Alaric woke up early that morning, feeling refreshed and slightly melancholic. Lucy’s situation still left a bad taste in his mouth. Did she know? He couldn’t tell.

  Did the rules prohibit guardians from keeping secrets from their masters? Alaric didn’t need to think about this one, considering his guardian had never once told him what his Inborn Ability was, leaving him to stumble alone in the dark.

  And for a long time, he’d thought he knew what it was: Copying the abilities of other guardians with a bit of their memories.

  Now… he didn’t know.

  Not only could he copy abilities, but he could also command guardians that weren’t his, sever their bonds with their masters and now, apparently, create new bonds with masterless guardians. It seemed like too much… and yet, Alaric had the feeling he simply lacked the full picture.

  It wasn’t enough to say he had a lot of abilities. There were Inborn abilities with multiple faucets, which, when used creatively, could be mistaken for multiple abilities. The key was in knowing the true nature of one’s Inborn Ability. Alaric didn’t have that.

  ‘Just to be sure though…’

  [No, Alaric. I’m not telling you what your Inborn Ability is. ]

  ‘Right. Gotcha,’ sighing, he got ready and descended the stairs. In the living room, he found Sariah preparing the table with a light serving to sate their hunger.

  Leon joined them after a few short minutes and the trio was out after a few minutes. Leon and Sariah had taken care of the packing, making Alaric look awkward and idle.

  ‘They could have given me something to do,’ he grumbled.

  Sariah was the last out the door, closing it behind her with a small whisper. A protective enchantment took hold, and runes ignited along the pillars and beams holding up the house.

  She turned as she checked the Storage Ring on her finger, “Do we have everything, Leon? Weapons, Maps, elixirs…”

  “Elixirs?” Alaric asked in an odd tone.

  “Yes, Alistair. We bought elixirs… Only low-grade healers. Nothing too fancy, so don’t go breaking your bones or getting stabbed by a Heaven-Crested Eagle,” the woman replied with a stern look.

  Alaric nodded diligently… ‘So a fancy word for a healing portion is ‘healer.’

  [ That was besides the point. His guardian mused.

  [ I know… But elixirs are expensive. Did you see prices on Old Man Thai’s elixirs? Each of them was at least 10 gold. I don’t even think we have the money for one of those. ] Alaric mused.

  Elixirs were expensive. Buying them only made sense when the mission was bound to give them more treasure than they knew what to do with. At the same time, such missions were exceedingly dangerous and left to Emerald and Platinum Adventurers.

  Still, it had never struck Alaric that the elixirs he’d seen in the Alchemist’s store were all high-grade. He surmised that low-grade elixirs were a lot cheaper.

  “Alright, let’s go. We don’t have all day. All goes well, we’ll be done with this mission by nightfall,” the woman commanded.

  Alaric nodded, venturing a look at his Storage Bracelet for the umpteenth time, ‘What do we have in here? Rope, Enchanted Rope, some pickaxes, a bunch of precious stones, a metallic device that speaks into my head, a few books… huh… I should read those… a sword, a buckler, a few hundred… or maybe thousand gold coins… some silver ones… a Bone Tiger’s tail. I like that one… a few cooking supplies, some raw bread and dried meat… These Tower really put a lot into this…’

  “Alaric,” Leon’s voice caught him off-guard, “You’ve checked your bracelet enough. Spend your time preparing your mind now. The world beyond the Holy Barrier is unforgiving.”

  The boy nodded his head sternly. LionHeart gave his shoulder a squeeze, “Let’s go then.”

  The trio quickly made their way towards the Guild Hall, where they would meet the others. Today was the day, and they needed to set off early.

  Demons were more active at night which meant they were supposed to carry out their mission and complete it by nightfall… or at least find a way to survive the night if and when finding shelter was no longer an option. This was Demon Evasion 101 for adventurers and Alaric had heard it plenty of times from the hunters back in the Five Hills.

  Transport had been prepared—an open carriage parked outside the city of Melbourne, already waiting patiently. The trio found Maple and Bumi seated on one of the tables inside the Guild Hall, their moods sombre as they too found ways to steel their resolve. There was something grim about venturing beyond the Holy Barrier. Most adventurers knew not to take this too lightly. Alaric, on the other hand, couldn’t quite relate.

  Since leaving the Five Hills for the Appraisal Ceremony, he hadn’t found himself in a situation where he was completely desperate. At least not to the point where he had to steel himself for death every time he stared at the Holy Barrier.

  [ The way you think of the world outside of the Holy Barrier is different from the way others think of it. You see opportunity where they see danger and death. ] Alia consoled the boy.

  [ Shouldn’t that be a bad thing? The boy tried.

  [ Only time will tell. You should save these thoughts for when you find yourself at Death’s Door again. Four years have dulled your fear of it, making it nothing but a wispy nightmare. ] The guardian replied.

  ‘Death’s door, huh…’ the boy shivered, growing goosebumps at the thought. ‘That fear lingers… like a faint scar that will never truly go away.’

  Alaric took in a deep breath and stored away the heavy thoughts. He greeted the two adventurers, quietly commending them for their impeccable timekeeping, and took a seat, waiting.

  He thrummed his fingers against the old wooden table, took in more sights of the Guild Hall, noting for the first time that portraits hung on the walls.

  Sariah followed his curious gaze after a short while and her eyes sparkled, “Want to know more about them?”

  Alaric shrugged. These were people he didn’t know about. What were the odds that they were even important at all?

  “Many guilds have the custom of hanging portraits of dead adventurers up… To honour them,” the woman explained, “Let’s not do that after this mission, okay?”

  “Okay,” the boy nodded solemnly.

  Adventurers died a lot. It was an occupational hazard, so Alaric doubted the Guild Hall even had enough space to fit them all… so what made one so great that they’d get a portrait on the wall?

  Alaric yawned, bored out of his mind. He hadn’t come for a history lesson: “How long do we wait?”

  “Until the end of the morning rush. Anyone who shows up later than that is just asking for the demons to eat us before we make it to the Shimmering Creek,” Bumi answered coldly.

  “Should she fail to make it by then, the four of you will be on your way. Leon, your guild license was approved this morning. You’re barely gold-ranked, but you’ll do,” Bumi casually tossed an enchanted piece of metal at the large man.

  ‘Does that mean we travelled through the In-Between for nothing?’

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  [ No. There is nothing wrong with contingencies. ] The guardian replied casually.

  They had barely rested when the large wooden doors of the Guild Hall swung open to reveal two people.

  [ Speak of the devil! ] Alia mused.

  Lucy strolled in, white hair tied back in a neat bun, her strides measured and confident. She was dressed in an elaborate white outfit with aqua accents made of silk and leather, wreathed in protective enchantments that Alaric sensed at a glance.

  She held a staff in one hand and looked the most ready Alaric had ever seen her.

  Compared to the dishevelled girl he’d left in an alleyway the day before, Lucy looked like she’d put herself back together again. Of course, he wasn’t about to believe that for a second.

  The Matriarch was pulling out all the stops to ensure her survival… which explained the second individual to walk through those doors. Capturing even more of his attention more was the man walking beside her, dressed in custom armour fitted with leather and steel.

  His chest, arms and legs were covered in dark steel plates while leather covered the rest of his body in a unique fashion, humming with enchantments Alaric couldn’t discern. A sword hung at the man’s side, ready to be drawn at the slightest hint of danger.

  The man himself was a bit handsome with a weathered air about him. His presence was a lot denser than any of Alaric’s comrades and the fact that Alaric recognized him only made the boy shudder.

  Bumi grumbled to himself, “What is ‘he’ doing here?”

  Alaric turned back with a bit of shock. He didn’t know the man’s name but he had met him at the Sisters of Fragrance when he went to see Lucy. At the time, he assumed this man to be sort of the caretaker. Now, he knew more than to assume.

  “You know him?” he asked Bumi.

  “Byron, the Matriarch’s right-hand man—”

  “—and sword,” Sariah added quietly.

  “Yes. Rumour has it that he collects on those that don’t pay their debts and takes care of all her dirty work. It’s a rumour, though. Best not to mention that in front of anyone,” Bumi finished in a quiet tone.

  “That’s not a friendly way to introduce me, Bumi,” the man’s voice reached their table as he approached.

  “His hearing has also gotten sharper since we last met. Must have climbed up a few Temper Levels since we last spoke,” Bumi added.

  The man gleamed as he reached the group, taking in each member of the group with scrutinizing eyes. After looking around for a bit, he asked, “Is this everyone?”

  “You weren’t invited, Byron,” Bumi growled, “And for good reason too.”

  “Oh, I was invited. Courtesy of the Matriarch herself. As long as Lady Lucy is not within the premises of the Sisters of Fragrance, I go where she goes,” the man announced.

  “Great! You’re bursting with joy at the glorious task of playing babysitter. How the mighty truly fall!” Bumi scoffed.

  “Tsk! Jealousy looks bad on you, Old Friend,” the man responded.

  “You’re no friend of mine, Byron. Old or new.”

  “The feeling’s mutual, Bumi,” the air stirred as Byron’s plastic smile seemed to wane.

  For a split second, the two men looked like they were on the edge of duking it out in the Guild Hall, then, nothing.

  A moment later, Byron’s smile returned and he looked away from Bumi and to Alaric, scanning the boy briefly before moving on to everyone else.

  “Is this everyone? Isn’t the Guildmaster coming with us? I thought this an important mission. We need all the help we can get. You don’t want to fail, do you?”

  “Are you going to be a pain, Byron? I would prefer it if you stuck to the task you’ve been assigned: Protecting Lucy,” Sariah pitched in, “I can’t imagine any other reason for you coming with us.”

  Byron stared at the woman for a bit, holding the intense gaze before turning away from her with more gusto than before, “You’re right, Sariah. Let’s get going. Lucy challenged the Matriarch just to earn the right to go on this mission so I must ensure her safe return.”

  Bumi stood and everyone followed suit, making it for the door. Before Alaric made it to the exit, however, Bumi called him back, “Alistair, let me see your sword. Did you sharpen it?”

  Alaric frowned, “No… I didn’t.”

  “Tch! Amateur,” Bumi scoffed, “Hand it over.”

  He passed it over and waited as the man surveyed the weapon. After a few moments, he turned pale, “Where did you say you bought this sword again?”

  “A friend gave it to me,” Alaric responded.

  “A friend, huh… He must know some talented blacksmiths to have a sword like this made… and even more than enough money to willingly give it away,” the man’s voice shuddered, “Let’s going then.”

  Naturally, Alaric couldn’t imagine what had rattled the man. His sword, as far as he was aware, was merely one of the many swords the Tower could spare… and so that’s what he was using. He didn’t know enough about appraising swords or how to tell which one was sharp or wasn’t, so he wouldn’t have known a good one from a bad one.

  Of course, he knew some felt more imbalanced than others when he held them but he’d spent his life adapting to that rather than searching for a blade that fit him right.

  He couldn’t imagine what made this sword special so when he got it back from Bumi, he just placed it back into the storage bracelet and moved on. The party left the Guild Hall and went straight for a carriage waiting for them outside the gates.

  Bumi instructed the rest to get onto the open carriage as he walked up to the coachman, a bearded man of large stature.

  “South to the Shimmering Creek. You’ll put us there and proceed to Flintstone Quarry where we’ll find you when our quest is done. Carry on without us if we take too long,” Bumi ordered.

  The coachman, a man with a full beard and eyes full of merriment and mirth, lit up as he asked what was perhaps his best question in the whole world, “And my fee?”

  “You’ll receive half your payment once we get to the Shimmering Creek… and the other half once we’re back in Melbourne as per our negotiation,” Bumi ordered.

  “Ah, but the fee doubled while I pondered it over a pint of ale last night,” the man replied with a confident nod.

  Bumi’s face contorted, “WHAT?!”

  “Don’t give me that face, butcher! Prices have gone up now that merchants are afraid of bringing the good stuff,” the man added.

  Bumi brought his palm to his face and took a deep breath as he struggled to catch up, “You’re not talking about ale, are you?”

  “Hell yeah, I’m talking about my ale. Blame those bloody Black Ones and I reckon we’ll run into quite a few of them on the road. Last two carriages to come in here came all busted up with wounded amongst them and next to no protection detail left,” the man spoke.

  “I’ve never known you to be a coward, Taran,” Bumi tried.

  The coachman raised an eyebrow at the man, “Coward? No… I consider myself a businessman. Double or nothing, old friend.”

  Bumi sighed, “Fine. Have it your way.”

  Alaric walked past Lucy, who’d taken a seat next to Byron, and sat next to Scarlett. Hearing the coachman’s words, he vaguely remembered spotting some beat-up carriages making their way for the gates through his clairvoyant vines. He’d been paying more attention to the Matriarch and the Emperor’s men that he didn’t pay them much attention. Now though, he was wary.

  [ Be ready… and don’t falter. ] his guardian chided.

  The carriage started moving and was hurtling through the woods in no time, driving through the Holy Barrier and into the Purified Zone.

  Alaric let his vines spread far and wide, keeping surveillance of the woods as the carriage shot through them. His mind processed information as it came and he kept sifting through it effortlessly.

  Since he’d grown used to dismissing useless details, he only focused on things that could harm them. One new detail made this task slightly less effortless though.

  During the Demon Stampede, Alaric had discovered the demons could be cloaked… which made him second-guess almost all the information he dismissed. This got even harder with the fact that they were constantly moving.

  The woods were still mostly empty within the Purified Zone so there was not much to do before they left it.

  For the first part of their journey, there wouldn’t be much to worry about. Once they broke out of the Purified Zone though, all of that would change. Alaric’s mind was getting ready for when that time came.

  The red-haired girl seated beside him suddenly piped up, “So what are you going to buy with your share of the money?”

  “M-My share?” Alaric blurted out.

  “Of course. A new sword, shoes, clothes… Another expensive meal? What will you get?” the girl asked.

  “I’m giving my Storm Orb to Troy, remember?” Alaric said.

  “You’re not seriously thinking of getting one Storm orb, are you?” the girl raised a brow at him.

  Alaric’s mind spun… He chuckled nervously, “When you put it that way, I hadn’t thought much about buying anything,” Alaric thought to himself, “I’ve been thinking of buying an Evo-Sword though.”

  “What’s an Evo-Sword?” Scarlett asked.

  “Only one of the most useless artefacts out there. I’m surprised you’ve heard about them,” Bumi butted in.

  “Useless?” Alaric wondered.

  “Yes, useless. Totally and utterly useless. Evo-Swords aren’t even common mainly because of their… how should I say it, inapplicability. I know it sounds convenient to have a sword that changes form based on what you need it to be, but think again, boy!

  They don’t change just because you wish them to. Only a few swordsmen and martial artists have been able to use them and even then, they’d only unlock a few forms. Of all the artifacts scattered across this continent, they are the worst,” Bumi fumed.

  “I heard they are rumoured to be capable of becoming any weapon in existence,” Lucy added.

  “Baseless rumours from even less worthy sources, I saw. It’s never been proven and honestly, I doubt it ever will be.

  Byron chuckled to himself, “Lamentations of the Untalented.”

  “Shut up, Byron. You failed, too,” Bumi snapped.

  “At least I didn’t develop a rabid hate for tools that did nothing to me. It only proved my talents were more useful in other ways. No use calling them useless,” Byron sighed.

  Alaric was even more confused by this. Still, he was interested in what he was hearing. “Where would I find one?”

  Bumi stared back at the boy, caught between his argument with Byron, before sighing heavily, “There are a few ways. You can find a collector and buy it off them. Those fools don’t have any use for Evo Swords anyway.

  Or you could put out a request with the Merchant Guild. Those guys will probably put out a quest with the Adventurer’s guild. Both methods don’t guarantee results, though. Most people don’t like Evo-Swords so they don’t pay them any attention. Might as well look for one yourself.”

  “Not even for the right price?” Alaric wondered.

  “Wave around a hundred gold and you might get a response. Though I doubt a boy like you will ever find themselves in possession of such… pocket change,” the man chuckled.

  Alaric wasn’t interested in retorting. He did, however, realise how much of a target it would make him if he suddenly turned up with that kind of money.

  [ If only you had a clone that didn’t look like you at all. ] Alia yawned.

  …………………………