Gradually, the moonlight that was streaming into the room began to weaken. At the same time, the silver glow that had surrounded Grey died out as well, letting the light return to the still flickering dles. Grey didn’t move from his position at the window though, still gazing up at the full moon visible in the night sky with his hand on the window.

  With Azaru’s help, I straightened up from my position leaning against him, exging a disbelieving look at the same time. We both jumped though, when Grey spoke up again. Turning to face him, I saw that he still hadn’t moved.

  “Nathan, Azarus,” He said serenely. “It worked, but we don’t have much time. I’ve been without my Status for so long that my body o adjust to its presence more. I’m afraid that I’m going to lose sciousness soon, and I don’t know when I’ll wake.”

  I jolted, adrenaline shooting through my veins. I opened my mouth to say something but didn’t get a ce befrey spoke again.

  “I’ll be fine, I assure you. But I won’t be able to assist you with what es . I don’t know-” He suddenly hunched over in his chair, hand falling off of the window. He began coughing. I hurried over to his side, aware of Azarus following me. Once I reached him, Grey looked up at me. His eyes were different, if not familiar. The sclera had grown pitch bck, while the silver of his irises had begun to glow slightly. I was startled at how they looked before I remembered something. This was how they had looked all those months ago, when he had Awakened me.

  Grey gave both Azarus and me a pained smile. “We ’t know hoeople saw my reunion with Elys. Hopefully not many, but we ’t be sure. Either way, it o be tonight. Nathan…” He suddenly seemed to grow weary, as if his rength was draining. “Good…luck…” He drifted off, losing sciousness at the same time. He slumped in his chair, head nodding into his chest.

  Azarus broke the resulting silence. “Fuck.”

  I stood up from my kneeling position rey. “Yeah,” I said, letting out a stuttering breath. I took in a deeper one. “But he was right,” I said, turning to Azarus. I met his eyes. “I was going to do it tonight anyway. Magnus, he has-”.

  “Bleddyn, I know,” Azarus interrupted me. At my look, he shrugged. “After ya passed out, I went to see Van to see if he knew what happeold me the whole thing. I found out what happeo you, Bleddyn, and the boy.” Reminded of Walter for the first time in a while, I turo the bed. Sure enough, he was still resting on Grey’s bed. Turning back to Azarus, he intercepted my question before I could ask it. “Boy hasn’t woken up since ya passed out. That don’t matter right now though. We both got to get moving.”

  I met Azarus’s eyes before exging a nod with him. Turning around, I strode back over to the table. Grabbing the energy potion, I popped the cork and down the whole thing at once. When I was done, I grimaced at the taste. Too goddamn sour. I didn’t get the ce to think about that much lohough, as suddenly it felt like a shot of lightni down my spine. I straightened up, feeling much better than I had before. Any kind of exhaustion I’d felt before was now gone.

  “You’re right,” I said to Azarus, setting down the empty bottle and pig up the Ward Breaker. I cradled it o the…Bond Breaker, I’d call it. “I’m going to go get ready for everything. You should too.”

  Azarus me solemnly. “Aye, I’m going to go get suited up for the fight. Once I’m done, I’m going to pack up a bit and then light some fires.” At my raised eyebrow, he smirked. “Gonna burn down the forest and this house with it. That should distract the guards enough to buy ya time in the manor.”

  “Okay then,” I said. “Let’s do it.”

  ………………………………………

  I left Grey and Walter in Azarus’s care a up to my room to get ready. Ohere, I took out the outfit I was going to use for my final infiltration into the manor. I would still be wearing the same white linen sve shirt and brown linen sve pants, but uhat, I had a surprise.

  Some light leather armor that I’d made with Bleddyn’s help.

  It wasn’t ented sidering the difficulty it had given us in making it, but it was made out of darkened and hardened leather. I say armor, but it was really just a vest to protect my vital ans. It wasn’t much to look at either, because her Bleddyn nor I had much experieh shapiher. But it should provide at least some manner of prote if things went wrong.

  Once dressed, I strapped a dagger onto eay thighs. The sed was meant as a backup, as I didn’t have the training for dual-wielding. I also put the Ward Breaker and the Bond Breaker into a pouch that I secured at the small of my back. Couldn’t fet my climbing cws as well, if I wao take the same route to the manor as st time. Some potio in there, as well.

  Just in case.

  When I was done, I looked around my room for what would be the st time. I’d never sidered this house a home. Despite the safe harbor it provided, I had never fotten that we were ierritory. I’d never fotten that just beyond the forest, there was a town of people that didn’t sider me a person. Only property.

  I wouldn’t miss anything here. The only thing I treasured here were the…bonds I’d made.

  Heh.

  Struck by sudden inspiration, I grabbed a piece of part and began to scribble something down on it. When I was done, I folded it up and stuck it in the pouch as well.

  Opening the door, I cast o gnce behind me, before I shut the door forever.

  ………………………………………

  When I reached the first floor, I looked around for Azarus. Before I could call out for him, I was interrupted.

  “In here.” I heard from the kit. Entering it, I found Azarus different than I ever had before.

  He looked like he was armed and armored for war.

  He was wearing a bination of and light pte mail. His cuirass and greaves were , while his gaus, boots, and the helmet resting oable were pte. He was also wearing a rge leather belt on which a number of pouches and tools were attached. Oable o the helmet, I could see a rge one-handed Warhammer and an unadorned kite shield waiting for him. Everything seemed like it had been deliberately treated so that it wouldn’t shine, but it was still visibly steel. Good quality steel, at that.

  I had no doubt he’d made all of it himself.

  He’d rolled out the map Grey had made of the town on the free space of the table, and was studying it wheered the kit. He spoke before I could say a word. “Got a little hand cart out behind the fe,” He grunted, distracted. “I’ll load up Grey and the boy with what I onto it, and then make for Van’s. Before I leave, I’ll light some fires. That should cate guard attention and distract ‘em good. Once I’m doh Van, I’ll head over to Gren’s. Luckily, I know he’s in tht now.” He finally looked at me with a grim expression on his face. “When you’re done…e find us at Gren’s. Hopefully, we’ll have done enough to save the sves from what’s in’.”

  I Azarus, approag the table. Looking down at the map, I let out a long sigh. “All right,” I said quietly. “Okay then.”

  We were quiet for a moment. I don’t know what Azarus was doing, but I was mentally preparing myself. I o get myself into the headspace for what was ing.

  “Ya should check your Status before ya go.” He spoke up uedly. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow, causing him to shake his head. “Something like what ya just did frey? System keeps track of stuff like that. I wouldn’t be surprised if ya got something for it.”

  Is that so…

  I did as he asked, and pulled up my Status.

  He was right.

  You have gaiwo levels!You are now level 21!You have twenty u Virtue points.Level 20 Css ability ied.Would you like to review your Status?Y/NThat was all great, but it was the few lihat had my eyebrows raising. Apparently, they were important enough to get their own, separate blue box.

  For your deeds, you have been grahe title Boundless Liberator.Boundless Liberatrants the General Skill Synergy.First things first. I o gh with ability sele. I might get something that would help with what was ing. I mentally selected the yes button oop blue box, sendio ane.

  Level 20 Css ability (Thornbde Acoylyte)Sylvan Vigor (Skill): Gain a momentary surge of strength and speed while stamina remains.Sylvan Vigor, huh. That sounded just like what I o finish off Magnus.

  All right, time to see what ‘Synergy’ was. I mentally opened up my General Skills. There were a few surprises there, actually. For one, I had ara skill that I don’t remember ever receiving a notification about.

  General SkillsObserve Lvl. 5Meditation Lvl. 2Synergy (Unique)Yeah, that was a little odd. For one, unlike my eneral Skills, Synergy didn’t have a level to it. Whatever it was, it owerful as it was ever going to get. For two, when the hell did I get Meditation? I’d ask how I got it, but it was holy pretty easy to guess. My little Aether meditation sessions must have givehe skill sometime, and I’d just never checked my General Skill tab before now. I mean, why would I? Before now, the only thing that had been on it was Observe.

  Still, like always, the General Skill tab didn’t give any expnations about what the skills did. Didn’t have Grey right her, to vely bombard with questions. I had no idea what Synergy was, and I didn’t have the time to puzzle it out. I mentally shook it off and opened my eyes, ending my tration on my Status and dismissing it.

  “You were right,” I said to Azarus, who’d been waiting patiently for me. I couldn’t have been under for more than a few minutes. “I got a title, which gave me a Unique skill.”

  Azarus grunted, reag for his shield. “Guessin’ ya don’t know what it does.” He said, strapping the shield to his back. He reached for his hammer , slipping it onto a loop on his belt. “System tends to do that for Unique skills, from what I’ve heard. It’s not like I’ve got one of my own.”

  “Yeah,” I said quietly, watg him. I guess this was it. Struck by a sudden urge, I caught Azarus’s attention. “Azarus.”

  He looked over at me, to find that I’d outstretched my arm in his dire. Catg on, he reached over himself and grabbed my forearm in the dwarven equivalent of a handshake. He met my eyes. “Good luate. Don’t die out there, now. Got a whole world out there I want to show ya. Vereden is more than just misery and svery.”

  I snorted. Yeah, we’ll see. “Be careful out there, Azarus. Keep an eye ohers.”

  Azarus let out a small, mirthless ugh. “I’ll do my best. Now get goin’. We got work to do.”

  That we did.

  With one final exge of nods, I left the kit for the st time. Walking to the front door, I exited the house before turning around and looking back up at it. I guess Azarus was going to torch it soon. I felt bad for feeling like I wouldn’t miss it.

  I shut the door behind me.