Chapter 10

  Sneaking Suspicion

  Local military branches throughout Myrrh and other nations often sever the purpose of peacekeepers and protectors of the city. Guards have the primary function of enforcing laws and acting as defense for the populace against zori and other threats. Wardens are another force, focused on combating common disaster events like fires, storms, and meteor strikes. Neither serve as active soldiers in a wider military scope, but are treated with the same style of respect. The general intention of the position is to be a trustworthy presence of protection and authority, the shields of the city.

  “Go away. The office is closed tonight.”

  “You must understand, I need to speak with the Captain about an urgent matter.”

  “Make your report in the morning. There will be no outside entry to the command center tonight.”

  “Don’t you have staff at all hours specifically to handle issues? There is a serious threat to the city that must be passed along to the military, and dealt with at once.”

  “Turn around and walk away unless you want to spend the night in chains, adventurer! This is my final warning!”

  Sebastian pursed his lips but did not continue his attempt to convince the guard. He turned and walked away, leaving the front plaza in front of Nita’s central guard command post. No doubt if he had mentioned that he was friends with someone who had been arrested he would not have been able to walk away.

  The blond haired Evari rubbed his chin to itch at his stubble, as he made his way down the street and ducked along a path in the park to meet up with his younger associates. Michael and Yan were hunkered down behind some trees, but the night sky was more than enough to conceal them from prying eyes. “They didn’t even try to entertain my requests, everyone was being turned away.”

  “What kind of city guards turn their back on the people?”

  “Could be a great many answers to that question, but none of them are relevant.” Sebastian leaned against a tree. “What do we do next?”

  Michael had been in silent contemplation for most of the time since the ambush and arrest. “First things first, we need to rescue Hyato.” He peered through the bushes towards the tall stone building, a stand out amidst the varied wood construction. “You’re sure he was brought here, Yan?”

  “Don’t you trust me?” Yan asked with a smirk. Michael and Sebastian both looked over to her and the smirk vanished, “Right. Of course you don’t. I was hiding things from you.”

  “No, I trust you.” Michael said, unblinking behind his little round dark shades. Yan’s eyes widened for a moment, and she sighed.

  Sebastian cleared his throat, “If possible though, we could do with an explanation.”

  Yan sighed, “It’s not something I really wanted to get into.”

  “We don’t need to know all of your private details, just enough to make us understand why you were ambushed by a group of Kairaetsu.”

  Michael shot Sebastian an inquisitive look, but Yan just grunted. “My brother might be a stickler for the old term, but I think ninja is good enough.” She took a breath to ready herself, or perhaps just find the words. “I’m a ninja, from the same clan as those others that attacked me. Our village is closed off from the rest of the world outside of missions, and we have been since the Broken Times. I left, without permission. Even though I knew that would mean people would try to hunt me down and force me to go back.”

  “So those dark clothed people with the mists and sticking to walls that attacked us were ninjas,” Michael rubbed at a wound from one of the kunai, “And you are one too.”

  “Not as lethal as I expected.” Sebastian noted, producing something from a pouch that he handed to Michael. “Chew on this, it will dull the pain.”

  Yan shrugged, “My clan disarmed after the war, and have been isolated ever since. Besides, that was just a scouting team. They should have reported back, not shown their hand.”

  Grimacing at the bitter taste of the medicine, Michael took a moment before speaking. “Doesn’t matter right now, we need to rescue Hyato.”

  Sebastian rubbed his chin and wore a serious expression. “I would have figured that you would want to prioritize the search for the Revenant.”

  “Why would that matter now, when Hyato is imprisoned?”

  “Well, he was arrested by the law enforcement of the town. You two would have been as well, need I remind you. Besides, the Revenant is a credible threat. You saw what it is capable of for yourself, stirring up Zori. Not even depraved madmen resort to that.”

  “Hyato is a higher priority. It would be the same if either of you were imprisoned. They won’t let us see him or explain ourselves, so that leaves us no choice. We need to break him out.”

  Sebastian and Yan looked at each other for a moment, but Michael was unwavering. After letting the silence grow for a moment, while Michael stuck to his resolve, Sebastian nodded. “Well said. In that case, leave distractions to me. I am not skilled enough to infiltrate, so I suppose we leave that to our ninja.”

  “Right. Make sure not to get caught. Michael, you’re with me.” Yan led the way down a path with Michael as Sebastian split off from them. They rounded the corner of the wall surrounding the guard command building, one of the brick ones that made up half of the alleyways. “Stick close to me.”

  Utilizing agility she’d never shown before, Yan scaled partway up the wall, leapt across the alley to a roof, then flipped across to land atop the brickwork. Michael gaped for a moment, then clambered up behind her. He had more difficulty than she did, but managed the motion all the same with a bit of surge powered assistance.

  “Well done. I knew you could do it.”

  “I didn’t.”

  Yan continued along by leaping down, while Michael clambered down the brickwork. They were making noise, but no one else was around. Whatever distraction Sebastian cooked up, Yan had expected it to be louder.

  Crossing to the building itself, they climbed once again to reach a window on the second level. It wasn’t locked, which made for a swift entry to the command post. As the floorboards creaked out to signal their arrival, a long empty hallway stretched out ahead of them. Michael and Yan found themselves alone, but that lack of a presence was strong.

  They crept along the hall, checking at the doorways for someone to hide from. The rooms were secure metal boarding rooms, with doors ajar and beds empty. After a few identical rooms with a similarity in emptiness, Yan glanced back at Michael. “This is going too well.”

  “Is it?” Michael did not seem worried as they reached a stairwell leading both up and down. “Most of the guards would be on patrol or out fighting the Zori Swarm, right?”

  “I guess that makes sense.” Yan paused to examine the stairs, “Well we are just here to get Hyato out. Which way should we go?” Michael shrugged and Yan mulled over the reality that she would need to make a decision here.

  “Alright Michael, we’re splitting up.” Yan decided after a moment, “I’ll head upstairs and you head downstairs. Look for holding cells, barred rooms where they keep prisoners. If you see people just move fast and hope they don’t realize you don’t belong here. If you need to flee, do so.”

  “Okay.” Michael gave a confident nod, then started down the stairs while Yan slipped away. He’d been watching and mimicking for days, doing what he could to be stealthy and fast like her. This time he would need to do it on his own, and started by slipping down the wooden stairwell to the base level of the building.

  For being the central command for all the guards of Nita, it was odd that the building had been so empty. Even the lower level showed a distinct lack of people, but the rooms were different. The hallway was wider, leading to spaces with desks and cabinets where guards must do clerical work. Michael craned his neck and let his ears flit to try and pick up sounds, but didn’t hear anyone ahead. Was everyone really gone? Perhaps Sebastian’s distraction was better than he expected.

  It was an organized office space meant for many people to carry out various duties. Michael wasn’t sure what all guards had to do paperwork about, but the signs on the walls were about as helpful as they could be. Michael saw a sign for holding cells leading down a hall to another set of stairs and made his way towards it. Despite keeping alert for anyone around, not a single person got in the way of his advance. It was his lucky day.

  The basement level with holding cells was made of stone and metal, as opposed to the wood that the rest of the building’s floors and interior walls used. It gave off a vague sense of being hollow, and the glowing orbs hanging from the ceiling were fewer and farther between downstairs. Michael was careful on his approach to a large metal door leading to the holding area, but again he caught a lucky break. The station was unmanned and the door left ajar. The convenience of this infiltration knew no bounds, and Michael did not think to question his continual strokes of luck.

  Beyond the guard station there was a large chamber portioned off with stone walls forming small rooms denoted by heavy metal bars, individual cells of sturdy make. Michael entered the area and looked around with the hopes of finding Hyato and whomever else had been arrested throughout the day. The front dozen cells were empty, but the light towards the back of the room was casting different shadows, so Michael entered deeper.

  At the end of the room were more empty cells, and the realization of his folly was accompanied by the echoing slam of a metal door being shut. Michael turned around to watch as five people wearing the guard leathers emerged from hiding and approached after sealing the exit. “You adventurers are dumber than I thought, falling for a trap that obvious.” The guards behind the leader snickered.

  “Where are you holding the people you arrested?”

  “That would be classified information, which means it's not any of your business, intruder.” The lead guard stopped about fifteen feet away from Michael, weapon sheathed but in a state ready to be drawn. The other guards took up position behind him, but couldn’t fan out much due to the narrow corridor formed between the holding cells. Michael noted that someone might be able to approach from behind, but none had as of yet.

  “So you lured me down here, but how did you even know I would be coming?”

  “It was a bunch of ninjas that got away from the scene of the crime, of course we expected them to break in.” The guard sounded pleased with himself as he explained their plan, “Keeping everyone out but emptying the office to make it easy to infiltrate, the Captain was right about you adventurers. You’ll break any laws you don’t like as often as you see fit.”

  “We were attacked by ninjas and defending ourselves, it’s not like we were trying to disrupt anything.” Michael threw away his worries about admitting his involvement, in case he could talk some sense into them. “We can explain it all no problem. Please, just release my friend.”

  “You can’t circumvent the law just because you think you’re important.” The guard stomped his foot in a sudden outburst of anger. “I’m sick of you adventurers running around my city doing whatever you please while the rest of us slave away with real work and real responsibility!”

  Michael felt odd in the face of the angry guard, his own temper remaining distant. The man had strong feelings, and good points. He just didn’t understand the full scope of this case. “Take me into custody then. I’ll explain everything and follow the letter of the law. Take me to my friend.”

  “No! I’ve had enough!” The lead guard spat, angry enough that two of his own men even stepped away from him. “Captain Roland was right! You adventurers are nothing more than criminals and bandits that haven’t been caught yet! There’s no way I can trust you.” The guard drew a sword, and two others behind him did the same. “For your crimes of evading arrest, breaking and entering, and conspiracy to undermine authority, I sentence you to death!”

  The guard charged before Michael could finish exclaiming, “What?!” A steel sword came down just as Michael drew his black crystal blade to block, and the guard continued to strike out in a near frenzy. Michael jumped back to avoid a strong blast of energy, but realized he could not reposition much in this narrow passage. The ceiling was high enough for overhead swings, but the cells too narrow for a horizontal strike.

  Left with no choice but to defend himself, Michael used a vibe to push a wave of force and swung towards the guard. Both attacks were blocked, but it did make the guard take a step back and hold up his shield instead of attacking. Michael plotted his next move while keeping on guard, looking for a way out without needless bloodshed.

  Another swing by the guard was blocked, but the furious man just bellowed out a strained roar and kept swinging. Each time the guard’s sword crashed down against Michael’s it sent a shock of pain through his arm, the clamor ringing throughout the chamber. Each swing shrank the idea of a clean escape, until Michael had enough.

  Stomping forward to push the guard back, Michael lifted his sword with his left hand to prepare a slash, then punched low with his right. The guard staggered back from the feint, coughing to catch his breath. Michael didn’t have the same luxury as the two guards next in line surged forward to strike at the same time.

  Simultaneous attacks were harder to deal with, and the guards got past Michael’s defense. He took a cut to the shoulder as his deflected the other sword, but the guards stepped closer to press the advantage with their smaller weapons. Shortswords in the narrow space worked better than Michael’s longer weapon. “Back off!” Michael roared, using a burst of energy to buy half a second to regain his footing.

  The first guard recovered and joined in the assault, three of them bearing down at the same time. Michael’s sword was knocked back so he tried to stop it, but it caught something behind him. As Michael turned his head all three guards attacking swiped for him at the same time. Their swords caught together as Michael ducked to avoid a beheading, and the three angry men started bickering.

  Anger flared up for a moment as Michael unleashed a sudden burst of energy and leapt to his feet. The bickering guards backed off, each stepping away down a different path in the chamber to keep Michael surrounded. They had tried to kill him, they were being serious. “Fine, I’ll get serious too.” Michael swung his sword to bring it up to the ready, and took an instant to see if his plan worked. It had, and the guard’s had yet to notice.

  All hesitation from Michael’s outburst had drained away. The lead guard pointed his sword and shouted his order, “Kill him!” Energy surrounded their weapons before bursting from all directions, firing out in stunning waves of force meant to incapacitate. Michael spun his sword in a wide swing all around him, cutting through the surges with a wrenching of metal.

  Cell bars were sundered through by Michael’s blade, something he had noticed when his weapon was knocked back. All five other men looked on in stunned horror at the realization that Michael could cut through steel as he brought the tip of his sword to the ground. It was enough time to focus and picture the outcome he sought.

  Not as far, but much wider. He had to deal with three directions, and just enough to get them out of the way. Michael focused on what he wanted, then uttered the word on his lips. “Dark Blade!” Cracks of black appeared across the ground in a broad fan, spreading out from Michael to crawl beneath all three of the guards that had attacked him. He held the energy back from reaching the last two who had yet to step any closer, then felt the energy burst outwards.

  The energy of his technique shot into the air, but it was beneath Michael’s feet too! He and the three guards slammed up into the ceiling and fell back down, but Michael landed on his feet while the other three crumpled in groaning pain.

  Feeling a heat on his head, adrenaline in his body, and anger welling up from the back of his throat, Michael stepped over the lead guard to approach the last two standing. They were shivering, unmoving, as Michael approached. “Well?”

  One of the other guards wouldn’t meet his gaze, but the other looked Michael in the shades before stiffening. “I disagree with the decisions and actions of my superiors.” Then he turned and opened the door using a small series of vibes and surges. He held the door open, but remained silent.

  It was the best outcome Michael could hope for, except that Hyato wasn’t here. He left in a hurry to escape the guards and the holding cells, feeling a wash of anxiety burn away his confidence as he rushed out of the building. Their plan had been a complete failure, he just hoped Yan had found her way out as well.

  The foothills between the Drakmore Mountains and the Eterna Forest had always been idyllic and scenic. With a mixture of the wild ferns of Eterna and the lavender flowers from the great hills to the south, they had always been a nice place to explore for many years. What was left of them continued to melt away beneath the weight of scarred, mutating masses of bulbous flesh.

  Each day since the Zori Swarm was discovered and the defense was rallied, the situation got worse. The Zori attacked without warning, nothing suggesting schedule or leadership. They flowed as a mass of bodies, moving to strike and retreating at random, a mindless horde of monsters. They battered defenses and fought without concern for their own safety one second, then fled back into the hills the next.

  If such masses could be culled together, the siege would be easier. An old adage suggested that organized military forces were not good for fighting Zori. A ridiculous notion, yet this experience had changed the minds of many who disagreed with it. The Zori reproduced too fast, able to swarm in different areas in different ways many times a day, and scattered like insects when assaulted. Bombarding or cutting down one by one seemed to have similar results, and never as many as the defenders hoped.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Each day that passed, the lack of contact from the capitol grew more concerning. With all of Nita’s trackers having been called away just before the swarms appeared, they had little in the way of scouts for the defense. They had managed to recruit one of the town’s Night Hawks, but a single person could manage so much. Word through the post system said reinforcements were on their way, but when?

  Alarm bells signalled another attack, causing a weary army to assemble from half sleep. Another attack, there was never enough time to recover between attacks. Some remained sleeping if they could, until the alarm bell rang in the most urgent tone. The lookout was calling everyone to arms, was there another massive Zori coming? The entire defense rushed to the makeshift walls to man their posts, ready for the next wave of enemies.

  What greeted them was beyond belief, stark against the reddened skies. A great flash of silver light danced through the battlefield. Rays of light cut through the flesh scarred hills, gilded in the verdant and violet colors of Myrrh’s flag. A sense of tense anticipation washed across the defenders, who waited for proof of what they all thought.

  Emerging from the fray, wearing the ornate armor all denizens of Myrrh knew on site, a warrior with two swords cut through an entire hive of hardy Anozori. It was the very same armor displayed for all to see in poster and portrait throughout history, the armor made of the rarest metal in the world. Orythrum armor worn by a Myrrhmidon.

  Cheers erupted, loud enough to drown out the cries of Zori, as the Myrrhmidon turned their weaponry down upon the Zori. With massive waves of power and spellcraft that tore through the air in dual vortices of hazardous force, the armored savior tore through the vast majority of Zori in minutes. The defenders unleashed their weapons into the swarm to lend support, assailing the landscape with arrow and spell alike.

  The Myrrhmidon continued to lead the attack from the midst of the enemy until their armor began to pulse and glow with an ethereal light. The commander of the assault issued the order to ceasefire, readying to meet with the Myrrhmidon when they retreated. The special armor worn by Myrrhmidons was a powerful relic, and could be summoned for short periods of time before it needed to return to the Mystic Grove. Everyone knew the signal for the end of the summoned armaments useable duration, since summoning was so common a tool used in Seran militaries.

  To the surprise of all onlookers, the Myrrhmidon did not retreat as their armor was stripped away from them. The silver haired warrior who remained on the battlefield continued to attack with deft motions, swapping to his own twin swords to carry out the rest of his assault. Two more greater Zori fell to his blades, along with dozens of others, before the brazen warrior retreated to the safety of the walls. Ten of the massive Zori and the masses they protected were cut into dust by the Myrrhmidon in Orythrum armor, and another two without the greater protection.

  The man with silver hair landed on the wall with a few scrapes, resting one leg over the edge as he sat. “That should buy you an evening to rest.”

  At once the commander recognized the face of their savior. “My Prince!” He dropped to one knee in reverence, as did many others who saw who had arrived.

  “Enough of that, stand up!” Mien snapped, his grin fading, “Or have you forgotten I abdicated years ago?” He looked to the side in sheer annoyance, and the commander recovered to stand as he was before. The politics and actions of the royalty were too difficult to follow, and Mien’s popularity was not easy to forget.

  “My... good sir. Are you the relief force sent by the capitol?”

  “I’m afraid not, I was not aware of the situation until we arrived. Can you fill me in on what’s going on here, and everything you know about what happened in Liniva?”

  “In Liniva, Sir?” The commander’s query was enough to make Mien nod to himself.

  “I see. Well, that’s telling. I suppose I have to tell you instead. Can you find us a place to speak?”

  “Right away!” The commander saluted then rushed off to his officers to issue out orders. Foremost among them was to send people to rest. Mien’s efforts had indeed cut through a massive amount of the Zori, which meant any assault that occurred tonight could be handled by a smaller force. Letting people recover was as much a tactical maneuver as any combat gambit.

  Two people arrived from the roads in a hurried jog, joining Mien as he started through the defense camp. “See anything unusual?”

  “Nothing so far.” Kris reported, while Pierre checked his pack. “Thanks for clearing a way through.” Mien shrugged, focused forward. He needed a few more answers, not praise.

  “Seeing the Myrrhmidon armor in action was amazing.” Pierre had a giddy laugh to his words, “I’d only ever seen demonstrations before.”

  “It was my first time seeing it.” Kris admitted, “Not much activity out here normally. It felt like nothing ever happened... before.” Her own words darkened her expression as she thought back to her ruined home. Liniva as it was before was no more.

  Mien waited for half an hour before the Commander managed to settle down his camp and secure them a place to speak. The hour of twilight dwindled to the dark of night, a late hour given the length of summer days. Mien sat across from the Commander, while Kris and Pierre chose to stand by the door. “What can you tell me about the Zori Swarm, how did it start?”

  “We’re not sure about that, sir. None of our storehouses were raided, and the animals of the hills are usually capable enough to fend for themselves. Anozori reproduce when they get access to food, and this can only have happened because they found a great amount.”

  “But you don’t have any idea why that happened?” Mien furrowed his brow and considered looking into the situation further.

  “No, but my tactician tells me that we might be able to defeat them before a horde is formed, thanks to your help. And if reinforcements from the capitol are still on the way like our report, we should only need a few more days.” The relief on the commander's face was telling, and Mien nodded.

  There was a more important mystery to solve first, “Have you seen any suspicious people coming through? Perhaps before the Zori Swarm began?” Perhaps the people behind the destruction of Liniva and the start of the swarm were one and the same.

  “Before the swarm started? None that I can think of.” Mien sighed and wondered how to proceed, “But there were some unusual travelers who broke through the swarm just the other day. We don’t know how they got caught up in it, but they managed to hold their own enough for us to rescue them.”

  Mien and the others perked up, “Tell me more.”

  “Well, it was a group of adventurers. They fought and somehow utilized a powerful technique to slay one of the greater zori, giving our archers enough time to provide covering fire and mount a rescue. After they rested in our camp, they continued on towards Nita.” The commander paused for a moment, “Did you say something happened in Liniva?”

  “Hold that thought.” Mien held up a hand and indicated for Pierre to take notes, “What else can you tell me about these adventurers? What did they look like, how many of them were there?”

  “Well they weren’t out of the ordinary for adventurers. Three youths, a valon and two part feral. The fourth was an evari man, and one of the feral youths was female. You could picture a crew like that forming in any tavern around these parts to be honest.”

  “You said there was something unusual about them though, care to elaborate?”

  “They did have that powerful technique for one, but there was something, yeah. I might of been bleary eyed, but one of them seemed to be empty eyed.”

  Kris took a step forward, a serious glare on her face out of nowhere. “Which one? The white haired feral boy?” The commander looked taken aback for a moment, then nodded. He seemed more alert as Mien turned his attention towards Kris as well. “The day I left for patrol there was a corpse on the road just outside of town. I saw three people, and one of them was an empty eyed man with white wolven heritage. I didn’t want to discriminate...”

  Mien nodded, “But an omen is an omen for a reason. You saw this empty eyed man before Liniva was destroyed, and he showed up again here as a horde nearly formed around him.” Mien stood up, but the commander did too.

  “Liniva was destroyed?!”

  “The full details of the report will be coming through soon, Commander. Focus on the issues here before worrying your troops.” Mien turned to the others and flicked his head towards the exit. The commander steadied himself and nodded, eyes red from lack of sleep as he processed everything. “Get some rest, keep up the work. Leave the empty eyed man to us.” Mien departed from the line of defense with his team, hurrying along towards Nita.

  The empty wooden hallways of the command building were like a modern fortress. Narrow hallways with many corners designed for easier defense than an assault, converted into offices and storerooms. Yan wondered if it had once been an actual fortress used during wartime, but felt a faint sense of familiarity as she crept along the abandoned hallways. The wooden construction and stretched out halls reminded her of home. She frowned at the comparison.

  Yan chose to ascend the building because she felt it would be harder to escape from. Each room she checked had sturdy windows, the panes too narrow to slip through with thick wooden beams in place. Breaking through one might be possible, but it would have to be a last resort. She didn’t expect to find Hyato or any prisoners held upstairs, but there were more things to learn from this opportunity.

  Instead of inspecting each room with a critical gaze, Yan began to move with haste. Trusting herself to detect hints if she neared them, she slipped along the halls like a shadow. The entire floor was abandoned, but another stairwell leading upwards brought her towards something within the building. Yan closed in towards a room with flickering light beneath the doorway, and the sounds of a fire.

  The room seemed quiet, but Yan didn’t risk opening the door. She waited outside for minutes, until she heard faint shuffling within. There was someone inside, waiting in silence near a crackling fireplace. The chance to learn was here, she just needed to seize it.

  The door opened just enough for Yan to slip inside. The blazing light of the fireplace cast shadows across most of the room, and the person in the large armchair before it twitched but did not look back. Yan had infiltrated, and whoever was here knew it, but neither of them had seen each other yet.

  Silence stretched out for a minute, broken by the slight motion of the person in the chair. Yan watched them reach over and grab something from a basket, then saw glowing lines of mana along their arm as the hunk of wood shriveled up in their hands. Draining nodules, so this was the Revenant! Yan narrowed her eyes, trying to decide how to proceed.

  “The work of a guardian is never finished.” The voice of the man in the chair was tempered with weariness and focus. “Regardless of how much filth is cleaned, more appears to threaten the peace.” The words made Yan pause, blanking whatever plan she had been forming with a sudden sense of curious caution.

  When the first bandit had been taken by the Revenant he had gone wild and tried to kill them. The next one had fled, and then another man in Liniva had gone as far to incite a riot according to what Michael would tell them. Her perception had been that people possessed would be wild and dangerous, not philosophical. Something was different here.

  “Do you know what the biggest problem facing Myrrh is these days?” The Revenant grabbed another nodule to drain, without yet bothering to look for Yan. “Bandits!” He hissed, crushing the nodule into flakes of bark before draining it. “Those criminal scum attack travelers and encampments, leeching off of the hard work and enterprise of the people. Thieves who harm and loot from the livelihoods of good ordinary people.”

  Yan began inching along the edge of the room, wanting to see who she was dealing with. The identity of the Revenant was their main objective, she couldn’t pass up this chance.

  “People think monsters are the biggest issue, but they aren’t looking at the bigger picture. Monsters are just a force of nature, a test to keep us in check should we grow complacent. Our organizations are enough to deal with those. Criminals, outliers that act on their own to disrupt the system, are the real threat to this world.”

  Chills crawled along Yan’s spine as she listened to the man, anxious to get a look at him, and worried about being seen. The room was dark, it was night and closed off inside with the curtains drawn over the window, but there was a glow from the fireplace that could expose her. Yan was considering changing tactics, when the man in the chair stood up and looked at her.

  “You are all the same. Some may fancy themselves adventurers or heroes or whatever you want to call yourselves, but I see the truth. Criminals. All of you.” The guard crushed another nodule as he drained it, and Yan was taken aback by the sheer... unremarkable appearance before her. This man was ordinary, just another guard by any means. Simple short hair that could be brown or black, an unmarred average face, and a build that was neither mighty nor weak. A person that could be from anywhere, just another face on the street. And yet, he was also the Revenant.

  The guard chuckled, “The little intruder has nothing to say? How very unlike you people.”

  Yan’s focus on escaping wavered as she went over everything this man had said, as well as what else she had learned earlier in the day. “You’re even more annoying than they say, Captain Roland.”

  A dark expression went over the man’s features, sucking away his amusement. “Watch your tongue, criminal, lest I have it pried out of your head.”

  Something wasn’t adding up. Everything he was saying was so scornful of people, talking about criminals and injustice. Yet he had been the first to try to kill them, then incited a mob and even spurned on Zori. Did the possessed not remember what happened before, or was she wrong about this man being the Revenant? It was time to take a risk. “You’ve tried that before, it’s not going to work.”

  Roland furrowed his brow and frowned, “No I haven’t! What nonsense are you talking about?” The man was more on edge, but it was enough proof for Yan that this man didn’t recognize him. She needed a bit more evidence.

  “Funny habit that, draining nodules.” She remained still to not draw attention to herself, but the man still watched her with malevolent eyes.

  “You aren’t going to distract me with idle chatter, intruder. I don’t know why you are up here, but you’ll be dealt with like all the rest.” Roland reached one arm behind himself, but Yan wasn’t ready to clash blades.

  “It started right before the Zori Swarm didn’t it, your craving for nodules.” Roland flinched, eyes narrowed. “It happened when you met with a newcomer to town, am I wrong?”

  “So then you were in league with that man. The strange dark energy that exploded out of him was bizarre, but I withstood it.” Roland’s eyes flitted to the side for a moment. He could still be lying, but Yan felt confident that her hunch was correct. There was more than enough evidence that Roland had become the Revenant, but did that mean each person had a different memory of events? What drove the Revenant to flee, and incite such violence?

  Something in the walls clicked, and Roland’s grin returned. Yan leapt to the ceiling at once, as a half dozen people rushed out of the shadows of the room. There had been just a moment’s notice, but the guards were not deterred by her evasion. “Capture her!” Roland commanded, chuckling as he retracted his hands. He bore no weapons, taking the moment to take up another nodule instead.

  Yan tried to move along the top of the room, using energy to cling as she had been brought up to, but one of the guards got a grip around her ankle. As she was wrenched to the ground, the other guards rushed to try and pin her down.

  With a swift surge empowered kick Yan struck the man grabbing her and then rolled out of the way of another. She crouched as if to jump, then dove near the ground as two other guards jumped to try to intercept. Her shoulder slammed into a side table, the room was too small for this kind of acrobatic combat.

  The tense battle was hectic, but it was also clear that Yan had the quickest reactions. The moment the guards realized this one went for the door to bar it closed as Yan slipped away from another grapple, knocking over a table and the basket of nodules in the process. Shouts of anger, frustration, and general grunting crowded the space and shoved away any chance of comprehension. Roland was angry and the guards eager to capture Yan, she didn’t sweat the details. Instead sweat made her slip as her energy use caught up to her, too much fighting and sneaking around was exhausting.

  “Ridiculous! It’s just one girl!” Roland shouted above the commotion. He stomped and kicked one of the guards, but didn’t make a move towards Yan himself. There was an affronted look from the betrayed guard, an instant before Yan made her move. She glowed with energy for a second, then dashed towards Roland. He yelped and covered his face with his arms, “Protect me!”

  Some Revenant. Three guards moved between Yan and Roland, but her charge went unhindered as she slipped past them all. She wasn’t even in arms reach, as she rushed towards the window at high speeds. With a jumping kick, bereft of energy due to fatigue, Yan smashed through the thick wooden rails of the window and out into the night. Shouts of alarm and dismay rang out from above as Yan landed hard on the ground far below. With no time to check her surroundings, she scaled the wall and dropped into the dark streets of Nita.

  Limping and gritting her teeth to stomach the pain, Yan fled through an alley with all haste. Too much had happened tonight, and Yan wasn’t about to stop while she still had the adrenaline to move. It took minutes to escape the distant shouting, and minutes more of silence before she felt at ease heading off into the darkness.

  A sense of unease had overtaken much of the small city of Nita. Reports of large blasts of colored smoke erupting from chimneys all over the city, followed by sudden extra patrols of guards had put people on edge. Most of the citizens had sheltered away in their homes, and the many taverns and inns felt empty as the various adventurers from all over eastern Myrrh went to their rooms sooner than usual. The job of a night clerk was never so tense. Waiting for missing patrons to come by on the way to their rooms felt more real than ever.

  One clerk in particular breathed a sigh of relief as the party of newest arrivals stopped in for food on the way in. He was so relieved he hadn’t noticed they were one shy of their original size.

  Sebastian closed the door behind him as he entered the room shared by Michael and Yan. “Make sure everything is ready to go on a moment’s notice.”

  “Right.” Michael nodded, as did Yan. “As soon as we rescue Hyato and deal with the Revenant.” Sebastian pursed his lips, but Yan’s hiss of discomfort as she sat down drew the gaze of both the men.

  “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” She insisted, rubbing her right thigh. Sebastian knelt to take a look anyways, spotting the signs of swelling in her foot right away.

  “We can ill afford to overlook wounds such as these. How good is your meditative healing?” Yan’s look of utter confusion was almost as bad as Michael’s usual expression. “I see. Well, I can only do so much myself, but hold still. Michael, fetch her some water and a towel.”

  Michael moved to the bathroom at once as Sebastian started moving his arms in slow measured motions. “What’s the towel for?”

  “Blood or sweat, whichever it's needed for. Keep still and go through meditative motions, I am going to channel energy through your leg.” There was no glow or visible effect as Sebastian extended his focus, but Yan stiffened with the sudden pressure along her leg. It was warm, but she shivered. A strange sensation of pain leaving with numbness or relief.

  While Sebastian worked, Michael sat on the opposite bed. “They moved Hyato before we even got there, and then we learn that this Captain Roland is the Revenant. What are we going to do?”

  “Our plan needs to start with what we expect of our enemy.” Sebastian had no difficulty speaking while channeling the energies. Yan on the other hand was too focused to respond. “If we figure out what the Revenant is planning, then we can plan around it.”

  “Hates adventurers.” Yan spoke with a slow voice, eyes closed to concentrate on the meditation. “Ranted about it.”

  “That’s tricky. Assuming he is dangerous, as we are clear he is.” Sebastian pursed his lips and exhaled, “There could be any manner of actions he might take. If we don’t know what he is going to do, we won't be able to prepare for it.”

  A bit of silence filled the space as Sebastian continued to heal Yan. She needed to drink a few gulps of water, and wipe her brow a few times. The healing was making her hungry, but the pain was easing. Michael watched with a mixture of curiosity, and pensive consideration of the situation as a whole. “Whatever we need to do to get Hyato back safely, even if we don’t have a plan.” He didn’t finish his thought, but it was obvious.

  Sebastian glanced at Michael for a moment, wondering how far this adventure would take them. Already it was more complicated than he was used to. “It was easier when the Revenant was just a wild spirit. Now that people are getting involved... I don’t know what’s going to happen.” He considered a few things for a few seconds, “But I agree. Something must be done. We just need to figure out what to do.” Sebastian retracted his hands from the space hovering near Yan, ending the meditative connection. She took deep breaths and wiggled her foot around, caught in a soft sense of awe.

  “Is there anything else you noticed about Captain Roland?” Michael asked, snapping Yan back to attention.

  “Well, he didn’t fight himself. He ordered around all his guards and even punished one, but didn’t try to capture me himself. It’s what gave me a chance to escape.” Yan recounted the tale to the best of her ability.

  “He might be dangerous and dramatic, but he also wants to keep his hands clean.” Sebastian rubbed at his chin as he sat at the room’s table.

  “Then what do you think he will do?”

  “It’s hard to say, but I don’t think he will act tonight. We should get some rest, and I will think things over. We can get to work first thing in the morning.” The others nodded, fighting between weariness and anxiety as it was. Despite that, Yan’s eyes sparkled with a curiosity.

  “So that meditation healing, can we learn it?” Michael’s ears twitched at the question, and both of the part feral youths locked their gaze on the evari man.

  Sebastian chuckled, “Yes. I only know the long form healing, not the faster combat method, but I should be able to teach you. I am surprised you didn’t already know, Yan.” He paused, “But I suppose you said you are from an isolated place.” Yan nodded, her expression changing to neutrality. “Well, it’s the most widespread form of healing throughout Sera. With meditation we can more easily control energies and get our bodies to heal, and it’s in line with the spiritual connection to Iagorothi. It’s not too hard to learn, but takes a great deal of time and effort.” He stood up, “Just do some meditating before you sleep. I will teach you what I can tomorrow, after we rescue Hyato and put a stop to the Revenant.”

  “Right!” Yan and Michael sounded off in unison. Sebastian chuckled again, then bid them a good night as he returned to his own room. The way things were going, their next day was going to be a challenge. Getting all the rest they could while they had the chance was more important than they could ever have known.