Cloud POV

“Halt.” screamed the soldiers patrolling the Duke’s camp.

I raised my hands in the air and slowly walked towards the three men on duty. Their insignia suggested they were from the first battalion, which were Jared’s troops. Their dull iron armour suggested they were basic soldiers, who came from a poorer background. I reckoned they were enlisted.
“State your affiliation and business within the Duke’s encampment.”

“I’m one of the Duke’s wizards. I have news to relay to Jared and the other generals.”

“And I’m a unicorn. You think I was born yesterday?” shouted the youngest of the three. Or maybe just the least experienced.

“Hey, Dorn.” said one of the other guards while nudging the younger guard. “I recognize him. He’s telling the truth.”

Dorn’s face turned pale. The upright soldier’s body deflated as his confidence drained out of his body. He was clearly not a fighter, nor a courageous man.

“Well. I’ll show you to Jared.” stuttered the young soldier. “If you would follow me, that would be splendid.”

I followed the the young soldier as he slowly walked me over to the tent where the other mages stayed. It was similar to the tent that had been used before, but its smaller size indicated that it was different. The same white canvas held up the sides. I wondered what happened to the old tent.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

“Guards!” screamed Jared as I walked into the tent. Soldiers rushed in block off the exit of the tent.

“Thought to come crawling back after deserting the army. Didn’t have enough spine to stick with your escape plan.”

“That’s enough Jared.” Rayan said. He stood behind the strategy table with Jared and Sarah. “Let the man speak.”

“As you know I abandoned Sarah to search for Erik. Unlike Sarah, I doubted he had left on his own free will. I got numerous leads from locals and eventually came across his captor.”

“How do you know Erik was captured?” Jared replied snidely.

“Well I can’t be certain-”

“You fool.” You came back here without any evidence that Erik was captured.

“I may not have seen Erik with my eyes but the circumstances around his disappearance make it likely that he was taken.”

“Erik is a mage. Very few have the means of subduing our kind.”

“I came across a group of soldiers, supposedly working for the King. I followed them. Half of them were mercenaries. The others were beasts. I kidnapped one of the mercenaries, he related them to the myths of vampires and werewolves.

“And you believed him.” Jared scoffed.

“I saw what they did. How they killed those mercenaries.”

“Probably some parlor tricks. You’re a-”

“I’ve seen them.” interrupted Rayan. “ When I was young. Back in the small village where I came from. They murdered about half of town. People would disappear. Bears are what most people thought caused the disappearances. Claws marked most of the wood in the town. The King sent some men to eradicate whatever was causing the disappearances. When I was young I dreamed of becoming a soldier, so when the came to the town I followed them. Their deformed snouts and unparalleled strength are what I remember. I remember them tearing through the King’s men like butter. The soldiers were able to kill one but the other escaped. I started learning to track to find the missing creature. To kill it for killing my aunt, my uncle, my community.”

“So we’ll send troops to go save Erik.” I stated.

“We’re at the brink of war. We can’t afford to waste troops looking for that traitor.” Jared stated.

“ Rayan will you lend me some troops?” I asked.

“It’s best if we avoid those creatures. Erik is most likely dead. We have other concerns anyway.” he responded.

Erik POV

I gripped the shiv in my hand tighter as I heard the click of the handle being turned. My palm was sweaty and I couldn't risk dropping it.

As the door creaked open, only the door stood between me and one of the beastmen. As he began to close the door, I lunged lodging the shiv into the monsters neck. He stumbled to the ground. The metal bent as I pushed it into his neck. His skin was hard. It took only seconds to realize I only agitated the beast.

He grasped at my legs, pulling me closer to him. I frantically grabbed for something heavy. My hands found a heavy cast-iron pot. With both hands I picked it up and launched at the monster’s head. The captor instantly fell to the floor, knocked out. A large gash was visible on his forehead.

I could already see the wound slowly healing itself. I dug through his pockets, taking his collection of keys. They jingled in my hands as I tried key after key on my manacles. As time passed, I grew more nervous, glancing periodically to see how long I had before the captors gash healed.

Click. My manacles released from my leg. I pulled at the magma below the surface. It felt invigorating to have my powers back.

I pulled enough lava up to topple the run-down bar. I melted a hole through the back and dove through it. In the distance, I heard screams but I kept running. I had to get away. I worked my way through the street trying to lose whoever was following me. I overused my mana, causing my stomach to churn.

I stumbled into a grimy alleyway. Piles of trash littered the alleyway. I held my breath and dove into the heaps of trash. The smell and my already upset stomach made me release the contents of my stomach. I waited in my own stench, waiting for those looking for me to leave.