“You did all of that alone?” Kai asked, astounded by Davon’s story.

  Davon’s friends had followed along while he made his report to Grant and Emma. They decided it would be much easier for Davon to explain it all only once.

  “Surprisingly, yes.” Davon shot Kai a grin. “I know it’s hard to believe.”

  “Valuable information, as always, Davon,” Grant interrupted before Kai could retort.

  “A heavily fortified funnel, right down the main street,” Emma murmured to herself, seemingly staring at nothing. “That could still work. We can use the surrounding city to our advantage, even without siege engines.”

  “What are you thinking?” Grant asked.

  “Archers on high, a few explosives…” Emma gestured vaguely with her hands as she spoke. “We’ll figure out the details later. Alone.”

  Grant nodded, then turned towards the trio. “You three, go see Taz and ask him about specialist supplies. Then you can join the rest of our forces in the field to help clear out enemy patrols. We are preparing for a push on the walls, so eliminating all enemy forces on the outside is now a priority.”

  Davon tried to hide his excitement. After weeks of hiding and forcing himself to avoid any conflict, he was itching to get into an actual fight.

  “Understood,” he said, keeping his voice calm.

  The trio exchanged nods with Grant and Emma, then turned and pushed out of the command tent into the Vanguard encampment.

  “So, you’ve been busy while we were gone.” Lyla looked at Davon as they headed for the Boneshaper’s tent, her face wearing its usual neutral expression. “You’re braver than I.”

  “Hardly. Just a lot more reckless,” Davon quipped.

  “Well, can’t deny that.” Kai shook his head. “Stalking Tenebris was certainly a choice.”

  Davon shrugged. “Not my smartest moment, sure, but it did yield useful information.”

  “I don’t see how it’s as ‘useful’ as you seem to think, D,” Kai shot back. “He’s still a massive, dragon-like beast, more than capable of killing all of us in seconds.”

  “Yes, but he can be tricked. It gives us more options for dealing with him,” Davon argued.

  Before he could explain further, the trio reached their destination.

  They waited patiently while Taz finished working on the weapons of a different group of Revenants. Davon didn’t recognize any of them. He figured they were all part of the second wave of reinforcements.

  I wonder if Mia is still here, Davon pondered. Probably not.

  He felt a pang of regret. She had mentioned, if he ever wanted to talk about the Night Runner…

  He dismissed the thought with a shrug as the unfamiliar Revenants walked away.

  “Ah, how nice to see ye three back together,” Taz exclaimed, giving the trio a friendly smile.

  Kai stepped up to the Boneshaper’s table. “Grant mentioned some specialist supplies. And I believe you owe us a story about the Walden’s Hold twins.”

  “Aye, I suppose I do.” Taz chuckled as he turned to the crates behind him. “In the meantime, start thinkin’ what you want done with yer weapons next time you come by. Got some Necromancer bones waitin’ for ya.”

  Davon watched the Boneshaper pull out different crates from the stack, his curiosity reemerging at Kai’s request. He’d all but forgotten that Taz had promised to tell them more about the pair of Boneshapers in Walden’s Hold.

  “Now, there’s a little somethin’ ye need to know about Boneshapers before I tell ye this story,” Taz began. “We Boneshapers, we need to make our first Reliquary and bind to it before we take on that title. It’s a long process, learning to do it all from scratch before you’ve ever even held a Reliquary, and it’s a path typically walked alone.

  “The twins, though… they walked that path together, workin’ on the same Reliquary as their first. That was the one and only time this was allowed, an’ I’m not sure why. Regardless, they made a beautiful piece: double-headed sword-staff, with a splitting mechanism in the middle. Not unlike Davon’s.

  “Having passed their test, everyone at the time expected ‘em to make a second one before they completed their binding. But instead, the twins bound themselves to the same Reliquary. That’s when their eccentricities started. The entire Guild had its eyes on ‘em. Everyone wondered what the effect would be, having two souls bound to one Reliquary. What would happen if only one died? Would that one even resurrect? Would they come back as some sort of abomination?

  “As is custom, the twins set out to hunt some monsters, to gather the materials for their next work. ’Twas then people realized they seemed to be… in each other's heads, both in and out of combat. They didn’t need to speak to communicate, and their coordination was somethin’ else.

  “They never died, y’know. They carved a path through the continent, huntin’ every beast they came across. Made all of ‘em into brutal tools of war. They threw style by the wayside and focused on makin’ each piece as deadly as it could be, believin’ in the power of simplicity. Complexity and flare make tools weaker, they claimed. To this day, when they make weapons, they have only killin’ in mind.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Hope that satisfies yer curiosity,” Taz concluded, lifting one final crate onto the table.

  “Wait… they’ve never died?” Kai asked in astonishment.

  Taz nodded and crossed his arms, smiling. “Not once. I know they might not look like it, and they refuse to brag, but the twins are livin’ legends. They gave up fightin’ a couple decades back to focus on their art. But back in the day, even the Emperor’s Hand gave ‘em praise.”

  Davon raised his eyebrows in shock. The Emperor’s Hand were rarely even seen, so the group ‘giving praise’ was unheard of.

  The trio fell into contemplative silence for a moment. Thoughts swirled in Davon’s head. He tried to imagine how it would feel to live with another person constantly in your mind. Mostly, he was impressed at the sheer skill the twins must possess to go on a hunting trip around the continent without a single death.

  He had gained a lot more respect for the strange pair of Boneshapers, and made a note to treat them accordingly the next time he was in Walden’s Hold.

  Davon had been so completely engrossed in the story, he didn’t notice the stack of crates on the Boneshaper’s table until Taz clapped his hands to get their attention.

  “Now, take yer pick. Elementally infused throwing knives, axes, javelins, flasks. Remote explosives, like the ones ye used for the forge. Poisons and oils to apply to yer weapons. If ye have any questions, ask. Oh, and only one crate per Revenant, unless ye can provide the materials to make more.”

  The trio took their turns inspecting the equipment, asking for details along the way. A few minutes later, they each chose a crate of supplies and tucked them gently into their packs.

  Davon decided on a pack of fire-infused throwing knives. Taz had explained their enchantment was meant to release a ball of fire into whatever they hit.

  Sounds effective, Davon thought grimly. He took a second to pick a few of the knives from the crate and stuff them into his belt.

  Bidding a quick goodbye to Taz, the trio headed for the camp’s exit, intent on beginning their new assignment.

  While they walked, Davon grabbed his Reliquary and gave it a once over. He noted with new appreciation just how expertly the weapon was crafted. Previously, he hadn’t paid much attention to the bow’s appearance, but now he could tell it had been made with no thought for aesthetics. Only intention governed the weapon’s design.

  This simplicity contained a beauty of its own, Davon realized. The Reliquary held a singular purpose, untarnished by vanity. Unlike ceremonial weaponry, meant to impress and astound, this Reliquary didn’t try to hide any of its deadliness.

  “Who would’ve thought that people as legendary as those two would be in a backwater like Walden’s Hold,” Kai remarked as the trio made it to the camp’s exit. “I mean really, before the Red Dawn, the city had nothing going for it other than an unusually high number of griffins in the area.”

  “And a steady supply of trade from the eastern islands.” Slinging his weapon onto his back, Davon looked at Kai. “I can see why they would want to settle there, if their focus was entirely on their craft.”

  “Well, it also serves as a gateway for any islander Revenant candidates coming to the continent. Honestly, it’s an almost perfect choice,” Lyla added, her usually blank face wearing a thoughtful expression.

  They had reached the gate at this point. Davon felt a shudder of anticipation run through him at the sight of the snowfield outside the camp.

  “We should focus on the task at hand,” he said, turning to his companions with a broad grin. “Shall we?”

  —

  Roughly an hour later, the trio were stalking a Crimson Reaver patrol through the snowfield. They followed the group of soldiers for a while, waiting for the right moment to strike.

  First, they needed to make out the enemy’s exact numbers. Aided by Davon’s Invisibility, the three Revenants were able to get quite close to the Crimson Reavers. Davon counted fifteen enemies total: a dozen soldiers, two sergeants, and a captain in the lead.

  Looking closely at the captain, Davon determined this wasn’t the one they had faced previously. Rather than two horns, his helmet was adorned with a crown-like arrangement of spikes.

  One day we’ll get our revenge on that bastard, Davon thought in frustration, savoring the thought of putting an arrow between those two horns.

  Then he shook his head, forcing his attention back to the present moment.

  “Right, this seems about as good a spot as any,” Davon whispered, pulling his weapon off of his back.

  “Agreed.” Kai lifted his axe as he stood to his full height. “Leave the captain to me. I’ve been wanting to try this ever since resurrection.”

  Trusting in Kai to handle the captain, Davon raised his bow, invoking his Scattershot rune as he took careful aim.

  “Lyla, can you handle the sergeants?”

  “Of course I can,” Lyla replied, her voice betraying a hint of excitement.

  With a quick countdown, the group leapt into action. Almost simultaneously, Davon released his projectile towards the center of the enemy’s formation and Lyla sent her spear towards one of the sergeants.

  Davon watched with satisfaction as his perfectly placed Scattershot pierced through the Crimson Reaver soldiers. Eight of them fell to the ground, blood seeping through the many holes in their armor. Turning his attention to the front of the group, he watched one of the sergeants fly into the snow, impaled by Lyla’s attack.

  Dashing through the confused Crimson Reavers, Kai dropped into a shoulder charge. Watching curiously, Davon noticed a rune light up on the warrior’s axe as his shoulder was enveloped with golden light.

  The Crimson Reavers had barely turned towards the trio of Revenants when Kai drove his shoulder into the captain’s gut. The force of the blow sent a shockwave outward from the point of impact, golden light briefly banishing the crimson gloom. The captain hurtled through the air, landing ten feet away from where he’d been standing.

  The four remaining soldiers drew their swords in a panic, swinging wildly at Kai’s. Each strike landed squarely on the young warrior’s back, but the weapons just slid off, leaving only small scratches that were barely visible through Kai’s clothes.

  Unbothered by the ineffective attempts to harm him, Kai spun on his heel and swung his axe in a low arc. Before any of the remaining soldiers could react to the sudden turn, each of them was bisected, only fractions of a second apart.

  The soldier’s bodies fell heavily onto the snow as the captain struggled to his feet, cradling his torso. Davon noticed the captain’s armor was caved inwards at the spot Kai had landed his blow.

  Terrified, the remaining sergeant took a step away from Kai, sword raised. He raised his arm towards the Revenant and began to chant.

  Just as the sergeant’s arm lit up with crimson fire, Davon raised his bow and took a shot without hesitation. The arrow landed squarely in the sergeant’s neck, silencing his chant. Davon smiled as he watched the magical fire fizzle out.

  The trio’s attention then landed fully on the stumbling captain. Davon watched the Crimson Reaver raise his arms to the sky, as if in prayer.

  “Fine, I’ll take you all with me then!” the captain growled. A bright crimson orb formed above his head, and his body began smoking.

  Almost instinctively, Davon reached for one of the knives on his belt, drawing it and flinging it towards the captain in one smooth motion. He held his breath. The knife flew towards his target and buried itself in the captain’s forehead.

  The captain stumbled backwards. The instant his focus was broken, the orb and smoke dissipated.

  Then flames burst from every hole in his helmet as the knife unleashed its fireball inside the Crimson Reaver’s skull. It took only a few seconds for the flames to devour the figure, leaving a charred husk on the snowy ground.

  Satisfied with their total victory, Davon put away his weapon.

  “Let’s grab some materials and head back.”