PreCursive

  I felt myself break out into a full-body shiver at the feeling of something infiltrating my Status. The sensation of something slithering its way into your very soul felt…wrong, somehow. That was beyond the fact that I could even feel my soul at all, in this instance. fused and disturbed, I took the ce to call up my Status, to see if it could tell me what had just happened. I didn’t care that I was still kneeling over the dead master of the manor. This shouldn’t take long.

  Hopefully.

  Hidden Amidst the Spheres.

  Sure enough, I had notifications. More than I expected.

  You have gained 3 levels!You are now level 24.You have 30 u Virtue Points.You have acquired the Css Skill Poisonfang Fist.What?

  What?!

  How had I gotten three levels? I hadn’t killed any monsters or even made anything sihe Breakers! Even beyond that, I’d apparently gotten a new Css Skill?! But I’d just gohrough my ability sele…

  fused, I held up my left hand and tried to call up my new skill.

  Poisonfang Fist.

  For a moment, nothing happened, which was incredibly odd. Deep inside my Status, it almost felt as if the Skill was fighting me, as if it didn’t want to be used. Eventually, though, my invocation succeeded, but not without an almost sense of reluce.

  My left haed into a roiling miasma of green and bck smoke.

  I stared at my hand in abject horror.

  I reized this skill.

  This was what Magnus had used to kill the bear-rabbit during my first of his ‘hunts’.

  How…how did I have this skill…

  Slowly, my gaze turned away from my hand and baagnus. Did I…did I take this from him? Was that what had happehe moment he had died with my racials?

  Did I steal a skill from Magnus at the moment of his death?

  “Well, damn,” I heard from behihe voice shocked me out of my stupor, especially because I reized it. Hurriedly, I celed the skill, causing the eerie smoke to dissipate from around my fist. God, I hoped my body had blocked the view of the skill. With a mounting sense of panic, I stood up and turned around to face the speaker.

  It was Stonebreaker, as I thought.

  He was standing about te away from me, but I khat was no prote from him. He could move faster than I could react. His armor was immacute and shining in the dang light from the fires across the fe didn’t look like he had been fighti.

  He was watg me with a curious tilt to his helmeted head, arms folded.

  I didn’t o say anything. He just tialking on his own.

  “So, you killed the boy,” He said, sounding mildly ied. It didn’t sound like he cared at all about the fact I’d just killed his charge. “I notice you don’t have a colr, either. Did you kill Orinbar too, in order to get that off?”

  He sounded much less pleased at that possibility.

  “He…he was already dead when w-I found him,” I said with a dry mouth. My heart ounding in my ears. I khis dwarf could kill me as easily as he breathed. I didn’t know if I could get away from Stonebreaker. I’d had a smidgeon of fidence Bleddyn and I might be able to take him earlier, but I had none about my ces solo. “A serva slip that Magnus killed him earlier.”

  Stonebreaker snorted, rexing. “Did he now. The little shit…,” He muttered to himself. With a shrug, he lowered his arms and turo leave, visibly dismissing me. He started to walk away.

  I couldn’t stop myself from speaking up. “That’s it?” I said to him incredulously. Stonebreaker stopped but didn’t turn to face me. “I kill your charge, and you just walk away?”

  “Do you wao kill you, boy?” H replied, audibly bored.

  “N-no! No…I just…you’re just going to let me go?” I asked, fused.

  Stonebreaker turned his helmeted head slightly to look in my dire. “The boy didn’t matter all that much. This was his st ce with the Prince before he was cut off, anyway. I’m sure,” He said, amused for some reason. “That Anguis won’t care about the loss of o-of-trol heir. Magnus was repceable. Orinbar wasn’t.”

  I didn’t know what to say to him at that. Stonebreaker didn’t seem like he cared either way though, because he resumed walking away.

  I stood there, watg his pte cd back as he walked away, feeling like I’d just dodged a bullet.

  ………………………………………

  I snapped out of it not long after. I didn’t have time to stand around gaping at nothing.

  It was time to leave Addersfield behind forever. Preferably before the town was overrun with monsters.

  First, though, I’d have to reach Azarus and Bleddyn. During the fall out of the window, I thought I’d seen them fighting at the gates. I o hurry.

  I sprinted around the edge of the manor and towards the front of it, leaving Magnus’s corpse to rot in the grass. Fare thee not-well, bastard.

  Once I’d reached the gate, I found that the fire had reached the manor. The bze in town had grown s that the winds had pushed it onto the fa?ade. As I passed through the wrought-iron gates, I saw that the front of the manor was beginning to go up in fmes.

  I staggered once I sprinted into the town proper, overe by the iy of the fmes and smoke arouhe main thhfare was wide enough that I didn’t feel in danger, but the heat. It was nothing like I’d ever felt before in my life. I raised my tunic to cover my mouth as best as I could to block out the smoke and tried to hurry to the gate, surrounded oher side by r fmes.

  I had no idea how long it took me to make my way through town. I didn’t see any of the dwarves that had been fighting the fire along the way. I think they’d given up pletely, and I didn’t bme them. There was no stopping this fire.

  That wouldn’t save them, though. These bloodthirsty bastards had a supposed horde of moo look forward to soon. At that mental reminder, I tried to hurry up.

  Eventually, I reached the entrao the front gate square.

  It was wrecked.

  Even beyond the fire, the square very much looked like it had been through a battle. The buildings that weren’t already burnt were shattered from what looked to be strong impacts. There were very obviously dead bodies strewn all about, as well. Mostly, they seemed to be members of the Addersfield guard that I’d seen Azarus and Bleddyn fighting earlier. But I saw plenty of dead sves, as well. Many of them were even holding ons, clutched tightly in their dead fingers.

  I guess some of the sves had decided to fight back, oheir colrs had fallen off.

  The fight was almost over, from what I could see.

  Bleddyn wasn’t in the square anymore. There was only one person fighting the remaining guards.

  For the first time, I got to see Azarus fight seriously.

  It wasn’t what I was expeg.

  From the gear that I’d seen on him earlier, I’d expected him to fight like an armored knight. You know, take a hit on his shield and thealiate with his Warhammer. That wasn’t what he was doing.

  Instead, he fought with s.

  Extending out from his arms, it looked like he had loal s that sprouted from his elbows and ed around both of his forearms in a spiral. Both his hammer and his shield were attached to these s.

  He was trolling them.

  Telekiically.

  The shield hovered near his left arm, either being used to block attacks from the guards with no issue or be thrown out like a rge, ft maul to be used as a on. I even saw Azarus reel the shield in once, grip the handles, and use it to sm a guard away from him before sending it out to attaother.

  The real star was the Warhammer, though. It too was attached to a length of by a loop on its handle. Azarus was throwing it around in rge, sweeping motions to attack the guards from well beyond their range. Very rarely did any of the guards ever get close to him before they were smacked away.

  With a shout, I watched as Azarus flung his hammer and directly at one of the st remaining guards. It impacted his face with an audible his unarmored face. The blow khe dwarf off of his feet, where he didn’t get back up. I winced, but that left only one guard left.

  I guess I shouldn’t just stand around gaping at the fight. I could help.

  I drew my dagger.

  The Stilnt Bde. Sylvan Vigor.

  I broke out into a sprint at the unsuspeg guard's back. In front, I saw Azarus notice me, causing his face to break out into a relieved smile. I stayed focused on the guard, though. Silently, I leaped forward as hard as I could, reading my bde. I didn’t want to risk whatever had happened with Magnus happening again, so no leaving my bde in this guard. I had something else in mind.

  My bde sliced through the unsuspeg guard's ne one motion, causing his head to fly off behind him. A full decapitation.

  Landing on my feet in a skid, I slid forward from my leap several feet. I must have hit a rock, though, because my slide turned into a tumble at the st sed. I found myself gazing up at the night sky, lit by a moon tinged red from the r fmes around me.

  I blinked.

  Seds ter, Azarus appeared above me, his armor stained by blood and soot. “Are ya alright!” He shouted down at me over the r of the fmes, grabbing my right arm and haulio my feet.

  I staggered, but answered anyway. “Y-” I tried to say, only to end up coughing from the smoke inhation. “Yeah, I’m fine! Did everything go all right!?” I said, struggling to make myself heard over the fire.

  Azarus nodded. “Everything’s ready! Gren’s onboard! Bleddyn’s helping with sves!” I saw Azarus pause for a moment before leaning in. “Did ya…get it all done?” He said in a normal volume.

  “Yeah,” I replied. I knew what he was asking. I met his eyes and nodded. “Everything.”

  Azarus let out a short sigh, inaudible even from this close. “All right,” He said, stepping away. “We a get goin’ theta leave if we’re gonhe monsters! The Breakage Effect must be buildin’ up! Let’s go!”

  I exged a nod with him. We both broke out into sprints in the dire of the gates. Just beyond them, I saw a line of wagons being loaded up with supplies and sves. Gren was there, and I exged a nod with him but didn’t interrupt. He was obviously busy direg several other dwarves and sves with the caravan. I guess those were his employees.

  I suppose I didn’t begrudge him getting them out as well.

  More importantly, I saw Bleddyn moving among the sves. As I watched, I saw him use the Bond Breaker on one of the other sves. He was immediately ed in a hug by the openly weeping man. He said something to the now former sve and moved on to another.

  I hurried to catch up with him. “Bleddyn!” I called. The noise of the burning town was lessened outside the gates, so he heard me and turned around. His face lit up and he rushed over to me as well. We met iween two of the wagons. He grabbed my right forearm in a tight squeeze when we did. “Did ye do it?” He asked me breathlessly.

  I him. I uood. “Yeah. Right up and through the left lung.” I said, letting go of his arm and patting him on the left side of his abdomen. “He’s gone.”

  Bleddyn took a deep breath, ung of the smoke in the air, and held it for a moment. He let it out in an explosive sigh. “Less than the bastard deserves, but that ain’t what matters. What matters is that he’s gone.”

  I let out a sigh of my own and hat was what mattered.

  But nht nht now, we o go.

  I said as much to Bleddyn, causing him to nod at me. Before we could say anything else, Azarus caught up with the two of us. I turned around, surprised. I hadn’t even noticed that he hadn’t followed me.

  Azarus and Bleddyn exged short nods before Azarus spoke to me. “Gren says they’re getting’ underway now. We’re out of here.”

  “Where are Grey and Walter?” I asked him.

  “Wagon at the front. Let’s go, yeah? Gren will meet us there.”

  Azarus broke out into a jht past me for the front of the caravan. I moved to follow before I noticed that Bleddyn wasn’t. I turo face him, curious, only to find that he had a firm look on his face.

  “Bleddyn?” I asked him, fused.

  He took another deep breath. “I’m not in' with.”

  “What? What the hell do you mean, you’re not ing?”

  Bleddyn walked up to me a his hand on my shoulder. “I talked to some of the other sves, and we’re in agreement. We’re staying behind. Azarus told me about the stockpile this town has, and we’ve decided to stay and fight for trol of it.” He set his other hand on my shoulder a my eyes. “here are so many other sves in the Principality. Most of ‘em are human, like you and me. A lot of them got caught runnin’ from the war. We’re going to take those supplies, and we’re goin’ to help them. But I need your help first.”

  I gaped at him, all through his speech.

  “Let me have this,” Bleddyn tinued, holding up the Bond Breaker. My eyes numbly tracked it. “I know I don’t deserve to ask ye for anything more, after everythin’ you’ve done for me. But I’m gonna anyway. Let me have this, and I swear to ye. I swear to ye that I’ll fight to free every godsdamned sve in this try. I promise ye that, on the souls of all my aors. May Father Wolf and Mother Rave on my soul should I break this oath.”

  I…

  I see.

  I let out a shuddering breath. I see what he wao do.

  Bleddyn wao use the supplies that had been collected in this town, and the Bond Breaker I’d made…

  To instigate a mass sve revolt in the Principality.

  But…

  “What about the Breakage Effect? What about the rest of the guard?” I asked him, ed. “Hell, what about Stonebreaker? you take him?”

  Bleddyn shook his head with a vicious smile. “Doubt it, but I ain’t gonna try. I io let them fight it out with the monsters in town, while me and the others will wait on the edges until it’s nearly done. We’ll train up a bit too, and thehey’re exhausted, swoop in. At that point, I re we drive him off after how he’ll have been fighting for weeks. Hell, that’s assuming he even sticks around.”

  I nodded slowly. I didn’t actually know if Stonebreaker was going to stick around. He’d seemed pretty disied and doh everything, the st I’d seen him.

  Slowly, I reached up and id a hand over the Breaker clutched tightly in Bleddyns fist. I moved the hand and bident down until the haft rested over his heart. I met Bleddyn’s eyes. “Okay,” I told him somberly. “Take it. Take the Bond Breaker with my blessing. And…” I trailed off, remembering something else. I reached a hand behio rummage around in the small pack at the base of my back. I pulled out the tightly folded sheet of paper that I had scribbled down before I’d left for the manor. I hand it to Bleddyn, who looked down at it curiously. “It’s instrus on how to make another,” I said, causing his head to snap up to look at me in shock. “Find an Enter you trust, and make mood…good luck, Bleddyn.”

  Bleddyn took the paper with a trembling hand and clutched it tightly. He met my eyes o time with tears in his own. Suddenly, he ed me in a hug. “We’ll meet again one day, my friend. I promise you that.”

  “Yeah,” I said over his shoulder. “Yeah, we will.”

  ………………………………………

  Bleddyn and I parted at that. The st I saw of him, he was walking away from me troup of other sves that had chosen not to join the caravan leaving the nearly destroyed town. God, there must have been dozens of them. Certainly a rger han whatever guards were left in town.

  I guess revenge owerful motivator for some.

  It had been for me.

  As for myself, I turned away a Bleddyn tanize his burgeoning sve revolt. As I walked by the wagons of the caravan, I looked inside of them. All of the wagons were packed to the gills with sves. I reized many of the faces in those wagons. In one, I saw the kit crew of the manor. Frederick even smiled and waved at me with teary eyes. In others, I saw some of the sves from the caravan I had arrived in Addersfield with. Many of them were weeping, but not in sadness. Rather, I saw many sves clutg each htly and wailing. Their time, and their ordeals as a sve…

  Were over.

  I reached the front wagon before long, where I found even more familiar faces. Gren was sitting up on the driver's bench of the wagon and greeted me with a weary hello. Azarus was sittio him. We exged nods, but didn’t say anything to each other. He didn’t ask me about Bleddyn. I guess he knew.

  I climbed up into the back of the wagon. Inside, Grey and Walter were resting on cots that y he front of the wagon, both still out cold. They seemed fihough. They were resting peacefully, despite the chaos that was about to desd on the vilge. Both Van and Rachel were in there as well. Van seemed nearly catatonic, which didn’t surprise me. Rachel greeted me with a bright, cheery smile though. She told me that Bleddyn had spoken to Van about his u the same time he’d told him he was staying behind. I think Van would be fiually, though. It was just a lht now.

  As I heard Gre out a shout, the horse-drawn wagon lurched to life. I looked out behind me, and the rest of the caravan holding former sves followed ours. However, something other than the wagons caught my eye.

  On a hill just off to the side of the burning town, I saw a shape e into view. The blood-red moon illumis form.

  It was a stag.

  Rather, from the glint of its antlers, it was a kind of monstrous stag that I was familiar with. A Bde-Rack Hart. Involuntarily, my hand came up to trace the sy left cheek.

  Even from this distance, I could tell that it was watg us. Somehow, I thought my eyes were meeting its own.

  I shuddered, and turned away.