused and then nodded.It seemed reasonable.The warehouse was theirs to use but Herokov had not been one to keep the building clean or tidy.San sighed, the events of the day had pushed a lot of other things out of his mind.

    ¡°Wehre¡¯s Bostarion?¡± he asked.

    Azios shrugged. ¡°He said he needed to do something and left after Pavano and Elgava did.¡±

    Bostarion had been silent and simmering with anger after he had returned from meeting with Havatair the day previous.The old ranger had gone to see what was being done about Ilagio¡¯s betrayal and attempted murder of San and the others, but from what he gleaned that meeting had not gone well.Ilagio was still out there and Bostarion was not a man who would let attempted murder, abandonment, and lies slide.

    ¡°Hope he¡¯s not going to do something stupid,¡± San said.He moved to his belongings, Azios trialing.The pack was mostly empty these days, battered, but still sturdy even though it had gone through some hard uses.San removed the first aid kit, quickly inventorying the items he had left.Small bandages, needles, aspirin, and the remainder of the antibiotics that he had used on Endaha when she was suffering from the bonewing infection.

    ¡°You¡¯ve returned,¡± Endada¡¯s voice jerked San¡¯s head up.¡°Azios, watch over Kovass and Cassa,¡± she said. The boy glanced to San and then nodded.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ San asked, as he tucked the antibiotics and first aid kit into his satchel.

    Endaha led him into the room that she and the children maintained. The camping tent was still set up, occupying a corner, with various blankets and his sleeping bag tucked into a corner.Endaha stood beside a tiny window that allowed a small amount of light into the room, her face expressionless.

    San settled by the door, his back against the roughly plastered wall and waited for her to speak. The urgency of returning to Densa and the Keep was pushed aside. He realized that this was the first time Endaha and he had been alone in the same room for weeks.

    ¡°Azios, I, and the children should leave,¡± she said.

    ¡°Why?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Kovass is alive.We have abandoned the land of his ancestors.We should not have come here,¡± she said.

    ¡°You plan on returning to the komai?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Yes.We should not have left.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll die there,¡± he said bluntly.¡°There¡¯s no food, no fuel, the house is shattered, and the heaviest part of winter is still tom come.¡±

    ¡°We must,¡± she said, there was an odd tone in her voice. ¡°Kovass is alive.¡±

    San pondered her words for a moment, letting them sink in and trying to look at it from her point of view.She was a married woman, the wife of a Komai, and now she was galavanting around White Tower with San and other strangers.How much trust and faith did she have in him to uproot her entire family to come to a strange city and put their lives in his hand?

    What was his own connection with her? Besides rescuing the family and helping them as much as he could.They would have died if Pavano and he hadn¡¯t gotten to their komai in time.Saving their lives did not indebted them to him, he didn¡¯t want that.But he did feel responsible for them, to ensure that they lived, to keep the children alive, and to see that they survived this winter until her husband returned.

    That was the issue, he supposed.The intersection of their responsibilities and their feelings.Did he love her? Did she love him? San didn¡¯t know.His own romantic inclinations had died on that rainy afternoon nearly seven months before.The ache was still there and with it the memories he had made with the woman he loved and his own children.

    He looked to Endaha, seeing her. She was young, according to Azios she was eighteen years old, nearly a decade younger than he was, and had lived a life that he could not imagine.One filled with starvation, fear, and exploitation.Enough that simple kindness could look like love.And for him? A toddler, a newborn, and a woman who would love him because of what he had done to help her family.A replacement for the one he had lost.

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave,¡± San said.

    ¡°I have to,¡± she replied.

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I have gone against the vows I spoke to the Blessed Mother, my husband still lives and I have shamed myself by running after another,¡± she said, tears forming in her eyes.

    ¡°You have only done what you must to keep your family safe,¡± San said. ¡°Leaving the komai and coming here for the winter is the the best choice you had.You have not shamed yourself and you have not dishonored anyone.You did the pragmatic thing, you did what you had to do.¡±

    ¡°What will Kovass think?¡± she asked.

    ¡°He will think that his family is safe and that they survived monster attacks, harsh weather, and the winter as best as they could.¡±

    Endaha looked back at the small square of light coming in from the window.The horn sheets that covered the opening cast her face into contrasting amber hues.

    ¡°Why do you keep helping us?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I could not abandon you all,¡± San replied.

    ¡°Why?¡± she asked, her eyes locking onto his.There was a deep searching need to know.San knew what she was asking for, the question she wanted answered.

    ¡°For the children,¡± San said. ¡°They are innocent and they are in danger.I did all of it for the children.¡±

    Relief, pain, and sorrow flooded across Endaha¡¯s face as she continued looking at him. ¡°The children,¡± she repeated.

    San took a breath, holding himself steady. ¡°For the children.I had a family once,¡± he said, ¡°I cannot stand by while children are in danger. I will do whatever I can to ensure that they are healthy and safe, this I swear upon all the gods of your land.¡±

    Endaha stared at him.Tears were running down her face as she turned away from him.It was a wordless dismissal.San choked down the words that wanted to come out and then left the room.

    Azios stood in the common room, Kovass in his arms and Cassa play on the floor with toy blocks.

    ¡°Is she okay?¡± Azios asked.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± San said.He leaned forward and ran a finger across Kovass¡¯ face.The newborn stared up at him with eyes that were wide, his head lolling back as his mouthopened and closed.

    ¡°The walls are thin,¡± Azios said softly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think ill of her,¡± San said. ¡°There was no betrayal.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Azios said. ¡°Even I thought that Brother might have died.¡± He closed his eyes and shook his head. ¡°The komai was everything to him, he did all he did to ensure that it continued and prospered.¡±

    San was silent.He set a hand on Azios¡¯ shoulder.He didn¡¯t say anything, but Azios seemed to take strength from the contact, his back straightening and eyes clearing up.

    ¡°Thank you for what you¡¯ve done for us,¡± he said.

    ¡°I would never abandon any of you,¡± San said. ¡°The world is dangerous and is only becoming so.¡± He paused, remembering his encounter with Panchavi. ¡°Keep the door locked and the crossbows loaded. Panchavi knows we¡¯re here.¡±

    A shocked looked filled Azios¡¯ face.He too had forgotten about the man.

    ¡°Are we safe?¡±

    ¡°When Pavano returns, tell him we need to move. We need to keep watch and make sure that he doesn¡¯t try to attack anyone of us when we¡¯re alone.¡±

    Azios nodded.

    ¡°I have to go,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as I can.Keep them safe, Azios.¡±

    The young man nodded, his eyes flickering toward the crossbow against the wall.San reached down and gave Cassa a hug before leaving.

    The door closed behind him and he heard the lock engage.He stood in the darkness of the short hallway for a moment, taking a breath.He double checked his satchel and weapons, then headed down the rickety stairs.

    ***

    The closet that San had even been to witnessing surgery had been the birth of his children.The delivery room had been swamped with doctors, nurses, and the beeping of machines.

    The Baron¡¯s suite was filled with people too, but from what San saw, they were the higher nobility or people of worth in the barony.Many were dressed in rich clothing or in military garb like Havatair.They stood at one end of the suite, noses covered with scented cloth and drinking wine and socializing as Densa and the other healers were preparing for the surgery.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    San had to wince at the amount of people and the lack of proper sanitization of the room. There were five other healers with Densa, San only recognized Zomia who looked surprised to see him.

    ¡°I had heard you returned,¡± she said, nodding at him.¡°What brings you here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve brought some medicine from my homeland that may help in the Baron¡¯s recovery.I also have a Power that may help in reducing the chances of infection.¡±

    The healer raised an eyebrow and looked to Densa who was approaching them.

    ¡°Sanj-San, good to see you return,¡± she said.¡°What does your Power do again?¡±

    ¡°Sanitize,¡± San replied. ¡°It reduces the germs on surfaces, tools, and implements to safe levels, not true sterilization, but better than nothing.¡±

    Densa gave him another quizzical look. ¡°What are germs?¡±

    San offered up a brief explanation, trying to keep the explanation in layman terms.The two healers only looked at one another and shrugged.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t hurt,¡± Zomia said. ¡°Odd beliefs, these foreigners.¡±

    ¡°Tiny unseen bugs,¡± Densa chuckled and she headed back to the Baron¡¯s bed.

    The nobles and military officials watched them as they spoke, Esomir was in the midst of the men and women, a glass of wine in hand.San hadn¡¯t seen the Young Baron, the boy that had been dismissive of him and the others when they first arrived.

    Two soldiers stood beside the bed, their backs straight and their eyes locked on the wall across from them.One¡¯s nose twitched and the other looked pale.San peered down at the Baron, the bandages were being slowly removed by another healer San hadn¡¯t been introduced to.He was carefully pulling the cloth and wrappings from the leg, the smell of rot and decay growing stronger as he did so.

    San believed he had a strong stomach.He had saved the Tribal man when his friends had abandoned him, stitching up his wounds and binding them to keep him alive.He had done the same after the Nox had attacked the caravan, trying to stop bleeding, stitch wounds, and save the injured after the battle.He had seen his fair share of blood and he had not been rattled by it.

    The Baron¡¯s leg nearly caused him to stagger back in shock and horror.He had seen blood and ruined flesh, but the sight before him was something entirely different.Even Densa gave a shocked gasp.

    Necrosis had settled into the limb, a black bloated leg was unveiled, dripping with puss and black blood.San shuddered at the sight, it was one thing to see upon the Flesh Horror, but to see the same kind of flesh on a living person was disturbing.

    ¡°This is horrible,¡± Densa whispered, her hands hovering over the wound. The Baron groaned.¡°We¡¯ll need to sever the leg here,¡± Densa gestured to a site above the knee. ¡°Garatov managed to keep the infection from spreading too much, but we can¡¯t save the leg.¡±

    Another healer, a younger man, began laying out tools and implements on a wooden table within reach of Densa¡¯s hands. Another healer set their hands against theBaron¡¯s temples, her face expressionless.

    San walked over to the tools and hovered his hands above them. ¡°Sanitize,¡± he spoke.The air hummed and he could feel the mana flowing out of him.Nothing occurred to the tools, but he could feel that the Power had done it¡¯s job.San Sanitized everything within reach, including Densa and Zomia¡¯s clothing.The two seemed to be the doctors doing the operation, while the other healers were assistants.

    Enchanted implements were brought out. One was a lamp, providing a bright white light to illuminate the operation.Another was a scalpel, or a narrow dagger.San could feel the mana coming off the tools, one to create light the other to cut through flesh easily.From a locked steel chest several vials of brightly colored liquids were set upon the table besides the tools. A guard stood near the vials, a hand on his sword.

    ¡°What are they?¡± San asked, gesturing to the vials.

    ¡°Potions,¡± Densa replied without looking.¡°There¡¯s a Potion Maker in Suvanna, another reason they¡¯re considered wealthy.There are even more powerful Potion Makers in the Empire, with potions that could heal a person just as well as a Level gain.¡±

    ¡°But very expensive?¡±

    ¡°Very,¡± the healer agreed.

    San Sanitized the items and stood out of the way.

    ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± Densa said, picking up the enchanted blade.

    ¡°A Healing Slumber,¡± the healer at the Baron¡¯s temples said.The soft groaning of pain coming from the Baron stopped and he stilled, breathing slow and deeply.

    San winced as the blade bit into the Baron¡¯s flesh, slicing through as if there was nothing resisting it.He stood his ground as the gathered nobility stopped their chatter and watched with little reaction.They were all soldiers, they all knew war, and they all knew the consequences that came from it. San noted a few men with folded sleeves or patches covering missing eyes and scars.

    Densa was fast and efficient, the movements of the blade sheared away the dead flesh, exposing bone.Antoher healer handed her a saw and she moved quickly to sever the bone.The leg was detached mid-thigh and another healer pulled it away from the bed.There was a mild gasp from the gathered people as they saw the blackened limb set on a tarp on the floor.

    ¡°Caravane,¡± Densa spoke. One of the soldiers jerked and then laid his hands on the Baron.

    ¡°Senta¡¯s Blood,¡± he said.¡°Second Wind.¡±

    The Baron shuddered slightly, but San didn¡¯t see anything else occur.Densa nodded her thanks and began working on the leg again.

    ¡°San,¡± she said.

    San moved over and used Sanitize on the leg.Over the course of using the Power, San had realized that although the Power was good at Sanitizing items, it wasn¡¯t as good against living flesh.It would remove surface germs, but not those already infecting the flesh.

    Densa nodded her thanks again and then Zomia handed her a roll of cloth.San looked at it in shock as Densa unspooled the bandages.She was using what looked like filthy rags to bind the wound.

    ¡°What-¡°

    ¡°The Blessed Bandages,¡± Zomia said, cutting him off. ¡°It reduces the healing time by half and stops bleeding.¡±

    San shut his mouth ,watching as Densa expertly wrapped up the leg.

    ¡°Haranna,¡± Densa spoke.

    The second soldier laid his hands upon the Baron.

    ¡°Body Strengthen,¡± he spoke. ¡°Endurance of the Bull.¡±

    The mana flowed from the man and the Baron shuddered again.

    Densa walked to a basin and began washing her hands.The detached limb was removed and servants began swarming the room, pulling bloodied rags, sheets, and materials from the room.Zomia applied some potions to the wound, small drops that seemed to be absorbed by the skin.

    ¡°Boosting potions,¡± she said. ¡°It helps the body fight infection and recover faster.¡±

    San nodded, peering at the potions.He thought once more on what else he could make from the Powers he had gained and the yellow gems.San Sanitized the bindings and the bed the Baron lay upon.He kept at it until he figured he¡¯d done as much as he could.

    The antibiotics he handed to Densa, giving her a rough explanation on how to use them and what they could do.She was impressed by them, but like San, she was also concerned at the limited amount he had.

    ¡°Well done,¡± Esomir announced, walking up to them with a glass of wine him hand.He looked down on his father and smirked. ¡°Sleeping like a babe.¡± He quaffed down the drink and left the room.The other nobility followed him, with only Havatair standing in the back of the room.His face expressionless.

    ¡°Will he survive?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Only Senta knows,¡± Densa said. ¡°The infection was deep and we¡¯ll have to constantly clean the wound to make sure it does not spread.If we can keep him strong, he should be able to make it.¡±

    ¡°Tell me what you need. I shall gather it,¡± Havatair said.

    ¡°We have what we need,¡± Densa said.She sat down on a chair and looked weary.A servant poured a glass of wine for her and set in on the table beside her.The woman smiled and thanked the servant before taking a sip.Havatair walked up to the Baron, now slumping peacefully.¡°How does it compare to doctoring in your land?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s different,¡± San said.

    Densa chuckled at that. ¡°Somehow I feel you¡¯re trying to be diplomatic.¡±

    ¡°I suppose in my land we try to prevent the germs I told you of from entering where surgery is done.Everything is about washing and sterilizing everything to prevent the spreading of germs.¡¯

    ¡°Do your doctors truly fear something they cannot see?¡± Densa asked. ¡°Or is it superstition?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s science,¡± San said and shrugged.

    ¡°Science,¡± Densa repeated the word and drank more wine.She leaned back in the chair and looked to the ceiling. ¡°Is that your land¡¯s god?.¡±

    San wanted to tell her more, to explain they did not have magic in his land.That there were no Levels, no Powers, that Mages only existed in fiction.He held back his words and kept silent. Perhaps they would think he was some kind of void horror, breeching the different planes and invading this world.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just a way of doing things,¡± San said. ¡°One creates a hypothesis, vigorously tests that hypothesis, and then changes the hypothesis based on the test results.¡±

    ¡°How interesting,¡± Densa said.

    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know much about it.My occupation was not as scientific and required different skills.¡±

    Densa drained her glass and rose to her feet.Zomia was cleaning the tools and the servants had left.Havatair still stood watching the Baron, like some kind of massive muscled statue.The other healers had left, expect for the woman who had put the Baron to sleep.She sat by his bedside, and hand a hand on his skin, her eyes closed.

    ¡°I shall return to the temple to gather more supplies,¡± Densa said.¡°The sun sets and I shall need a chaperon, San.¡±

    San nodded, noting that more candles and oil lamps had been lit.

    ¡°I¡¯d be my pleasure, Lady Densa,¡± San replied.She smiled and they left the room.

    ***

    The keep was filling with men and women dressed in rich clothing and already glassy eyed from too much wine.San paused as an older woman in heavy robes was carried down the corridor on a chair, with four men holding it up.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± San asked.

    Densa paused, cocking her head as if listening to something. ¡°The Cults are arriving,¡± she said and sighed. ¡°I think it¡¯s going to be a long night.¡±

    San thought back on the woman he had met on the streets. The Corvanus priestess.

    ¡°How long until Midwinter?¡±

    ¡°Two nights away,¡± Densa said.She yawned.¡°The Senta representative will be arriving soon, we must make it to the temple before she arrives.They are always moody after a long trek and feel that just because they are from the Empire they are better than us.¡±

    San nodded and they moved down the corridors, dodging well dressed people heading into the keep.

    ¡°With the Baron injured and the representatives arriving, it will be a long few days,¡± Densa said.¡°I would like to rely on your help, If you¡¯re willing, San.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± San said without hesitation. He grimaced. ¡°I have my companions I need to talk to first and some issues that need settling.¡±

    ¡°Yes, your brewery,¡± the healer said.¡°I understand. I¡¯m sorry for taking up your time.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s no problem, Lady Densa.I just need to settle some stuff and I¡¯ll gladly help you with what you need.¡±

    Densa smiled at him. ¡°Thank you, San.¡±

    They walked in companionable silence as they left the Keep and it¡¯s protective walls.The people in the streets didn¡¯t lessen, instead it seemed to growmore so.San heard a booming voice, rising above a crowd that was gathering at an intersection.

    Lamps and torches were being lit as they paused at the outskirts of the crowd.San¡¯s height provided him a clear view of the the crowd¡¯s focus.A large man, bigger than Havatair, stood on a platform. He wore a red robe that glimmered in the light of the lamps and torches, his hair was shock white and his face was painted in white with black encircling his eyes to make them appear huge.

    ¡°She¡¯s fighting for you all!¡± the man shouted.¡°A million times a day she dies and is reborn, blade in hand, to fight the horrors that fill the void!¡±

    ¡°Hesna cult,¡± Densa replied, annoyance on her face.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they the ones who brought along the civil war?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Yes, they are protected by the Last Emperor¡¯s Son.They have been given great power.¡±

    ¡°And the Barony lets them spread their beliefs?¡±

    Densa looked confused. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they? All the gods are allowed their own priests and followers, even Hetvanna whom everyone believes is evil.¡±

    ¡°It is our duty to worship her, to work to free her from the void! All that we have, all that we are is because of her.This world exists because she keeps the horrors at bay!¡± the man had a fevered look in his eye, reminding San of Revivalist preachers.He just needed to be thumping a bible and speaking in tongues.

    A group of equally red dressed men and women rose onto the platform the man occupied.They carried a large iron brazier between then, within it burned a flame, nearly as black as the the oncoming night.

    San felt sick as he looked at the flame, he felt a great weariness begin to settle over him.A ghost of a smile, the haunting echo of a laugh filled the air.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Densa asked, she looked at him and she had tears in her eyes. ¡°Why am I crying.¡±

    San wiped away his own tears.Why was he crying?San shuddered as grief began to flood through him, shaking and rattling his bones.He saw Mary and Julia and Sanjay.They were dead. Gone forever.He would never see them again.

    It was a physical pain that burned through him, the months and months of grief suddenly coming all at once.He bore down, gritting his teeth and felt blood as he bit his lip.The pain cleared his mind suddenly and San gasped as the intense emotion flooded away.

    He gulped down fresh air and looked back to see that the red garbed man and his assistants were gone now.Around him stood the dazed and weeping men and women who had come to see what the cult had to saw.San felt hollow, like something had been gouged out of him.He patted his robes and shivered.

    The sun had set and the night was deep.San looked around, noting that there were more people gathered, not participating, but watching in fear and shock.San moved and hissed with pain as his limbs ached and throbbed.Densa let out a gasp and nearly collapsed, San moving fast and catching her before she fell.

    She looked up at him, eyes still glassy with tears.

    ¡°They¡¯re all dead,¡± she whispered.

    San didn¡¯t know what she had seen, but he could feel the grief emanating off of the woman.He helped her to her feet and heard the wail of pain and grief as the others who had witnessed the flame came to once more.

    He stood there with Densa, shuddering as the abject wailing that filled the air.

 042

    42

    San awoke with a headache. His body was stiff and he was cold once more. The drafty room he lay in didn¡¯t provide much comfort, but for the time being it was safe.He had returned Densa to the temple, their interaction with the Hesna Cult had left them both exhausted and in pain.She had left him and he had made his way back to the apartment, only to find that Pavano had been quick in getting Endaha and the others out of there.

    Lost and confused, San had made his way to the warehouse where he found Herokov half drunk and watching over the delivered copper pots he had ordered.

    ¡°I got no fucking idea,¡± the man remarked when San asked him where Pavano was.He had a large clay pot filled with cheap wine and took a ladle to it.

    There was housing within the warehouse, a small second floor series of rooms that contained small rooms filled with dust and old debris.San took a room and immediately fell asleep upon the bare floorboards.

    Nightmares haunted his dreams, dark creatures that skittered and the wailing of the crowd, so deep and painful that it made his ears bleed.He saw Mary and the kids, screaming and sobbing, with blood drenched horrors stalking the earth.

    Sleep didn¡¯t want to return to him, so San got to his feet, using the LED headlamp he carried on himself, and exited the rooms.He could hear Herokov snoring loudly in the warehouse, the glimmer of a fire burning and the smell of smoke in the air.

    There were several fire pits against a stone wall.They were the closest thing to hearths San had seen in this world, with stone chimneys that rose into the air and out of the roof of the warehouse.Three stood in a row and it made San wonder what they had been used for before.

    San pulled over a stump of wood and sat down on it, Herokov was on the floor, arms wrapped around the empty wine container and blissfully asleep.San stoked the fire and tossed a lump of wood into it.

    The crackling of the fire brought San¡¯s thought back to the black flame he had seen.The thought of it caused and echo of grief to reverberate through him, his thoughts sliding back toward Mary and the children.San stared into the flames, forcing the thoughts from overwhelming him.

    He felt bruised.Not physically, but mentally. The punch of grief that the flame had caused still ached within him, causing San to want to poke at it, to feel what would happen.He knew that feeling as well, it was the same emotion he had felt for the previous six months.A pain that hurt and throbbed, but one that he constantly wrenched to keep feeling it.

    ¡°Misery is your salvation,¡± the words of the Stoneman bubbled up from his memories.

    Less than a day previous he had been impressed with his ability to ¡®go with the flow¡¯ in the constantly changing events occurring within the Keep and outside of it.Now, San felt the disorientation that it was causing. Too many things occurring and too many threats, with no time to think over them or try and sort them out.

    What was that flame? Misery and Grief, he could feel the raw and painful emotion in the air, dragged out from the place where he had buried it deep within him.San shivered.Why would anyone make such a flame?

    There was no doubt that the Hesna Cult did it on purpose.Perhaps they were making a statement? He had wanted to discuss it with Densa, but she had been emotionally distant after they had come back to their surroundings.Whatever she had seen had effected her as well.

    San couldn¡¯t understand the reasoning behind the act, why were they trying to make everyone feel the grief they had felt in their lives?What was the purpose.Perhaps there was none.Everyone had claimed the Hesna Cult was fairly insane, void worshippers and castrating their priests and followers. Lighting a flame that produce a profound emotional effect in the middle of the city was probably something they did normally.

    He rose and walked around the darkened warehouse, pacing and trying to clear his heads of thoughts.He needed to do something, not just sit around and have time to think.Every time he stopped, he could see Mary in the back of his mind, that smile and then the scream.San clenched and unclenched his fists.

    A large pile of earth root vegetables forced him to stop moving around. San looked at the imbar they had purchased the day previous.He didn¡¯t remember it being delivered, but Pavano and he had found a farmer who was trying to unload thier imbar for a low price.It was laughably cheap.

    He carried a large wicker basket and loaded it with the imbar.He carried them back to the hearth and set up one of the four twenty gallon copper pots they had ordered.There was plenty of fuel and San built the fire larger, providing more warmth and light.He removed his outer clothing, the robes and tunic that were apart of his Merchant disguise, sitting before the fire in the soft undershirt and underpants.

    His hands moved easily as he began to dismantle the imbar, stripping off the skin, cutting open the vegetable, removing the seeds and separating the sticky stringy mass within it.The dull work turned his brain off and he moved and worked without a thought filling his head.

    ¡°The hell you doing?¡± Herokov grunted, a redden eye staring at him.

    ¡°Peeling imbar,¡± San replied.

    The old man grunted and groaned as he rolled to his feet.He sat down heavily on a wooden stump and rubbed at his face, eliciting another groan.

    Light was beginning to enter the warehouse, filling it with a gloomy blue light.The fire was still burning high, having been stoked and fueled through the hours that San was working.

    His hands and knife were a sticky mess, the juices and stringy mass were scattered across the floor around him.San looked down at his hands, grimacing at the filth covering them.

    ¡°You have access to water here?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, out back.¡± Herokov muttered.He picked through some of the imbar San had chopped up and chewed on it.

    There was a large reservoir of water within a clay and stone tank, possibly several hundred gallons that was fed from the aqueduct that snaked its way through the industrial section of White Tower.

    A simple spigot filled water into a bucket and San spent several freezing minutes washing his hands and arms in the cold jet of water in the cold morning air.His underclothing were splattered with juices and debris and he cleaned them as best as he could.

    He filled up several more buckets and brought them back into the warehouse.Herokov was unenthusiastically chewing on imbar when he returned.Although imbar was high in sugar and very sweet, it was cloying and fairly chewy. It also did not make a meal.San understood it was also added to livestock feed to give them a little more caloric boost in the winter, thereby the remains after he filtered the imbar could still be eaten by livestock.

    ¡°You make that drink out of this?¡± Herokov asked, spitting out a glob of mashed imbar.It bounced off the stone heart and plopped into the fire, where it sizzled and burned.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San said.Herokov watched uninterestedly, nudging his empty wine pot with a foot.

    ¡°This place was my son¡¯s,¡± the man said after a long moment.San paused as he added water, watching the man for a moment.¡°He wanted to be a Merchant, the first in our family of dirt grubbers.A far back as you can look, back to the days when the Empire first came here, my family¡¯s been nothing but dirt grubbers.We never got a komai, we never were Landed, just grubbers looking to make enough sars to survive the winter.¡±

    San settled down on a wooden stump to listen to the man, not saying anything as he did so.

    ¡°Turatio was different.He had drive. He had a goal.I gave him all the sars I had and he came here to find his riches, apprenticed to some traveling merchants from the Empire. Came back three years later with more sars than I could have made in ten years,¡± Herokov smiled at the memory. ¡°He was an Honored Citizen, a Merchant, and the line of dirt grubbers that was my line was finally ended.¡±

    Silence filled the warehouse.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead.Died taking cargo to Suvanna, four years back now.¡± Herokov tossed the remains of the imbar into the fire, where it sizzled. ¡°The Sin Soltario Barony, one of Suvanna¡¯s lapdogs, led a raid against Savanis trade.Burned caravans and hamlets along the Trade Road.All of this because the Baron didn¡¯t want to pay an extra few sars a year to maintain a bridge on Soltario/Savanis border.¡±

    Herokov paused again, using his foot to kick the wine pot across the floor.The clay pot clattered and rolled, stopping against a far wall unbroken.

    ¡°A few fucking sars,¡± Herokov muttered.He sighed heavily. ¡°If I ever meet the Baron, I think I¡¯ll kill him.¡±

    San was silent for a moment and then spoke. ¡°He¡¯s dying, I think.Broke his leg and it got infected in the fight against Suvanna.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Herokov said flatly.

    ¡°I was there, I saw the Head Healer amputate his leg.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Herokov chuckled mirthlessly.

    They sat there in silence as the fire crackled.

    The side door to the warehouse clanged open.Herokov and San snapped up, San reaching for the sword he always kept near, and saw that it was Pavano, Elgava, and Azios.

    The older man¡¯s eyes widen with surprise at San and Herokov and then split into a grin.

    ¡°Lad, we were looking for you,¡± he announced. ¡°Lady Komai said that that woolly fucker Panchavi was looking for us.¡±

    San noted that Elgava was wearing new clothing, a gambeson and a wide brimmed hat.She had her gloved hands on an arming sword and the other on a dagger.Pavano had his spear with him, the head covered in a bit of cloth and a short sword at his hip.Only Azios was unarmed and he didn¡¯t look pleased by that.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been here all night. I went to the apartment and it was empty.¡±

    ¡°I told Bostarion to wait for you there,¡± Elgava said.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t see him or anyone.¡±

    ¡°That old grumpy fuck,¡± Elgava muttered. ¡°He¡¯s been sour since he came back from the keep.Haven¡¯t seen him all night too.¡±

    ¡°Is he in trouble?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Probably drinking his woes away,¡± Pavano said. ¡°He gets moody the more time he spends in a city.¡±He looked to Herokov and San. ¡°Glad we came here first.We were going to get Havatair to find you.Didn¡¯t expect to come across you half naked with Herokov.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you, Pavo,¡± the other man said half heartedly.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep,¡± San said, settling down on the wooden stump again.He began to feel the chill in the air, realizing he had been half dressed for hours. ¡°Making a wash.¡±

    Pavano grinned at the sight of the water filled pot.

    ¡°I¡¯ve brought the yeast,¡± Azios said, as he held a small woven net holding the jars of yeast San had created.

    ¡°Well, I got ready for a fight for nothing,¡± Elgava said.She stalked across the warehouse and sat by the fire, yawning. ¡°Wake me when something dangerous is going on.¡±

    ¡°Where is Endaha?¡± San asked.

    ¡°She and the children are alright, lad,¡± Pavano said. ¡°They¡¯re in a spot where they¡¯ll not be noticed and overlooked.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s at a whorehouse,¡± Azios said, face reddening.

    San looked at Pavano questioningly.

    ¡°Just for the time being,¡± Pavano said quickly. ¡°We were going to get the quarters here fixed up to hold her and the children.Then they can move in, Panchavi won¡¯t attack this place if you¡¯ll and I will be here more often than not.¡±

    San nodded slowly.He shrugged, there was no harm for her to be there.He looked to Azios, who again reddened.

    ¡°Caught that lad trying to steal sars,¡± Elgava said from where she lay.¡°Too much time with that Pavano¡¯s making him degenerate.¡±

    Azios reddened again and looked elsewhere but at San.

    ¡°Right,¡± San hid his grin. ¡°You¡¯re a bit too young for that, Azios.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I was younger than him when I had my first lass,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Course back in those days, we had to grow up fast.¡±

    Elgava and Herokov gave a snort.

    ¡°What will it take to make this place livable for the others,¡± San asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got some people I know. It¡¯ll be done before Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve.¡±

    ¡°By tomorrow night?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, there are some who want to get every sar they can to drink the night away,¡± Pavano grinned.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need next month¡¯s rent in advance,¡± Herokov said.

    ***

    ¡°Panchavi and his boys don¡¯t know me or Elgava,¡± Pavano said as he set out a small breakfast of hard bread and cold sausage and cheese.San was thankful for the food, realizing he hadn¡¯t eaten since the morning before.

    He found it interestesting that back in his world he¡¯d be hungry only a few hours after eating, yet in this world he could go an entire day without a meal.The trip back from the batto cavern had been one with scant meals, so he supposed that he had gotten used to it somewhat.

    ¡°Fuel, imbar, some tools, and building materials,¡± Pavano said, noisily chewing on some cheese. ¡°Not going back to the keep today, lad?¡±

    San shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know.I suppose I could try to make something to¡­¡± San cast a look to Herokov,¡°help the Baron. Something to clean his wounds.¡±

    Herokov didn¡¯t say anything, focusing on his bread and wine.

    ¡°The ol¡¯ magic?¡± Pavano asked.

    San nodded, chewing on the grainy bread.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be making moonshine?¡± Azios asked.

    San nodded to the young man. ¡°I¡¯ll need help.¡± Azios eagerly nodded.

    ¡°The faster we get done, the faster I can sleep,¡± Elgava muttered, getting to her feet.She dug into her teeth with a splinter of wood, spitting out a glob into the fire. ¡°At least we¡¯ll know where you are now.¡±

    Elgava and Pavano left while Herokov muttered about needing more wine and then staggered after them.San and Azios sat in the warehouse as the fire crackled.

    ¡°She¡¯s worried about her brother,¡± Azios said.

    ¡°Elgava?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re supposed to announce who¡¯s still in Sentari and who¡¯s dead today,¡± Azios said.San noticed he looked less worried than he usually did.Kovass Exonaris was alive and well in Sentari lands.He had been left behind to reinforce the Sentari troops in case Suvanna tried something over the winter.

    San clasped Azios on the shoulder.¡°He¡¯ll be back soon, buddy.Then the komai can flourish once more.¡±

    Azios nodded, grinning.

    They finished the rest of the food and began to work.The hearths had iron racks they set the copper pot on, pushing coals underneath the pot and some wood to get it to boiling.San reset his watch, looking to see how fast the water and imbar came to a boil from straight cold water andcold copper.

    Helping the Baron.The thought moved within his mind, pushing itself to the forefront of his thoughts.He supposed he could just do his own thing, make some Courage for the Barony and pretend that he couldn¡¯t make anything else, but as it was, gaining the favor of those in charge would keep him safer. San was under no delusion that he could keep everyone safe, this city was too big, there were too many things that could happen, and he was only one person.There were monsters in the world and within the city itself, both inhuman and human.

    Getting the Barony on his side, either with the Baron or the Heir, would go a long way. If he made himself invaluable to them, then he could guarantee the safety of the Exonaris.Would Panchavi or even Ilagio go against him if he had the Baron¡¯s backing?San didn¡¯t know, but he looked at the copper pot and flame.

    Self preservation and gaining favor from the Baron weren¡¯t the only motivation to test out what he could do, there was also curiosity.He had gained a new flame from the Old Kingdom Fortress, the Cleansing Flame.The dream he had back in the woods came back to him, a great forest fire that burned all the evil away.Cleansing was in the name, surely that also met it could do more than just remove evil¡­

    He would have to ask the bookseller about magic and the theory behind it. Of course, he would also have to learn how to read the Imperial language, of which he realized there were about five different dialects.

    ¡°The Cleansing Flame,¡± San intoned and the fire surged.

    San checked on the yeast as Azios used a pitchfork to toss the imbar skins into a wooden crate.The young man began cleaning up the warehouse without being told, working efficiently and without a break as San watched over the boiling imbar wash.

    Without a thermometer, keeping the boiling liquid at a steady temperature was difficult.Especially with the copper pot, as it transferred heat far easier than a cast iron cauldron.San added and removed coals and stoked the fire in the hearth, using his judgement to not how long the liquid was boiling.

    The imbar chunks slowly began to break apart, not dissolving, but the starch breaking down in the heat and causing it to become a sort of thick slurry.A sweet vegetable smell rose from the steam and even though he had just eaten, San felt his stomach rumble.

    He wondered if this world had cheese cloth. He would need to strain the liquid to remove the chunkier bits of the imbar from the wash, then add more water to prepare it to pitch the yeast into.

    The Distillers Yeast and the Unshakeable Strain were the only two types of yeast he had, other than the bread yeast and ale yeast, which he had yet to rehydrate.He supposed he should do that before it became to late to salvage those yeasts.

    The Unshakeable Strain had been made from the knowledge that Winter¡¯s Lament had given him.She had wanted him to make Courage or something along those lines.She had wanted him to craft something not seen before.

    What did the alcohol want? What could it become? He wondered about that as the wash began to boil and he removed the coals and fire.Azios and he brought in more buckets of cold water, San Filtered them and Sanitized them.

    San set his hand over the imbar wash and closed his eyes.He thought about the wash and what it contained, the sugars that had been released and the starches that were in the remaining pulp.There were methods in his world of getting the starch to fully disolve, but none existed in this world.

    ¡°Filter,¡± he said.He held his hand, palm upward, and cursed as hot and dry chunks of imbar began piling upon his hand. It was the same when he Filtered water, removing the dirt and debris from it, while leaving them completely dry and their normal temperature.

    He tossed the hot handful of imbar to the floor, waving his hand about as the skin stung.

    ¡°Crap!¡± he yelled.Azios watched him concerned and then laughed.¡°I think I need to wear a glove or at least wait until it cools down.¡±

    Azios peered into the pot and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s only half full, I can add two buckets of water into it.¡± He followed those words by doing so.

    San winced at his reddened hand.The wash had been hot, somewhere in the neighborhood of one hundred and eighty degrees, hot enough to cook most meats.He looked at his hand, seeing that although it was tender and red, it didn¡¯t look like it was bad.He had scalded himself plenty of times while making beer back home and chided himself for not taking proper precautions.He was half naked and running around with arms bare and wearing light cloth.

    ¡°Safety first,¡± San said belatedly.Azios crinkled his brow and finished dumping the last bucket of water into theimbar wash.

    San removed half of the Unshakeable Strain and prepared it to pitch.The icy cold water from the reservoir dropped the temperature of the wash and San wrapped his hands in some Sanitized cloth.Azios watched him and then scooted back as if the pot would explode.

    ¡°Filter.¡±

    The mashed imbar began to form on his palm and San dumped it off into a bucket beside the pot.It took a few tries, but he managed to clear the wash of the imbar. He looked down into the pot, seeing the golden hued liquid before him.It smelled sweet and had a hint of bitterness that gave it a tang.

    He pitched the Unshakeable Strain into the wash and followed it with a yellow gem.Azios watched unblinkingly as he moved the copper pot off the hearth and then held his hand over it.

    The Unshakeable Strain was already changed by mana, it was open to the idea of becoming something else.He recalled to the day he had spent first distilling back at the komai.The time had flashed by in a haze, the drive to create and brew had nearly consumed him.

    San pushed his will into the yeast, giving shape to what he wanted it to become, what it already did, but more so.Alcohol killed bacteria; at high enough percentages it was used as a disinfectant.He could make ti so again, not just through proper distilling, but by using his Power to shape it into something that was easier to make and could do more.He could make an alcohol that was shaped by the cleansing flame.

    He felt sweat dripping down his face and an dull ache in his chest as mana began to move out of him. Azios stood by him, watching, and was there to help him when San staggered, feeling exhausted from the effort.

    ¡°Ow,¡± he said.

    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">

    <tbody>

    <tr>

    <td style="width: 98.40637450199203%">The Purity Strain</td>

    </tr>

    </tbody>

    </table>

    The words seemed to echo in his head.He looked to Azios and grinned.

    ¡°I made a new strain,¡± he said.

    The young man smiled back, looking at the pot.

    San sat down on the floor and then felt the word begin to spin.¡°Oh,¡± he said and then there was darkness.

 043

    43

    A woman sat on a stone under bright moonlight.San looked around his surroundings, seeing a far off ocean on the horizon and tall skeletal trees towering over him.Snow crunched under his boots and he saw that he was dressed as he had been the first day he arrived to this world.

    The woman glanced in his direction and San caught the high cheekbones and brilliant green eyes.She nodded at him and turned back to looking at the far horizon.She wasn¡¯t dressed for the weather, dark fabric wrapped around her shoulders with mismatched metallic plates that glowed under the moonlight.A dented helmet sat beside her, along with a massive sword that looked to have come right out of an anime.

    He was not in White Tower, San knew.He had been brewing, creating the yeast strain that would help purify things.Now he was in this place, probably a dream or a hallucination.The meeting with the Stoneman came to his mind.Perhaps in a whole different time and place altogether.

    ¡°Hello,¡± San said.

    The woman turned back toward him and nodded again, not speaking.

    ¡°Where am I?¡±

    The woman gestured toward the ocean and beckoned him toward her.San hesitated, but as he had been brought here, he realized he was at her mercy. He stepped forward, crossing the snow covered ground and standing beside her.

    They were on a cliff overlooking a vast city.It wasn¡¯t White Tower, it was far bigger than White Tower, seemingly stretching from horizon to horizon, finally ending at the edge of the distant ocean.Tens of thousands of lights burned and wavered in the night, street lamps, house lamps, and torches on the walls of the great city.

    ¡°Votaro,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°The capitol of the Empire?¡± San remarked.

    He couldn¡¯t see that far into the city, even with the bright moonlight and the flickering light that filled the city.He could only make out the shapes of the buildings, three stories and made from brick, and the twisting streets and alleyways.He thought he could see against the horizon the hulking mass of what looked like temples or a palace.

    ¡°Pretty big,¡± San said.

    ¡°It does not compare to the cities of your world,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°No, but its still pretty big,¡± San replied.

    ¡°It¡¯s not the largest city on this world either,¡± the woman said.¡°There are five other cities that are more massive, the smallest being twice this size and was once ruled by the Empire.Votaro was not a great agricultural center, the alluvial plains along the coast have all been built over and over farmed.They were good at fighting wars, although.¡±

    ¡°Reminds me of an empire back home,¡± San said.

    ¡°Location, population, and organization are what make empires,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°Who are you and why am I here?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Lakovi Sorvania,¡± the woman said. ¡°That¡¯s my name. I was born in this city, it is my home and I wanted you to see it.¡±

    ¡°Is that all?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Of course not.I want you to see this city, a great city.¡±

    ¡°Ruled by a mad cult, I¡¯m told.¡±

    ¡°Power grows and wanes in all worlds, Sanjay.Hesna¡¯s cult is currently growing in power, but soon their time will wane and another cult will rise to power.That is the pattern of human belief.It all depends on one person to raise a faith from obscurity and place it above and ahead of all others.¡±

    ¡°A prophet?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Perhaps.A person of power and reach.People tend to follow those that proclaim their personal gods have given them boons and power, for they too hope to gain those boons and power.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like you have a favorable opinion on religion.¡±

    ¡°I do not.¡± The woman stated with finality.She continued looking out onto the city and San stood beside her, watching the city too.

    Time moved along and San saw the moon move across the sky, false dawn formed on the horizon, bringing up the memory of the first night he had spent in this world so long ago.He didn¡¯t feel as if he had been standing there for hours, time didn¡¯t seem to be moving normally in this dream or plane.

    ¡°The world is beset by void horrors,¡± the woman said after the long silence.¡°Everyday, all across this world, the thin veil that separates this world from the monstrosities that live beyond it is pierced.Creatures come forth, lay waste, kill and destroy, and people must rise up to destroy them.¡±

    ¡°Adventurers,¡± San said.

    ¡°Yes, Adventurers.The Chosen of Corvanus, the Gifted, the Leveled.¡±

    ¡°There are many with Levels who aren¡¯t Adventurers,¡± San said.

    ¡°All the gods lay their claim upon the Leveled,¡± the woman said.

    San was silent for a moment. ¡°Even me?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What god has claimed me?¡± he asked.

    ¡°That is something I cannot tell you.¡±

    ¡°But you know who it is, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°And if I don¡¯t want to be some god¡¯s claimed pet?¡±

    ¡°Autonomy, it is a strange concept from your world,¡± the woman said. ¡°Many of this world would love the idea of being claimed by a god, to have their boons and their power at their disposal.Only one from your world would dismiss the gods in such a manner, as if they were something that could be cast aside.As if you had a choice in the matter.¡±

    San watched the woman, sensing an edge of bitterness to her voice.

    ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I have already told you that,¡± she replied.

    ¡°What god claimed you?¡±

    She was silent as she looked over the city.

    ¡°A time will come, Sanjay,¡± she said. ¡°A time when you will have to choose a god to watch over you.The world is waning and all of mankind will ebb with the tide.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    The woman smiled at him, her face looking far younger than he thought she was.She didn¡¯t seem more than a teenager, yet she the eyes that bore into him were those of an ancient being. Someone who had seen such horrors and sorrows, and also great joys and wonders.

    ¡°When I was a girl, this was barely a village,¡± She replied.¡°A few thousand farmers living on the edge of the world, fishing, farming, and growing families.They faced monsters from the forests, from the North, and they had to grow strong.They had to organize, they had to train their children to fight.They gained levels from the monsters, they became heroes. Then the gods noticed them and claimed them for their own.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t look that old,¡± San replied.

    The woman chuckled. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said wryly.

    ¡°Are you a ghost or something?¡± San asked. ¡°I was brought to a place by a person calling themselves the Stoneman, are you one such as him?¡±

    ¡°In a sense.We all served masters.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re the agent, trying to headhunt me into your god¡¯s embrace?¡±

    ¡°Careful, all of your worlds words do not translate into what I understand.¡±

    ¡°How do you do that anyway?Know about my world and what I¡¯m talking about.¡±

    ¡°Your mind is an open book, Sanjay.What you know, I can also know.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s terrifying.¡±

    ¡°Only knowledge, not your thoughts, feelings, or emotions.To know those, I must rely upon simple human understanding.¡±

    ¡°So what god wants me to do their bidding?¡± San asked.

    ¡°You have the heart of an Adventurer,¡± the woman said.

    ¡°So Corvanus?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Corvanus is real?The gods here are real?¡±

    ¡°You doubted that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.I understand there is magic, monsters, and souls, but actual gods¡­ I didn¡¯t really think they were a thing.¡±

    ¡°They are a¡­ thing.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re supposed to woo me into your god¡¯s graces, what are you offering?¡±

    ¡°Boons and power, of course.¡±

    ¡°The Stoneman offered me a knife that would kill anything.¡±

    ¡°For the ebony gem, you shall gain such Power.No being shall be able to defeat you in combat. With such Power, you can save mankind on this world.You can push back the void horrors that try to break through into this world.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight,¡± San said. ¡°Is there a god of brewing?I¡¯d think long and hard on their offer.¡±

    The woman frowned and snorted.

    ¡°Plus, I¡¯m not giving up the ebony gem,¡± San said. ¡°The Stoneman wanted it and now you want it.It feels absolutely evil to me, but if the gods want it, then there¡¯s something more to it.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°We can just take it from you.¡±

    ¡°No you can¡¯t, I think,¡± San said. ¡°These are some weird fae rules or something.I have to give it to you willingly and it seems in a trade of some kind.What does the gem do?¡±

    ¡°Where did you gain the gem?¡±

    San winced automatically at the thought, but then paused.He probed his memories and there was no pain associated with it.Everytime he tried to think on the night in the Old Kingdom Fortress, it felt as if someone was stabbing an icepick into his brain.He stared up to the brightening sky and thought back on that night.

    ¡°The creatures were trying to bring forth something horrible, some kind of monster or creature,¡± San said.His memory wasn¡¯t perfect, but he saw the creature that writhed on the ground, the absolute horror that lay among the dead and blood soaked floor.¡°They sacrificed so many people to bring this monster into being.¡± San looked down at the woman, a bit of fear in his face. ¡°She spoke to me about it¡­¡±

    Winter¡¯s Lament¡¯s face looked up at him, framed by the billowing fires of the bonfire within the Fortress.Her eyes seemed to glow in the firelight as she held him, her ice cold hands on his heated skin.

    ¡°It gives shape to flesh, from sacrifices and blood.To bind a spirit to flesh, to bring it into the world we know,¡± San said softly.He looked at the woman.¡°You want it so that you can be reborn.¡±

    The woman smiled.

    ¡°The gods are powerful,¡± the woman said.¡°But they cannot give flesh back to spirits and they cannot reincarnate us, even though they try.If my soul were to be borne back into flesh, I would not know what I know and I would begin as a blank slate in the world once more.That black gem you took from the Newborn will make things much easier for whoever gains it.¡±

    San watched the woman¡¯s face, she looked back out onto the city.He could almost see the emotion radiating off of her.¡°You don¡¯t want to be reborn,¡± he said.

    ¡°I had my time and I did what I could for my people,¡± she said, still looking at the city.¡°I have had years to think upon my actions when I was alive.I was called a Hero, but I was only a murderer.I slayed monsters and gained wealth, but I also gave strength to a city that would go out and conqueror all those that stood against it.I would stand beside them, weilding my blade in loyalty to my city, my family, my tribe.¡±

    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t Corvanus¡¯ Hero do good in the world?¡± San asked.

    The woman scoffed. ¡°I could slay all the monsters from the Inland Sea to the Barren North and that would not be doing good in the world.It is not just killing monsters, Sanjay.It is building something that will last, something that will help the people, not just plunge them into thousands of years of war and conquest.¡±

    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± San asked. ¡°If your god wants this gem, why are you telling me this?¡±

    ¡°Time does not follow the rules of the world in this place,¡± she said as the sun finally crested the horizon.In a brilliant flash, the light bathed everything and San could finally see the city before him.

    There were still lights and torches burning, but what he had not seen in the darkness was the blood.The walls of the buildings, the streets, and the far off palace were drenched in blood.The remnants of some kind of battle or slaughter.The blood was cold and glassy, reflecting the rising sun in frozen pools and droplets.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°All things ebb and flow,¡± the woman said. ¡°In this place, the future is not set, but we can see it somewhat.¡±

    ¡°This will happen then?¡± San asked.

    ¡°All signs point to it, yes.¡±

    ¡°This is why you don¡¯t want to be reborn?¡± San asked.The woman was silent. ¡°What is going to happen?There is already a civil war in the Empire, will it come to a bloody conclusion?¡± San paused, staring at the city.No, that wasn¡¯t right.She was Corvanus¡¯ Hero. ¡°Void Horrors.¡±

    The woman didn¡¯t say anything, instead still watching the city.

    ¡°An army of void horrors are going to descend on Voltaro?¡±

    ¡°Keep the gem, Sanjay,¡± the woman said, rising to her feet.San saw that she was far taller than he was, nearly seven feet tall.She easily hefted the massive sword.¡°You¡¯ll know when to use it.I wish you the best.Keep your autonomy and do not bind yourself to anything that claims they are gods.¡±

    With a leap, the woman jumped off the cliff and toward the city.San felt a wrenching of his soul and the image faded from view.

    ***

    San opened his eyes to see Densa looking down at him.Her dark hair was disarrayed and she wore a worried expression.The morning sunlight gleamed off her ivory skin and her eyes seemed to flash in the sunlight.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± San said, wincing as his head throbbed.

    ¡°You¡¯re okay,¡± Densa said. ¡°Can you move your fingers and toes?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Move your fingers and toes.You had a seizure,¡± she said.

    San winced as he moved his limbs, they all seemed to function correctly. ¡°A seizure?¡± he asked, his voice suddenly hoarse.

    ¡°Mana drain,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ve been pushing your body too hard with mana usage.Yesterday with the operation and now today? Making some kind of potion?Draining all your mana can kill you, understand?¡±

    San blinked and then nodded.¡°Yeah.¡±He looked at her as she sighed in relief and sat back, drawing her knees under her.¡°Does mana drain cause hallucinations?¡±

    ¡°In some cases.Although its more headaches, body aches, and sickness for days.¡±

    ¡°I have a headache, but not much of one.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky then,¡± she replied.She frowned as she looked at him.¡°You¡¯re a strange one.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been having headaches recently, nothing painful, just annoying.I¡¯ve also been having nightmares and sometimes I think I¡¯m still back home.¡± San blinked his eyes, staring at the ceiling of the warehouse.He saw that he was in one of the small rooms that he had slept in the night before.He could hear the stomping around of people and voices talking and cursing.

    ¡°Some of the old healers say that nightmares are caused by the soul being guilty about something,¡± Densa replied. ¡°That¡¯s all nonsense, of course.¡±

    ¡°You did a lot of work yesterday too,¡± San said. ¡°Is your mana okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, San. I¡¯ve been doing this a long time. I know how to deal with it.¡±

    San looked at Densa, realizing that he didn¡¯t know much about her.She was the Head Healer of White Tower and the leader of the Senta Cult, although he didn¡¯t know what that entailed.With Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve only a day away, shouldn¡¯t she be busyplanning and preparing for the arrival of her own Cult¡¯s representatives from Votaro?

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy?¡± San asked.

    Densa looked away, her eyes focusing on the wall instead of him. ¡°Yes,¡± she said.

    ¡°Then why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Your apprentice, Azios, raced into the temple calling for a healer.I happened to be walking by when he arrived.No one has the name of San in this city, therefore I knew it was you. So I came to help.¡±

    ¡°Azios ran all the way to the temples?¡± San asked. He raised his head and tried looking for the young man, but didn¡¯t see him.

    ¡°He¡¯s downstairs, helping Pavano and the others with the plans on rebuilding this warehouse.¡± Densa turned to face him once again. ¡°What you are doing is dangerous,¡± she said.

    ¡°What am I doing?¡± San asked.

    She dug into a pocket of her robes and pulled out the plastic bag filled with the gems he had collected.These days the bag was heftier than it had ever been, containing many of the yellow gems he had taken from the white furred creatures, enough regular gems to gain him another Level, and, of course, the ebony gem that many wanted.

    ¡°I was told that if they were found on me, I¡¯d be killed,¡± San said.Densa dropped the bag onto his stomach, looking at him sadly.

    ¡°Many would,¡± Densa said. ¡°Many would see you dead for attempting what you are doing.There is a reason that the yellow gems are controlled so, why only the Cults use them.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that reason?¡± San asked.

    ¡°They take a toll on your soul,¡± Densa said.¡°There is a price that needs paying when using the yellow gems.A piece of what you are and what you could become is exchanged for the Power to shape the world with potions and enchantments.¡±

    San was silent, looking back at the ceiling once more.How many yellow gems had he used?He couldn¡¯t really remember, maybe six, seven?What had he given up in return?San pondered the question, not knowing and not confident he could tell if he lost something important to him.A piece of his soul?San didn¡¯t know how to quantify that.

    ¡°Oh,¡± he said after a long moment. ¡°I wasn¡¯t told that.¡±

    ¡°Who taught you how to use them?¡± Densa asked.Her voice was filled with worry and concern, not outrage or demanding he give her the stones.She really was a good person, but San also knew he couldn¡¯t divulge that information.

    ¡°I learned about it from my homeland,¡± he finally said. ¡°I guess my teacher didn¡¯t tell me everything about them.¡±

    Densa looked at him, seeing through his lies.She only nodded and looked back down at the plastic bag of gems. ¡°I know the deal you made with the Barony; with Donsval.Courage, a drink that can push away fear.It is like a potion,right?There are few potion makers in the Barony, they are kept close and are far too important to allow free reign of their lives.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯m going to be a prisoner of the Baron?¡± San asked.

    ¡°If he thinks you¡¯re important enough.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll die from his wounds,¡± San said.

    ¡°I can¡¯t allow that. For all the monster that he is, it is still a life that needs to be saved.That is my calling, San.That is what my god expects of me.¡±

    ¡°Not what you think you should do?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Killing and death are easy,¡± Densa said. ¡°It is how fools deal with trouble. They kill it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re no fool, Densa.¡±

    The healer nodded at his words.She set a hand on the package of gems, wincing as she did so. ¡°That black gem. It doesn¡¯t feel right. I don¡¯t know what it does, but you must get rid of it.¡±

    San closed his eyes, waiting for her words.

    ¡°I can take it from you, dispose of it,¡± Densa said. ¡°My Cult knows many ways to secure dangerous and evil things.¡±

    ¡°What will you trade for it?¡± San asked.

    Densa reddened at his words.She ducked her head and took a slow breath. ¡°You know?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I had a dream, I think.I met a woman who told me not to give up the gem.That it would be needed,¡± San said. ¡°I know what it does and I think I might know how to use it.¡±

    ¡°At what price?¡± Densa asked.

    ¡°Blood and sacrifice,¡± San replied. ¡°That¡¯s how I found it, in the body of a monster being summoned.¡± San winced involuntarily, but the pain from remembering that night didn¡¯t come again.He walked through the memories, now opened and able for him to see the creature that had been birthed into this world.

    ¡°You can¡¯t keep it.You can¡¯t own such power,¡± she said.

    ¡°Will you take it from me?¡± San asked. ¡°Many have wanted it, but they didn¡¯t seem able to just take it from me.They had to trade for it.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Densa asked.She leaned forward, looking down at him.There was a strange desperation in her eyes that made San ill and wary.¡°Anything you want, I will give you.¡±

    San looked away, closing his eyes again. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he said.

    ¡°I am a woman,¡± Densa said, ¡°I know the looks that men give me.I know that I am a decent beauty and I am not some shy maiden.¡±

    San felt her hands on his chest and then a moment later, weight settled on it.She lay her head down on his chest, and wrapped an arms round his torso.The smell of flowers, incense, and the astringent smell of disinfectant wafted up to him.San felt himself shaking.How long had it been since he had been touched so? Mary would do the same thing, resting her head on his chest and wrapping him in her arms.In the early morning before he went to work or before she went running.They would lay there half asleep and whisper their love to one another.

    ¡°Stop,¡± San said.

    ¡°Do you know how I knew your name?¡± she asked.¡°It was written on your soul.So bright and so brilliant, like a raging fire.I saw it the first night we met, all that you are and all that you could be.¡±Densa buried her head into his chest, her voice muffled. ¡°The gods have chosen you for something, Sanjay.They have brought you here for a reason.If you wish, I can be there beside you.I can lend you my strength and help you.We can be¡­ together.¡±

    ¡°Stop it,¡± San said.He didn¡¯t have the will to push her off of him.She lifted her head and then moved her body away from him.San felt her shift back into a sitting position, still looking down at him.¡°I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°You are not the only one to lose someone, Sanjay.This world is filled with grief and pain, but we all must continue on.To give into it only leads to your destruction.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± San said. ¡°But I can¡¯t let go.I can¡¯t¡­¡±

    Densa laced her own hands within his, lifting up is arm.She kissed the back of his hands and San winced as a warmth passed from her lips and into his skin.It seemed to grow and expand, filling his body and pushing out the cold of the room.

    ¡°I have not lied to you, Sanjay.What I offered you, I offer freely.I was tasked with obtaining that gem, but you may ask for anything and I will still hope you think on my proposal.I can help you; I will help you if you ask it of me.¡± Densa held his hand for a moment longer.She rose to her feet, releasing his hand, and picking up a satchel she had brought along with her.The plastic bag of gems still lay on his stomach, but she did not look at them. ¡°I will be at the keep, if you are seeking me out. I shall be there.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± San said, his voice hoarse once more.

    She left the room and San could hear her footsteps down the stairs.She spoke briefly with Pavano, their voices muffled and low and nearly drowned out by the workers.San stared at the ceiling, his hands wrapped around the bag of gems.

    ***

    Pavano and Elgava were sitting on wooden stumps as San came down the stairs.Azios was doing something with the clay pots of yeast and looked up at him with concern as San reached them.

    ¡°You look like hell, lad,¡± Pavano stated.

    ¡°That priestess bring you back from the dead?¡± Elgava asked, giving him a wink.

    San sat down on a free stump and stared into the fire.The workers had finally begun to work on the rooms, forcing San to either ignore their banging and shouting or exit the second floor.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± San said. He looked to Azios who was peering into the copper pot they had brewed.¡°I need to finish what I was making.¡±

    ¡°Is that wise, lad?¡± Pavano asked. ¡°Mana drain is a serious thing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± San said again.He rose to his feet and joined Azios at the copper pot.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Pavano muttered, worry etched into his face.

 044

    44

    The ten workers Pavano hired were all chuckling and talking as they consumed their portion of the heavy stew Endaha made.Their laugher and joking was exuberant, more so because it was fueled by the moonshine San had offered them.A cup full of the recently distilled liquor.

    Pavano was the salesman once more, extolling the virtues of the drink as Endaha prepared the meal for all of them.It wasn¡¯t a hard sale as the men were laborers and free booze was free booze.They happily accepted both food and drink.

    Little Kovass stared at San as he held him, the child¡¯s big eyes tracked him as he slowly rocked him back and forth.This world didn¡¯t have the carriers that Earth did, instead they used a combination of a cradleboard where the baby was strapped down and a carrier made of cloth to hold the child as the mother moved around.

    San brushed back Little Kovass¡¯ hair and smiled down at him.The big eyes stared back as if seeing him for the first time.As babies went, Kovass was a quiet child.The memories of Julia came back to him, how she had nearly spent a week crying and both Mary and he had been exhausted utterly.They had been panicked as new parents and stressed from San¡¯s own hours trying to start up the brewery, Mary¡¯s difficult labor, and financial troubles.

    They had been frustrated and emotionally drained before San¡¯s mother arrived to give them a hand.The world had seemed utterly impossible at that moment and they hadn¡¯t been able to comprehend how they could raise a child and still achieve the goals they had for their lives.

    It had been a moment of weakness, they realized. A moment where all the stress, fears, and sleepless nights had cumulated in a moment of crippling self doubt.As in all things, they had learned to care for Julia.They began to understand her cries and preempt her moody behavior. They had learned to become parents and seeing their little girl laugh for the first time was a heart wrenching moment that had buried all the months of stress and exhaustion.

    How Endaha did it all on her own was an amazing feat.She had just given birth and less than a week later traveled to an entirely new city to live in a manner she had never before.She not only was caring for a newborn, but had a toddler to watch over as well.Along with feeding, cleaning, and keeping the children safe.

    Mary and he had barely managed with only one child, but by the time little Sanjay arrived, they were able to deal with the little boy.They also had Mary¡¯s parents and his own parents and brothers who came to help. Endaha had no one and San felt a wave of shame for that.

    He had promised to help her and the children, but his days had been spent hobnobbing with Densa and the nobility of this land. Pretending to be a Merchant because the idea of setting up another brewery was so tantalizing in his mind, even if he didn¡¯t want to fully admit it.

    Kovass yawned widely, his toothless mouth smacking as he made cooing noises and closed his eyes.The wrenching in San¡¯s heart was intense, the flood of memories and emotion that came with that small act on the newborn¡¯s partwas nearly overwhelming.Why did Kovass look so much like Julia and Sanjay when they were newborns.Why did it hurt so damn much to look at him?

    ¡°I can take him,¡± Endaha said.

    San glanced up at her, blinking his eyes.¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± he said.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Endaha sat down on a stool across from him.Pavano had gone shopping for some simple furniture.¡°I heard what happened this morning.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± San said a little too quickly.He paused and thought over the question some more. ¡°I am fine,¡± he said again, ¡°it¡¯s just memories.¡±

    ¡°You have children?¡± Endaha asked.

    ¡°I had a wife and two kids, a girl and a boy,¡± San said.¡°Mary was my wife. Julia my daughter. Sanjay my son.¡±

    San could feel the weight of the words as he spoke them.It felt he was uttering some kind of incantation, as if the act of speaking their names warped and charged the air around him.

    ¡°What happened to them?¡± Endaha asked, her voice small.

    ¡°They died,¡± San said.He spoke bluntly and couldn¡¯t stop himself from doing so.How many times had he been asked that question after the funeral?The question had never been malicious but he had never managed to pull back the emotions that were bound with it.The words came out without him thinking of it.¡°I¡¯m sorry.I didn¡¯t mean to sound rude.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Endaha said.

    He knew she did understand and he regretted his tone. He looked down at Kovass and watched as his tiny chest rose and fell as he slept.

    ¡°This is a good place,¡± Endaha said, referring to the warehouse.San smiled, hearing the obvious lie in her tone.¡°We should have figured out how to deal with Panchavi ourselves.¡± She added.

    ¡°No,¡± San said. ¡°I already told you I would do what I can for the children.I was the one who killed Panchavi¡¯s men and I was the one who fought them.I will deal with them.I¡¯m sorry.I should have thought before I acted at the coppersmith¡¯s shop.I shouldn¡¯t have attacked them and tried to have resolved it better.¡±

    ¡°You did what was right,¡± Endaha remarked. ¡°Very few men would have done so.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San said, not fully agreeing. He brushed aside a wisp of Kovass¡¯ hair.The newborn¡¯s tiny fingers clenched and unclenched.

    Azios came up to them, carrying a clay pot.

    ¡°It¡¯s done, San,¡± he said.

    San glanced at the pot, within it was the product that he had created.Purification.San eyed it as he gently rocked Kovass.It had drained him of his mana or the creation had pulled a lot of mana out of him all at once.San didn¡¯t fully understand how mana regeneration worked, there were no numbers or statistics that displayed how much power he had.One moment he had been fine and the next he had passed out.

    It had happened before, when he first made Courage.The sudden exhaustion that had dragged him down into sleep.Had he also been toying with death then too?

    The laborers were leaving, their food and drink finished and the promises of more work and pay the next day would bring them back.It was Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve the following day and from what San heard it was supposed to be a time of celebration and festivities. A sort of Christmas and New Year¡¯s celebration all rolled into one.The Reprieve was the winter solstice, the longest night in the Imperial calendar, but also the mark of the end of the year.

    San didn¡¯t even know what Imperial year it was or the name of the month.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take him now,¡± Endaha said, leaning forward. San held the baby for a moment longer, the weight in his arms and the warmth caused far too much memories to swim back up into his mind.He wanted to keep holding him, but he gave Kovass back to his mother.Endaha watched him, possibly seeing the emotions playing across his face.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be seeing the Baron, then?¡± Pavano asked as he walked to them.His eyes were a bit glassy from testing the first batch of moonshine San had made.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San said.

    ¡°He is not a good man,¡± Endaha replied. ¡°Many spoke of him during the fights after the Mage Chief died.He likedto torture people.¡±

    Azios set the clay pot down before San.It was about two gallons of Purification, with the remainder in the glass bottle that San had continued to carry from his own world.The taste was like grain alcohol, harsh and powerful, but also with a faint hint of something sweet and cool, like mint.The math didn¡¯t balance, from what he could understand.

    Purification was a high percentage liquor.Yet the yeast San had pitched and the guesstimated sugar content of the imbar shouldn¡¯t have made the type of liquor that was produced even possible.The only reasoning he could think of was mana; that using Power to infuse the drink had made it stronger.

    He had everyone take a drink, wondering if the Cleansing Fire and the nature of the drink would repel anything that was afflicting them.Pavano had remarked that he didn¡¯t feel any different.San didn¡¯t know what the drink did or even if it was a drink at all.He stared down at the clay pot and then rose to his feet.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Elgava said.She was wobblier than usual.The news had come in about her brother and thankfully he was still alive in Sentari. Wounded, but alive.¡°In case those Panchavi fucks come around.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be here,¡± Pavano said, sitting down heavily.¡°Guarding our wares.¡± He fumbled with his cup, sloshing some of the contents onto the floor.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be back soon,¡± San said.He set his hand on Azios¡¯ shoulder.¡°Keep them safe.¡±

    The young man nodded, glancing toward the loaded crossbows and pistols.San checked his own weapons, his sword, dagger, and knife. There was also the revolver that he continued to carry on his person all the time now.The near attack by Panchavi¡¯s men had only reinforced the threats the city offered.

    Elgava and he headed down the emptying streets.Night was falling and soon the streets would be deserted as the less wealthy headed off to light evening meals and sleep.As candles and lanterns were an expensive luxury, only the rich seemed to have any kind of nightlife.There were bars and taverns that were open, with light slipping out their doorways, but that seemed to be the only sort of entertainment the city offered.

    The nightlife of White Tower consisted of either drinking heavily or sleeping.He had heard there were teahouses that were opened in the evenings, but had yet to see any of them.They were this world¡¯s version of coffeehouses in the history of his world.Trade, deals, and debates were held in those places, among the wealthy and learned people of the city.

    San would have sought out such places, but his own borrowed robes were becoming tattered and filthy from being worn daily.Pavano had claimed he had a new robe tailored for him, but it would be done before Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve.The cost of fabric, especially decent fabric was astronomical as everything was done by hand.San didn¡¯t want to know how much a new set of robes cost.He could already feel the sars he had left bleeding away.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Elgava and San walked through the streets without speaking, they approached the Trade Road that wound through the Market Square and Street, noticing as people continued to mill around the square as it was the only brightly lit spot at night.

    ¡°More Cults came,¡± Elgava said. ¡°Kazo and Hetvana arrived.It¡¯s weird seeing them together, but it seemed their wagons had been slowed due to snows to the south.¡±

    ¡°So the cults that matter are all here?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m gonna have to go to the Corvanus temple tomorrow and be initiated.I hear they get you truly and utterly drunk and have a fight going on with all the Adventurers that have come to the temple.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a good time,¡± San replied.

    ¡°Aye.¡±

    San thought back on the woman who had rescued him.Livonna, the Corvanus priestess.

    ¡°They allow people to watch?¡± San asked.

    ¡°The fights?¡±

    ¡°The initiation,¡± San said.

    Elgava shrugged.¡°Dunno.Never ever thought I¡¯d become a Corvanus follower.Every kid dreams of becoming an Adventurer, but once you realize the value of your own life, its a shitty job with a high degree of dying.It¡¯s why you rarely see many Adventurers wandering the land, they all die too damn quick.¡±

    San had to nod at the comment.He had played Adventurer and he had courted death far too many times.It was a wonder that he was still alive. Or a god was watching out for him. The words of Lakovi, Corvanus¡¯ Hero, echoed in his mind. He had been claimed and he would have to find out on his own who was holding his leash.

    How would the priests of Corvanus if he told he had talked to one of their Heroes?He would be laughed at and if the Cultists were as tough as San believed they were, possibly beaten up as well.

    They pushed through the crowds and reached the gates of the keep as the night deepened and more lamps and lanterns were lit in the richer part of town.The Guards manning the gates knew who San was now and they sent a message to Havatair or Densa that he was there.

    Densa was the one who arrived, moving with grace and fluidity as she came up to the gates.

    ¡°Lady Densa,¡± San said.¡°I¡¯ve brought something that may help the Baron with his injuries.I think it might be able to destroy or clean the necrotic tissue in his leg.¡±

    Densa beckoned him forward and then pulled him into an alcove, Elgava took a position to prevent anyone form stumbling across them, giving San a wink.

    ¡°The Baron¡¯s dead,¡± Densa replied.

    San sighed, leaning against the wall.

    ¡°It was not due to the surgery.The wounds were cleaned and it looked well.He was murdered.¡±

    The words hung in the air as San sighed once more.What would it mean now that the Baron was dead? Donsval and Havatair were still a part of the governing body of the Barony, but with the Heir now in charge.San felt terrible that his first thought was how the death would effect him.

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been announced yet, not this close to Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve, it¡¯ll be seen as a bad omen,¡± Densa explained.

    ¡°Is there a murderer loose?¡± San asked.¡°Are you safe?¡±

    ¡°I believe the Baron was the target, possibly one of the nobles.I do not think there is any danger to anyone else, only to the Heir and Young Baron.¡±

    ¡°They are safe, then?¡±

    ¡°As safe as they can be.They both have levels and they have bodyguards securing them.Havatair is a mess.¡±

    ¡°I suppose, I should give you this then,¡± San said, lifting the clay pot.

    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Purification,¡± San replied. ¡°It¡¯s what sapped all my mana this morning.¡±

    Bringing up the topic of their morning conversation caused Densa to blush and look away.It was an expression that San didn¡¯t think he would ever see on the composed woman.Her cheeks redden and she stuttered for a moment.

    ¡°I ask for forgiveness for this morning,¡± she said.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to forgive, Lady Densa.¡±

    Densa winced at the title.¡°There is much to ask forgiveness about, San,¡± she said. ¡°I was¡­ I had a vivid dream last night, after I parted ways with you.I dreamt that one of Senta¡¯s Heroes had come to me, Magalina Satorio, and she bade me to obtain the ebony gem from you.¡±Densa wrung her hands in a bout of nervousness. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was real, not until I saw those gems you carried upon you. I tried to take the ebony gem, but I could not.Something prevented me.Then I knew it was real.¡± She looked at San with an expression he couldn¡¯t fully understand.It was somewhere between extreme joy and intense heartache, her eyes glittered in the lantern light.

    ¡°Who are you Sanjay?¡± she asked.The words weren¡¯t sharp or demanding, but San felt the undertone of what felt like desperation within it.She needed to know, wanted, and sought to know who he was.

    ¡°I¡¯m a brewer,¡± San replied.For all the times he said it, for all the times he used it as a shield against more probing, this time, in this moment, it felt completely and honestly true. ¡°I am a [Brewer].¡± He could almost feel the weight of the words, as if they were chiseled into the air itself.

    ¡°The fermentation of grapes into wine is overseen by those devoted to Senta,¡± Densa said.She stepped forward, setting her hands on San¡¯s chest.He did not move, rooted into the spot by her touch.She leaned her head against his chest, strands of her hair brushing against his beard. ¡°The Holy Mother of the First Emperor was raised by Senta herself.She drank the first wine to come into this world, suckled on the breast of the goddess herself and bore the child that would become the First Emperor.¡±

    San thought back on Lakovi¡¯s words.She had been born in the city of Votaro, or the village of Votaro, before the founding of the Empire.If there really were gods in this land, then was Senta¡¯s and the Empire¡¯s stories anywhere near the truth?

    ¡°You brew what can only be seen as potions, using the same methods that vitners were taught by Senta herself.Courage in Faith, Purification of the ills that plague the world, and Resolve to help mankind.Those are the traits that Senta desires in all and I have seen you make two of them.I have seen what you are capable of.¡± Her head and hands warmed San in the cold night. He ached to wrap his own arms around her and pull her close. He desperately wanted to.¡°I knew you were special from the moment I saw you that night.I knew Senta had guided me to you.¡±

    San braced himself, trying to stop his knees from going weak. Not from some swooning of romanticism, but from fear.He wanted to run, to flee, to drop the clay pot and rush to the gates.

    ¡°Stop,¡± San said softly.He heard Densa¡¯s intake of breath and a slight tremor. ¡°Please, stop.¡±

    Densa pulled back from him.Her posture was straight and her eyes were clear, a mask settling upon her once more.San took a steadying breath, feeling the terror run down his arms and legs.He could still smell her and the warmth on his chest hadn¡¯t dissipated just yet.

    ¡°I am sorry,¡± she said.¡°Please forgive me.¡±

    ¡°There is nothing to forgive,¡± San said. ¡°I should apologize¡­ I ¡­¡± he could not form the words. ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°I can see the grief you carry, Sanjay,¡± Densa whispered. ¡°I know what it is.I have seen it plenty of times and I know the feeling of it.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡± San asked.

    ¡°I am a poor healer, Sanjay.¡± Densa looked down at her hands. ¡°What healer allows the ones she loves the most to die?What kind of healer cannot save those that mean the most to her?¡±

    San didn¡¯t know what to say.Instead they stood there, in silence and in the cold that began to burrow into their bodies.Densa shivered and San did too.

    ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s cold,¡± Elgava muttered, her voice carrying.

    Her words caused Densa to smile.San returned it and the tension in the air seemed to snap.

    ¡°We are not needed here,¡± Densa said. ¡°The Baron is beyond our help and we cannot help in finding who has betrayed the Barony.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll guide you back to your temple.¡± San hefted the clay pot.¡°This can still be put to good use,¡± he said.

    ¡°Purification,¡± Densa said slowly. ¡°Many a high priestess would wish for such a thing.¡±

    ¡°Then I give it to you. Freely,¡± San said.

    ¡°I cannot accept.¡±

    ¡°For those you care for without payment or demands. The poor, the sick, the unwanted.I offer this to you freely.¡±

    ¡°For them I shall accept,¡± she replied.

    ¡°We going?¡± Elgava demanded, stamping her feet.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Silence reigned as they exited the Keep.The Guards looked at them suspiciously, but didn¡¯t say anything.San glanced back at the Keep, noting the somberness of it all.The night previous had been filled with revelry and drunken nobility, but now it was silent.He should have noticed the difference when he arrived.

    The milling crowds near the Market Square were oddly silent as they neared it.This close to Midwinter the Market was doing brisk business in food, drink, and other trinkets that were common to give out.From what San understood, the long night of Midwinter meant that candles, fires, and torches were burned from the setting sun to the rising sun.To push back the night with different cults having different kinds of rituals they enacted during the night.

    San felt the sickening flop of his stomach as they neared the crowd.He clutched Densa¡¯s hand and she looked at him with shock.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong,¡± San replied.

    Densa turned to look where the crowds were facing, above the press of bodies San could make out the licking tops of a massive bonfire.It did not spread warmth or comfort, but the same wave of grief and misery soaked through him as it had the night before.

    The Hesna cult were burning their strange fire once more, luring people in for purposes that they only knew.San caught sight of the man from the night before, he stood on his podium with the others of the Cult, hands raised to the air.In one hand he held something fleshy and dripping.

    The crowd wailed and moaned, swaying as if they were glued to the spot.The fire roared higher and the red garbs of cultist seemed to deepen and swirl.Thier chanting began, slow but growing louder as every second passed.

    The crowd swayed enough that San saw a figure upon the podium. A woman, dressed in a tattered tunic and rough spun cloak.She had a stunted arm, a hunched back, and lay upon the podium, her chest opened and her blood pooling about her dying body.

    Gorge rose in San¡¯s throat.He wanted to gag and run away.Yet the woman¡¯s eyes seemed to lock on his, she wasn¡¯t one of the citizens of White Tower, she was one that they had called Filth. The ones who had been supposedly cursed by Kazo for their deeds in previous lives.

    This was wrong.It was very wrong.Everything within San screamed that this was wrong.Blood, sacrifice, a horrible flame.The memories of what the white furred creatures had done tore through his mind.The shock and horror of the imagery briefly cleared his head.He staggered forward, pushing into a young man who was staring straight ahead.

    San looked into the man¡¯s face and nearly recoiled. The young man¡¯s face was pale and tight across his skull, as if the blood were drained and all fat and muscle were being sucked from under his skin.San turned to face another, an old woman, who was the same.Her skin pale and pulled tightly over her skin, showing every curve of bone underneath.

    ¡°Stop,¡± San hissed to. ¡°This is wrong.¡±

    He turned to Elgava and Densa, they too were staring straight ahead, tears running down their faces and beginning to pale.San saw that more people were being lured in, their eyes transfixed and grief etched in their faces.

    San barreled forward, slamming bodily into other men and women, knocking them aside.He left a trail of sobbing men and women behind him, their grief stricken cries were like nails of a chalkboard.The flame grew higher before him, the eyes of the cultists snapped to him.One, a woman, lean and tall threw herself off the podium, a ceremonial dagger in her hand.

    She was no warrior and she was not Leveled.San dodged the weak attack and kicked her aside.She let out an explosion of breath and tumbled into the crowds.

    ¡°Kill him!¡± the red garbed high priests ordered.There was no fear or anger in his voice, instead his eyes seemed to be black voids of madness.He stared at San and San could feel the pull of those eyes, trying to suck him in and trip apart everything that he was.

    San tore his gaze away to find a man rushing at him, San barely managed to step away from the wildly swinging fist.He shoved the unbalanced man and he too crashed into the crowds.The cries of grief and fear erupted from those that had been knocked down.The spell had been broken, the fire had released its hold on them, and they wailed as all their grief and pain flooded back into them.

    San¡¯s grip on the woven rope handle of the clay pot tightened.He swung it and threw the pot to the flame, in a flash the pot crossed the distance.He saw the head priest¡¯s head snap to the side, void eyes following the trajectory of the pot.

    ¡°No!¡± he cried.

    The clay pot shattered at the base of the flame, strike hard against the stone and shattering.A ball of flame erupted from the high percentage alcohol, the black flame was overshadowed by a bright blue light as the alcohol burned.

    San could feel something happening, the very air seemed to change.He could breath normally and his head was suddenly cleared as if a window had been wiped clean of accumulated grime.

    The blue fire roared, but San could see it dying.He could see the black flame still burning at the bottom, slowly regaining its strength.

    San rushed forward, the hot flames nearly scorching his robes.

    ¡°Cleansing Flame!¡± he shouted.

    It was as if his entire body clenched at the words, all his muscles screamed and his breath exploded out of his body.San dropped to the floor and gagged, blood splattering on the ground before him.

    He could feel the heat of the cleansing flame and the screeching of the entire crowd.Pain, grief, misery, the wail filled the night as San fell to the ground.He saw the dark void eyes of the high priest as he calmly stepped off the podium and walked away.

 045

    45

    San opened his eyes.Ash filtered down from the red hued clouds billowing across the sky.He could hear the crackle of flames and the distant screams of people.He sat up, slowly and carefully, looking down to see that he wore a steel cuirass and plate armor.His hands were covered by gauntlets and pauldrons covered his arms.

    He got to his feet, seeing the enchanted sword lying on the ground before him and an unlit pistol.He picked up the sword as hot wind blew across his face, bringing the sounds of distant screaming once more.

    It was a dream, he told himself.He looked around, the burning and shattered buildings around him are barely recognizable, but he saw that it was the Market Square he had been in moments before.

    The image of the black flame flickered through his memory, dredging up grief and misery.The emotion was like a physical shock, he felt light headed by it.

    Through the flame and smoke, a figure approached him.San raised his sword and then tilted his head, taking in the figure.

    They were tall and San saw with disgust that they wore a suit made of human skin.The patches of hair and faces covering the figure caused his gorge to rise.The different patches of skin were stitched together roughly, with seams that were about to burst every time the figure took a step, yet still holding together.Male genital swung between their legs and a row of female breasts covered their torso, while in one hand it carried a hook sword and in the other a long ebony dagger.

    Beneath a helmet made of bone, a skull, and more human leather, was a scarred face of a man. The skin was puckered and raised, as if it had been burned or had been cut so many times and healed.

    ¡°Sanjay,¡± the voice of the man boomed through the world in flames.

    Fear spiked through San, but he stood his ground.The figure was nearly eight feet tall from what he could tell, a massive person that stretched the skin suit he wore.He was dead if he tried to fight the being, but San also realized this was just a dream like the others he had.

    ¡°You must be the Ghost of Christmas Future,¡± San said, his voice holding more bravado than he felt.

    ¡°I understand the reference,¡± the booming voice said, chuckling with mirth.The laugher and easy nature of the being was at odds with the horrific figure it presented.San could see tuffs of scalps at the man¡¯s waist, and ears looped around his neck like trophies.

    ¡°I¡¯m not giving up the ebony gem,¡± San said. ¡°I will not trade for it.¡±

    ¡°Come now, Sanjay.I am Giamoor Delsanva, Hetvana¡¯s Chosen.My Mistress offers you power and blood, you can change the world to what you wish, you can topple the rich fucks that use and destroy everything.You can be the change this world needs, where humanity will rise up to their full potential.¡±

    ¡°I somehow doubt that is what your Mistress wishes,¡± San said.

    The massive man only grinned at him. San saw blood dripping from his teeth.¡°A change in the world will cause much suffering,¡± the man stated.¡°My Mistress is one of blood, pain, and suffering.Any change of the status quo will do her well.¡±

    ¡°So you just want war?¡± San said.

    ¡°War? What foolishness. We want suffering. We want pain.We want a child screaming with terror as soldiers kill their father and rape their mother.We want villages burning.Women killing their babies to keep them out of the hands of the enemy.That is what we want.¡±

    ¡°Fuck off,¡± San said.He clenched his hand, an intense rage building within him. ¡°Fuck. Off.¡±

    Giamoor spread his hands. ¡°This is the future, Sanjay.Look around you.Take in the sights and breath in the smoke.Death is coming for all and we shall bath in the blood of the cruel and righteous for in the end, it does not matter.¡±

    ¡°Why do you want this fucking gem?¡± San demanded. ¡°To bring someone back? To summon some kind of monster into the world?¡±

    ¡°There are plenty of monsters in the world,¡± the man retorted. ¡°Every grasp for power is paid for in blood and suffering. We seek the gem to prevent the others from summoning their own Heroes.¡±

    ¡°That petty of a reason?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Hetvana is death and vengeance, she is suffering and pain, do you think she would want to save the world?¡± the man laughed.

    ¡°What is going on?¡± San demanded.¡°I have been summoned to these strange places three times now.Four times the gem has been asked for and an attempt at trade made.What is going to happen?¡±

    The man sobered.He stared down at San, taking a massive step forward, the skin suit creaking around his limbs, and a foul stench of death wafting toward him.San gagged.

    The hook sword was at San¡¯s neck, the pitted and rusty blade a bare inch away from his skin.San had to raise his head, he had to look at the man in the eyes.

    ¡°An eternity of blood and suffering,¡± the man stated. ¡°A world turned barren and devoid of life.A chance to see if mankind is truly worth the notice of the gods.How strong are you, little man? All say your soul is like a roaring fire, but fire needs fuel to burn. When the world is dying and all that graces its surface wails in misery, how strong will your soul be then?¡°

    ¡°Probably not all that strong,¡± San said.

    The man boomed a laugh, his sword moving and digging into the ground beside them.¡°You are right.You shall die with all the others.Another scream in the chorus that will sing my Mistress to sleep.¡±

    The man turned and began walking away, the flames of the burning buildings began to rise and engulfed the man.Within moments he was gone.

    ¡°The gem gives form,¡± the man said.

    ***

    The smell of incense and a distant thumping greeted San as he awoke.He lay upon a lumpy straw bed and winced at the headache that throbbed at his temples.He let out a low groan and tried to sit up, but every muscle in his body protested and he lay there exhausted from the effort.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± a voice said.

    San looked up to see Zomia, the first healer he had met at the Exonaris komai.She looked tired and her face was pale with dark circles around her eyes.

    ¡°Where am I?¡± San asked.

    ¡°You¡¯re at the Temple of Senta.¡±

    Above the distant thumping, San could hear wailing and sobbing, as if a funeral was going on.He looked to Zomia, but her face was turned toward the heavy wooden door in the room.Oil lanterns and the simpler burning length of wick illuminated the room.It was well furnished, with a desk, wardrobe, and washing basin in one corner and a couch, coffee table, and an actual glass window in the other. No sunlight poured through the glass, so it still appeared to be night.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± San asked.

    ¡°The Hesna cult has overstepped,¡± she said, her voice was weary. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°What did they do?¡±

    ¡°The Poisoned Soul,¡± Zomia said. ¡°That fire that burned in the Market Square.It has poisoned the souls of all those that have looked upon it.¡±

    San pushed himself up in the bed, wincing as he muscles disliked the action. He sat up, breathing heavily. ¡°Densa, Elgava. Where are they?¡± he demanded, a fear blooming in his chest. They had stared at the flame, they had been exposed to whatever a poisoned flame was.

    He could still feel the flame, the memory of it was etched into his mind.It was similar to the flames he imbued Power into.It appeared that the flames he could create weren¡¯t just beneficial, but also harmful.

    ¡°They are fine,¡± Zomia said. ¡°All who looked upon the flame are in agony now.We fear it shall only deepen and soon death will follow.¡±

    San pushed himself out of the bed, shedding the woolen blanket and standing their naked before Zomia.

    ¡°Where are my clothes? And why am I in this bed?¡±

    Zomia moved stiffly and carefully, picking up a pile of clean dark robes off of the couch.San saw his sword, dagger, knife, revolver, and other items all neatly stacked beside it, including the plastic bag of gems.

    ¡°You were the only one in the Market Square that seemed not to be effected by the flame,¡±Zomia stated.¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I put out the fire,¡± San said, tugging on his clothes.He had gotten used to the Imperial robes and all the small ties and cloth belts.He strapped on his riggers belt with the sword and other weapons looped through it.¡°I had made a jug of Purification. I threw it into the flame and then changed it into the Cleansing Flame.¡±

    Zomia looked at him in confusion.¡°The fire still burns,¡¯ she said.

    San stopped as he was pulling his satchel over his shoulder. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The black flame still burns in the Market Square.Many gather toward it, seeking its deadening warmth, to be drained of at the woes and grief that afflicts them.¡±

    ¡°But you said it was a poisoned flame?That it poisoned your soul?¡±

    ¡°It does.¡±

    ¡°Then why are they allowing people to go to it?¡±

    ¡°The Baron is dead and the new Baron has taken hold of White Tower.He has decreed that the Hesna cult is to be given free reign. That the Baron supports the cult and the Empire.¡±

    This was a world with magic, surely the Mages or other cultists understood what was happening before San did.They all must have known what the Hesna cult was doing with that fire.San looked to Zomia and she looked at him with sad and dull eyes.She appeared ready to collapse onto the floor with the slightest of pushes.

    ¡°Why would the new Baron support them?¡± San asked. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to be the kind of person who would willing castrate himself to be apart of their cult.¡±

    Zomia looked down at her hands. San noted they were marred with a dark red, although an attempt had been made to clean them.Blood.

    ¡°Fear,¡± Zomia said softly. ¡°The Hesna cultists have gained such power in the last few years.They enact rituals that have been buried for centuries in their grasp for power.¡±

    San thought on the flame once more, how it had seemed to intensify his own emotions of grief and misery; how it seemed to sap the life out of everyone who had been looking at it.Whatever it was, it had to be put out again. The thumping in the distant continued, a rhythmic sound that vibrated through the stone of the building.

    ¡°Fear,¡± San repeated. ¡°The flame is allowed to burn and it is hurting people.If the Baron has sided with them, then we are all in danger.Who knows what the cultist want to do here.¡±

    Was it a simple power grab or was Esomir actually a believer in the Hesna Cult? San had understood that the Baronies, although they warred with one another, were neutral in the civil war within the Empire.The simple fact was that all the Baronies armies combined would not be able to defeat any of the Last Emperor¡¯s Son or the Governors¡¯ armies.But if the Baronies went to war on one side or the other, they could tip the balance that was dragging out the civil war.

    The Sol Suvanis Barony was one of the more powerful baronies, with the Suvanna being defeated in battle and their mercenary army pushed back, their power had grown politically since then.If they openly backed the Empire, it could mean the other baronies would either come out to support Sol Savanis or they would gather up and attack the barony together.

    The real issue was the Hesna cult. They were doing something terrible with that strange fire.The memories of his talk with Hetvana¡¯s Hero came back to him.The world that had been burning and the death and suffering that was to come.Giamoor stated that the time was approaching where the gods would see if mankind was worth their attention.

    ¡°We must put out that fire,¡± San said.

    Zomia didn¡¯t move or say anything.She wearily sighed.

    ¡°I am needed here,¡± she said.¡°I am the only healer left.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t the Senta Cultist supposed to be the first to raise the sword when evil encroaches?¡± San asked.

    The healer chuckled.¡°Do I look like a warrior?¡±

    ¡°I suppose not.¡±San paused as Zomia¡¯s words were understood. ¡°Why are you the only healer left? I thought there were more of you?¡±

    Zomia looked down at her hands, the rust stained flecks of blood still dyed them.¡°They were killed,¡± she said.

    ¡°Who killed them?¡±

    ¡°Your actions have riled up the Hesna cult,¡± Zomia said. ¡°They have been hunting the other healers across the city.Many who were outside of the temple were killed.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± San muttered. ¡°Why kill the healers?¡±

    ¡°Densa would be able to dispel whatever is afflicting them,¡± Zomia said. ¡°She is powerful, far more than I am.She has many levels and is blessed by Senta herself.¡± The healer sighed, wringing her blood stained hands. ¡°They cannot enter the Temple, the cultists.So they have the Baron¡¯s guards attacking our gates.¡±

    The thumping noise continued and San listened to it.It did sound like a battering ram thumping against a wall.Did he cause this? He wondered.He had acted to put out the fire, if he hadn¡¯t done so, would the Hesna Cult have left him alone?No.

    Whatever the Hesna Cult was up to, they were looking to cause mayhem or injure people.Something more was up.If the Hesna Cult were killing Senta healers, then that was cause for open war between the two faiths.From what San understood the polytheistic beliefs of the Empire and Baronies didn¡¯t sway toward extremism.If one believed in Senta, they still believed in the other gods, but devoted themselves to mainly one god.

    Therefore the Hesna Cult was doing something that would cause lasting damage.Something they were willing to suffer the consequences for.That could only mean they were enacting some kind of endgame, something that would see that they dominated everything afterward.Senta and all the other cults would be meaningless if they were successful.

    San winced as he began walking to the door.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Zomia asked.

    ¡°I have to get back to the warehouse,¡± San replied. ¡°I still have some of the Purification left.I will bring it back, help Densa and Elgava, and anyone else who is afflicted.I think it might help.Then I¡¯m going to snuff out that fire.¡±

    ¡°You are a fool,¡± Zomia stated, but didn¡¯t move to stop him.She only watched as he left the room and staggered down the hall.

    There was an old man in a rusted brigandine, holding a spear as if he hadn¡¯t touched it in years, standing by the main hall of the temple.He looked at San, gulping slightly as his size and determined stride.

    San pushed open the door and gritted back the emotion that struck him as he entered the massive room.The Temple of Senta was a place of worship and a place of healing.It was a massive structure that could act as a hospital, hostel, and hold hundreds for celebrations and rituals.The great hall of the temple was packed with men, women, and children. They lay upon bedding or hard stone, writhing in agony and moaning with pain.

    San saw no injuries on their bodies, instead they were pale and their skin taunt across their body.Sweat soaked their tunics and a bitter acrid scent filled the air.

    He saw Elgava immediately.She, Densa, and several other people were separated from everyone else.They lay on padded beds and were being looked after by a pair of young acolytes, their yellow garb declaring them so.San walked up to his friends and the acolytes scurried off, without saying a word.

    Elgava was pale and her eyes were opened.Sweat slicked her skin and soaked her tunic, her skin was sallow and waxy, as if she were already dead.But her lips moved and her eyes blinked, even though she looked at nothing.

    San crouched by her and set a hand on her arm.She shuddered and whimpered, but otherwise didn¡¯t react.Her eyes didn¡¯t move and she said nothing, her moving lips were chapped and bleeding, but no words escaped her mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯ll come back,¡± San said.There was a bond between them; she had saved his life and he had saved hers.He would help her and he would make sure she recovered.

    Densa was in a similar state as Elgava.Pale, waxy, with eyes staring at nothing.Her chest rose and fell and her hands twitched, but she didn¡¯t respond to his touch or words.

    San stood, seeing the two acolytes had summoned enough courage to return to their jobs.

    ¡°Are the Hesna cultists at the main gates?¡± he asked.

    One of the boys nodded.

    ¡°Is there an alternate way out of this place?¡±

    The other boy nodded.

    ¡°Show me.¡±

    The two boys looked at one another.¡°We have our duties,¡± he said.

    ¡°Show me.¡±

    One of the boys nodded, looking frightened.He beckoned for San to follow him.They took a corridor deeper into the temple, descending stairs and reaching a thick wooden door within a small storage room.The boy pulled the door open and there was a ladder that lead into a hole in the floor.

    The wafting smell coming out of the hole declared it some kind of sewer or drainage.

    ¡°Where does this lead?¡± San asked.

    ¡°To the Red, but there are some exits out of it along the way,¡± the boy replied.

    ¡°Can I return through here?¡± San asked.

    The boy nodded.

    San looked down into the dark hole and grabbed the lantern the boy carried.With a deep breath, he lowered himself into the sewer.

 046

    46

    San didn¡¯t know much about urban infrastructure, but as he walked down the tunnel, he suspected the White Tower engineers didn¡¯t know much about it as well.Although, judging from the different stonework and signs of rebuilding in some areas, the entire tunnel seemed to have undergone some repairs or expansion.

    When he had met the Stoneman in the past, the site of White Tower had been a expansive forest with the obelisks being the only signs that people lived there.He had heard snatches of the history of White Tower through the weeks he had been in this world.

    The Woodland Tribes had taken over from the Old Kingdom, settling for hundreds of years before the Empire returned and pushed them back out.They were the ones who had built White Tower and Blackened Bridge, although both had been expanded upon greatly once the Empire arrived.

    Perhaps the tunnel had been some kind of temple complex the Tribals had built before the Empire arrived.He paused to peer at some carvings into the stone, they were of creatures, stylized and barely recognizable from age and wear.

    San shook his head, shaking off the distractions.He had to return to the warehouse as fast as he could and retrieve the Purification he had left over.The archeology of White Tower was something better thought of when all was well again.

    There was a set of stone staircases that went at a right angle of the tunnel. San stopped and tried to think of how far he had traveled.The Temples weren¡¯t all that far from the Market Square and the Keep¡¯s gates, being in a prime spot to hold worshippers and travellers.According to his compass, he had been traveling slightly southward, toward the Red River, and for the last fifteen minutes.He felt he should be at least a mile from the Temple.

    San approached the stairs, making sure to keep out of the muck and grime that coated everything. A trickling stream of waste and water flowed down the center of the tunnel, gravity pulling it along.San had seen some some drainage pipes that he assumed lead to the streets above, but when he stopped to listen, he could hear nothing.

    A half rotten door hung on leather hinges at the top of the staircase.San put out the light of the lantern and peered through the cracked wood.He could see some freshly fallen snow and the light from the moon reflected off of that, providing some light to see by.He didn¡¯t see anything moving nor did he hear anything.No people chattering, no dogs barking, no crazed Hesna cultists on the rampage.

    The door creaked open when he pushed on it.It wasn¡¯t secured or guarded.San stepped out into a back alley behind a large apartement building.The stench of the sewer was washed away with the smell of woodsmoke.A cold breeze blew down the tunnel, causing San to shiver as his robes weren¡¯t meant to be worn out in the middle of the night.

    He left the doorway, making a note to remember its location for he would have to return via it.The snow crunched underfoot as he made it to the main street. He stopped as he spotted a body lying in the center of the street.

    The figure had been cut down as they were fleeing.San could see the ground churned up around them, the frozen blood pooled around the form, glinting in the moonlight.San wondered if it was one of the Senta healers.He wanted to approach the body, to check on it, but the idea was quickly abandoned.

    The snow crunched behind San.He whipped around, his hand on his sword hilt.He barely saw the figure beforea hood was thrown over his head by another figure.A fist slammed into his stomach, powerful enough to cause him to double over.Within in seconds he was on his knees, his hands behind his back and the hood tight over his head and a gag wrapped around his mouth.His attackers moved quickly and quietly, not saying a word or making any extraneous noises as they tussled him up and then carried him off.

    He didn¡¯t know who they were, but there were more than two. He could hear the clink and clatter of boots and gear as they moved quickly.

    ***

    The hood was ripped off and San stared up at Havatair.The massive man was illuminated by a pair of small oil lamps, etching his craggy face with harsh shadows and lines. He seemed to have aged a decade since San had last seen him.

    ¡°How do, Adventurer,¡± the big man said.He sat down on a rough wooden stool, grunting softly.He was dressed for war, the steel plate armor gleamed dully in the oil lamp light.

    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re not going to kill me,¡± San said. He rubbed his wrists.He had figured if they wanted him dead, they would have done so when he had been captured.San had enough time to realize that he was woefully inadequate to fight against his captors, they outskilled and probably out leveled him.

    ¡°No,¡± Havatair replied.The boisterous nature of the man was subdued to the point that the words he spoke seemed to be forced out.As if every word was a struggle.

    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± San asked.Although he he been disarmed, his weapons were all placed on a small table beside him.San moved over and began re-arming himself.

    Havatair watched him, seemingly unconcerned as he slid his enchanted sword back into the scabbard and tucked the revolver into his robes.

    ¡°My loyalty is to the Barony,¡± Havatair said slowly. ¡°I pledged my life to it on the day the Baron gave me my first level.¡±

    Silence filled the room as San found another stool and sat down.Havatair breathed heavily, organizing his thoughts.

    There seemed to be a lot of history between Havatair and the dead Baron.In light of what San had learned about the Baron, he didn¡¯t know how to view Havatair.The old Baron had supposedly loved to torture people, enough so that it was common knowledge and not frowned upon.Was Havatair also a sadist like his master? San doubted it.Although he hadn¡¯t much interaction with the man, Havatair seemed a solid person.San hadn¡¯t seen any psychopathic traits displayed, beyond the glee he had shown when fighting the battos.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the barony to you?¡± San asked. ¡°Is it the man in charge or is it the people?¡±

    Havatair looked up at him, his eyes narrowing. ¡°What?¡± he said.

    ¡°Where I come from, some say that a place, a town, city, or country, is not about the person who¡¯s in charge.Its the people that make up that place,¡± San said. ¡°Leaders are just custodians who make sure everything runs smoothly.They do not make the country.¡±

    ¡°Arisono,¡± Havatair said. ¡°That was his name, the Baron.Arisono Sol Savanis.Second son of Giddon Sol Savanis.Who was the son of General Aigario Sava who defeated the last of the Tribal warlords and took White Tower.The Emperor awarded him the city and lands to oversee, to protect the borders against the Tribals.¡±Havatair seemed lost in his own thoughts. ¡°I am the bastard son of Giddon Sol Savanis.Arisono was my younger brother,¡±

    San was silent as the man spoke. He hadn¡¯t figured Havatair to be related to the Baron but it did make a sort of sense.Havatair was a commoner, not Landed or komai, but he still had a very high position in the city.History was filled with blood relatives taking on key positions since power rested in the bloodline that controlled a country or region.Havatair had gained power and wealth for being related to the Baron and being related also meant he was willing to stand by the baron when others would have bailed.

    ¡°I have trained Esomir since he was a boy,¡± Havatair continued.¡°I always figured he¡¯d be a good Baron when his father¡¯s time came to return to Senta.I always thought he had a good head on his shoulders, that even if he was a little eager to fight and craved more power, that time and experience would shape him.¡± Havatair sighed heavily. ¡°I was wrong.He has given himself to the Hesna cult in return for power.He has allied himself with the Last Emperor¡¯s Son for gold, enchanted weapons, and the right to name himself King when the war is won.¡±

    The Baronies were each a barony in name only.Historically a barony was a small fiefdom, with the barons only having a limited amount of power.The city of White Tower held nearly thirty thousand people and the Barony of Sol Savanis was nearly two hundred thousand or more.It was not a small place, with scores of villages and with the ability to raise thousands of troops if needed.

    Yet they still retained the title of Baron, each baron not attempting to rise above it for if they did so, there other barons would turn upon them.There were strong baronies and lesser baronies, but they were all equal to one another.They bowed to no king or emperor and they ruled their own lands as tiny kingdoms or city states.

    For Esomir to proclaim himself king, that would destabilize the entire region. All the barons, regardless of their ties or alliances, would turn against the Sol Savanis Barony and destroy it.

    That the Last Emperor¡¯s Son would actively support Sol Savanis was a declaration of war against the Baronies.For all their internal strife and enmity, the barons still would ally against a foreign threat.

    The question was why? Why would the Last Emperor¡¯s Son support Sol Savani? Why was the Hesna cult ready to cause a religious war among the cults? Why was the Empire willing to open another front in the war that had gone on far too long already? Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    What was the prize that awaited such an action?What was worth causing such a huge rift and years more of bloodshed?San didn¡¯t know, but it was something massive.

    ¡°What does the Empire get?¡± San asked.

    Havatair looked at him, his craggy face more lined and aged than before. ¡°I don¡¯t know.That is what I fear the most,¡± he said. ¡°I have fought to keep this land safe. I have fought monsters, I have fought other Baronies, I have killed men and women in this barony who were a threat.I have done all of it to keep the barony safe.Now the Hesna cult is killing people in the streets, people they proclaim are sinful and corrupt.Now the Heir, the Baron¡­ Esomir, my nephew, seeks to plunge the Baronies into war.¡±

    San fidgeted, wondering if the cultist had gotten to the warehouse?He had left Pavano behind, but the old man had already been well into his cups of moonshine.Azios was no warrior and neither was Endaha.

    ¡°You are the protector of Sol Savanis,¡± San said.¡°What do you think is the right course of action?There are few men in this world who I have seen do the right things, the necessary things, not out of selfishness or to gain an advantage, but to ensure that safety and protection is maintained. You¡¯re one of those men, Havatair.I believe you¡¯ll make the right decision and choose wisely.¡±

    ¡°I was told to find and kill you,¡± Havatair said. ¡°Ordered by the New Baron.My Guards, my soldiers, were told to support the Hesna priests, to round up those who would go against their teachings and who are threats.They are to be made an example of.¡±Havatair clenched and unclenched his hands. ¡°I do not know where you came from, Foreigner.I do not know what the gods have in store for you or why they have brought you here, but I too know a good man when I see one.To kill you would be a mistake.¡±

    San was silent.He could see the struggle on Havatair¡¯s face.The need to follow orders, to support his new Baron, but also the struggle against what his conscience was telling him to do.

    ¡°Can you heal him?¡± Havatair asked.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Esomir.He was a good lad. Can he be healed from what infects him? This sudden greed, these destructive desires.¡±

    ¡°Is it a sickness?¡± San asked. ¡°Is it a spell done by the cultists? Or is it just his own wants?¡±

    Havatair sighed.¡°I do not know.Power does strange things to men.It corrupts their souls.¡±

    ¡°I do not know if I can do anything for the Baron,¡± San said.¡°But I know I can do something for the rest of the people who have been afflicted with the Poisoned Soul.¡±

    Havatair¡¯s head snapped up at the mention of the words. ¡°Poisoned Soul?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Zomia, the healer, told me that the Hesna cult¡¯s fire was a spell or something called the Poisoned Soul. I looked into that fire and all I felt was grief and misery.The sorrows of my past were made fresh and new in my mind.¡± San stopped and took a breath. ¡°Earlier in the day, I made a drink called Purification.It was supposed to be used to cleanse the Baron¡¯s wounds, but I think it had a different effect.It prevented me from being afflicted by the flame.¡±

    ¡°My soldiers have talked about the flame,¡± Havatair said.¡°I have seen the sick and dying across the city.I had no idea it wa the fire that was doing it.The cultists have been setting up more bonfires around the city to spread it.¡±

    ¡°Then more and more people will become afflicted by it.They will succumb to the misery they feel and eventually die,¡± San replied.

    ¡°This drink of yours will cure them?¡±

    ¡°I think so,¡± San said. ¡°If it does work then I can get Lady Densa to recover from her own affliction, then get her to start healing the others.I was told she could dispel this affliction.¡±

    ¡°She is another that I was told to kill,¡± Havatair said. ¡°She is a good woman and many people owe their lives to her.¡±

    ¡°What the cultists are doing will destroy this city and the entire Barony,¡± San said. ¡°This kind of magic they are using is wrong, it is terrible, and I fear that it may lead to something even more destructive.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡¯ Havatair said after a long bit of silence. He sat there for another long moment, clenching and unclenching his hands. ¡°I will help you, Foreiger. To save this barony and to stop those fucking void worshippers.¡±

    Havatair stood up, his armor creaking.He looked determined now, with a new goal and focus.¡°Tell me what you require.¡±

    ¡°I need to get to the warehouse I am renting.I have some of the Purification left over.I need to get it back into the Senta Temple and give it to Densa and the others.¡±

    ¡°There are few who know of the sewer tunnels,¡± Havatair said. ¡°Most barony cities do not have them.¡± The big man approached the small door that led out of the room.He threw it open. ¡°The Foreigner will lead us to where he has some magic drink.If it is truly magical, then it will help those who are Afflicted.If not, then we¡¯ll take him to the Baron.¡±

    There was a clatter of armor and men that answered back.Havatair looked pleased.

    ***

    They moved down the street, eight soldiers, Havatair, and San.The moonlight was still bright and the streets were empty.They came across several scenes of murder, people having been dragged out of their homes and slain in the middle of the street.

    Again San was confused by the actions.Why would they need to kill anyone? If it was a political move, they would have no reason to kill anyone that night.The new baron¡¯s position would have had to have time to be acknowledged and then political enemies would be dealt with.Yet from what San saw, the dead seemed to be normal men and women and even children.They were from all spectrums, rich, poor, or even middle class craftsmen.

    A scream broke the night and it was followed by cursing and snarling.The troops stopped and all cocked their ears following the sound.Havatair gestured with his head and the soldiers turned and began moving in the direction of the sound, even as it led away from the warehouse.

    A figure was running down the empty street, banging on doors and trying latches to escape into the side buildings.All were either locked, barred, or barricaded, with flickers of candle light behind them, showing people were awake and alert, but unhelpful.

    Behind the figure trotted scores of people, they loped along with an unnatural stride, with a Hesna priestess in the lead.The figure was a woman, slight in frame, and not dressed for a midnight excursion.

    Havatair stepped into the street and the woman skidded to a stop, horror plastering her face.In the moonlight San recognized her.She was the bookseller, Vicca Desaros.She lacked the spectacles she had been wearing the day they met, but San knew her instantly.San had purchased a primer on learning to read the Imperial script.He had yet to fully immerse himself into the books.

    ¡°No, please!¡± she cried.

    ¡°What is happening here!¡± Havatair demanded.

    The Priestess and the people slowed to a stop.San also recognized the woman.She was one of the assistants that he had kicked earlier that night.

    ¡°You!¡± the Priestess screeched, a long finger pointing at San. ¡°Kill him! Hesna demands it!¡±

    San had barely time to register her cry before the people around her surged forward, rushing Havatair and the rest of the troops.There was a wrongness to the people¡¯s movements, as if they were puppets and being tugged along.They didn¡¯t say anything, not screaming, yelling, or hollering to hype themselves up for a fight.Instead they ran silently, eyes black pits, and mouths agape.

    The first figure was struck down by Havatair, with a loud smack the figure was thrown to the ground.They emitted no sound and got back to their feet, blood flowing from their mouth where Havatair had punched them.The figure threw themselves at Havatair again and was once again knocked aside by the Leveled soldier.

    ¡°Cease.I am Havatair, commander of the White Tower forces. You are assaulting a Guard of the Barony!¡±

    More figures rushed Havatair, they grabbed at his armor, yanking, pulling, and throwing wild punches against his armored body, seemingly unaffected by the pain and cracking of bone that resulted in punching metal.

    The soldiers moved into action as the mass of people began to pull down the massive man.They did not pierce his armor, but the sheer mass toppled him over.

    Within moments the soldiers were punching, dragging, and kicking the people off of Havatair.But more people began rushing past the Priestess and joined the fight.All of them silent, with only the sound of their pounding feet and the explosion of breath as they were knocked aside filling the night.

    San waded into the fight, being as gentle as he could, he tossed aside men and women and even a few children.They were all unarmed, but he noted that they were covered in blood that was not their own.Their hands were drenched in it, their tunics and cloaks splattered in blood.They had had a busy night it seemed.

    The bookseller was not ignored as the fighting continued.A man grabbed her and threw her against the stone wall of a building.He threw a wild haymaker at her, which she ducked at the last moment.The sickening crunch of his fist striking the stonewall filled the air, but the man didn¡¯t screeching or cry out in pain.Instead he pulled the same shattered hand back and swung at the bookseller once more.

    San grabbed the pulled back arm and punched the man in the chest.He staggered back and turned to attack San.A kick sent him slamming into the wall beside the bookseller and his head cracked against it.Without a sound, he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

    ¡°You okay?¡± San asked the bookseller.

    She peered up at him, her eyes squinting. ¡°Yes¡­¡± she said.

    ¡°Stay out of sight.There¡¯s something wrong with these people,¡± San said just as a figure slammed into him.San grabbed the attacking woman and heaved her aside. She flew half way across the street, hit the cobblestones and then bounced the rest of the way.She staggered back to her feet and rushed back into the fray, only to be sent tumbling away by a punch from a soldier.

    Havatair was back on his feet.He roared and began chucking people away from himself, they flew through the air and bounced off street, wall, or the occasional cart in the street.With ten Leveled men and women, the nearly fifty unarmed people were no match for them.

    The Priestess realized this and then turned and ran.

    ¡°Get her!¡± Havatair snapped.Two soldiers bounded off as San helped subjugate the rest of the unarmed fighters.They were not acting in their right minds, somehow they were being controlled by the cultists.San looked to see the strange wild eyes that were utterly black.It was the fire, he suddenly knew.This is what the fire was doing, turning the men and women who had seen it into a mindless horde.

    ¡°Can we take one of these people?¡± San asked. Havatair looked at him. ¡°I want to see if the Purification will help them.They seem to be under some kind of spell.¡±

    Havatair looked at one of the unconscious men and winced. ¡°Fuck. I didn¡¯t realize,¡± he said. ¡°Sweet Senta, we might have broken a few of their bones and done some real damage.If they¡¯re under a spell, this is not their fault.¡±

    Two soldiers tied up a woman who didn¡¯t seem as damaged as the others and tossed her over the shoulder of a third.A few minutes passed and the two soldiers that had left returned with the priestess, tied, bundled, and gagged. She struggled against them, but like San had experienced, there was no escaping their capture.

    ¡°Can I come with you?¡± the bookseller asked.She was in a light sleeping gown and now that the adrenaline and terror was over, she was shivering violently.

    ¡°Lead the way, Foreigner,¡± Havatair said.¡°The baron now knows that I stand against him and it will not be long before the rest of the cultists arrive to take care of us.¡±

    San nodded and they headed back to the warehouse.

 047

    ¡°Blessed Mother, you¡¯re okay,¡± Endaha said as the barricades were finally removed.San and the soldiers stumbled into the warehouse.Endaha, Pavano, Azios, Herokov, and Bostarion were all armed and ready for a fight.

    ¡°You bring the Baron¡¯s men here?¡¯ Herokov demanded, his craggy face etched with anger.

    ¡°Peace, brother,¡± Pavano said. ¡°San can explain.¡±

    San had to admit, a blossom of gratitude bloomed within him at Pavano¡¯s words. ¡°The Baron is dead, the new Baron, Esomir, has sided with the Hesna cult.¡±

    A deep silence filled the warehouse.Havatair let out a soft curse. ¡°Fucking fool,¡± was all San heard.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± Herokov asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°The Hesna cult?¡± Bostarion muttered.He spat on the warehouse floor.San watched the man, he hadn¡¯t been around for the last few days, off on his own doing whatever it was he did.He had his sars and had left to try and sway Havatair to do something about Ilagio.That seemed like such a long time ago, now that San thought on it.

    ¡°Bostarion,¡± Havatair said.

    ¡°Fuck you,¡± the ranger spat back.

    The soldiers behind Havatair set their hands on their swords, eyeing the old ranger with anger.

    ¡°Ease up, boys,¡± the massive soldier said. ¡°He¡¯s just ornery because Ilagio left the city and went home.We can¡¯t do anything until the Baron decrees it.¡±

    ¡°Utter woolyshit,¡± the ranger said.

    ¡°Who¡¯s your guests?¡± Pavano asked.He looked the bookseller up and down, and the two tussled up women.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Vicca Desaros said, bowing at the waist. ¡°I¡¯m Vicca Desaros, scribe, bookseller, and historian.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a Hesna priestess and the other is someone who¡¯s afflicted by their spell,¡± San said, gesturing to the others.

    ¡°Where is that Purification?¡± Havatair demanded.

    ¡°Over here, lad,¡± Pavano said, grabbing the stainless steel water bottle and the glass whiskey bottle.There was a smaller pot filled with the remainder of the Purification.The two gallons San had taken to the Baron had been only two thirds of what had been distilled.

    The battered woman was moaning in pain, her eyes snapped open, revealing dark black voids.She struggled against her bindings and snarled like an animal.

    ¡°What is wrong with her?¡± Herokov asked.Endaha pulled Azios back as the young man wanted to see what was going on.

    ¡°She¡¯s afflicted,¡± San said. ¡°The Hesna cult has been burning a black flame in the Market Square.I think that it does this to them.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Havatair said. ¡°They¡¯ve been burning it for the last few days, thousands have seen it by now.¡±

    ¡°A spell,¡± Vicca said, she looked at the woman with interest. ¡°What does it do?¡±

    ¡°This,¡± San gestured to the snarling woman. Vicca looked annoyed at his answer. ¡°They¡¯ve been burning a black flame that makes you feel grief and misery.¡±

    ¡°Flame magic is rare,¡± Vicca said.¡°It is spiritual magic, those who control it can alter the soul.¡±

    ¡°You know about magic?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Only what I¡¯ve read,¡± the woman replied. ¡°Some say that flame magic is the oldest magic, the first gods protected mankind through the flames, it provided warmth, comfort, and cooked their foods.It was the magic they relied on the most.¡±

    San took in the information, wondering if the Mage Chief knew that too.

    ¡°How does a black flame turn people into zombies?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Zombie? I don¡¯t know that word,¡± Vicca replied. ¡°Like I said, flame magic is spiritual magic, it effects the soul of a person. It could be that those who looked at the flame and were afflicted by the grief it caused, they would find that the fire of their souls were snuffed out.¡±

    ¡°Then they¡¯re soulless?¡± Havatair asked.

    ¡°Possibly.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see what Purification does,¡± San said. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, then we¡¯re fucked.¡±

    ¡°Purification?¡± the bookseller looked to San and the bottles. ¡°What is that?¡±

    San didn¡¯t explain.Instead he walked to the snarling woman, grabbed her head and pulled the cork from the bottle.He poured a good measure of Purification down her throat, he had a steady pouring hand and got what he believed to be two ounces into her.She tried snarling, but he clamped her mouth shut.

    She wasn¡¯t Leveled, therefore she couldn¡¯t struggle against his grip.Eventually nature took over and she swallowed the liquid.

    Convulsions rocked the woman¡¯s body and the soldiers quickly stepped away as a dark fog began forming above her.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± San muttered.

    A figure formed, hazy and black.It screeched and then dissipated.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Pavano asked.

    Endaha was shock white, gripping onto Azios.The bookseller stood there with her mouth gaping and even the soldiers were horrified by what they say.

    The woman who had been snarling moments before began weeping, adeep and sorrowful cry.She cradled her arms and curled into a ball, wailing like a child.

    ¡°She¡¯s back to normal,¡± San said.He pulled back an eye lids, tears streamed down the woman¡¯s cheeks and the eye that stared back at him was human.

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± the woman cried. ¡°Oh, sweet Senta, my baby.¡± She rocked back and forth sobbing.

    ¡°Well, that works,¡± Havatair said, looking down at the woman.

    ¡°What magic is that?¡± Vicca asked, her eyes wide.

    ¡°Can you make more?¡± Havatair asked.

    San looked down at the bottle in his hands and the small pot left over. ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve used up all my mana.¡±

    ¡°Well, shit,¡± the soldier muttered.He looked to the bound up priestess.She was staring at them in shock and horror.¡°Well, time to see what this bitch knows.¡±

    ***

    ¡°The problem with torture,¡± San said, ¡°is that it gives unreliable information.Hurt someone long enough and hard enough and they¡¯ll say anything you want them to say.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Pavano said. ¡°Plus she¡¯s a fucking Hesna priestess. She¡¯ll probably thank you and ask for more.¡± The old man cracked his knuckles as Havatair and the soldiers sat the priestess up on a stump of wood.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    All eyes were on her, Endaha managed to coax the sobbing woman to her feet and took her to the second floor.She knew what was about to happen and didn¡¯t want her to be witnessed to it.There was also Cassa and Kovass to look after, having been hidden in case there was an attack upon the warehouse.

    ¡°I can¡¯t in good conscience allow this to happen,¡± San said as the soldiers stepped away from the woman.

    ¡°Too damn bad,¡± Havatair said. ¡°These fucks are using evil magic and they¡¯ve done something to Esomir.I¡¯m gonna find out what and we¡¯re gonna cleanse him of it.She¡¯ll tell me what they¡¯re doing even if I have to break every bone in her body.The Baron was good at taking his time killing people, and Senta forgive me, I learned how to do the same.¡±

    The woman chuckled behind her gag.Her eyes were opened wide and they showed insanity.The eyes reminded San of the madman he had seen in the Tribal village of Forest River.The crazed man who had been tied up to a pole to die of exposure.

    The cult was turning people into monsters and they were using them to attack those they viewed as threats.The bookseller was knowledgeable, she was smart and knew far more than the average person.Therefore she had to die.It reminded San of the revolutions he had read about in history.Political dissidents and intellectuals were always the first to go.

    Whatever the cults plans were, it involved securing White Tower and using it as a base for their operations.The city was important, but why?

    ¡°Why were they trying to kill you?¡± San asked Vicca.The bookseller looked up at him in surprise.She had been given some spare clothing by Endaha and San, so she was bundled up in bulky woolen coats and seemed like a child playing dress up.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°I was sleeping, I heard a pounding at my door, and then they dragged me out.I managed to get loose and then ran.Then I came across the Guards.¡±

    ¡°What do you know of White Tower?¡± San asked.

    The woman looked surprised again. ¡°A lot actually. I¡¯m ahistorian,¡± she said, standing up straighter.¡°Not a teller of tales about gods blessing mankind, but of actual factual history.The tales told to children and Imperial citizens is just that, tales.I and my fellow colleagues around the Empire have been trying to find the real history of the world.What truly happened and not some epic poem written by some lousy writer a thousand years later.¡±

    ¡°What is important about White Tower?¡± San asked.

    The woman shrugged. ¡°The land is fertile, there¡¯s easy access to the Red River, and the northern mountains are filled with iron and tin and copper.There is a bounty of good lumber and the river is filled with fish.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s important about this place, magically?¡±

    Vicca frowned and her brow furrowed. ¡°There are some texts from the Old Kingdom, the ones that aren¡¯t just mad ramblings about void horrors and the Celestial Cycle, that say White Tower was the heart of magic and power.That here is where it was easiest to speak to the gods and bring about change to the world.¡±

    San thought back on his encounter with the Stoneman.He had shown him what White Tower had looked like seven hundred years prior.A great forest with the towering White Tower covered in the unreadable arcane symbols.The tower still existed, but the symbols weren¡¯t there anymore, either removed or covered up.

    ¡°The White Tower was here long before the city itself,¡± San said. ¡°Why did the Old Kingdom build the obelisks.I¡¯ve seen one in a komai near Midway.What are the obelisks for?¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Vicca asked surprised. ¡°The obelisks were all destroyed when the Empire conquered this place. It was said that they were what the Old Kingdom used to condense their powers, they were what made them powerful beyond anything we know nowadays.¡±

    ¡°And the White Tower is an obelisk?¡± San asked.

    Vicca looked at him with fear in her eyes, casting a glance toward Havatair who was arguing with Pavano on how to deal with the priestess.¡°Who told you that?¡±

    ¡°I saw it in a vision of the past,¡± San said truthfully. ¡°I met the Stoneman and although he didn¡¯t point it out, I saw the White Tower as it was seven hundred years ago.¡±

    Vicca looked at him with disbelieving eyes.She shook her head and wrung her hands. ¡°The Tribals have a story about the Stoneman, an obsidian knapper who kills demons and gods.The day he died at the hands of a great dragon, the Blessed Mother gave him life again to keep fighting the horrors that plague their people.¡±

    ¡°So he¡¯s also a Hero for a god?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Also?¡± Vicca gave him another frown.

    ¡°Like Lakovi Sorvania or Giamoor Delsanva?¡±

    ¡°Gia¡­¡± Vicca stared at him with wide eyes. ¡°Do not say that name, fool,¡± she hissed.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Vicca looked scared. ¡°Hetvanna¡¯s Butcher, the Skinwalker, the Hearteater, the Crimson Hand,¡± she whispered. ¡°To speak his name is to summon him.¡±

    San decided not to push the local norms. ¡°Okay,¡± he said. ¡°So for the Old Kingdom and Tribals, White Tower was a magical place?¡±

    ¡°Of sorts.Many rituals were performed here in Old Kingdom times, but no city was ever built.It became a fortress when the Empire destroyed the Old Kingdom, but was abandoned when they left.The Tribals took it over and expanded upon it, turning the city into one of their holy sites.¡±

    ¡°So White Tower is a magical place,¡± San thought on the magic system he had heard about in books and movies. ¡°It¡¯s like an intersection of leylines or something.Where people can have visions of gods and Heroes?¡±

    ¡°So some say,¡± Vicca said.

    That would somewhat explain his own experiences within the city.The only other supernatural, powerful entity that wasn¡¯t a void horror had been Winter¡¯s Lament.She had come to him several times, but not since he had arrived to the city.The last time she had spoken to him had been when they were a day¡¯s journey from the city.

    ¡°Have you ever heard of someone called Winter¡¯s Lament?¡± San asked. The bookseller shook her head. ¡°She might be a Tribal diety or something.The Pale Woman, White Woman?¡±

    Vicca shook her head again.

    San racked his brain. What were the Hesna cult doing here? The only thing he knew about them was that they were trying to free their goddess from the void where she battled against the horrors there.That and they were considered insane and castrated themselves.

    There were a lot of things that probably could be done in a place of magic.San had been using mana lately and he didn¡¯t feel any difference while he had made Purification. It still drained him of mana and left him sick.Shouldn¡¯t a place of magic be a place where mana was easy to replenish and use?

    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t the infusion of mana that was the reason this place had been considered sacred.The Stoneman had claimed that the veil between worlds was growing thin.He had experienced these visions with the Heroes of gods in the days since he had arrived and not before.

    Then there was the black figure that had been removed from the woman.What was that? Was it a creature or as Vicca had said, did the black flame do something to her soul?San mulled on the thought and Vicca looked about nervously.

    ¡°I was told the veil between worlds is thinning,¡± San said, mostly speaking to himself, but also to Vicca. ¡°The black flame effects the soul, as all soul magic.That black creature was removed from the woman when she drank Purification, so¡­ was it her soul being warped or was it something that was placed within her?¡±

    Vicca pondered his question. ¡°Soul Magic is rare, as I said, and not many practice it anymore.It is one of those things that cannot be taught like all the Powers a Mage have, instead it is said that a person must be touched by a god to command it.¡± She paused for a moment, her brow furrowed again as she tried to remember some bit of information. ¡°Many say that when the fire of the soul is weakened, then the void horrors are able to take it over.It is perhaps how the void horrors enter our world, by taking over the bodies of the weak souled, be it man or animal.¡±

    ¡°Then, those people we fought on the streets. They¡¯re being controlled by void horrors?¡± San asked.

    The bookseller paled as San spoke the words.She shuddered and looked away as if the words sickened her.¡°They can¡¯t be so stupid as to do that,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°What do you know?¡± San asked.

    ¡°It is said, the Old Kingdom¡¯s greatest power was bringing forth void horrors to fight for them. It is what led the Empire to destroy them utterly.They had managed to uncover some ancient power that allowed them to turn regular people into void horrors that they then unleashed upon their enemies.¡± Vicca was shaking as she spoke, mopping at her brow with the sleeve of her coat as nervous sweat rolled down her face. ¡°I said the land upon which White Tower is built was a place of ritual, it was also a place of sacrifice.A place where thousands were murdered to give form to the void horrors that still plague this land to this day.¡±

    ¡°A place of sacrifice,¡± San said.He remembered Winter¡¯s Lament¡¯s words.The Old Kingdom fortress had been a place of sacrifice for the white furred creatures.A place where they were bringing something into this world.¡°Why would they bring void horrors into this world?¡±

    ¡°Because they are insane,¡± Havatair said.San and Vicca looked up, realizing that their conversation had been eavesdropped on.Havatair¡¯s face was a boiled red, his eyes narrowing with anger, as he turned to look at the tied up woman. ¡°Is this true?¡±

    The priestess looked shocked at what San had said.She glanced to him, then the bookseller, and finally to Havatair.Her gag had been removed and her thin lips twisted back.

    ¡°You cannot stop us,¡± she said. ¡°We shall bring back our goddess even if we must open the gates to the Void itself.¡±

    ¡°Not in my land and not with my people,¡± Havatair snarled.

    ¡°You think this is only happening in this place?¡± the woman sneered. ¡°We are legion and the world is filled with places where the void and our world meet.My brethren have all marched out across the world and on the longest night of the year, we shall release our goddess from her exile.¡±

    ¡°How many will that kill?¡± San asked. ¡°What kind of devastation will that cause?¡±His mind skipped back to his conversation with Hetvanna¡¯s Hero. The burning city, the screams and dying people.He had claimed it was a vision of the future, a glimpse of what was to come.

    If the Hesna cultists were doing this same thing in other places, other cities, other countries¡­ then how many void horrors would they unleash upon the world?

    The longest night of the year.San looked up and noticed a lightening of the world outside. The deep black was turning into morning blue, the sun was rising upon the last day before the longest night of the year.

 048

    ¡°The city crawls with their ilk,¡± Havatair said as a soldier sent out to scout returned. ¡°They¡¯re looking for me and my men now, it seems our disloyalty is known.¡± The big man seemed more worried about his betrayal of the new baron.

    ¡°I need to get back to Densa, with her help, we might be able to turn the Afflicted back to normal.Then we can deal with teh fire and the baron,¡± San said.

    ¡°I shall deal with the cult,¡± Havatair stated.¡°The other cults will not stand by.They must be doing something. I shall see to them, if they fail to move against the Hesna cult, all is doomed.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go too,¡± Bostarion, Pavano, and Azios all stated.Herokov only scowled and stared into the hearth.

    ¡°No,¡± San said. ¡°We need to make more Purification.I¡¯ll need all of you to begin processing the imbar and making the imbar wash. We need to distill as much as we can before nightfall.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t even have much mana left,¡± Pavano said.

    San looked to Havatair.¡°I saw potions when we were working on the Baron,¡± he said. ¡°Do you have mana potions?¡±

    Havatair furrowed his brow, trying to remember. ¡°Yes, there are some mana potions among what we have. But they are under lock and key, although Donsval has access to them.¡±

    ¡°Who will he side with?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Donsval is a coward and cultivates coins.He does not fight, but he must know what will happen if the Hesna cult takes over.We will be at war and the Hesna cult is not known for thier kindness toward gluttons.¡±

    ¡°If you can gain access to the potions, please do so.If you see Histoa, see if he¡¯ll help us.He said he was able to transfer mana into Leveled people to boost their powers.¡±

    ¡°Aye, the Mages will be tricky.I don¡¯t think anyone likes the Hesna cult, but that does not mean they will stand against them.Some say that Mages aren¡¯t blessed by the gods, as they¡¯re born with Power and are not awarded it.They do not have Levels and Levels are gifts from the gods.¡±

    San looked at the gathered people within the warehouse.He wondered if this is how rebellions began?He doubted it, he was a foreigner and everyone else wasn¡¯t anywhere near being political, besides Havatair.Yet, origin, beliefs, or position didn¡¯t matter when there was something truly evil that needed to be stopped.

    ¡°We help Densa,¡± San said. ¡°We get the mana potion or enlist Histoa¡¯s help, then we make more Purification. We need to get this all done before nightfall.If the priestess is right, then those poor people will become some kind of monster.¡±

    Havatair and the soldiers looked on with grim determination.They would have the hardest job, they would have to enter the Keep and take the mana potion. San didn¡¯t know how they would succeed, but if there was anyone who could do it, it was Havatair.

    ¡°Arm yourselves,¡± Havatair said. ¡°There will be those that are not creatures of the Hesna cult and will obey whatever the Baron says.If the cultists can find those that threaten them, then they will know that this place is their biggest threat.Arm yourselves and pray to whatever god you follow that we can save as many people before nightfall.¡±

    ¡°We never put out the flame yesterday,¡± Azios said. ¡°The Cleansing Flame that we used to make the first batch of Purification.¡±

    San hadn¡¯t notice, but there was a second fire burning in another hearth.He had glimpsed it, but figured it was just another fire burning to keep the large warehouse warm.San walked to it, immediately he began to feel its warmth, not from heat, but an internal warmth that soothed his ragged nerves.

    ¡°Soul fire,¡± Vicca breathed. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°No time to explain,¡± San said. ¡°Build it up and begin preparing the imbar wash.¡±

    Azios nodded.He had been with San all the times he had brewed and if there was someone who knew what to do, it was the young man.San turned to Herokov, Bostarion, and Pavano.¡°I require your help,¡± he said. ¡°Help Azios, help make the imbar wash, and help save this city.¡±

    The three men glanced at one another and then each nodded in turn. ¡°Aye,¡± Pavano said. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the Coppersmith and see about those stills, see if he¡¯s done with them. It¡¯ll make the job of distilling a lot easier.¡±

    San nodded, forgetting about the work he had commissioned.The use of pots and cold water baths wasn¡¯t time efficient and they would need to make as much as they could this day.

    ¡°We shall all work,¡± Endaha said.She had the woman who had been Afflicted at her side.The new woman was red eyed and pale, sickly looking with scrapes, bruises, and cuts along her exposed flesh.How long had they been out in the cold without decent protection?They might be controlled by the Hesna cult or some void being, but their bodies were still human and frail.

    ¡°There are many dozens in the temple,¡± San said as he handed Havatair the clay bottle of Purification.San carried the old whiskey bottle and his stainless steel water bottle.If it required at least two ounces of Purification to remove the affliction, he couldn¡¯t do all that much for those in the temple.

    There would have to be some decisions made, to ensure the necessary people would be saved and then try to save the rest at a later time.Havatair took the clay bottle, handing it off to another soldier.

    ¡°I hope it works,¡± Havatair said. ¡°I hope that the Heir is really under some magical influence, otherwise¡­¡±

    ***

    The streets were eerily silent in the early morning.San had gotten used to the hum of city life within White Tower.There were usually dogs barking, woollys crying, people talking, and the smell of woodsmoke and cooking in the air.The mornings were busy, as all were going to and from work, or off doing errands.

    That morning, the air was heavy and not even a single dog barked in the distance.It put San and the soldiers on edge as they made their way back to the sewer entryway.

    More bodies littered the streets, some were the ripped apart victims of the Hesna cult, but more than a few were the Afflicted.They bore wounds and had limbs that were injured, but as they had no care about the damage sustained to their bodies, it eventually failed and they succumbed to their wounds.

    The sight filled San with outrage.The thought of something, some being, or even magic, controlling him, controlling his body.It made him nauseous and scared.Did the Afflicted know what they were doing? Were they conscious of what was being done to their bodies?San couldn¡¯t imagine the horror of being piloted around and not having the ability to control oneself.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Havatair whispered.San and the others crouched in the alleyway where he had been captured earlier.Fresh snow had fallen and their tracks hours before had been mostly covered and it appeared no one else had come that way.

    ¡°The Hesna cult is already killing the healers they find,¡± Havatair said. ¡°Get Densa and the others out of there before they all are killed.¡±

    San nodded and Havatair clapped him roughly on the shoulder.The soldiers stood watch as San opened the door and disappeared into the dark stinking maw of the sewer.

    He didn¡¯t carry a lamp this time, instead he had his headlamp on.It was brighter than the lamp, but its focused beam of light contrasted everything into darks and light.

    The trek through the tunnel was quick, he knew the approximate location of the ladder into the Temple.The door was firmly shut and it took a moment to open it.San eased himself in the temple and listened for anything awry.

    He heard a low moaning of what sounded like pain, along with a thumping, closer and louder.San pulled out his dagger and set his hand upon the latch.He could hear sobbing and a cry of distress from someone.There weren¡¯t many that were still awake and moving within the Senta Temple, Zomia, the acolytes and the old guard were all that San had seen.

    San opened the door, stepping quickly into the outer room, blade raised.The shocked eyes of one of the acolytes stared at him. The man¡¯s eyes were streaked with tears and on the floor before him lay the body of the other acolyte.The two men were a bloody mess, their once yellow robes now stained with blood and torn in various places.The dead man seemed to have been savaged by some kind of animal, his throat torn out and his chest and limbs cut and gouged by claws.

    ¡°What happened?¡± San asked.He moved quickly to the dead man and saw there was nothing that could be done for him.The other man was in a state of shock, there were cuts and what looked like human bite marks on his skin, but otherwise he was okay. There was no life ending wounds upon him.

    ¡°The monsters¡­¡± he said, ¡°they came over the walls. Three dozen of them.They¡­ they attacked everyone and everything.¡±

    ¡°The monsters?¡±

    ¡°They look like people, but they¡¯re monsters.They rend and bite and tear at everyone.¡±

    The Afflicted.San grimaced; the door to the room thudded and San could hear a low moan coming from beyond it.From the sounds of it, there was only one of the creatures beyond the door.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    San paused.No, they weren¡¯t creatures. They were people.They were afflicted by the black flame, with something piloting their bodies, while they still existed within their bodies.They were not monsters, they were people.

    They were rending and killing, that could only mean the people who were sickened by the flame and not changed by it. All the men, women, and children that were in the great central chamber.Elgava and Densa.

    San sheathed his dagger and marched to the door.The acolyte on the ground barely raised his head before San pulled the door open.A figure in tattered robes stood at the doorway.He and San stared at one another for a moment before the figure threw their body against the wooden door and tumbed into the room. San staggered back, but he managed to slam the door shut, latch it, and then turned to face the man.The Afflicted hopped to their feet, their moments far faster than San thought possible.

    The Afflicted was a middle aged man.His hair was cropped short and grayed at the temples.He looked to be a tradesman, his robes were of decent quality and had a brilliant sash of turquoise wrapped round his gut.The cloth was soaked with sweat and other bodily fluids, along with splatters of blood.

    San leaped across the space between the two.There was no grace or plan to his action, San just body checked the man and shoved him roughly away from him and the acolyte.The man slammed against the wall and bounced off, his head emitting a loud crack as it collided with the wood paneling.The Afflicted gave a surprised gasp and then collapsed to the floor.His head lolled back and forth and he appeared to be stunned.

    San turned to the acolyte.He pulled the satchel off his shoulder and jammed into into the man¡¯s arms.The acolyte startled and looked down at the leather bag.

    ¡°I need your help,¡± San said.

    ¡°I ca-¡°

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for your help,¡± San snapped. ¡°You say the Afflicted are in the Great Chamber, that means they¡¯re attacking those that are sick, the defenseless.¡±

    The man nodded slowly.

    ¡°These bottles, they are potions,¡± he lied, ¡°they can help those that are sick.¡± San pulled out the glass whiskey bottle and stomped over to the Afflicted that was trying to get up.San could see a splatter of blood on the wall and even thought the creature had void black eyes, it still appeared to seem unfocused in its attempts to coordinate itself.

    San uncorked the bottle and tipped some of the contents into the man¡¯s mouth.The creature sputtered, but San clamped his hands across his mouth.It didn¡¯t take long before the man automatically swallowed the drink.

    He immediately began convulsing and shuddering.A moment later his void black eyes began to clear and the black man shaped smoke began rising off the man.

    The Acolyte gasped in horror as an ebony figure coalesced before them.San couldn¡¯t see a human face in the smoke, but he could feel the rage and anger radiating off of it.It opened what could be called a mouth and screamed silently at them, before vanishing.

    The afflicted man groaned and rolled to the floor, passing out.San noted his hands were bloodied and the skin rubbed away from it.Whatever the man had done before, his body ws damaged by it.

    ¡°This,¡± San said holding up the bottle. ¡°This is a cure. I need you to get it to Densa, she¡¯s one of the sick.I need you to pour it into their mouths, about two ounces.As many people as you can.¡±

    ¡°But-¡°

    ¡°I know the Afflicted are in the Great Hall. I¡¯ll get them to leave.¡±

    San returned to the man and pulled him to his feet.He was light a rag doll, practically skeletal under the heavy robes.The Acolyte¡¯s hands shook as San shoved the bottle back into the satchel.

    ¡°Don¡¯t drop the bottles, don¡¯t waste it. It¡¯s all we have for now.¡±

    The Acolyte nodded.

    San pulled the door open again and exited the room.The thumping he had heard when he had awaken hours ago had stopped.Was it because the Afflicted had been released into the Temple?

    He cursed the hours he had wasted, being Havatair¡¯s captive and their discussions about the events going on.If he had just grabbed the Purification and returned, it would have been less than an hour and all of this mess could have been resolved faster.

    The large central chamber that served as the main triage area came into view.San skidded to a horrified stop at the sight that greeted him.He stared as crazed men, women, and children tore at the unresponsive bodies in the chamber.

    They were animalistic in their attacks, rending flesh with bare hands and teeth, their clothing matted with blood.They snarled like beasts and did every sort of violence imaginable upon the prone people.

    ¡°STOP!¡± San snarled.His hand automatically went for his sword and in the thunderous silence that followed his outburst, the rasping of metal filled the air.

    All heads snapped in his direction. Bloodied mouths, black void eyes, and the wheezing breath of the Afflicted filled his sight.It was a scene out of a horror movie, some kind of ultra realistic zombie flick.The patter of blood upon stone, the smell of iron and blood and the foul stench of offal and rendered guts.It was all too real and San wanted to retch, to run, to awaken from this nightmare world he had wandered into.

    He steadied his hand and stared at the people turned monsters.

    ¡°There is still humanity within you,¡± San shouted. ¡°Resist. Fight back. Reclaim what is being ripped from you.¡±

    The Afflicted twitched and as if they shared a common mind, they surged toward him.San counted at least two dozen.The room was too big and he was too exposed.He needed to use their numbers against them and the chamber wasn¡¯t the place to do that.

    San ran.He boots pounded upon the stone floors as the Afflicted charged after him.Many were already injured, their bodies pushed too hard and suffering too much damage, but that same lack of restraint made them far faster and deadlier than a person in the a right state of mind.

    What limits the body had, these creatures that piloted the Afflicted had done away with them. They burst after San with the speed of Olympic sprinters and their strength was that of body builders.It was purely due to San¡¯s own Levels that he managed to outpace them.

    What would happen if a Leveled was taken over? The thought chilled him as he barreled down a wide corridor.

    He hoped that the Acolyte wasn¡¯t a coward. That he would do what he had been told to do.If Densa and the others weren¡¯t awakened, then they would not be able to deal with what was happening to the city.She was the greatest healer in this area and her talents were needed.

    A broken spear lay on the ground and San grabbed it.It had more reach than his sword and wasn¡¯t as deadly.An Afflicted burst from an alcove, snarling.San cracked him across the chest with the wooden length of the spear haft.The Afflicted spun and flopped to the ground.He wouldhave gotten back up, but the others chasing after San soon trampled him.Half of them falling and tumbling, bringing down more of their number, but a fair amount managed to stay upright and continued their chase.

    San found a stone staircase that led upward, without a second thought he pounded up the stairs two at a time.When he reached the landing, he realized he didn¡¯t know which direction to go.He had never been in the Temple besides the first night after getting drunk with Elgava and the others.That had been a brief moment and then he had been whisked away to meet with Havatair and Donsval.

    San took a right corridor and raced down it.He needed to slow the horde behind him down, trap them without hurting them too much.They were still people behind that crazed magic controlling them.If he could disable them, secure them, then he could get some Purification into them to heal them.

    Killing them wasn¡¯t an option. The fight the night previous, where Havatair and the troops had pummeled the Afflicted with the priestess still tugged at him.The woman who had been healed, she was covered in bruises and injuries from her time being controlled. San didn¡¯t want to do that to these people.

    He lashed out with the spear length, catching a man in the leg and causing him to crash into a small table.The man¡¯s flailing legs caught more of his companions and morecrashed to the ground, but only momentarily.San scanned the corridor he was in, trying to find a place to make a stand, to limit the amount of Afflicted that would come at him.

    San nearly tripped over a body lying the middle of the hall.It was the old guard he had seen earlier.The old man lay dead, with his armor having been yanked and ripped off of him and his exposed flesh covered in rends and bites.His death had not been quick and painless, but he had taken three of the Afflicted with him.Their bodies lay beside his and there was a trail of blood that led away from him, showing that more had been injured.

    A shield caught San¡¯s eye.It was a simple wooden shield, similar to the ones he had seen the Levy soldiers carry.San snatched it up and ahead of him he saw a narrow door.

    He reached the door and saw that it lead to another set of stairs that led to another floor of the Temple.San scanned it, seeing nothing that was dangerous and turned to face the coming Afflicted.They were staggered out, only three in the forefront with the others scattered behind them.Although fast, strong, and seemingly immune to pain, they weren¡¯t very coordinated.

    The first Afflicted slammed into the shield and San grunted.The thick stone frame of the door wouldn¡¯t be shattered by the people; stone was far stronger than bone and flesh.They would just break all their bones before the stone would give.

    It took a moment for San to realize the only option he had was to disable the people.He was in a narrow passage and the Afflicted couldn¡¯t flank him.San lashed down, raising the shield high and striking at exposed knees, feet, and legs.The cracking sound of bone filled the small room and San flinched at each sound.

    He had to back up as the weight on the shield increased.There was the threat that they would grab hold of it and tear away his only defense.San stepped back, using his foot to find the first step up the stairs. The injured impeded the flow of the Afflicted into the room, they stumbled, snarled, and fell upon one another.

    The legs were their weakest point.They might be strong and powerful, but without their legs they wouldn¡¯t be able to move.They might not feel pain and were able to go beyond what the human body was capable of, but all the strength and power in the world wouldn¡¯t make broken bones function normally.

    The stairs proved an issue as he stood above them while they slashed and tried to grab at his legs.San used the shield to push the foremost ones back, causing them to tumble down the narrow staircase and pull down more of their companions.In the reprieve San back up another step and lashed out with the wooden spear haft.

    As he reached the third level of the Temple, San realized his mistake.The noise of the fighting within the staircase had drawn more of the Afflicted that were in other parts of the Temple.He cursed as he saw half a dozen rushing toward him from the third floor staircase doorway.

    He barely had time to strike the first Afflicted before the second one was on him.It was a heavyset man, blood soaked his robes, and he stank of rank meat.The massive man slammed into him like a football player, a thundering charge that didn¡¯t hold anything back.

    The spear haft snapped and he was thrown against the stone wall.The stone dug into his back and his breath exploded out.There was a moment where he couldn¡¯t breath, he couldn¡¯t pull anything in, and a dull roar only filled his head.

    A fist to his face snapped him out of it.San felt hands on him, he felt his robes being tugged at, and the fetid stink of bloody hands, mouths, and screeching filled his ears.Pain blossomed across his arms and legs, hand began to dig at his flesh, parting the cloth of his robes as if they were paper.

    One of the Afflicted grabbed the dagger at his waist, pulling it free and staring at it for a moment before lunging forward to stab at him.San stopped blocking his face and grabbed the woman¡¯s arm.She was thin and small, almost childlike in her appearance, but she was strong.The decorated weapon plunged into his stomach and San cried out.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    Another punch sent his head reeling and he could feel the hot gushing of blood from his wound.More blood flowed as he staggered back, no longer defending himself.Nails and teeth snapped at him, he could feel the weight of the big man dragging at him.

    San tripped on the hem of his ragged robe and fell.He hit the stone floor hard; he saw was the snarling faces of the Afflicted descending upon him.

    ¡°SLUMBER!¡± a voice roared.

    One moment San was awake and the next there was darkness.

 049

    ¡°You¡¯re okay, you¡¯re okay,¡± a voice said frantically. San felt hands on his face, shaking and fumbling.He cracked open his eyes to see Densa looking down at him.She looked terrible, her skin taunt across her bones and dark hollows around her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± San groaned.

    A faint trace of a smile flickered across Densa¡¯s face.¡°We don¡¯t have much time,¡± she said.

    The memory of his last moments before being hit with the Slumber Power struck San.He clamored to his feet, feeling a tenderness across his flesh.He looked down to see that his robes were in tatters and covered in blood, but the wound he had suffered wasn¡¯t there, nor were the scratches and bites.

    ¡°You¡¯re okay,¡¯ Densa said, seeing his shocked expression. ¡°I¡¯ve healed you.¡±

    San looked down at the crumpled forms of the Afflicted.They growled and groaned in their sleep, their limbs twitting unnaturally and making sudden sharp jerks.

    ¡°What about them?¡± San asked.

    ¡°My mana, it¡¯s nearly gone.It won¡¯t be long before they awaken,¡± she said.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡±San paused and reached down among the slumping bodies to find his dagger.The expertly wrought blade went back into its sheath and San took a moment to touch his stomach where he had been stabbed.The pain was gone, but the flesh was tender and he could still feel the cold blade entering him.

    Densa sagged and San grabbed her.She was skin and bones under his hands, her robes seemed far too big for her.As if she were shrinking or wasting away.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± San asked.He held onto her and then pulled her into his arms, lifting her off the ground. She was so light.¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    San made his way down the stairs, stepping over and onto bodies as he returned to the second floor of the temple.He winced every time he heard a grunt, groan of pain, and in one case the audible snap of a bone.These people were victims, but he couldn¡¯t do anything for them just yet.The bottles of Purification he had brought wasn¡¯t going to be enough for all of them.He had to get back to the warehouse and begin brewing again.

    It was up to Havatair now.If he could get the mana potion, then more Purification could be made and the Afflicted could be combated.

    Elgava staggered up the stairs, her sword out and carrying a shield she¡¯s obtained from somewhere.She spotted San and limped toward him, her head hung low and she moved with a stiffness that spoke of pain.Like Densa she looked exhausted, sick, and half dead on her feet.

    ¡°You¡¯re alive,¡± she said hoarsely. ¡°Let¡¯s get the fuck out of here.¡±

    San stopped as he saw one of the Afflicted.The man lay on the stone floor, his legs broken and a stab wound to his chest.San remembered the man, he had broken his legs with the spear haft.But he hadn¡¯t stabbed anyone with a blade or sword.The wound pierced his heart and a pool of blood outlined his body.

    ¡°What happened,¡± San said.

    ¡°They¡¯re monsters,¡± Elgava said. ¡°They need to be killed.¡±

    ¡°Shit.They can be cured, Elgava. They¡¯re Afflicted, the fire that you were looking into last night, its doing this to them.For all we know, you and the others would have become this soon enough.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The Purification can cure them of this,¡± San stated. ¡°These people can be cured from what¡¯s afflicting them. All we need to do is brew more Purification.¡±

    ¡°Sweet Senta.¡± Elgava leaned heavily against the wall.She looked sicker than she had before.Her sword clattered to the ground and she let out a low painful groan. ¡°Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.¡±

    ¡°We must leave this place,¡± Densa said. ¡°Those that the acolyte have awakened were taken down into the sewer escape hatch. We need to go.¡±

    Elgava was breathing heavily, tears running down her face. ¡°What have I done?¡±

    ¡°Can you stand?¡± San asked Densa.The woman nodded and San set her down gently. She wobbled, but braced herself against the wall.

    San slapped the wall besides Elgava¡¯s head.She jerked at the loud sound and stared at him.

    ¡°Get yourself together, soldier!¡± San snapped. ¡°Shit is going down outside that will mean the death of this city or even more horrible things. The Hesna cult are summoning monsters and I need your help to stop them.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know,¡± San said softly. ¡°You didn¡¯t know and there was no way of you knowing.¡± San set a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Come on, Elgava.I need your help and we need to save the rest of these people.¡±

    Elgava wiped her eyes and nodded slowly. She picked up her sword and shield, glancing toward the body on the ground. ¡°Senta forgive me,¡± she said shakily.

    ¡°I can walk,¡± Densa said and then promptly slid to the ground bonelessly. ¡°Perhaps not.¡±

    San picked her back up and they rushed down the corridors, reaching the great central chamber once more.The people who had been writhing in pain were gone, all that remained were the bodies of those that the Afflicted had killed. San steeled himself at the sight of those bodies, they hadn¡¯t a chance to defend themselves agains their attackers.

    ¡°They all go down the sewer?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye,¡± Elgava said.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    San followed the clear tracks that lead to the backroom and the ladder.There were no signs of anyone there, instead a shattered glass bottle and his stainless steel container lay on the stone floor.

    A pang of sorrow hit San at the loss of the bottle.It was one of the reminders of home, but it was only glass.Elgava picked up the water bottle, the sound of liquid within it.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they use more of it?¡± San wondered.He set Densa down and then eased himself down into the sewer.The smell assaulted him again, but he ignored it.

    Elgava lowered Densa down after him and then followed suit.He gave her his headlamp and she would lead the way down the sewer.San could see the path made by the dozens that had fled the temple all leading the opposite direction of where he had come from.

    ¡°Where does that lead?¡± San asked.

    ¡°To the Keep,¡± Densa said.

    ¡°Shit,¡± San muttered. ¡°The Baron is dead, the new Baron, Esomir, is backing the Hesna cult.They¡¯re the ones doing all this shit to people, making them into monsters.¡±

    ¡°Should we go after them?¡± Elgava asked.

    San shook his head. ¡°No, we have to get back to the warehouse. We need to make more Purification.¡±

    Elgava stared down the tunnel and then nodded slowly. ¡°Aye.¡±

    They moved quickly down the tunnel, San retracing his steps and then stopping before the exit.Elgava eased up the stairs and peered through the near shattered door.The sun was up and the sky was shockingly bright and clear.

    ¡°No one,¡± she whispered back and eased the door open.

    The streets were empty and quiet.San and the others moved from corner to corner, pausing to see if anyone would be coming out of the alleys or streets.The city seemed abandoned, the normally bustling streets were far too empty and the bodies that lay in the middle of the streets was a terrible sign of why people were staying inside.

    People were huddling in their homes, trying to survive what was happening, and hoping that they weren¡¯t the targets of the Hesna¡¯s kill squads.San wondered how many more groups were moving around the city, there had been only two priests with the head priest the night before.Were there more of them out there? He had never actually seen the Hesna cult¡¯s temple, but he assumed that there was one within the city.

    The silence of the streets was broken by a sound that San knew very well.A matchlock being fired.The gunshot echoed though the narrow streets.San and the others paused, listening intently.

    ¡°Two streets over,¡± Densa said. Her words were punctuated by the roar of three more matchlocks. ¡°Pistols, not rifles.¡±

    ¡°You can tell by ear alone?¡± Elgava asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been on many battlefields,¡± Densa replied. The soldier nodded in return.

    ¡°We can skirt them, seems like they¡¯ve run into some resistance,¡± Elgava said. ¡°We go down three streets and then up the alley by the cloth shop, swing around the chandler shop, and we¡¯ll be at the warehouse.¡±

    ¡°It might be Havatair returning,¡± San said, his head still cocked toward the sounds of fighting.

    ¡°You daft?¡± Elgava muttered. ¡®We¡¯re half dead here.We couldn¡¯t fight off a five year old much less those creatures or the Baron¡¯s soldiers.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s right, San,¡± Densa said.

    San nodded and the continued on.They reached the cloth shop and skidded to a stop as a dozen figures burst out of the alley and also staggered to a stop before them.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Pistols and crossbows were raised at San and the others as the newcomers glared down at them.

    ¡°Foreigner?¡± a voice asked.

    San saw Saggaris step forward.She was armed with a pair of smoking pistols and wore a brigandine that was splattered with blood.She looked him up and down, noting his own blood stained clothing.

    ¡°Trader Saggaris,¡± San said.He looked down at the alley they had came from. ¡°Trouble?¡±

    ¡°Fucking monsters,¡± a familiar voice snarled.

    San frowned as he saw Markona push his way forward. It had been several blissful weeks since San had last seen the man.

    ¡°You¡¯re still fucking alive?¡± he roared, shaking his head. ¡°At least you¡¯re choosing better company than that old fuck.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve been dealt with,¡± Saggaris stated.San sighed.¡°We¡¯re off to the docks, perhaps we can get a boat out of this fucking city. The Hesna cult is driving everyone mad with their black fire.Can you not feel the sickness in the air, this city is cursed now.¡±

    ¡°We can help them,¡± San said. ¡°There¡¯s a drink we can make that¡¯ll heal those that have been afflicted.¡±

    ¡°A drink?¡± Markona scoffed. ¡°What are you now, a mage? A potion maker?¡±

    ¡°He can make it,¡± Densa said.Markona¡¯s next words seemed to stop in his throat as he realized who she was.

    ¡°Pardon, Lady Densa,¡± he said, ducking his head.

    ¡°You¡¯re making a magical drink now?¡± Saggaris said, San could almost see the dollar signs in her eyes.

    ¡°A magical drink?¡± another voice asked. A man pulled off his helmet and San recognized him. Saddan Hion, the owner of the fighting club.It took a moment for San to realize that the rest of the men with him were some of the fighters from that club, they all wore good quality gambesons and carried well crafted weapons.

    ¡°How do,¡± Elgava said, nodding to the club owner. ¡°Looking to lose more coin?¡±

    The club owner grinned at Elgava. ¡°We need to get out of this city first.Coin is useless if you¡¯re too dead to spend it.¡±

    San noted the heavy lockbox that was being carried by two of the men.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got a warehouse,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m brewing there, if you want to join us there, there¡¯s room. If not, be careful.The Afflicted can be cured, there¡¯s not need to kill them.¡±

    ¡°If they come at me, then they die,¡± Markona stated.

    ¡°This city is dead,¡± Saggaris said. ¡°Come with us, leave this place.The Hesna cult are doing some fucked up magic and they¡¯re going to kill us all.¡±

    ¡°We can save them,¡± San said.

    ¡°You¡¯re no fucking hero,¡± Markona snapped.

    ¡°Safe journey,¡± San said and began walking.Elgava snorted at Markano and followed San.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pray for you all,¡± Densa said as they left.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Saggaris said loudly. ¡°Hold up.¡±

    ***

    ¡°You keep bringing back strays,¡± Pavano said as Saggaris and the others entered the warehouse.The old man was armed with his spear and a sword, the large doors to the warehouse had been blocked with the wood that was being used to finish the upstairs rooms.

    San grinned at the man and set Densa down on a stool near the fire.She looked even more sicker than before. She grimaced as he gave her more of the Purification, nearly gagging at the taste.

    ¡°Rest,¡± he said. He grabbed a blanket off the floor and wrapped it around her.¡°You look terrible.¡±

    ¡°I used too much mana too quickly.I was never able to use my Power on so many people at once,¡± she replied, pulling the blanket around her.¡°I¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    San brushed her hair back.¡°I¡¯m not leaving this warehouse until Havatair returns.¡±

    Elgava sat down heavily on another stool, she pulled out her sword and set it down across her knees.She still wore a stunned expression, her actions still eating at her.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Aye, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she said.

    ¡°All we¡¯ve done is trap ourselves in this shitty warehouse,¡± Markona snarled.

    ¡°This is my building. You don¡¯t like it, get fucked,¡± Herokov snapped back.

    ¡°Easy, lads,¡± Pavano said, trying to keep the peace.

    ¡°I agree with Saggaris,¡± Saddan said loudly. ¡°If there¡¯s one thing that I can count on with Saggaris, it¡¯s her self serving nature.She would not lead us to where she may herself die.No offense.¡±

    ¡°None taken,¡± Saggaris replied. ¡°I enjoy being alive.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your plan then, foreigner?¡± Markona asked.

    ¡°I have to make more Purification. It¡¯s a distilled drink that cures these people of what¡¯s afflicting them.The thing is that I¡¯m out of mana. I need more.¡±

    ¡°Hetvana¡¯s bleeding cunt,¡± Markona snarled. ¡°You¡¯ve brought us to a place to die, Saggaris.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Marko,¡± the trader said coldly. ¡°Saddan.¡±

    The club owner sighed and looked to his men.The two men carrying the lockbox approached and the man made a key appear in his hands.He moved to unlock the box and from within he pulled out a vial of blue liquid.It seemed to glow with an internal light.

    ¡°This is very expensive,¡± Saddan said.

    ¡°What is it?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Mana potion,¡± Saggaris answered. ¡°You need it. Use it.¡±

    ¡°This is very expensive,¡± Saddan said again.

    ¡°Senta¡¯s Grace, Saddan.What¡¯s your price.¡±

    ¡°I heard there was mention of a potion maker that Donsval found.That they were being kept hidden in case others would try to strike at White Tower,¡± Saddan said. ¡°Are you that potion maker, foreigner?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a potion maker,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m a brewer.I also make liquor.¡±

    ¡°But imbued with mana, with the ability to cure this sickness and give people courage when they are terrified.¡±

    ¡°Rumors?¡± San asked.

    The man chuckled to himself. ¡°I run a business, San,¡± he said. ¡°People like to watch the fights, drink my wine, and even indulge in the women who work for me.There is much to be gained from being a kind host and being attentive to your guests.¡±

    ¡°There are also a lot of degenerate gamblers,¡± Saggaris added.¡°For a few drops of information, Saddan reduces what they owe him.¡±

    Saddan chuckled again. ¡°She is not wrong, friend.Like the trader, I also seek profit; and magic is always profitable.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Pavano said, annoyance crossing his face. ¡°This city¡¯s going to hell in a hand basket and you¡¯re trying to negotiate a cut of what we¡¯re making?¡±

    ¡°We save the city first,¡± San said. ¡°Then when that¡¯s done, we¡¯ll decide what your cut will be.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t-¡°

    ¡°This is not a negotiation,¡± San said. He could feel Elgava, Bostarion, and Herokov moving into position behind him.¡°Not now anyway.I am not a cheat, nor am I a thief.I will do what I must to help these Afflicted.When it is over, if we survive, then we can make a deal and figure out your cut.¡±

    Saggaris and Markona have stepped to the side, leaving Saddan and his men in the own group.There were seven of them, but they weren¡¯t carrying gunpowder weapons. San could smell the burning match cords in the room as pistols had been prepared.

    ¡°You drive a hard bargain,¡± Saddan said, grinning once more.The tension was still heavy in the room, but he raised his hand and offered San the vial. ¡°I look forward to discussing our partnership.¡±

    San picked up the vial. The blue light glowed in his hands.¡°Just drink it?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    He unstoppered the vial and knocked back the contents.It tasted of nothing, no foulness, sweetness, or anything.He could feel the liquid going down his throat but nothing else.

    When it hit his stomach, San clenched as heat began spreading across his body.It was pleasant at first but then it began to burn, causing sweat to bead on his brow and his cheeks to flush.He took in quick breaths, bending over and planting his hands on his knees as the room began to spin.

    ¡°You should have taken it slower,¡± Saggaris muttered.

    The room stopped pinning and San wiped away the sweat.He could feel the mana in his veins once more, the not quite tingling of power running through is body.

    ¡°We have work to do,¡± San said.

    ***

    A thumping boomed on the warehouse door.Saddan¡¯s men were guarding it and they glanced to Pavano with questioning looks.

    ¡°We know them,¡± the older man said. ¡°Let them in.¡±

    Three figures staggered into the warehouse.They nearly collapsed onto the floor, barely holding themselves up as they gasped for breath.Saddan¡¯s guards barred the door once more and peered through the thin slit to see if they were followed.

    San stopped what he was doing and approached the men.He had been worried that something had happened to Havatair, he should have returned far sooner.The hours had passed and although San had a lot of work to finish, the thought still niggled at his mind.

    There were two armored soldier and a hooded man.The hooded man stood up and pulled back the hood. It was Histoa.

    ¡°Mage Histoa,¡± San grinned.

    ¡°San,¡± the man returned his smile.¡°I would have come earlier, but things have been busy at the Keep.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Havatair?¡± Elgava asked.

    Histoa frowned. ¡°He¡¯s been captured,¡± he said.

    ¡°The Baron isn¡¯t being controlled by the Hesna cult,¡± a soldier said. ¡°Havatair gave him the drink, practically poured it down his throat, but it did nothing.Esomir¡¯s willingly working with the cult.¡±

    San sighed.He had hoped that Esomir was a puppet of the cult, but it seemed that the man¡¯s lust for power had led him to some god awful bedfellows.¡°Is he going to be alright?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been charged with treason,¡± the second soldier said. ¡°They¡¯re going to hang him.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s getting worst out there,¡± Histoa stated.¡°Those creatures are everywhere and the cult is building more fires.They¡¯re starting to drag people from their homes and make them look into the flames.¡±

    San glanced toward the section of the warehouse they had been working in.He was stripped down to his boxers and covered in sticky imbar and charcoal.Over the last few hours he had managed to produce nearly twenty gallons of Purification.It wasn¡¯t enough.

    The change the black flame caused wasn¡¯t instantaneous.According to Densa it took a long exposure and an entire day afterward to be changed.Densa and those in the temple had been gathered from the Market Square when San had put the fire out.They would have gotten sicker and sicker, until the flame of their souls were snuffed out and the void horrors possessed them.

    Within the next day, all those exposed would be turned.The entire population of White Tower would become shells for the void horrors that were being brought forth.Yet, why were the priests able to command the creatures?

    ¡°-have to help them,¡± Histoa said.

    San blinked, realizing he had missed what the Mage had been saying. ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°The Young Baron,¡± Histoa said. ¡°They¡¯re going to sacrifice him.¡±

    San stared at him in mild shock. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°To bring forth Hesna,¡± one of the soldiers stated. ¡°Young blood, holy blood, regal blood is needed.¡±

    ¡°Holy blood?¡± San asked Vicca who had arrived and was listening to the conversation.

    The bookish woman frowned. ¡°The First Baron built the Senta Temple,¡± she said. ¡°That act blessed his bloodline and I suppose that makes it holy.They¡¯re rulers, so regal blood. And¡­ the Young Baron is still mostly a child.¡±

    ¡°Young souls,¡± San said, glancing to Pavano. The older man nodded.¡°So they¡¯re going to sacrifice the kid to bring their goddess to this world.Then what?¡±

    ¡°There are tales of mages and high ranked cultists summoning Heroes and otherworldly souls into this world,¡± Vicca said, ¡°but summoning a god?I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re playing with magic they barely understand,¡± Densa said.She had regained her complexion, but still looked exhausted.¡°They think what they¡¯re doing is going to work, but we¡¯re already seeing what it will do.They will not summon their goddess, instead they¡¯ll summon some horror from the void.They are fools.They weaken the barrier between this world and the void.If they enact their plan, they will cause a breech and then we¡¯re all doomed.¡±

    ¡°A breech?¡± San asked.

    ¡°When fools mess with ancient magic, it has a tendency to turn upon them,¡± Densa said. ¡°This is what my cult deals with, it tries to stop those who would mess with foul magics.There have been many accounts of fools opening breeches between this world and the void, causing an army of void horrors to enter our world.The last to happen was a thousand years ago, the Blood Campaign in the far east.A demon army burned cities and killed millions.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re going to do it tonight,¡± San said.¡°On the longest night of the year.¡± The sky was already darkening as the day was growing late.The brilliant day had cast over by thick clouds, adding a bit of ominousness to a day full of horrors.¡°We¡¯re going to stop them.¡±

    ¡°We?¡± Saddan said.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I did not-¡°

    ¡°Shut up, Saddan,¡± Saggaris snapped. ¡°These cultist fucks need to be killed or everyone in this city dies, no, not just this city. The entire Barony and Baronies if Lady Densa is right.If they open a breech, then we¡¯re all dead.This isn¡¯t just happening here, it¡¯s probably happening back in the Empire and other places.¡±

    Saddan was silent.

    ¡°It¡¯s the end of the world,¡± San said.¡°If one breech can kill millions, then multiple breeches will lead to such devestation that you¡¯ll barely be able to comprehend it.We can¡¯t stop the others, but we can stop this one.¡±

    ¡°If that is true, then we¡¯re all dead anyway,¡± Saddan said.¡°It¡¯ll be just a matter of time.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re all dead anyway,¡± Markona said. ¡°We¡¯re all gonna die eventually, tomorrow, fifteen years, its all the same.But this is my homeland, I¡¯m not going to let some fuckers open a breech here.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you just talking about fleeing a moment ago?¡± Elgava said.

    The big man glared at her. ¡°That¡¯s before,¡± he said. ¡°If they were just killing folks and grabbing power, I¡¯d be out of here. But this isn¡¯t that, this is killing everyone and destroying the barony.I¡¯ve fought against void horrors for the Baron in the Levy.Soldiers might survive, but your average farmer? Fuck no.They¡¯re dead.¡±

    ¡°Then we have to kill the priests,¡± San said. ¡°There is the head priest, I think he¡¯s powerful.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s Leveled,¡± Densa said. ¡°He¡¯s cruel and powerful.¡±

    San looked at the ragged group and nearly chuckled.¡°Alright, let¡¯s go kill a dark priest bent on bring about the destruction of the world.¡±

 50

    San wondered how in his twenty-eight years of life he had never headed a group of armed revolutionaries in his own world.He hadn¡¯t done anything spectacular since he had arrived to this world, only what he thought was the right course of actions.Defending the caravan, fleeing from being potentially murdered for coming across the gold ore secret, killing the monsters plaguing the komai, and then fighting the battos in their home.

    All of those things were, to him, the right thing to do.He could have walked away, ignored them; it was something that he had done in his own world.How many issues, how many problems, how many people needed his help back in Seattle?He had never fully comprehended that.In his world, there were services and people who would help those in need.

    In this world¡­ everything was so much¡­ dangerous.Monsters prowled the land and there were crazed cults who were trying to end the world.It sounded more like a movie or somekind of bad novel, but it was San¡¯s reality.He had come to this world at the lowest point in his life, but now he stood arming himself for what amounted to a war to save a city full of people he barely knew.

    But doing so, putting his life on the line for now reward, was the right thing to do.It needed to be done.He had it in his power to try and he would do so.

    In his old life, he had the same power, but he never tried.He could have done things different, but the comfort of his old life had been hard to discard.He had focused his life on one thing so much that everything had finally slipped from his grasp in a single moment.

    Densa clasped the straps to his cuirass close.She looked at him, her eyes seemed less bright than normal, as if they had lost an internal light.San could only imagine what she had been through. He had felt the fire the first night and all the terrible thoughts and memories that it had brought up.

    She had come close to losing herself, to becoming one of the creatures swarming the streets.The woman whom they had rescued, she was still sobbing in the rooms upstairs.The mental anguish and suffering they underwent wasn¡¯t minor.

    There would be no easy cure for those people who had been Afflicted.The healed wounds of their suffering and grief had been ripped open and now they felt those griefs as if they were brand new.

    As a healer, San knew Densa had seen and suffered much. She had been in wars and had tried to save lives.Yet the black flame would have consumed her and even if he could have saved her from it, the grief would have been unbearable once more.

    ¡°You¡¯re staring,¡± Densa said as she finished putting his armor on.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± San replied.

    ¡°Thank you for returning for us, for trying to save us,¡± she said.Her voice was low, barely a whisper.

    San was about to respond with his standard ¡®it¡¯s no problem¡¯, but stopped himself.Doing the right thing was only a part of the equation that had made him risk his life to get more Purification.He had done it because they were his companions, even if Densa hadn¡¯t been there for all the craziness he had experienced since coming to this world.

    She was special, someone who did good things and tried her best to make the world better. San admired that, it reminded him far too much of his late wife.Mary had the same kind of spirit, pragmatic, dedicated, but overall caring and helpful to everyone.She had always called it her country upbringing, but that was just modesty.

    ¡°There are few truly good people in the world,¡± San said. ¡°You are one of them.¡±

    Densa stopped what she was doing and looked up at him.Her eyes were brimming with tears.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± she said. ¡°We all have our sins.¡±

    ¡°I know, but that doesn¡¯t preclude you from being a good person.The actions that you do make you a good person, not those moments when you are forced to make the hard decision with limited choices.¡±

    San brushed aside a lock of her hair. ¡°We need your strength and your resolve,¡± San said. ¡°We need your light and your spirit.There are dark times ahead.¡±

    Dena set her head against his cuirass and he could feel her shuddering with barely held back sobs.

    ¡°The world is plunging into darkness,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m terrified.¡±

    ¡°So am I.¡±

    ***

    ¡°You¡¯re a trader, Saggaris,¡± San said.

    ¡°Yeah? Doesn¡¯t mean I know how to enter the Keep and rescue the Young Baron and Havatair.¡±

    ¡°Well, if there¡¯s one thing I know about traders, merchants, and anyone who¡¯s trying to make a bit of coin. You have your methods of getting into places without notice and without paying taxes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just rude,¡± Saggaris replied. ¡°I¡¯m an honest trader.¡±

    Markona snorted with barely contained laughter.

    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± the woman sighed.¡°There are ways into the Keep, some of them aren¡¯t known to the Guards.There¡¯s plenty of rich assholes that like a bit of this and that but they don¡¯t wanna get their slippers dirty coming to the bad end of the city.¡±

    ¡°This big sacrifice,¡± San said, ¡°it has to be in a place of power, right?¡±

    Everyone shrugged.San looked to Vicca and Histoa.

    ¡°I would presume that is the case,¡± the Mage replied.

    ¡°Such rituals are steeped in ceremony, therefore one would have to assume that it needs to be done in a special place.¡±

    ¡°The real only special place is the White Tower,¡± San said. ¡°It¡¯s an Old Kingdom obelisk and if what Vicca says is true, then it is a like a magical lightening rod.¡±

    ¡°The White Tower was built by the Old Kingdom?¡± Saddan asked. The club owner looked confused.

    ¡°It¡¯s been covered up over the centuries,¡± Vicca explained. ¡°I suppose to hide what it is, even the Tribals and Empire didn¡¯t want to destroy something that they might need later on.It¡¯s a source of power that makes this city special.¡±

    San wished he had access to some artillery at that moment. There were cannons and mortars of this world, but those were massive heavy things. He didn¡¯t think he had the time, training, or gunpowder to even get one shot off.

    ¡°We need to get there and stop them,¡± San said.

    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± Markona said.¡°The New Baron¡¯s been pulling in the Levy, sure it ain¡¯t much and they¡¯re half trained idiots, but they¡¯ll do what their leaders tell them to do.¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t most disbanded already?¡± Elgava asked. ¡°It¡¯s standard procedure after they¡¯ve returned from campaign.Donsval won¡¯t give up an extra sar if he doesn¡¯t have to. Once they¡¯re back within the city, they¡¯re just released to go on their merry way.¡±

    ¡°The Levy captains have been ordered to round up the Levy once more, but you¡¯re right.They¡¯ve been scattered for about two days now, so it¡¯ll take some time to round them up.¡±

    ¡°The Guards have sided mostly with Havatair,¡± San said. ¡°Or at least he believed so.¡±

    ¡°If that were true, they¡¯d have freed him already,¡± Saggaris said.

    ¡°He told us to wait,¡± one of the Guard soldiers said, pushing his way forward.After the Guard had returned with Histoa and another Guard, they had been resting for the upcoming fight. ¡°He wanted to try and reason with Esomir, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Aye, the boy¡¯s power hungry and is willing to kill anyone to see himself made king,¡± Pavano stated. ¡°There are plenty of bad rulers, but mad ones are the worst.He¡¯s a loon if he thinks the cultists aren¡¯t going to turn this whole city over to the void.¡±

    ¡°Can we count on the Guard if things gets messy?¡± San asked.

    The Guard frowned and finally shrugged his shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know.We¡¯re the Barony¡¯s protectors, our duty is supposed to be to the Baron,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many will be willing to go against the New Baron.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Saggaris muttered. ¡°If Havatair is freed, will they follow him?¡±

    Again the Guard frowned and then shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know.Plenty of us have followed Havatair for years, he¡¯s the only commander we¡¯ve know.Even the Baron didn¡¯t really have much to do with us, unless we were needed for war.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to trust Havatair¡¯s leadership,¡± San said. ¡°If the Guards are really the Barony¡¯s protectors, then they need to know what the hell is happening out here.They need to see that the Hesna cult is going to kill everyone and turn them into void horrors.¡±

    The Guard only nodded, not saying anything.

    Saggaris was not pleased by the response. ¡°I can get maybe a dozen into the Keep, there are some old passages that were built into the Rock, they lead to various parts around the White Tower and into the Keep itself.If we know where they¡¯re keeping the Young Baron and Havatair we can rescue them.We can then move against the cultist fucks and tear their throats out.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°I heard they¡¯re keeping the Young Baron in his rooms, while Havatair will probably be put into the dungeons.They don¡¯t need him for this ritual, they only need to kill him afterward,¡± the Guard stated. ¡°There are some lesser known ways into the dungeon, there¡¯s an entrance from the Baron¡¯s secondary chambers.¡±

    ¡°Ah, well I suppose it was a good thing the old Baron was a torture loving fuck,¡± Bostarion commented, chuckling darkly. ¡°What kind of sick man has an easy route into his dungeons?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a boon to us,¡± San replied. ¡°We can use it to get to Havatair, release him, and then we¡¯ll see which way the Guards loyalty lies.¡±

    The Guard frowned again, uneasy by the comment.¡°We have been loyal to the Baron since the days of Arigairo Sava.The Guards are descended from the body guards of the great general.¡±

    ¡°Times change, lad,¡± Pavano said. ¡°The New Baron has sold out the city and possibly the entire barony for power.That¡¯s thirty thousand souls he¡¯s giving over to the void.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll most likely cut his dick and balls off too,¡± Bostarion said. ¡°Better to have that fat little shit than this void worshipping fuck.¡±

    San couldn¡¯t help himself, he let out a chuckle.He received an astonished look from Saggaris, who then laughed.Within a moment, everyone was laughing as if the comment was the funniest thing they¡¯d ever heard of.

    The laughter went on for far too long, but in the end, the worry and stress were somewhat relieved.The twelve that would be going readied their weapons and gear.

    In the end it would be San, Elgava, Saggaris, Densa, Markona, the two Guards, Histoa, Bostarion, Herokov, and three fighters.Saddan was not a fighter, but he offered three of his men to help.They volunteered as they too had family and friends within the city and saw what was going on.San was glad for all the help he could get.

    ***

    ¡°Stay safe,¡± San said to Azios.The young man nodded.He carried his crossbow and tried to look stoic as he stood guard over the stairs the led to the upper part of the warehouse.He hadn¡¯t begged to go or tried to join them.San was glad he understood where his true loyalties lay.It was with his family, his brother¡¯s wife and children.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, San,¡± Azios said.He had grown a lot since the first time San had seen him. Half dead and half frozen, trying to reach White Tower to save his sick sister-in-law.

    ¡°I know you will, Azios. You¡¯re a good man and I trust you.¡±

    The young man nodded again and then wiped his eyes. ¡°Be safe,¡± he said.

    San pulled him into a hug.He gripped him tight, feeling a sudden emotion hitting him.He hadn¡¯t known the young man for more than a month, but it felt as if he were apart of his entire life.

    San had brothers, but this felt different.It wasn¡¯t the slightly antagonistic relationship he had with his own siblings, this relationship was different.Not deeper nor more loving, just different.

    ¡°We¡¯ll put a stop to this and we¡¯ll be back,¡± San said.

    ¡°Aye, we¡¯ll be waiting.¡±

    It was the second time he had this type of conversation with the young man, San realized.The first had been when he was going with the Mage and the others to destroy the batto cavern.Now he was on a more dangerous mission, trying to stop the cultists from killing the city.He paused to wonder how his life had come to this.Never in all his years back in his own world had he ever come anywhere close to trying to defeat a evil within the city.

    He already said his farewells to the others, Pavano, Endaha, the kids, and even Vicca whom he barely knew.The priestess was unconscious, dosed full of Purification and hit with some Power from Densa.San didn¡¯t know if anything would help the woman.She seemed like a true believer and facts, discussion, and Power wouldn¡¯t change her mind or stance.

    There was another option to deal with her, but San wouldn¡¯t allow it.There was killing in the the midst of fighting to save your life and then there was killing what amounted to prisoners of war.He wasn¡¯t about to cross that line and wouldn¡¯t allow anyone else to either.They had to be better than that.

    As he headed for the warehouse door, where everyone was gathering, San spotted Elgava sitting by herself.She still didn¡¯t look fully recovered from her experience and hadn¡¯t been open about what she had undergone.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± San asked, as he neared Elgava.

    The woman glanced up at him and slowly nodded her head. ¡°Aye, I¡¯m fine,¡± she said, but she didn¡¯t sound fine.

    San waited for her to respond.He knew Elgava, the days they had spent together after the batto fight had formed a friendship.He doubted that he would have befriended the brash woman, but they had been thrown together by fate and bonded over saving one another¡¯s lives.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead, San,¡± Elgava said, her voice catching with emotion.

    ¡°What? Who?¡±

    ¡°Digario,¡± she said. ¡°My brother.¡± Elgava took a long breath, wiping her watering eyes.¡°He¡¯s in Sentari, aye, but not for the winter.He¡¯s in the ground.¡±She choked up and clenched her eyes shut.

    ¡°Oh, Elgava. I¡¯m sorry for your loss,¡± San said. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a stupid shit,¡± Elgava said, trying to catch her breath.¡°One out of every one hundred hearths, that¡¯s the Levy.I already volunteered and then he goes and joins again.The damn fool.¡± She closed her eyes and took another steadying breath. ¡°The damn fool.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here if you need me, Elgava.I know how much it hurts to lose someone you love.¡±

    The soldier nodded. ¡°Aye, we all do, it seems.Not anyone¡¯s free of grief in this world.¡±

    San nodded, feeling a worrying pit in his stomach.Grief, the black flame preyed on it.What had Hetvana¡¯s Hero proclaimed?Grief would be his salvation.

    Everyone it seemed carried around grief within them.This world was not a kind one, but then again no world was.Yet time tended to heal all wounds, even if it took a long, long time.The black flame grabbed hold of every miserable memory and amplified it, all those healed wounds were reopened and every emotion was fresh once more.The flame used that grief to smash against their resolve in order to break them.

    They stood there for a while, not saying anything.Elgava wiped her eyes and steadied herself.She gave him a sad smile and then proceeded to check her weapons.She, unlike him, wasn¡¯t wearing armor.She had lost her brigandine on the trek back from the Old Kingdom forest. Instead she wore some chainmail she had gotten from somewhere and thick leather bracers. It wasn¡¯t much, but it would protect her from slashes and minor cuts.She also carried her short sword, a dagger, and an arming sword, along with a shield.

    Besides the soldiers and Markona, they carried the most arms among the men.Saddan¡¯s men only carried what looked like bats or clubs, one even sporting some brass knuckles.Bostarion had replaced some of his lost gear, but he had been a ranger, not a soldier.He carried his crossbow and daggers.

    Histoa was meditating beside the fire.San hadn¡¯t talked to him much, but the young Mage was a good man.He would have their backs and he could trust him.As if feeling San¡¯s eyes on him, Histoa opened his eyes and looked back at him.

    San nodded to him and the Mage nodded back, gracefully rising to his feet.

    San cleared his throat, bringing some silence to the room.

    ¡°We¡¯re off, now,¡± he said. ¡°The city and its citizens are relying on us to stop this evil that the Hesna cult is planning. We have all seen the horrors that void creatures bring and those horrors will be exponential if this city falls to the cult.We are on the brink of devastation that is near unimaginable.If we fail, the city dies.Therefore we must not fail.For the sake of the citizens in White Tower and our very souls, we must defeat the evil that plagues our city.¡±

    There were no cheers or applause, but San could see the firm determination in the gaze of everyone gathered. They knew the consequences of what would happen if they failed.They knew that the city would be destroyed.And they were ready to do what was necessary to save it.

    ***

    The late afternoon was colder than San remembered. It was as if all warmth had been sucked out of the city, turing the air icy and dry.The sky had thickened with clouds, turning darker shades of gray, even as the sun began to ease toward the western horizon.

    Saggaris was in the lead with Saddan¡¯s fighters taking the rear.The rest were bunched up in the center, trying to look in every direction and jerking at every noise.The city was too damn quiet and San winced at every crunch of boot on the snow or every snap of ice.

    There was a wrongness in the air, like a miasma that invaded his senses and dulled his thoughts.It was everywhere, the entire city holding it¡¯s breath, trying as hard as possible to not move, not make a noise, and not draw notice to themselves.

    They all stopped when a scream echoed down the streets.It was followed by the boom of a rifle, not the shaper crack of a pistol.There was only one group that had access to gunpowder weapons, the Guards.

    ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± Saggaris whispered.¡°We run.¡±

    San nodded and glanced to Densa.The woman was still sickly looking, but her eyes were once again bright, this time with fear and worry.He gripped her hand in his and she gave him a tight smile. She was the only one who would not fight, but her skills would be needed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll not slow us down,¡± Densa whispered to him.To San it sounded more like a prayer.

    They hustled down an alleyway, their boots crushing ice and snow, their weapons jangling, and their breaths sounding explosively loud in the narrow lumber canyons.

    Saggaris pulled them to a stop outside of a sagging storage house that had seen better days.The paint had once been gaudy, but now it was faded and peeling, the wooden sides warped and gnarled with age.

    There was another boom of rifle fire, followed by half a dozen quick shots that sounded like volley fire.

    ¡°The street¡¯s clear,¡± Markona stated.

    ¡°Move.¡±

    They rushed toward the storage building, Saggaris shoving the door open with her shoulder and everyone piling into it.They crashed into the dusty room and slammed the door shut.San breathed heavily as he and the others peered through the cracks in the walls to see if they had been noticed.

    Twelve people running in armor and with weapons wasn¡¯t a quiet act.They instinctively huddled together and stilled their breath as they heard the clatter of feet and screeching.

    A handful of the Afflicted rushed by the storage house, with purpose.San watched in the waning light, noting how different these ones seemed. He only knew of two previous nights where the black flame burned, but for all he knew it could have been going on earlier than that.When had the Hensa cult arrived?He didn¡¯t know, but he did know they didn¡¯t have a strong position in the city.

    The Afflicted, the older ones, didn¡¯t seem human anymore.Their limbs were rail thin, their clothing in tatters, they were covered in wounds, injuries, and frostbite, but whatever controlled their bodies didn¡¯t seem to notice or care.

    Yet even as the bodies of the Afflicted were being destroyed, they were also changing.Becoming more inhuman as whatever possessed them lingered within.The skull was becoming elongated, their mouths and jaws seemingly expanding, and the ends of their fingers, where the frostbite and injuries wore away the nails, long deadly looking claws were beginning to form.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be able to be healed,¡± Densa whispered beside him.She was watching the figures, her mouth in a tight frown.¡°They¡¯re far too gone already.¡±

    How much time did they have to reverse the Affliction?The woman they rescued; she had been one of the creatures, but she was too distraught with what she had been through to tell them anything beyond the grief she had felt.

    If they stopped this ritual, if they stopped the opening of a Breach, then would that stop the Afflicted?Would the magic that the Hesna cult invoked dissipate once they were defeated?No one but the cultists had an answer to that one.

    One way or another, the issue would be resolved by nightfall.

    ¡°This way,¡± Saggaris said.San saw that most had already moved deeper into the storage house, following Markona into the bowels of the building.Like the Senta Temple, the storage house had a small back room with aladder into the floor. A pair of men were in the room, two men San had never met.They were big, scarred, and looked tough, but San could sense the fear oozing off of them.They might have been guards, but it was clear they were hiding.

    ¡°Panchavi¡¯s gonna be pissed,¡± one of the big men said.His eyes bugged even wider as he saw San.¡°This fucker is with you?Sweet Senta, Saggaris.Panchavi¡¯s aching to put a knife between his ribs.¡±

    ¡°Get around, don¡¯t you?¡± Saggaris said, looking at San.

    ¡°I suppose,¡± San replied.

    ¡°You come walking in from Tribal territory, those tree fuckers didn¡¯t tie you up and leave you to die, so I guess they either owe you something or you¡¯ve done something for them. Then you somehow manage to meet everyone in White Tower that means anything.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Panchavi¡¯s one of the people who mean anything,¡± San said. ¡°He¡¯s an asshole and a extorter.¡±

    Saggaris shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s got money, he¡¯s got power, and he¡¯s got connections.¡± Saggaris shrugged again. ¡°I guess that don¡¯t matter if we fail tonight.¡±

    The others lowered themselves into the hole in the ground, San followed suit and found himself within a wide tunnel. It wasn¡¯t a sewer, but instead looked like an old escape tunnel.Saggaris handed out lanterns and they began moving down it.Behind them, the two men shut a heavy door.The thumping of the closing door gave a sense of finality to their endeavor.There was no turing back for any of them.They failed or they won.

    The dark tunnel beckoned and the only sounds were the scraping of boots against stone and the metallic clinking of buckles and armor.

 51

    The secret tunnel into the Keep was a well travelled path.San noted that there was little dust, debris, or the cobwebs he expected to see from watching too many movies.He even saw graffiti written on the walls that made Densa shake her head at.He would need to learn to read the Imperial script one of these days.It was probably something profane.

    The tunnel was not a straight one, nor did it only have one path to take, there were side tunnels and it twisted and felt as if it turned in on itself several times.Within half an hour, San was utterly confused as to where they were going.He supposed that was the entire point.

    They finally came to a iron framed door.Saggaris tapped a series of knocks upon the heavy wood and it swung open with barely a noise.A man with a sword and shield stood in the doorframe, he blinked at the lanterns and there was a murmur of voices behind him.

    With his height, San could see into the room.The terrified eyes of men and women and children flickered in the lantern light.He could see the rich clothing on many, but also the red and white uniform of the Barony servants.

    ¡°How¡¯s it up there?¡± Saggaris asked the man.

    ¡°Fucked up,¡± the man replied.He glanced over his shoulder at the scared faces and grimaced. ¡°They¡¯re killing anyone who raises an objection. Wholesale murder, even the rich komai and moneymen aren¡¯t being spared.¡±

    ¡°When the other komai hear about this, it¡¯s gonna be civil war,¡± Markona said.

    ¡°Aye, but will there be anything left when the night¡¯s over?¡± Bostarion asked. ¡°Those komai will be plagued with thirty thousand void horrors spreading out across the whole barony to worry about their dead relatives.¡±

    That sobered up Markona and caused an increase in the looks of fear from the gathered refugees.

    ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re gonna do?¡± the man asked Saggaris.She glanced back to the people behind her, catching San¡¯s eye.

    ¡°Free Havatair, then kill those Hensa fucks,¡± she said.

    The man didn¡¯t say anything, but he allowed them to pass.There were at least three dozen people in the room, packed tightly and the whole place stank of fear and sweat.San wondered why they stayed in the room, there were tunnels beyond the door, but then realized there was only one lantern in the room.The tunnels were dark and convoluted, a poor place to rush into without light or knowledge of how to get out.

    Saggaris allowed Histoa to take the lead.The Mage knew the Keep far better than anyone else, although it seemed he hadn¡¯t known about the Baron¡¯s secret entrance to his torture playground.The man stopped at the top of the stairs and held his hands up, a faint orange light illuminated the darkened corridor.

    ¡°Life Trace,¡± he said at Sans¡¯ questioning look.Although had never tried to push San on where he had come from, Histoa knew San knew almost next to nothing about Power and Magic or Mana.He, at least, attempted to explain some of the things he was doing when he saw San¡¯s confused expression.

    Histoa pushed the door open on silent hinges.They were in another room, by the looks of it a store room or some forgotten part of the Keep.It was clean and there were well stacked wicker baskets holding tools, cloth, and various bits of equipment.

    ¡°I know where we are,¡± Histoa said.He closed his eyes, mumbling under his breath. ¡°We¡¯re on the southwestern edge of the Keep, there¡¯s more store houses, some servant quarters, and staircases around this area.If we¡¯re looking for the Baron¡¯s secondary chambers, it¡¯ll be close to here, down several corridors and fairly secluded.¡±

    ¡°Works for us,¡± Bostarion said.He loaded his crossbow and checked his weapons. The others did the same.

    San glanced to Densa, who looked worried.She gave him a faint smile in return.

    ¡°I¡¯ll lead,¡± Histoa said. ¡°I¡¯m not on the wanted lists, so maybe if they see me, I can buy us a few seconds.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to kill anyone that¡¯s Afflicted,¡± Densa said. ¡°They can be cured.¡±

    Markona snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll kill whoever tries to kill me, Lady Densa.The city is at stake and those things are becoming less than people every hour they¡¯re out there.¡±

    Densa didn¡¯t respond, her expression showing what she felt by his words.Markona tried to stare her down, but her smoldering expression only caused him to turn away.

    They exited the store room and moved as quickly and quietly as a dozen people in full armor could.The corridors were empty, devoid of life and noise that San had noted the first time he had arrived to the Keep all those days ago.There had been a lot of people rushing about, scores of servants, workers, and other people who all contributed to the logistics of running the Keep.

    The only noise that could be heard were the occasional roars of rifle fire and the screeching noises of the Afflicted.It gave a haunting quality to the Keep, the muffled cries of people, the distant screeching and gunfire, and an occasional loud cry of terror that pierced the unnatural quiet.

    Everyone was tensed, their heads on a swivel as they moved.A collective sigh of relief was had when they entered the secondary chambers of the Baron and finally closed the heavy wooden door behind them.The group nearly sagged against the walls and wiped sweat from their brows.

    ¡°The door¡¯s over here,¡± one of the Guards gestured.The two Guards and Histoa moved to a bookcase.San nearly chuckled at the sight.Was there a more obvious place to put a secret door?He looked to the fireplace and wondered if one was hidden behind it too.

    The bookcase creaked on rusty hinges as they pulled it from the wall.Another door sat behind it, flushed against the stone and painted the same color.There was no latch, but one of the Guards took a tool from a book and slipped it into a slot.There was an audible click and the door was pushed inward.

    San could feel the cold air wafting out of the staircase, but also something else.A bitter smell of sweat, fear, and blood.He wasn¡¯t the only one to notice it, Elgava visibly grimacing at the smell and Herokov¡¯s face creasing so much San thought he would fold in on himself.

    ¡°Senta that¡¯s rank,¡± Bostarion muttered.

    No one responded to the comment.The lantern they carried was relit and some candles were pulled from the candelabras that were scattered about the richly decorated room.The sense of wrongness was a cloying presence as they headed down the tightly wound spiral staircase.It was as if decades of misery and pain were manifested into a miasma that lay thick in the air.

    Another door blocked their way, but the Guards peered through a slot and gestured that it was clear beyond.The miasma of suffering was intense, nearly causing San to gag.He saw that everyone else shared his expression.

    The dungeon wasn¡¯t what San had seen in popular culture.There were no guttering torches, no rusty cages, and no maniacal torturer heating iron pokers in stoves. Instead the room was fairly wide and open, it was also clean, and if not for the smell, San would have thought it was a storage room.

    There was a wide open central chamber and along the walls were a dozen stout doors with iron hinges.Oil lanterns lit up the room, their metal back reflectors providing more than enough light to see that the entire place was empty.

    Except for one figure, chained and left hanging in the center of the room.

    Havatair was a mess of bruises and shallow cuts along his torso.The big man had been stripped naked and castrated.Blood pooled beneath him and a fleshy mess lay discarded on the floor beside him.

    ¡°Sweet Senta,¡± Markona gasped.The acerbic man turned and loudly vomited upon the stone floor.

    San felt the man¡¯s queasiness as he and Densa rushed to his side.San undid the simple pin manacles around his hands and eased him to the floor.He was dead weight, barely making a whimper as they laid him down upon the filthy blood soaked stone floor.

    ¡°Senta, Mother of life,¡± Densa whispered as she wrapped her hands about Havatair¡¯s own.She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his bloody face, her words coming fast.¡°Give me power, give me the healing grace, let me save this man¡¯s life and ease his pain.¡±

    San could feel the mana in the air, he could feel as Densa condensed it with her touch, creating a small ball of light that flowed from her forehead and into the man.Havatair shuddered and his eyes snapped open.

    ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°I will not break.¡± He began coughing raggedly, blood flecking his lips.

    San held him down as he began to struggle.

    ¡°No!¡± he screamed.

    He had levels and San wasn¡¯t strong enough to hold the man down.Havatair grabbed him by the neck and with a swing of his arm had San tossed across the room.San crashed against the stone walls in a clatter of armor and weapons.He groaned with pain.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Havatair rose to his feet, his eyes wide and insane.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you all!¡± he screamed.

    Elgava collided with him in a flying tackle.Although Havatair out leveled her, his madness and her weight threw him off balance. The big man fell heavily to the ground and San jumped to his feet.He joined Elgava and used his body weight to hold him down.

    ¡°Be Calmed,¡± Densa said, laying her hands on the sides of his head.Havatair struggled, his eyes still wide and filled with madness, but after a moment his struggling stilled.

    San watched with fascination as his eyes began to focus and he came back to himself.He stared up at San and Elgava, his chest heaving.

    ¡°Senta,¡± he whispered. ¡°You should have just let me die.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± San said. ¡°But we need you.We need your strength.The cultists¡­¡±

    Havatair went limp; he stared at the darkened ceiling.¡°I have sworn my oath,¡± he said. ¡°I have sworn to protect the Barony.I will not be broken.¡± His voice was raspy and each word seemed like a struggle to produce. ¡°I will see them all destroyed.¡±

    Elgava appeared at their side, she carried some robes and handed it to them.Havatair looked lost for a moment, staring down at his bloodied hands and finally seeing what had been done to him.He blinked and continued to stare.

    ¡°You¡¯re alive, that¡¯s all that matters,¡± Densa said softly. ¡°We need you, Havatair.We need you to command the Guards and stop the Hesna cult from killing everyone.¡±

    The words were a lifeline to the man.He grabbed onto them and his resolved firmed as he snatched the clothing out of Elgava¡¯s hand.No one said anything, although San could see the horror etched in everyone of their faces.The two Guards looked completely shocked, but that soon turned into anger.

    Being casterated and hung in the dungeon to die a sad and lonely death; San could not imagine what Havatair was going through.The man focused on putting on the robes, his flesh might have been healed, but there was no telling what this had done to his soul.

    The bloody lump of flesh on the floor was avoided by all, it wasn¡¯t looked at or commented on.Everyone pretended it wasn¡¯t there.Havatair looked at what represented his manhood and his face hardened even further.

    Havatair was a powerful man in this Barony and even in San¡¯s world, powerful men did not lack bedfellows. How would the deed done to him effect the way others would see him.San had heard plenty of people mocking the Last Emperor¡¯s Son for what he had done to himself in his fanatical zeal.The Hesna cultists were mocked for self castrating themselves.

    ¡°We find these cultists and we kill them,¡± Havatair said, his voice was deadly cold and San shivered.¡°No mercy, no hesitation. They all die.¡±

    San could feel the emotion pouring off the man.It wasn¡¯t for the city he now moved, it was personal.The big man pushed by San and lead them back up to the secondary chambers.San shared a look with Densa, the healer looked tired and concerned.

    ¡°He may be physically healed, but one cannot comprehend the emotional pain he is under,¡± she told him.

    Havatair was their only chance at turning the tides against the Hesna cult.They needed the Guards on their side, they needed the Leveled soldiers to stand with Havatair and against the cultists.

    San glanced toward the door as Havatair disappeared up it.

    ***

    There was a pair of decorative short swords crossed upon a wall.Havatair walked up to them and pulled the blades down.They were decorative, but they were still weapons.He swung them a bit and nodded to himself, glancing at the others as they exited the secret doorway.

    ¡°Do we know where the fucking cultists are?¡± Havatair asked.

    ¡°We think they¡¯ll be at the White Tower,¡± San replied. ¡°It is an Old Kingdom obelisk, a structure of power.They need it.¡±

    ¡°Aye,¡± Havatair said, not surprised by the information. ¡°We should have destroyed the damn thing long ago. Now it comes back to haunt us all.¡±

    ¡°Will you be alright?¡± Markona asked Havatair.The two big men glared at one another.

    ¡°I am healed,¡± Havatair said simply.

    Markona nodded and headed for the door, leading the way.San could see the flash of anger and rage that stitched its way across Havatair¡¯s face.

    The double doors that led into the Baron¡¯s secondary chambers were carelessly pulled opened by Markona.The man cast a look over his shoulder at the others, a smirk on his lips.

    ¡°Come, glory and murder await us.Let us show these Hensa fuck-¡°his words were suddenly cut off by a scream.

    In his moment of grandstanding he had not seen the Afflicted that had been outside the doors. The thin man with greasy hair andtattered red and white robes snapped his head up, a heavy cleaver in one hand and madness in his eyes. A brigandine is powerful armor, but it does not protect the entire body.

    As Markona turned to look at the others, the cleaver wielding Afflicted swung his blade and with the power only those that used every fiber of their muscle and didn¡¯t care for the injuries sustained slashed it across Markona¡¯s exposed chest.San could hear the crunch and clatter of steel plates that were torn loose from the fabric they were riveted to.The heard Markona scream in pain and shock and then the splatter of blood on the stone.

    The Afflicted barely had enough time to finish their swing before Havatair was there, his giant frame nearly filling the entire doorway.He lashed out at the attacker, the two swords flickering and the bisected man flopping to the ground, still screeching.His dying screams were drowned out by Markona¡¯s own as he bled out on the floor.

    Havatair grabbed Markona by the armor and pulled him into the room, sliding him across the floor that was already slicked with his blood.Densa and San rushed to him, pulling away the fabric and bits of steel plates.Saggaris frowned down at him, wincing at the wound.

    ¡°Sweet Senta, it hurts,¡± Markona hissed.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Densa said. ¡°A flesh wound.¡±

    ¡°He damn near cleaved my chest open,¡± Markona said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Ey, you¡¯re pretty heartless though,¡± Saggaris said watching as Densa and San stemmed the flow of blood, clean the wound, and then the healer began pulling the wound together with her mana.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Bostarion muttered. ¡°They¡¯re coming.¡±

    San cocked his head and he could hear the screeching and thundering of feet as more Afflicted were beckoned by their dying brethren¡¯s call.The two Guards and Bostarion rushed to slam the doors shut.They barred it with a heavy wooden plank and stared at one another as the first of the Afflicted appeared down the corridor.

    ¡°They¡¯ve seen us,¡± Bostarion hissed.

    ¡°He¡¯ll live,¡± Densa announced looking down at Markona.The big man hissed and rubbed his chest.

    ¡°Not fully healed,¡± he said.

    ¡°It¡¯s a lot of damage.A small bit of healing can save a man¡¯s life, but too much healing will only drain me,¡± Densa remarked.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t stop you from healing up Havatair.¡± Markona groaned and looked down at the bloody mess down his armor. ¡°Hetvana¡¯s cunt, this was just fixed a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°Better broken armor than broken body,¡± Elgava snapped. ¡°You¡¯re alive, now shut up.¡±

    ¡°Girl,¡± Markona began.

    ¡°Shut up, Marko,¡± Saggaris snapped.¡°The most of these Afflicted we¡¯ve seen haven¡¯t been carrying weapons. It looks like they¡¯re a bit damned more dangerous if they¡¯re armed.It takes a lot of effort to tear through armor.¡±

    San glanced down at his own rusted steel cuirass.It was battered, dinged, dented, and rusted in spots, with no maintenance done upon it since before its former owner had died in it.The same went for the rest of his armor.The Afflicted were strong, but if they could punch through steel plates, then they were far more dangerous than before.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t see any weapons on these ones,¡± Bostarion remarked.He paused as a crack resounded.Everyone looked to the door, to see the heavy beam beginning to crack under the strain, along with the rest of the double doors.¡°They¡¯re gonna break through.¡±

    ¡°Let them come,¡± Havatair said, his voice was low and he rolled his shoulders, the twin short swords in his hands.

    ¡°They¡¯re people,¡± Densa pleaded. ¡°They can be healed.¡±

    ¡°Night is falling,¡± Havatair said. ¡°If the boy is sacrificed and the breach is open, we¡¯re all dead.¡± There was a terrifying calmness to his voice.¡°We cannot save them all, Lady Densa.We cannot let the cultists to go through with their plans.This city, this barony, will be saved.¡±

    Densa looked to San, as if asking for him to back her up.San pressed his lips into a firm line. ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± San said. ¡°They¡¯re people, but they¡¯re not people right now. We have to stop the cultists. At all costs.¡±

    San pulled his sword from its sheath, the first time he had done so since he arrived in the keep.The enchanted blade didn¡¯t look any different than any sword, there was no gleam to it, no sign that there was mana keeping it sharp, maintained, and durable.

    ¡°Senta forgive us,¡± Elgava whispered. ¡°Senta forgive us all.¡±

    ¡°We doing this?¡± Bostarion roared.He and the others were being pushed back from the door.Markona groaned, trying to get to his feet, but failing.The healing might have saved his life, but he was weak.

    ¡°Open it!¡± Havatair roared.

    Markona cursed as Saggaris and Elgava pulled him to his feet.He nearly fell back down again, but leaned against a desk, shakily holding a weapon shoved into his hands.

    The three men threw themselves away from the door.It exploded open, clipping a Guard¡¯s boot and causing him to crash to the ground.The door slammed against the wall, bounced back and hit the first Afflicted to rush into the room.There was a crack of bone and a spray of blood, the Afflicted collapsed to the ground, hampering its fellows.

    Bostarion and Saggaris grabbed the fallen Guard and pulled him to safety.San and Havatair rushed to the opened door. The small entryway was the bottleneck they needed.If they could hold them here, they would¡­ what? Kill them all, San finished.They would kill them all as they were stuck in that bottleneck.

    San yelled as he rushed to the door, his sword raised.He kept yelling as the blade slashed down as the first figure to push their way into the room.The enchanted weapon bisected the woman, the diagonal slash across her torso beginning from the left side of her neck and ending a her right armpit.

    There was barely any resistance, like using a sharp pair of scissors to cut a sheet of paper.The blade practically moved on its own, parting meat, bone, and sending a cascade of hot blood against San¡¯s armor.

    The hot copper smell hit him and the woman let out a strangled gargle.Her black void eyes stared at him as she fell, her head and arm falling to the right and the rest of her body staggered forward with its previous momentum.

    San barely had time to register what he had done, before there was another screaming, snarling face trying to push its way through the door.The twisted face was barely human anymore, the skin had been pulled taunt across their skull, their teeth were broken and bleeding, and strange protrusions began bulging from beneath their skin, producing a foul smelling black fluid.

    They were still people though.They were people who were caught up in the power grabs and insanity caused by fanatics and madmen.They were the victims here and San felt his heart break as he brought the sword down upon the figure.They didn¡¯t deserve this, but it was either them or the entire city.They had to stop the cultist. They had to prevent a breach from occurring. They had to-

    San wiped the blood from his gauntlets and stared into the bloody chunks that were left of the Afflicted. Living, breathing men and women, who had families, people who loved them and people that they loved, reduced to piles of stinking flesh.San staggered out of the door and vomited against a wall.

    No one said anything as they tentatively exited the room, the eyes of the men and women didn¡¯t meet San¡¯s or Havatair¡¯s, instead they looked ahead, down the corridor, and out toward the White Tower that was bathed in the setting sunlight.

    ¡°Come on,¡± San said, pushing himself off the wall and into the empty corridor.His boots echoed down the silent hall, it took a few moments before they were joined by the others as they left the room.

 52

    The death rattle of the Keep was one of distant howls, screeching, and the occasional echoing of sobbing and running feet.San had led the way out of the Baron¡¯s secondary chambers, but it was Havatair that knew the way toward the White Tower.

    The man knew his way around the Keep.Both the official passageways and the lesser known passageways frequented by servants and others who wanted to keep a low profile.

    The twelve filed after him, no words were spoken and the weight of what they had just done to the Afflicted was weighting on their souls.San tried to push away the thoughts, but the stink of blood was still on his armor, it was splashed liberally on his own tattered robes and he could feel the tackiness of it dripping between the plates of his gauntlets.

    He was stained by the blood and he reeked of it.A thought bubbled up in his mind, the image of a woman scrubbing her hand and never being able to remove the spot of blood upon it.She had killed only one man, but he had killed so many.His hands were drenched in blood.

    But what should he have done? What choice did they have?It was either kill them, be killed by them, let them go and have the entire city killed.San pushed down the emotion that threatened to claw its way up form the depths of his soul.The math was pure shit, but a few dozen lives versus thousands.He had done that arithmetic before and it had destroyed him.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Densa whispered to him.San nearly jerked in surprise, not noticing she had come up beside him.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said too quickly.

    Densa didn¡¯t say anything, instead she set a hand on his arm.San looked down the hand, seeing that it was stained by the blood from the people he had killed.

    They moved up a flight of stairs, narrow and twisting, which led to another landing.Beyond the doorway were more corridors and rooms; the need to stop the cultists and the impatience that created had turned the Keep into a sprawling complex of stairs and strange corridors.

    ¡°Hall¡¯s clear,¡± a Guard stated.

    The door was opened and they began to head down a corridor.The eeriness of the abandoned Keep caused the hairs on San¡¯s neck to rise.He wasn¡¯t the only one, as he noted Elgava and Bostarion both looking about nervously.

    ¡°Halt, in the name of the King,¡± a voice boomed.

    The group skidded to a halt as a figure stepped out of a darkened room.San blinked, he hadn¡¯t even noticed there was a door there.San blinked again as two dozen soldiers appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

    ¡°Hevanar,¡± Havatair said in greeting.

    ¡°Illusion Mage,¡± Histoa said beside San.The young Mage frowned and looked discomforted. ¡°He was the one who allowed us to escape in the first place. Was it a trick?Have I just led us into a trap?¡±

    ¡°The scum and filth will be wiped from this world,¡± Hevanar stated, his voice loud and booming. ¡°You, Havatair, bastard son, are such scum and filth. You have chosen to stand against the coming of the goddess Hesna and her chosen ruler, King Esomir.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not even Baron yet,¡± Havatair spat.¡°Can¡¯t be claiming himself king when he¡¯s not even taken control of the city yet.¡±

    ¡°The goddess Hesna will see to that.Now lay down your arms and bring forth the one named Sanjay.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve beaten me, tortured me, and are killing this city, this barony,¡± Havatair said, ¡°and you expect me to just do as you say?¡±

    ¡°You lack a choice here, traitor.Give up the one named Sanjay and you shall all live to see the coming of Hesna and the glory she brings.¡±

    ¡°You are no follower of Hesna!¡± Histoa shouted.The Mage glared at the man. ¡°How often have you told of the blindness those that follow the cults indulge in?How often have you warned me against the fanaticism of the cults? What has taken hold of you?¡±

    ¡°I have seen the void and I have seen the glory that awaits all who submit to Hesna,¡± the man said.His stared at them, a sheen of madness in his eyes. ¡°I have seen what is to come.The crucible that will test mankind and show we are worthy of the love of the gods.¡±

    The words tickled San¡¯s mind.It had been what Hetvana¡¯s hero had said too.That the time would come where mankind would have to prove they were worthy of the god¡¯s attentions.

    ¡°I am Sanjay,¡± San announced.He felt Densa grab at his arm, but he ignored it.

    ¡°You.¡± Hevanar said, his face was expressionless, but his eyes burned bright.¡°You will come with us.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± San demanded.

    ¡°Foreign Blood,¡± Hevanar said, ¡°Blood not of this land, not of this world, blood from beyond the Void.¡± The man grinned, his smile too wide and blood flecking his teeth.

    San felt a chill run through him.Did this man know he was not from this world? If so, how?The name of Foreigner had always been attributed to him, but this was the first time anyone appeared to have seen beyond his non-Imperial nature.

    ¡°I have come to stop the cultists,¡± San replied. ¡°I will not come with you and all who would stand against me, will die.The city outside tears itself apart, the cultists seek to turn its citizens into monsters, now they intend to open a breach into the void to bring forth more of these horrors.¡±

    ¡°All the will of Hesna,¡± the Mage said.

    ¡°Fool,¡± Havatair spat. ¡°Our people are dying out there.They¡¯re being murdered, they¡¯re being turned into monsters.¡± Havatair glared at the soldiers behind the Mage. ¡°Every-fucking-one of you vowed to protect the barony and its people.What are you doing now?You stand by madmen, power hungry fools, and the very people who are killing your loved ones. Your mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, lovers, and children. Out there.¡± Havatair stabbed his finger toward the city. ¡°They are dying and being subjected to the flame that snuffs out their souls. While you stand there, pissing yourselves and allowing your families to die.¡±

    ¡°Blessed are those that walk in Senta¡¯s light,¡± Havatair continued. ¡°When Kazo judges your souls, will he see that you stood against murder and madness or that you cowered as your kin were slaughter like animals and cursed forever to house void horrors?¡±

    ¡°Silence, traitor,¡± Hevanar snapped.

    ¡°Fuck this,¡± a soldier snapped. ¡°I have family here.¡±

    ¡°My sister and her children live here!¡± another cried.

    Hevanar glared at the soldiers behind him as their resolve began to shatter.¡°You choose to betray your Baron, your King?¡± He roared.

    ¡°Hevanar!¡± Histoa shouted.The young Mage pushed himself forward, his face contorted into anger and an emotion that San didn¡¯t recognize. Shame, guilt, sorrow?¡°I have been your pupil for many years. You were the one to find me and raise me up.¡±Tears seemed to gleam in the man¡¯s eyes.¡°But what you speak now is false.The cultists seek to destroy our land and subject the living to a hell they will not escape from.Stand with us, old friend, or stand aside.¡±

    ¡°Young Histoa, there will be only Hesna¡¯s grace that comes for us all.To stand against her is to jeopardize your soul.¡±

    ¡°For the respect I hold for you, Hevanar. Step aside.¡± Histoa swallowed.¡°I will not ask again.¡±

    ¡°In the ways of the ancient Mages,¡± Hevanar began, ¡°the student must always best their master to be considered worthy.¡±

    Histoa straightened his back and scowled at the older man. ¡°You do not wish to do this, old friend.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°The path is clear, young Histoa.You have chosen to stand against our goddess and the actions of her divine chosen.Therefore you are my enemy.¡±

    One moment the older man stood with the soldiers and the next, he and the soldiers disappeared and in their place were scores of screaming Afflicted.

    Markona cursed, Havatair readied himself, and Bostarion fired his crossbow.The bolt flashed into the mob, but it touched none of the creatures. Instead the bolt vanished through the first Afflicted and then proceeded to clatter down the corridor.

    ¡°Illusion,¡± Histoa shouted. ¡°He¡¯s an Illusion Mage.¡±

    The roar of gunpowder weapons filled the air.San felt something slam into his chest and throw him back. He staggered into a man behind him and the two clattered to the ground. San gasped for breath, feeling pain radiate across his ribs and a hot burning sensation in his side.

    The screaming Afflicted¡¯s screams were replaced by the screams of injuries and the clash of steel.

    ¡°San!¡± Densa skidded to his side, slapping a hand on his shoulder.

    He felt warmth ebb through him and a wrenching pain in his side.He looked down to see a fist sized dent in his armor and a hole punched through the center of it, from it flowed blood.He had been shot.

    Densa worked her magic and San felt the burning pain dissipate.He watched as she held out a hand and a warped ball of lead eased its way out of his dented armor.San stared at it, transfixed by the lead shot that would have killed him in any other circumstances.He looked to Densa and she gave him a grim smile.San pulled himself to his feet; the sounds of fighting rousing him.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna be okay,¡± Densa said, she had already left San¡¯s side and was bent over another man.One of Saddan¡¯s fighters.The man had been shot in the chest too, but he hadn¡¯t had San¡¯s armor to protect him. The ugly wound was pumping out blood and pooling around his body.San saw he wouldn¡¯t make it, there was too much blood being lost.Perhaps if Densa had¡­

    ¡°Focus!¡± Bostarion¡¯s voice snapped in San¡¯s ear.San jerked and saw an Afflicted charging at him.He brought up his weapon and moved to attack it, but the blade slid through nothing.A second later a heavy strike clanged off his pauldrons.

    San staggered and cursed.He used his speed and strength to swing out with the flat of his blade and was rewarded with a grunt of pain.No figure was before him, but his blade screeched against metal and he could feel someone stagger as they were struck.San didn¡¯t relent or give them time to recover.Although he could not see the soldier, he rushed forward and tackled the invisible man.He could feel their steel armor clanging and then they both toppled over.

    A boom roared and San flinched, jerking to see where the shot had come from.That was his mistake as an invisible fist smashed into the side of his head.The metal clad knuckles struck his sallet helmet but the force still rung San¡¯s bell.He could feel the person under him struggling to get free so San returned the favor and started throwing punches down into the invisible soldier.

    Blood covered his already stained gauntlets, the figure beneath him struggle and cursed, but San was far stronger.Within moments they had stopped struggling and San relented, feeling his heart thundering in his chest and the blood of another person drenching his gauntlets.

    Another boom filled the corridor and San turned to see Histoa flying through the air, his robes tattered and flaming.He crumpled to the stone floor and then hopped back to his feet as if he hadn¡¯t just been flung around.

    The Mage clutched a catalyst rock in his hand and charged it with his mana. The chaotic battle against invisible foes didn¡¯t seem to matter to the Mage, his eyes were closed and he held the rock loosely.

    With a fast flick of his arm, the rock flashed out and detonated against a wall. There was a cursed grunt and the older Mage staggered, his illusions dropping.

    San looked down at the bloodied face of a young man.He was a Guard and his sightless eyes seared his soul.

    Hevanar was chuckling as he clutched his sides. His robes were burned and tattered, blood flowed between his fingers, and the man laughed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve taught you well, Histoa,¡± he said.

    ¡°Stop this, surrender,¡± Histoa replied.

    ¡°I have been chosen,¡± the old mage replied. ¡°I shall not die this day.Guards, kill them all.¡±

    The battle had stopped once Hevanar¡¯s illusions had dropped.The Guards were now visible and they were outnumbered, many were already on the ground bleeding and being seen to by Densa.The rest stood clustered together with their weapons raised.Havatair stood in their midst, his two swords unbloodied, but from the looks of it more than a few Guards moaned with broken limbs.

    ¡°No,¡± one of the Guards said. ¡°We surrender.¡±

    ¡°Fools.¡±

    ¡°By the ancient traditions,¡± Histoa said.He clapped his hands together and there was a boom.San winced as the sound and then the pressure wave hit him.He staggered back into the wall and watched as Hevanar was thrown violently down the corridor. The sickening sound of bones breaking and flesh striking stone filled the sudden silence. Histoa stepped forward, while Hevanar groaned and tried to rise.

    A catalyst rock flashed through the space between them and Hevanar only stared at his once pupil before it struck him.

    ¡°Help me with him,¡± Densa said, her voice cutting through the shocked silence.

    San moved quickly and helped as the healer set a man¡¯s broken leg.The bone was jutting through and blood was pouring out.San, following Densa¡¯s instructions, reset the leg and she poured her mana into it.He watched as the flesh mended and the groaning pain of the man stopped.

    They had been outnumbered two to one and they had been tricked by illusions, but it seemed they had won the fight.San glanced around to see Havatair standing amidst the Guards.He hadn¡¯t seen much of the fighting, having been shot and wrestling with his own invisible foe, but everyone bore the scars of the fight.Elgava had a bruise forming on her face and had a reddening rag tied to her left arm.Bostarion muttered as he picked at a long slash across his brigandine, but seemed unharmed.

    Saggaris tended to Markona¡¯s wound, a long gash along his left arm and another shallow cut to his chest.He winced as she wrapped it up and cast a glance to Densa who was helping another Guard with his companion who was bleeding from a gut wound.

    ¡°The best the Barony has to offer,¡± Markona remarked.

    ¡°Shut up, Marko,¡± Saggaris said. ¡°They weren¡¯t trying all that hard to kill us.¡±

    The statement caused San to look at the young man he had pummeled.He was barely out of his teens, his high cheekbones were shattered, his eyes were widened in fear, and blood slowly congealed around his shattered face.Havatair was their leader, he was the man they were all devoted to, of course they were going to take it easy on them.Havatair had done the same, killing none of the soldiers, instead wounding them.

    ¡°You did what you had to do, lad,¡± Herokov said, folding his arms and standing beside San.The warehouse owner didn¡¯t seemed injured, but his face was pulled tight in distaste.¡°Sometimes you have to kill those that don¡¯t need killing.No sense in it, just needs doing.¡±

    San didn¡¯t fully agree, but nodded at the words.He didn¡¯t know the young Guard and he hadn¡¯t thought too hard on his actions before retaliating.He had been shot and would have probably died.There had been no holding back on the Guard¡¯s part.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± San replied.

    There was a clatter of armor and San watched as the remaining living Guards all dropped to their knees before Havatair.

    ¡°We have sworn to protect the Barony,¡± one of the Guards stated.He had his eyes cast down and his sword was out, the bladed tip in the stone floor. ¡°We have failed that duty. We have gone against our vows and followed mad rulers.We await your judgement.¡±

    Havatair took a moment, seemingly pondering thejustice that he would mete out.¡°We must protect the barony and its people. Rise up, soldiers. You are needed and your sins will be absolved when we defeat the cultists and save our city. Rise.¡±

    The Guards got back to their feet, many weren¡¯t excited by the prospect of fighting against the cultists.San could understand, the Afflicted weren¡¯t normal human beings anymore.They had power and speed that was on par with the Leveled men and women.

    ¡°What are the casualties?¡± Havatair asked Densa.

    The healer looked tired and worn, the depletion of her mana was evident. ¡°Two from our side are dead, five from theirs. You managed to put down half a dozen more, broken limbs and concussions.They¡¯re not going to be able to fight today or tomorrow, but they will mend.¡±

    The big soldier nodded. ¡°So be it.¡±

    Densa healed Markona and Elgava and then said she had to rest.San walked to her, helping her sit down upon a stone bench.

    ¡°You okay?¡± he asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Just drained.¡±

    Histoa walked up to them.The young mage¡¯s face was expressionless.

    ¡°How are you?¡± San asked him.

    ¡°Fine,¡± he responded curtly. ¡°I forgot to give you this.¡± From a pouch at his belt, Histoa produced a bluish vial.A mana potion.¡°Havatair had given it to me to give to you, but I seemed to have forgotten in the rush of things.¡±

    ¡°Take it, Densa,¡± San said.

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t need it. You¡¯ll need it.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t heal people,¡± San said.

    ¡°But you can cure this affliction,¡± she said. ¡°Your Power can brew the cure. I can¡¯t do it. You¡¯ve already used up most of your mana once more, you¡¯ll need it for later.¡±

    ¡°We need a healer,¡± Havatair said.¡°Drink it, healer.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± she responded. ¡°I will not.¡±

    ¡°We could die in this fight,¡± the man said. ¡°We must stop this evil before it spreads.¡±

    ¡°Yes we do,¡± Densa retorted. ¡°We have to cure the afflicted and San¡¯s the only one who can do that.I can¡¯t and you can¡¯t either.San¡¯s mana has been drained and he¡¯s already used one potion.That¡¯s stunted his mana regeneration, it¡¯ll be days before he¡¯s fully restored.But if he uses this, then he¡¯ll be able to brew more Purification and help those afflicted.¡±

    The soldier¡¯s face grimaced and then he nodded. ¡°So be it,¡± he said.

    ¡°Densa¡­¡±

    ¡°Silence, San,¡± she replied. ¡°You need this more than me. This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve been on a battlefield. I¡¯ve survived many and all of them have drained me of mana. I¡¯ll manage.¡±

    San looked down at the vial and nodded in response. He extended a hand and pulled the healer to her feet.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help as many as I can,¡± he said.

    She smiled briefly at him. ¡°I know you will.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get moving,¡± Havatair announced. ¡°We know where they are and nightfall is fast approaching.¡±

 53

    Havatair took the lead, relegating the non-professionals to the rear.San shuffled along, his thoughts straying and varied.The bottle of mana weighed heavily in his robes; the responsibility of being the one to try and stop the spread of the Affliction was a heavy one.

    There would be more fighting and more killing, every Afflicted was some poor person who had been turned into a monster.They were still within the shell of their bodies, but whatever Void Horror was piloting the body didn¡¯t care.

    The blood he was spilling was those of the innocent.It was different than the fight against Poxie and his goons.Panchavi¡¯s extortionists had been bad people, they reaped what they had sowed.But these people, these men and women who were Afflicted, who were being led astray by their leaders, they were innocent in all of this.But as Herokov said.There was no sense to it, even the innocent were caught up in these things.

    ¡°Silence,¡± Havatair whispered. The clattering group of armed men and women stopped and crouched low.A Guard in light armor moved up the stairs before them and disappeared around a bend.

    ¡°Clear,¡± the voice came back.Havatair nodded and they all moved up.

    They emerged onto the small mesa that the White Tower was situated.It was a solid outcropping of rock that rose nearly a hundred feet, overlooking the Red River and the city itself.Long ago the walls of White Tower had enclosed the lone mesa and had incorporated it into the city itself.

    The Keep was built into the mesa; stairs, rooms, and tunnels snaking through the solid rock and leading to various parts of the walls and Keep.

    San peered up at the towering obelisk.It reminded him of images of the Washington Memorial, four sides and soaring several hundred feet above them.He could see that the obelisk was clad in what looked like stucco, with no signs of the weird Mage writing he had seen when he spoke with the Stoneman all those days ago.

    The base of the obelisk was cleared of any buildings or structures, instead it looked to San like some kind of park area.He could imagine that in the summer, the whole area would have been green with freshly shorn grass and filled with people taking in the sun, relaxing under full bloomed trees, and lounging on the stone benches that dotted the area.There were even stone pathways that marked paths for people to walk upon.It looked to be a quaint park for all the rich and powerful of the Barony to enjoy.

    The White Tower Park¡¯s beauty was despoiled by a bonfire that burned in the middle of a cleared area.Around it were gathered scores of the Afflicted, soldiers, and cultists.The smell that filled the air was of burned hair and cooked flesh; San didn¡¯t have to divine out what the smell was coming from as human remains peeked out from the crackling flames.

    An army of the Afflicted were gathered, along with many men and women and children.These weren¡¯t the usual malnourished common folk, instead the gathered people were well dressed and thick jowled.Their normal haughtiness was replaced by the same fear and terror that everyone else in the city faced.Tears streaked their faces and blood spotted their rich robes.

    ¡°That¡¯s the High Borns,¡± Havatair whispered.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re not the Baron¡¯s supporters,¡± San said as he watched one of the Hesna priests grab a thick man and brandish a black obsidian blade at him.San felt his stomach churn at the sight of that blade. It was the one that was offered to him from the Stoneman, a blade designed to kill anything.

    ¡°No,¡± the big soldier answered. ¡°Most of them are of the opposition party. They have long tried to reign back the power of the Baron and give the Landed a better say in governing.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t difficult to see where the New Baron stood in regards to the opposition. The young man who San had only met twice was stone faced as he watched the priests drag the man toward the flames.The new Baron had been a fairly handsome and had the hard body of a soldier, but in the days that San had last seen him, he had aged a decade and lost a least twenty pounds.His high cheeks were so sharp they seem ready to draw blood and his skin was an unhealthy pale and gleamed with sweat even as cold air blasted through the open air park.

    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± San asked.

    ¡°We can¡¯t let them kill Heritage, he owns much of the ironworks and makes our cannons,¡± Havatair said.¡°We rush in, we kill as many as we can, we gut the priests, and see if Esomir can be saved.¡±

    San had his doubts of the latter, but Havatair was right. They couldn¡¯t stand around while a living person was sacrificed to the flames.That thought caused San to pause, an image of a different flame came to mind.One surrounded by white creatures with blood stained floors, bodies stacked like cordwood and something hideous being brought forth into the world.

    The cultists were attempting to bring forth their goddess.Did the white creatures attempt to do the same?The hideous monstrosity that had wrecked the minds of those who looked upon it, was that their god? San shuddered.If that was happening here, then they would all be doomed.

    ¡°Move,¡± Havatair hissed.

    As far as opening battles went, there was no dramatic speech, there was no deafening roar of the soldiers, and there was no thumping beat of honor or pride.It was just nearly two dozen armed men and women rushing forward, fear tightening their grips on their weapons and the ache of climbing up stairs and stress running through their bodies.

    San scanned the park and saw that there were more Levy soldiers and other Guards standing around the Baron. There were also what looked like supporters, men and women in fancy armor and fine robes. They were stone faced and thin lipped as they watched the proceedings.The Afflicted bobbed and swayed as the priest dragged the struggling man toward the fire.Their attention was affixed on the upcoming sacrifice, like dogs waiting for dinner to be served.

    Their charge was not silent, the pounding of feet, clanking of metal, and huffing of breath was heard by all.Eyes flickered toward them and then widened as they saw Havatair in the lead.Soldiers went for their weapons and the Afflicted turned as if one.

    ¡°The Barony shall not fall to darkness!¡± Havatair screamed.His twin short swords glittered in the firelight, bringing all the gathered men and women to a standstill.Silence descended upon the park. ¡°The Baron has sold his people to the Hesna cultists! If you love this land and have vowed to protect its people, stand with me!¡±

    There was a murmur as the soldiers glanced at one another.A few looked sick at the proceedings, while others looked on with unabashed glee.

    ¡°Kill them,¡± the Baron stated with a flat emotionless voice.His eyes locked with Havatair. ¡°Would you all follow a dickless bastard?Kill him and all who follow him.There will be no opposition within my kingdom.¡±

    ¡°He allows these fuckers to kill your families!¡± Havatair snapped. ¡°He seeks to build this kingdom upon the Power of void horrors and human sacrifices. This is no man to follow.This is evil.¡±

    ¡°KILL HIM!¡±

    The Afflicted moved, then the soldiers.San braced himself, but paused as he saw some of the soldiers throw themselves at the Afflicted, slashing, stabbing, and chopping with their weapons. The soldiers also turned their weapons on each other.

    ¡°Havatair!¡± someone cried out, the call was picked up by more voices.It came from the Guards, the Levy soldiers, and the gathered nobles.Those that were tied up and slated for sacrifice struggled against their bonds or were freed by their captors.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°The King!¡± voices shouted and two groups began to separate, one for the Baron and one against.

    The Afflicted didn¡¯t care about either, they continued their attacks.

    San slashed with his sword and beheaded a screaming figure.Beside him the others surged forward, unlike the gathered troops, they were a singular force, a wall of blades and pistols.The Afflicted slammed into them and died under their weapons.

    Chaos reigned behind the Afflicted as the others began infighting.They stabbed, slashed, and used fists and feet to attack.The Baron was surrounded by a wall of swords and pistols, the Priest had cast aside the bound man and was defending himself from two Levy soldiers.

    Havatair was a blur of swinging swords and gouts of blood.

    ¡°We must stop the priest,¡± Densa cried, pulling San¡¯s attention back to the healer.San glanced to the priest and saw that he had dispatched the two Levy soldiers; the ebony blade gleamed in the firelight.The priest moved toward the cowering High Born once more.

    ¡°Go,¡± Havatair hissed.

    San didn¡¯t hesitate; he shoved his bulk through the soldiers and Guards, pushing his way toward the priest.Densa followed in his wake, a long narrow dagger held in one hand and using skilled strikes to deflect attacks by the Afflicted.Due to his size, San was their main target, but as they edged toward the battling mob; the Afflicted focused upon the fighting soldiers.

    ¡°You alright?¡± San asked Densa, the woman was out of breath, her robes bloodied, and the dagger she obtained from somewhere was equally bloody.

    ¡°Fine,¡± she replied.

    San nodded and they rushed toward the priest.

    The High Born, Heritage, was sobbing and struggling as the priest tried to maneuver him toward the flame.San could see the rich robes beginning to smoke and the High Born¡¯s struggling intensified.

    The roar of a fired pistol filled San¡¯s senses, it was followed by an intense pain in his side as his cuirass crumpled under the impact of a shot.San staggered, his breath exploding outward and pain reddening his vision.His senses were screaming that he was shot and shouldn¡¯t move, but San threw himself forward, landing awkwardly and with a clatter of damaged armor as a second shot was fired, ripping through the spot he had been in moments before.

    Even as pain threatened to cloud his vision, San pulled himself to his feet to meet two Guards who were rushing him. The two Guards tossed aside short rifles, that looked more like shotguns, and replaced them with arming swords.They moved fast and efficiently, Leveled and skilled.

    San deflected the first incoming blade, the clanging of steel drowned out by all the other fighting going on.The second blade slammed into his right shoulder, skidding off the pauldrons protecting it.Steel plates clinked as they broke loose and fell to the ground.

    The second Guard¡¯s sword descended and San barely managed to raise his own to block it. Pain then exploded in his lower back as the first Guard stabbed his sword into his cuirass, trying to open him up like a tin can.His legs gave out and San collapsed to his knees, wrenching the sword from the first Guard¡¯s hand.

    The realization that he was going to die slammed into San.How many times in this new world had he been on the verge of death? He didn¡¯t know, but as blood welled from his injuries and the skill and power of his two opponents made itself very clear; San knew he was going to die.

    It was a relief, he thought.He hadn¡¯t given up fighting, he hadn¡¯t let depression or sorrow drag him down.He had gone out fighting, literally.He could accept his death.

    The second Guard gurgled and blood fountained from his throat as a dagger poked its point out from the man¡¯s neck.As the Guard staggered, San saw a horrified looking Densa standing there.Her eyes were wide, not with terror or the horror of what she had done, but from the first Guard turning his attention upon her and unsheathing his blade from within San.She saw her own death in that moment.

    San surged forward and tackled the man.The Guard¡¯s legs buckled with the extra weight and San was on top of him, his sword forgotten and instead his fists began raining down.The steel sallet helmet could take a blow, but under San¡¯s fist the steel crumpled and finally began to leak flesh and blood as the Guard was pummeled to death.

    A tightness began around his chest, causing San to stop.He cried out as the steel of his cuirass began to twist and bend around his chest.His breath was labored and San struggled at the metal armor.

    There was an explosion and San was tossed backward.He flopped onto his back, trying to breath.

    ¡°Fucking hell,¡± Elgava¡¯s voice roared as she looked down at him.She pulled out a dagger and sliced away at the straps and buckles holding the cuirass in place,.San sucked in a deep breath as the battered steel armor was ripped off of him.¡°Mage give me a hand!¡±

    Histoa appeared above San and with Elgava¡¯s help, they pulled him to his feet.San wobbled as pain throbbed across his body, it was soon followed by the leaking of blood. San adjusted his rigger¡¯s belt, allowing the rest of the battered armor to fall away and tightened it once more. He grunted as pain blossomed along his side and back.The weight of his dagger and pouches hung heavily upon him.

    ¡°Fucking metal mage,¡± Elgava answered as she pulled off his destroyed pauldrons. ¡°Histoa got him, but he fucked up a lot of people.¡±

    It took San a moment to realize what she was saying.He shook his head and above the pounding of his own heart and the throbbing of pain; he could hear the cries of agony and pain.A lot had happened in the few moments that Densa and he had left the main group.

    Scores of bodies lay bleeding or dead on the ground, the King had pulled back toward the fire, surrounded by loyal soldiers and high borns.Havatair¡¯s group had grown bigger as more soldiers and highborns joined him, but they looked unsteady and scared.There was a crowd of women and children stuck against a wall, trying to keep out of sight and out of reach of the monsters.

    The fire still burned bright, but the highborn captive had managed to escape.The Hesna priest stood by the raging fire, occasionally being obscured by smoke, but not moving. The ebony blade still gleamed in his hand.

    San looked to the horizon and saw the sun beginning to set.They had to move.

    ¡°A new age begins!¡± Esomir screamed, his face was spotted with blood and the sword he held aloft was bright with crimson.¡°Hesna shall enter the world and we shall be the first of her followers.¡±

    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Elgava shouted back.

    ¡°All that stand against us shall die!¡± Esomir screamed.

    There was a distant rumble and it wasn¡¯t long before the Afflicted began appearing; crawling, climbing, and skittering from every opening.There were hundreds of them.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± San muttered, casting around for his sword.

    ¡°Your death is now, bastard,¡± Esomir cried out to Havatair.

    The big man looked at the men and women at his side and the snarling Afflicted surrounding them.

    ¡°This is a worthy death; one that Senta and the gods will respect.We stand here in the heart of evil and our will shall not falter!¡±

    As the two spoke; five soldiers stepped toward the fire, they moved with mechanical stiffness.San watched them as they all knelt down before the Hesna priest.It seemed the unwilling sacrificing part of the ceremony was over.

    Although the world was drowned in the snarling of Afflicted and the war cries of the gathered men and women, San could clearly hear what the priest was saying as he raised his blade.

    ¡°With your blood Hesna shall be brought forth.With this blade, on this night, and in her name.¡± The first throat was cut and San felt it like a physical blow.He could feel the life of the man being sucked away, the mana of his soul being pulled into the fire.San gasped with pain; he wasn¡¯t the only one, as Densa grabbed him.Her eyes were wild and terrified.

    San snatched up his sword, barreling past Elgava and then body checking an Afflicted that tried to get in his way.The creature cracked as it was tossed aside. His sword moved before he could think and cut down another Afflicted, the path between him and the priest now opened.

    A nearly physical blow struck him as the second soldier was sacrificed. The blade gleamed like it was on fire and the third man bared his neck to its descending edge.San was too far to stop him, so he pulled back his arm and threw the sword.The basket hilted broadsword wasn¡¯t a throwing weapon, but with enough force it manage to cross the distance.

    The hilt of the sword slammed into the back of the priest, causing him to arch and miss the strike coming down upon the sacrifice.San could hear shouted and the roaring of gunfire and clashing of steel once more.He ignored it and dug into his robe to pull out the pistol he had carried from the first moment he arrived into this world.

    The priest was fast, faster than San thought possible. The three additional sacrifices were also on their feet, drawing weapons and charging San.San shifted his aim from the priest to the oncoming soldier.The sword was raised high and it was a clear shot to the chest of the man.He crumpled as the pistol barked.

    Elgava was at his side, her own weapon blocking the second soldier, while Histao¡¯s explosive magic rocked the third off his feet.San kept rushing forward, reaching down and scooping up a fallen sword.

    The distance between him and priest was narrowing.The Hensa priest let out a roar and lifted the blade high.An Afflicted crashed into San, knocking aside the pistol.He felt teeth clamp into the braces, ivory shattering against steel.He stabbed the creature with his sword and cut it away, but it was too late.

    The obsidian blade opened up the priest¡¯s neck.Dark blood erupted from the wound and with a look of glee and madness, the priest fell into the flames.

    The world changed in an instant.

    The screaming and fighting died down, the air turned even colder, and San was frozen in place as the bonfire bloomed and grew higher.He could see a figure taking shape within the flame and a vast dread descended upon him.

 054

    Hesna had arrived.San stared at the towering figure in the flames.It hurt his eyes, it shook his mind, and all he wanted to do was scream and gouge his eyes out.Yet he stood frozen before the bonfire and watched as flame spun and wove into a shape.

    He could feel it, the ripping of the veil between the worlds.He could feel it in every fire that was burning across the city. The bonfires that the cultists had set up, each and every one of them was a gateway to horrors.Soon they would be coming through and death¡¯s reign would begin.

    He had to stop her.He had to stop the Breach from forming.But the sacrifice had already been made, the sun was setting, and they were too late.

    ¡°Give me the ebony gem ,¡± Densa said. ¡°I know how to resolve this!¡±

    San hesitated for only a moment before he dug into his pockets to pull out the plastic bag holding the obsidian gem.It seemed to pulse malevolently in the firelight.

    The roar of the fire was loud in his ears. Densa¡¯s hands wrapped in his and he could see a smile on her lips.

    ¡°You are a good man, San,¡± she said. ¡°I do this of my own freewill. I do this willingly.¡± With that she shoved the gem into her mouth and dropped to her knees, a keening scream escaping her mouth.Blood immediately began flow, but she remained staring at the flame. ¡°Enter me, Hesna.A willing host awaits!¡±

    ¡°What are you doing!¡± San cried, reaching to stop her.

    ¡°You know what you must do,¡± Densa said, her voice gurlgling from the flowing blood.¡°It will take a moment for Hesna to reorientate herself.Slay her before she can fully form.¡±

    ¡°You mean kill you?¡± San cried.

    ¡°Yes, dear Sanjay. Kill me and you kill her. You prevent her from coming into this world and destroying it.I can¡­ I can feel her-¡°

    Densa¡¯s head snapped back as light, deep and dark as blood, flowed from her eyes and mouth.San could feel the very air thicken and the smell of rot, death, and chaos was heavy in the air.Densa shuddered and her bones cracked as if readjusting for something far larger to inhabit the body.

    With tears running down his face, San lifted his sword.The blood red eyes of Densa latched onto him.

    ¡°Stop,¡± she said.

    ****

    ¡°Stop, okay? Just stop,¡± Mary said in an annoyed tone.¡°Your dumb-ass excuses aren¡¯t doing anything but making you look like the world¡¯s biggest idiot.¡±

    ¡°You said it was cool if I went out,¡± San said.¡°You never said we had to meet your parents for breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Getting hammered and coming home late and drunk, not answering your phone, driving drunk?That¡¯s where I draw the line of being ¡®cool¡¯ at,¡± she snapped at him.

    ¡°It worked out okay,¡± San said. He gripped his head.¡°Man, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve been this hungover in years.¡±

    ¡°Congrats,¡± she said blandly. ¡°You¡¯ve achieved something there. Father of two and business owner, getting shitfaced with your loser college buddies.¡±

    ¡°Those college buddies are who got us together,¡± San said.

    ¡°Just get in the car and try to sober up, will you?You should just stay here,¡± she added.

    ¡°Nah, babe. I¡¯m good,¡± San grinned. He waved at the two small figures in the backseat of the car. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since your pa and I talked shop.¡±

    San blinked his eyes as he watched the two figures argue.It was a memory, but it was also in full display before him.He watched as she clenched her fists, the look of annoyance that crossed her face, the muttering of curses that he had never noticed before.Had she been that angry he wanted to come along?

    ¡°You know what happens next,¡± a voice said at his side.

    San was scared or frightened to see Densa beside him.Nor was he shocked when she turned blood red eyes to him.

    ¡°Hesna,¡± San said.

    ¡°How does this family drive end, I wonder?¡± Hesna said.

    San didn¡¯t say anything as the family piled into the car.The ignition was turned and they pulled out of the driveway.He watched as his former self rolled down the window and stick his head out, enjoying the breeze.

    ¡°I can make you forget,¡± Hensa said. ¡°I can make you forget all of this.Forget the pain, the misery, and the ache you feel in your heart.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± San asked.

    ¡°Just submit to me and I¡¯ll wash it all away.You will not suffer, you will not know pain if you submit to me.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ll become some kind of zombie,¡± San replied.

    ¡°But your soul will be free of the chains of grief that pull it down.That is the true gift I bring, Sanjay King.I bring you freedom, from pain and suffering. I am no monster. All I wish is for mankind¡¯s suffering to end.¡±

    ¡°By killing everything?¡±

    The car¡¯s signal lights flashed.The old Sanjay waved at a woman walking her dog.¡°Nice dog!¡± he shouted and laughed hysterically. What an idiot.

    ¡°By bringing peace to the suffering.¡±

    ¡°Seems like an idiotic method.Why not just help them and ease their suffering? You¡¯re a supposed god, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Foolish mortal,¡± Hesna in Densa¡¯s face hissed.Her blood red eyes stared into his. ¡°Give me your pain and suffering.Allow me to make you whole again.You shall never feel the pain of this moment ever again.¡±

    The car rumbled down the street, heading toward an intersection.San felt himself bracing at what was to come.

    ¡°Submit or you¡¯ll live this moment forever.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you,¡± San said.

    Hesna laughed. ¡°So be it.¡±

    ***

    ¡°San!¡±Mary screamed.Her voice was cracking.

    ¡°Babe!¡± San yelled back.Blood was trickling down his visionand his leg was a throbbing ball of pain. ¡°Babe!¡±

    He lay in the street, having been thrown from the open window while not wearing a seat belt.The crumpled mess of the car lay before him.The hiss of steam, smoke, and the smell of fuel filled his sense.

    ¡°Mary!¡± San cried, dragging himself forward.

    He could see the top of another car. A crimson vehicle that had stuck them head on.She was trapped he could see.The steel shell wrapping around her and locking her in place.

    San tried getting up, but the pain exploded in his leg and he fell to the ground.The road was eerily quiet and absent of vehicles.

    ¡°Help!¡± he screamed. ¡°Help!¡±

    There would be no help coming.Not for minutes more.

    Then the fuel caught fire.

    ***

    San felt the tears running down his face.He could feel his heart breaking and shattering once again.He cursed his stupid previous version of himself for surviving.All the pain and suffering came back in an instant.

    ¡°I can make it go away,¡± Hesna said.Her voice was soothing, like an icy balm.

    San felt her hands on his shoulder, slowly moving down his back.

    ¡°You need not suffer,¡± she said.

    ¡°Fuck off,¡± San replied.

    ¡°So be it.¡±

    ***The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    San could feel the crushing pain in her ribs, the hot flow of blood as metal punched her stomach.She knew she was going to die; how many accidents had she seen during her job?This was a bad one.

    ¡°San!¡± Mary cried, blood already flecking her lips.

    She could hear his voice somewhere, the world was going dark as pain worked its way up her side.She could barely breath.The smell of gasoline stuck her and she cried out once more.

    ¡°The babies! Save the-¡±

    Then the world burst into flames.

    ***

    San screamed.He gagged and cough as the pain and terror began to subside.He had felt her last moments on Earth.He had been there when she had died.He screamed again.

    ¡°I can do this forever,¡± Hesna said. ¡°Just give up.Give me your pain and I shall set you free.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± San gasped. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°So be it.¡±

    ***

    Was it days? Was it years? San didn¡¯t know.All he felt were the endless waves of pain and burning.The endless watching as his family died over and over again.He could barely comprehend what was happening anymore.It all blurred and it all tore at him.

    San lay upon an obsidian floor, naked. His hair was a tangled mess that hung to his shoulders and his body was a covered in a feverish sweat.Blood, vomit, and spit flecked his bread and his eyes stared dully at nothing.

    A woman of pale skin and dark hair gracefully sat before him.He barely blinked as she smiled down at him, reveling sharpened teeth.

    ¡°Even in this dark place, your fire burns,¡± she said to him.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want it anymore,¡± San whispered. ¡°Just let me die, already.¡±

    ¡°Do not say such words, Sanjay.It is the fire within you that sustains you, that will see you through this trial.¡±

    ¡°Trial? It¡¯s over. I¡¯m guilty.Now let me die.¡±

    ¡°Shhh,¡± Winter¡¯s Lament said, pulling him close. She wrapped her ice cold arms around him and rocked him as he began sobbing. ¡°The fire burns brightest in the darkness. The fire burns hottest in the cold.¡±

    ¡°I am not a fire,¡± San whispered back.

    ¡°Do not hide from your grief, Sanjay.One cannot hide from grief, one cannot drown it, one cannot erase it.It is stitched into your soul, it makes you who you are.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see it anymore,¡± San whispered. ¡°I can¡¯t see them die again.¡±

    ¡°Then face it.Not even the gods can warp the will of mankind. They can only trick and fool.¡±

    ¡°Just let me die,¡± San whispered.

    ¡°No, my love.This is not where your path ends.¡±

    ***

    ¡°San!¡± Mary cried, blood flecking her lips.

    ***

    He could hear their flesh crackling, the stink of burning meat, as he wailed on the asphalt.He could hear it and he screamed.

    ***

    ¡°We managed to save the leg, Mr. King,¡± the doctor said. ¡°You were lucky.¡±

    ¡°LUCKY?¡± San screamed.He tried to grab the doctor, but his limbs barely moved, his body wasn¡¯t listening to him.Instead he lurched sideways and fell off his bed.There was a clatter of machinery and scrambling of nurses trying to help him.

    ¡°LUCKY!¡± San continued screaming.

    ***

    He never saw them buried.It was a closed casket affair anyway.They were buried on Mary¡¯s family¡¯s plot. Dozens of generations were buried there.He never went to see them.Instead he sat in the empty house.The silent house. The dead house.

    And he drank. Bottle after bottle. Can after can.

    People came and offered condolences.He never saw Mary¡¯s parents. Why had he survived when they didn¡¯t? He didn¡¯t blame them, he wished he had died too.He never wanted to see his face again too.

    The days blurred and the people blurred too.

    Yet, even the darkness lifts from time to time.A moment of clarity and a moment without pain.

    San awoke in a foul smelling bed, the clattering of cans and bottles around him. The crinkle of fast food wrappers, junk food, and trash swirled around his feet.

    He looked at himself in the mirror, thick beard, heavy gut, and slouched shoulders.How many months had passed, he wondered.How many months had he been absent from his life?

    That morning he showered and wash.He cleaned up the filth of his empty home.He cooked himself something to eat. And he dug in his closet for a gift he had been given long ago.

    ***

    On Earth he had died somewhere on that mountain.He was sure that was what everyone believed.His note to his brother told them so.The fact he left all his affairs in order would only strengthen it.They would never find his body, of course.But they too would be feeling the grief and suffering he had felt.

    The thought had only surfaced a few times.What had he left behind, but more misery and pain?The fire was hottest when it was coldest.Brightest when it was darkest. The misery was greatest when the love was deepest.

    San ached for his family.They were out there somewhere.In some other plane of existence, perhaps?Either that or he had been hallucinating.His children. His wife.They were out there, they had to be.

    Yet he hadn¡¯t joined them.He had the chance. He had the opportunities.He had nearly done so many times, but in the end.He had not joined them.

    Was it cowardice? Was it fear?

    No, San thought. It wasn¡¯t either of those.

    He could see the other faces that he had met in the weeks he had been in this world. Pavano, his first and true friend.Elgava, tough and faithful.Even Histoa, for all his haughtiness, he had stood fast in a fight.Endaha and her children. Azios, forced to become a man in a world at war.

    He hadn¡¯t given up because there was more to the world than his own grief.There were people who were counting on him.What would happen to Endaha and the children if Hesna was allowed into the world.

    What would happen to Pavano?To Elgava? Or the thousands of residents who were now prey to the Afflicted and soon the Void Horrors.

    Mary was screaming again, but this time is seemed to stretch on forever.San could only stare from his broken position. His leg a bloody mess, his body battered and bruised, and without the strength to move forward.Her screaming echoed down his ears and into his soul, reverberating until it seemed to about shatter it.

    It was the past. It all had happened already.Nothing he could do now would absolve it.Nothing would change it.Did these pretend gods have access to time travel? That¡¯s the only thing that would change it.

    He had grieved.He had suffered.He had finally found some solace when he made his decision to go up the mountains.

    This was the past and it was already done with.There was nothing else but to continue on. To live, for them and for the new friends he had made in this world.He could not save his family, but perhaps he could save other families.

    He clung onto the grief.He would never let it go, because it was a part of him.It had been stitched into his soul.No one would take it from him.No one would snuff out the pain that would also ache in his soul.For his grief was as strong as his love for his family.Until the day they were reunited, he would continue holding onto it.He could never forget it.

    ***

    The fire burned a rainbow of inverted colors that hurt the eye.It made the mind shuddered and caused that frightened beast in the corner of one¡¯s mind to wail.San stared at it and looked down at his hands.He had dropped his stolen sword.

    The glint of the basket hilted broadsword caught his eye.He reached for it, the movement seemingly stretched for an eternity.His hands wrapped around the familiar hilt.

    The fire began swirling faster and faster. The figure that had once dominated the sky was gone, instead wisps of smoke lead to Densa.Or what was left of Densa.Her skin had begun to darken, to crisp and flake.Her blood red eyes still stared forward and that horrid light still shone from it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± San said.He could feel the tears tickling at the edge of his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    San lifted the sword up and the world seem to return back to motion.The roar of the fire was thunderous.Densa/Hesna turned to look at him in horror. Scream of the Afflicted and people filled the air. And San brought the sword down.

    A soul rending scream filled the air.San staggered back and dropped to his knees.Densa¡¯s body shredded apart, bone, blood, and sinew, but without a drop of blood. It was torn apart in a vortex of fire and smoke, of deep crimson and something else, a sickening color that made San gag.

    The bonfire roared even higher.He stared as the flames seemed to tower toward the heavens.He could feel something happening. Something was wrong.

    The veil between the Void and the world was still breaking. Soon the Breach would be opened and the world would die.San watched as Densa¡¯s body slumped to the ground, how? He had seen it burst, shred, and vanish.But now her bloodied body fell to the ground, the broadsword still jutting from her chest.

    San crawled to her, his hands shaking.

    ¡°The sun sets,¡± a voice croaked.

    San looked to see Histoa on his hands and knees.His eyes were bleeding and his face was stitched with small cuts.Yet he stared at the pillar of flame before them.Horror, terror, and awe creased his face.

    ¡°The Breach,¡± he said.

    His hands didn¡¯t burn as he reached into the fire.He could feel the heat, he could feel his clothing smoking, but it did not touch him.He willed the fire to change, but there was only a deep pain that threatened to turn his world black.San sagged back, feeling the emptiness inside of him.What was wrong?

    Then he felt the small bulge against his robes.A glass container that he had been given.San looked at the mana potion and gulped it down.It burned down his throat and he could feel the mana running through his body.

    He shoved his hands back into the fire.

    ¡°Fire in the Night!¡± he screamed and poured every ounce of mana into the incantation.

    He gasped and the world went dark.

    ***

    The cold grey light of morning caused San to blink as he came back to consciousness. He was cold, everything was cold.Yet he was not dead.He groaned as he moved, the shuffling and weeping of people told him that there were others alive too.

    Where had the Afflicted gone?

    Had he been outside all night?

    San shivered as he rolled onto his knees.The battered leg armor screeched against the stone and his charred gauntlets clattered to the ground, their leather burned and the clasps nothing more than melted nubs.Yet his arms were free of burns.

    The fire smoldered before him, still casting warmth and heat. He shivered again at what that flame once held.But now the thick beams that had burned the night before were ash and charcoal.There was no flames, only redden embers among the gray ash.

    His eyes fell upon a figure.Dressed simply and covered in crimson.A sword still embedded into her flesh.

    San crawled to Densa¡¯s body.He ached with what he had done.He let out a soft sob and he clung to her cold corpse.She had saved this world.She had trapped Hesna.She had given her life for the life of everyone in this world.

    ¡°The Head Healer is dead,¡± a gruff voice said.

    San looked up to see Havatair standing before him. Bandages covered his limbs, making him more mummy than man.

    ¡°Woe be unto us, then,¡± he continued. ¡°Esomir is dead, by his own hand.¡±

    San couldn¡¯t care less. What was one Baron to Densa?What was one power hungry asshole compared to this woman?

    ¡°Good,¡± San said, stroking Densa¡¯s hair.

    ¡°The city burns,¡± Havatair said.

    San looked up to the horizon, to south where the bulk of the city lay.Thick white smoke billowed into the sky, covering everything.It rose high, melding into the gray clouds that werethickening in the sky.

    ¡°Endaha,¡± San said.Pavano and Azios too.

    A strong wind picked up, billowing San¡¯s tattered robes and whisking away the smoke coming from the smoldering fire.He felt something cold and thick land upon his exposed face, his hand came away wet as he touched it.A flurry of white began to descend upon him and Havatair, enveloping them in snow.

    ¡°Midwinter¡¯s Reprieve is over,¡± Havatair said ¡°Now begins the toughest part of the year.¡±

 Epilogue

    For a week heavy snows hit White Tower. It was as if an entire season¡¯s of snow had been waiting for this moment.Howling winds tore through the shattered and burned out buildings across the city, giving rise to echoing wails that sent people hiding.

    There was no supernatural danger, not that San could see.It was just wind and snow.Damaged roofs collapsed.Badly fixed walls crumbled. And hundreds huddled around fires trying to keep warm in the blizzard.

    The dead lay where they had fallen.Their blood turned to ice, their bodies frozen hard into rictuses of fear and terror.The Afflicted had vanished, one of the worries that kept San up at night.The Fire in the Night had sealed the Breach, it had also forced the Afflicted to flee.The same fires they had burned to bring forth the Void Horrors had been their undoing.With Hesna forced back into the Void, the Breach would have still continued.Yet somehow all the fires had turned when San had pushed all his power into the main bonfire.

    He didn¡¯t understand it and didn¡¯t particularly care.It had been done. The city was saved. With only half the population dead and a third of it burned to the ground.It was a grand victory.

    The forces of evil had been defeated and the heroes huddled in a shuddering warehouse.Silence had been a constant in the week following the fight.The only sounds were the cries of the child as she woke for feeding or changing.There was the muffled groans of people as they writhed in pain from injuries.

    So many people were injured. The Temple of Senta was overflowing. They only could take the serious cases.San had brought all he could back to the warehouse.He did what he could, but he was no healer.He was just a Brewer.

    San sat in the darkness, a thin blanket wrapped around him when Pavano nudged his boots. San looked up at the old man.

    ¡°Guards are here,¡± Pavano said. ¡°They say Havatair wants to see you.¡±

    San glanced at the wounded in the warehouse.

    ¡°They¡¯ll be okay,¡± Endaha said.She hitched her baby on one hip, while carrying a bucket in the other.

    ¡°Come on, lad.¡± Pavano offered him a hand and San took it.

    Elgava and Histao flanked him as he left the warehouse.He didn¡¯t say anything. They seemed to be following him everywhere since that day.Either hoping he¡¯d not run off or do something more stupid.

    Death was easy, he thought.

    The sun was a brilliant white in the blue sky.No clouds, only thick piles of snow drifts rounding out everything.They slogged through the knee deep snow, noting some fresh tracks and frightened looks from behind shattered doors, windows, and boarded up holes.

    The smell of smoke was everywhere.The smell of old smoke, of wet smoke, rose from the gaping holes where buildings once had stood.Their charred beams like hands raised up in supplication to an uncaring deity.

    San heard the sudden bark of a dog.He watched as half a dozen children descended upon the animal and dragged its corpse away.Things were turning, he could see.The destruction to the city had hit warehouses and granaries.Even with the new reduced population, food was already scare.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    The Keep was pristine as ever.The Guards and Levied soldiers stood in polished armor as San and his group arrived.They moved like well oiled machines, saluting, checking, and allowing them entrance into the Keep.

    San watched as servants scurried about.They moved quickly and cast glances at San and his party.Judging if they were a danger or not.They had prey¡¯s sense of survival about them, always on edge, looking for danger.How many of the servants had died on that night?

    Havatair was gaunt, his massive body seemingly have shrunken in the last week.He was still big, but not mightily so.Stress and concerned etched its way across his face.He scribbled on a parchment as the group entered the room.

    ¡°San,¡± the big man said, not looking up. ¡°I see you are faring well.¡±

    San had nothing to say.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been caring for the injured, I see. Good man. We need everyone we can get to help the injured.¡±

    San continued waiting for what the new Regent of the Barony had to say.

    Havatair sighed and leaned back in his seat. It creaked with his weight and size.His light colored eyes flicked to San and then to Elgava and Histao, but immediately dismissed them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you straight. You saved the city-¡°

    ¡°Densa saved the city,¡± San corrected.

    ¡°But you also killed the Head Healer of the Senta Cult and caused the flames that destroyed much of the city,¡± Havatair continued.

    ¡°I have already said what I need to say,¡± San said.It was true, though. The Fire in the Night had spread out among the buildings, some had already been burning, but more had caught as the evil of the Afflicted seeped into the city itself.The city had been cleansed, but much of it had also been burned for it to occur.

    ¡°You have great power and you¡¯re a Foreigner,¡± Havatair said, not blunting his words. ¡°If not for Zomia¡¯s new rank, you would be dead already.¡±

    San blinked at that. ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°Word travels fast, San.Good or bad, false or true. Word spreads and it says that you killed the Head Healer.You killed Senta¡¯s chosen and it is because of you, the city is burned and the injured suffer so.¡±

    San closed his eyes. ¡°That is true,¡± he said.

    ¡°It is bullshit,¡± Havatair said. ¡°Foolish peasants grabbing onto a story.Preventing Void Horrors from being unleashed upon the city is too abstract for them.They see their hungry children, their destroyed livelihood, and they need someone to blame.¡±

    ¡°So the Foreigner and not the Usurpur?¡± San asked.

    Anger flickered across Havatair¡¯s face for a second. ¡°No, not the man who defeated the evil Baron, who saved the Heir, and who fought against the monsters the evil Baron summoned.¡±

    San nodded. ¡°I see.¡±

    ¡°You will have to leave,¡± Havatair said.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°But we still have need of your powers. Your Moonshine, the Courage, Purification, all those.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°You will be given men, workers, food, and the tools you need. You will set up your brewery and distillery to make more.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± San said.

    ¡°Just not here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Havatair stared at San long and hard.¡°This is not over, San.War is coming.¡±

    ***

    Two weeks later the gates of White Tower opened to reveal a convoy of woollys, wagons, and people marching across the snow packed roads.They huffed and puffed, glancing back at the city guards as they left.

    ¡°The Komai,¡± Azios said.

    ¡°Yes,¡± San replied.¡°We shall rebuild it and start a brewery there.¡±

    Azios smiled, thinking of home once more.

    San looked out into the frozen horizon and caught sight of creatures skittering along the woodline.More and more reports of Void Horrors had been coming into the city.The Afflicted, once fled, had begun to change.San shuddered at the thought.Something else to lay at his feet.It was because of him that they had fled, now the outlying villages and towns were at their mercy.

    Pavano watched as San looked at the horizon. He followed his gaze, catching sight of the figures moving in the tree line.

    ¡°Aye, that¡¯ll be a problem,¡± he said, a grim look on his face.

    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with it,¡± San said.

    Pavano glanced back at San and saw the look in his eyes.

    ¡°Aye, we will.¡±