The Runic Alchemist

After spending another day tied up in the same room, Damian was finally given permission to bathe and prepare for whatever came next. It was early morning, and two guards were stationed around him at all times. As Damian prepared, he noticed his fellow recruits getting ready to face the cold in morning training. They were talking with Captain Mira when five of them broke away and ran toward him.

The guards didn't stop them; they had seen these recruits visiting him many times before.

"It's happening..." Geldric, the first to reach Damian, said as he caught his breath.

"They say Lady Vidalia is just and noble," added Einar, who was right behind Geldric.

"That remains to be seen," Damian replied with a small smile.

"I heard Captain Valoris is going himself. I'm sure he'll help," Yovan chimed in, trying to lift Damian's spirits. Damian simply nodded in response.

One by one, all four recruits hugged or patted him on the back, saying their farewells. It was difficult to say whether they would ever meet again. Before heading back to their morning training, all four stopped, turned around, and bowed their heads slightly, speaking in unison.

"Thank you... Thank you for saving us..."

What could one possibly say in response to something like that? Damian simply nodded graciously, and they accepted it before running back, leaving only Sam behind.

"I told them not to do that... It was embarrassing as hell," Sam muttered as he fell in step beside Damian, who was being escorted by the two guards to the platoon that would depart with Captain Valoris.

"Take care of yourself, Sam... And take this. You'll need it more than I will." Damian handed him a separate bag containing 50 gold coins. He had only 70 left, but there wouldn't be much use for money at the border. In case someone got hold of his storage tool and stole it, it was better to give it to Sam now.

"If you ever feel like it's too much, run. You don't have to fight," Damian advised him, offering one last piece of wisdom. Sam hugged him tightly, despite Damian's hands being tied. Sam then looked into Damian's eyes, his face filled with determination and confidence.

"Nonsense... I'll find you in no time. Just you don't die on me before that," Sam said, breaking into a sad smile.

Damian petted his annoying yet loyal companion one last time before continuing on with the guards. This place wasn't exactly a paradise, but there were moments he knew he would miss—especially the people he had come to know. Though Damian wasn't one to with the emotions, he couldn't deny there was a connection to this place.

The full party that was set to head towards the border consisted of a single wagon and a few horses. They were to deliver a report and attend a meeting that had been summoned for all regional lords near the border to Ashenvale. The wagon was loaded with supplies for the journey and housed only Damian, Captain Valoris, another soldier, and the driver. Everyone else was either walking or riding horses.

Altogether, they barely numbered 25 people. Damian figured the uncertainty in the city had left Valoris with no choice but to keep as many soldiers as possible within the army, to avoid getting caught up in political struggles or overpowered by any other ambitious wanna-be lords.

In the event of a lord's death, the seat and title would typically be inherited by the next head of the house, but if no one was capable, the royalty would decide who would take the position. At least, that was what the Dawnstar laws stated; Damian wasn't sure how things worked here.

"There was a reason no one ever did it, you know..." Captain Valoris said, his eyes not meeting Damian's as he stared out at the snow-covered landscape they were leaving behind.

Damian had assumed there must have been a reason why such a fool and unworthy man had remained lord of such a major city in Eldoris, but he didn't have time to find out. The situation had called for quick action.

"And what was that?" Damian asked, also avoiding eye contact as he gazed at the endless expanse of white snow.

"His brother... Aramis Viranil. He's one of the strongest high-leveled second ranker in all of Eldoris," Valoris revealed.

"A lone second ranker?" Damian asked, expecting more.

"Not just any second ranker... He's a Transcendent seed—one of the very few in Eldoris," Valoris explained.

Oh, that made sense. Transcendent seeds were the most promising warriors in the kingdom, nearly maxed out at the second rank, and on the verge of triggering the third rank ascension trial. Ascension stones helped with reaching the astral plane when one was low-leveled, but for the third rank, one had to trigger the ascension trial on their own.

There were other, more questionable methods involving inhuman experiments, but the truly powerful ones were always those who triggered it naturally. People on the verge of this last step in ascending to the third rank were among the few Transcendent seeds. Like healer Espers, they were in high demand, perhaps even more so, and were granted certain privileges and leniency by the royals.

"And not just that... He's the only accepted student of 'The Bone Crusher,'" Valoris continued, finally looking towards Damian to gauge his reaction.

"Bone Crusher?" Damian was unfamiliar with the title. Such titles were usually reserved for war heroes or great warriors and knights of renown.

"Ah, I forgot you're not from here... He's a transcendent, of Eldoris origin and service," Valoris explained. "So you see, we were ruled by an evil man, no doubt... But sometimes, that's for the best."

"Maybe you're right... Who's to know?" Damian replied, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"Hmm...? Weren't you the one blaming us for our failures yesterday?" Valoris looked confused, as if the words Damian had said the previous day had troubled his nights.

"If you noticed, I wasn't in the best state of mind... You see, I'm still a child—I get emotional," Damian said with a smile. Valoris gave him the same look he had on the first day of the trial when Damian had made show of his injuries.

"How far is it?" Damian asked, changing the subject.

"Five days to the Dreaded Lands, if the weather is good... A day at most from there," Valoris answered.

Damian had heard of the famous Dreaded Lands of Eldoris—a place where the sun never shines, a place of eternal night. Visibility was just enough to see a short distance ahead, like during a very cloudy day, but it remained like that forever. No one knew why it was like that; they only knew that nearly a hundred kilometers of land was permanently shrouded in darkness.

Beyond that lay the border to Ashenvale, where the sun shone as brightly as a midsummer's day. Most historians theorized that the perpetual night was the result of a battle between two powerful Transcendents, but this was the only place in the known world that had been permanently altered by such a conflict. No other location had been changed like this, at least not that anyone knew of.

The Dreaded Lands were mostly barren, with one side cold like the North Pole and the other half scorched and dry, as if perched just above a magma chamber. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Eldoris was on the snowy side. Damian didn't know how far Eldoris considered its border or where they were defending it, but it was most likely on the snowy plains.

Ashenvale's forces would probably also be stationed in the snowy plains, covering half of the vast Dreaded Lands.

Damian couldn't help but laugh at his situation. He had been debating whether to go to war in six months, and now he was heading there in just 15 days. Where was the peace he had fled from Goldilocks to find? Certainly not in a place called 'Dreaded Lands.'

The journey continued with light snowfall and limited daylight. Sometimes the nights were clear enough to see, so they continued traveling during those times as well. Captain Valoris was simply delivering the news and returning to Pyron after participating in the meeting that Lord Theoclys was supposed to attend.

House Kiyoma had already sent their reinforcements for the war effort, as had all the other houses in Eldoris. Valoris told Damian that House Viranil—the lord's house he had killed—had sent half their knights along with the younger, more talented brother, Aramis Viranil, who would most likely be after Damian's blood once he heard the report. The good news just kept piling up.

Even if Lady Vidalia was as honorable and just as everyone claimed, Damian would still have to watch his back to avoid getting a dagger in his heart at night.

As a favor, or perhaps simply to let him enjoy his last few free days, Captain Valoris had released all of Damian's bindings and allowed him to roam freely as they camped and journeyed further toward the border. They passed mostly abandoned villages buried in snow, though some still had people and minor knights or lords ruling them.

They fought monsters more often than not—predators roaming free in the cold, daring to attack the group. Damian watched from the sidelines as the knights quickly dispatched the monsters, or occasionally struggled until Captain Valoris intervened. Two days had passed, leaving three more until they reached their destination.