The disheveled, frightened man sputtered underneath the Nebrasian king’s blade. “K-King Adrian? I had no idea you were in Venwick. If I had known, I would have prepared for your arrival and given you a proper tour of the place—”

“Enough groveling,” he growled, his expression deadly. “I wrote those water laws with the specific intent to make water more available to Venwickins, not so you could capitalize on desperate people for your own personal gain.”

“Please, Your Majesty. We must make profit somehow—” He winced as the blade pressed deeper into his skin.

“You already receive a soldier’s wage. Perhaps, you think that’s not enough?”

The man shook his head quickly. “No, no, Sire. It is plenty.”

“Then would you care to explain what this little side hustle is and why I shouldn’t cut you down right now for making innocent people suffer?”

He trembled in fear. “My Lord, p-please. I-I will lower the prices if that makes you happy—”

“If it makes me happy?” He let out a short laugh. “You’re despicable. I expect you to give my friend his water free of charge, and then you’re going to lower the prices to what they should be. You’re to stop charging extra for water brought in the city.”

“But, Sir, the water market would plummet—”

“You mean you wouldn’t be able to rob people to fund your vanity projects? I am well aware how it will affect the market, but your little stunt is over.” 

 

 

The king was led out of the still shaking man’s room by a couple of water guards.

“Sire—” one of them said quickly, but Adrian cut him off.

“Don’t address me as royalty. If word gets out that I was here, I’ll have both your heads. As far as you know, I’m just a Venwickin townsperson.”

“Yes, Your Maj—”

The other guard elbowed his companion in the ribs. “We understand,” he finished.

“Good. Now, let me use your letter room.”

“O-of course.”

They walked with purpose to the large room filled with pigeons he’d spied earlier. Without wasting any time, Adrian grabbed a quill and parchment, and quickly scribbled out a letter addressing the current issue. 

Using their fastest pigeons, Adrian sent it out, watching the pale wings disappear into the night. He hoped it would reach his brother soon and something could be done soon to fix this disaster he’d caused.

 

🗲🗲🗲

 

The sun shone into their tent, and Adrian, half asleep, complained as Boden shook his shoulder.

“Hey, did you not sleep well, Ian?” he asked, and the blue eyes finally opened.

“I guess I’m not really used to sleeping on the ground,” he lied. After his exciting night out, he’d passed out almost instantly once his body hit the sleeping mat.

“Well, we’ll be able to sleep in New Minoka tonight if we can get moving soon.”

“Weren’t we going to ask for water again today?”

He heaved a sigh. “I don’t know, Ian. We’ll probably be better off coming back in a few days—”

“Let’s try again,” he said firmly. “If it’s the same as yesterday, we’ll leave, but let’s not give up yet.”

Boden raised an eyebrow. “You’re awfully confident.” He smacked a hand down on his shoulder with a grin. “I like your attitude. Let’s not waste any more time then.” 

They quickly packed up their campsite before making their way to the building.

This time when they entered, the lines were much shorter and the atmosphere less tense. As the pair walked forward to take their place in line, a water guard approached them.

“Good morning, Sirs,” he said with a shake in his voice. “There’s a new window opening on this side. We’ll help you right away.” 

Boden blinked at him. “Oh, well, thanks.” The guard led the way as Boden turned his head Adrian’s way. “That’s convenient for us. Maybe your positive attitude is bringing us some luck.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, maybe.”

They approached a counter with a grated fence between them. Water guards were frantically moving around behind it, one nudging the window open and trying to act casually as he asked a bit too sweetly, “What brings you to our humble water post?” Someone behind him elbowed him in the gut. “Er, I mean, bring your cart around and we’ll help you out. Here’s your slip. Just hand it to them and they’ll fill ‘er up.” He gave Boden a small piece of paper while shooting a scared glance at the blond man beside him.

Adrian stood with his arms folded, glaring him down.

“Oh, how much are you selling for?” Boden asked, taking the slip with an odd expression on his face.

The water guard rubbed the back of his head. “Just bring it round back and they’ll fill it up.”

He didn’t seem to understand. “I see. Well thanks, I guess.”

“No,” the guard said, plastering a strange smile onto his face, “thank you, good sir.” He was elbowed in the side again.

Boden raised an eyebrow before leaving. As they walked out, he mumbled, “Perhaps they make payments out back now.” 

After pulling their cart up, Adrian noticed a group of guards huddled together, pointing over at him. When he approached, they scattered, trying to look natural as they did. One of the men began wiping something mindlessly with a dirty cloth while another was sharpening his already sharp blade while leaning awkwardly against a wall.

Boden handed the slip of paper to one of the guards who stood straighter as he took it.

“You’ve got five barrels with you?” the guard asked. “We’ll fill them all up for you.”

“Now hold on,” Boden interjected. “What about payment? There’s no way I can afford five barrels all at once.”

“Oh, uh,” the guard fumbled over his words. “It’s already been taken care of by... an anonymous vendor.” He glanced at Adrian as he said it, and the blond frowned in return. “Thanks for doing business with us,” he said quickly, his voice cracking.

The guards moved at the speed of light to fill the empty barrels in the back of Boden’s cart. The older man watched them, the same bewildered expression still covering his face. When they had finished at record speed, the pair was sent on their way; Boden climbing into the front seat and Adrian following after.

“What happened back there?” Boden asked as they were driving down the road. 

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’ve never seen water guards act so strangely or seen them be nice for that matter, and the water was already paid for. Ian,” he turned to him seriously. “Were you the anonymous vendor?”

“No,” he said too quickly.

He sighed. “Listen, I can’t have you spending your hard-earned coin on me.”

“I didn’t spend anything,” he assured, which was the truth. “I promise you I didn’t spend a single coin on this journey.” He patted the little sack of coins in his pants pockets.

“What did you do to them then? Those guards were terrified. Am I missing something here?” 

“Huh?” He feigned surprise, then exhaled quickly. “It was just a little persuasion is all.”

Boden blinked, then boomed with laughter. “Ian, you are secretly a formidable force of nature. Remind me not to get on your bad side.” Adrian smiled softly, unsure how to respond. “I must thank you for what you did. Our supply was getting dangerously low, and I was not ready to resort to more desperate measures.” He patted him on the shoulder. “You did good today. I don’t know how you did it, but I’ll do what I can to repay you.”

“Really, it was nothing,” Adrian said, a flush of embarrassment on his cheeks. “No repayment needed.”

Boden cocked his head to the side, thinking. “How about we start on your sword lessons once we get home? That’s something I can do for you.”

Adrian perked up. “Really?”

“Of course. It’s the least I can do. It’ll be fun to have a student again, and you’ll need all the dirty tricks you can get if you’re going to survive in Elden Town.”

“I’ll follow your lead, Boss.”

His hearty laughter rang out into the open air. “Boss. I like the sound of that.”

 

🗲🗲🗲

 

Adrian whipped his blade in front of him and Boden easily dodged the attack. The hot air eased up as the sun began to set.

Boden side-stepped, swinging his weapon in reply. Adrian caught the blade with his own and pushed it away. His shoulder-length blond hair was tied up with string, now that it had grown out a bit. Some of the shorter bangs fell into blue eyes.

“Good,” Boden praised as he stepped forward, thrusting his sword into a jab, which Adrian blocked again while stepping to the side out of the tip’s reach. “You’ve improved so much this week, Ian, and I’m not just saying that because you cooked dinner today.”

Adrian couldn’t help releasing a small laugh as he brought his sword over his head with both hands, slamming it down into an anticipated block.

“But don’t forget,” Boden continued, “this isn’t some formal duel.” He stooped down, throwing a handful of dirt into Adrian’s eyes. The blond stumbled, clamping his eyes shut with pain. He tripped over an outstretched foot and fell to the ground. When he had blinked most of the debris away, he looked up to see the tip of a sword pointed at his throat. 

“You fight dirty if you have to,” Boden finished, grinning.

Adrian grimaced, but took the hand offered to him. “I’ll remember that one.”

He patted him on the back. “I’m being mean to you because I know you can take it. You really have improved so much this last month. I’m proud of you.”

Those words made the young man’s heart flutter. His own father had never made a habit of praising him in the past. He felt such tenderness towards this older man, a feeling he thought he’d never experience again. As much as he loved his late father, King Luc had barely been around for him, and the care and attention Boden gave so freely made Adrian feel indescribable contentment. 

“A few more lessons and I think you’re ready,” Boden continued, beaming.

“You think so?”

“I know so. You’ve really proven yourself a true Venwickin. I feel much more comfortable sending you to Elden Town now.” He chuckled. “Remember when we first met, how scared and unsure you were? You’ve got a lot to show for your work and dedication since that day.”

Adrian gave a small smile. “Yeah, I like who I’ve become.” He hadn’t really thought about the words as they came out, but he realized he liked who he was right now, more than he ever had back in Nebrasia. 

“As you should. Well,” he clapped his hands together, “let’s get inside. The sun’s setting and we want to wake up early tomorrow for your lessons.”

“Of course, Sir!” 

He laughed at the formal address as he held the front door open for him. “I don’t know if we’ll ever get that fancy speech of yours out of you.”

“Oh, right, sorry.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Don’t apologize, Lad. You’ve certainly improved, but your accent is quite unique. It’s not a bad thing, really. You won’t pass as a peasant’s son though, that’s for sure. Much more believable for you to be from a family of craftsmen.”

“I’ll keep that in mind when I’m in Elden Town, lying through my teeth about my back story.”

He chortled. “That’s the spirit.”

They walked inside where Avril greeted them. 

“Your form has gotten quite good,” she complimented, greeting both Boden and Adrian with a kiss on the cheek. “Saw you from the house, Lad. You’d make a good soldier, I’d say.”

“Thanks, Avril,” he replied, standing a little straighter at the compliment.

She laughed. “You’ve got the personality for it too. Very quiet and aloof, but strong and brave when you need to be. I think you’re ready for Elden Town.”

“That’s what I said,” Boden chimed in. “You could leave tomorrow, and I wouldn’t have a doubt you’d be prepared.”

Adrian’s eyes widened. “I could leave tomorrow?”

“Oh, well, I didn’t literally mean tomorrow, but if you really wanted to, sure. Would you want to leave tomorrow?”

Adrian hesitated. If he was being honest with himself, he wanted to stay in New Minoka with Boden and this family forever, and not bother going to Elden Town or even return to Nebrasia for that matter. This was wishful thinking, of course. He needed to finish this quest and find what his mother had in Venwick.

“Yeah,” he finally answered. “I think I feel ready too, but wait,” he ran a hand through his hair, thinking, “we still have more lessons to get through, Bo.” 

“Don’t worry about that. There really wasn’t much left for me to teach you. I’ve given you all the survival skills you could ever need and honestly, those are often much more valuable than fighting skills anyway.”

He nodded. “Then I’ll get everything ready to leave tomorrow.”

“I’ll let you take one of our donkeys for the trip. Tulipe is a sweet dear. She’ll be the perfect match for you.”

He blinked, then shook his head. “No, really, I couldn’t—”

“Yes, you could impose,” he finished with a laugh. “I’m really going to miss you and your sharp tongue, Lad.” He pulled him into a big, crushing hug, and Adrian welcomed it, feeling tears tug at his eyes.

“I’m going to miss you too,” he said, hugging him back. “I really can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me. I don’t feel like I deserve it.”

“Bullshit.”

“Bo,” Avril warned behind them.

They pulled from the hug and Boden looked up at him very seriously. “Don’t you dare feel guilty, Ian. I welcomed you into my home because I wanted to, and you’ve been nothing but a help and a delight. You need to trust yourself and believe in what you have to offer. D’you understand?”

His eyes widened, remembering his late father’s final words clearly in his head. 

You need to trust yourself and look forward with hope.

He nodded, his eyes wet. “I understand. Thank you.”

They hugged again and there was something so pure and comforting about Boden’s words, Adrian couldn’t help but let a few tears trickle down.

After a moment, they pulled apart and Boden said, “Well, let’s get everything ready for your journey tomorrow. We want you fully prepared.”

 

🗲🗲🗲

 

The landscape was even sparser now that Adrian had been walking for most of the day. The sun was glaring overhead, but the Venwickin clothes kept him cool enough as he led Tulipe the donkey along. 

The sun began to dip behind the horizon, and Adrian knew he’d have to make camp as there was no town in between New Minoka and Elden Town. He halted, securing Tulipe’s lead rope around a large rock in the dirt, the way Boden had taught him. 

He busied himself for the next half hour building a fire pit, setting up his tent, and unrolling his sleeping mat and blankets. Inside the shelter now, he lay on his stomach, eyes pouring over the journal titled, The Alchemist Archives: Volume I. It was all the same words he’d been reading over and over for weeks since his father’s death. 

The book gave the history of how Elderian came to be; created by the ancient Alchemists using alchemy. It was the first man-made world according to the text, and the Alchemists had sworn to protect it at all costs. They built portals to the old world but kept tight regulations on who could enter and exit.

Adrian wondered how they would feel knowing hundreds of outsiders had entered two hundred years ago. What had happened to the Alchemists between their time here and when the first settlers from the old world arrived, no one knew. It was believed they were wiped out before the leader and pioneer, Hans Fox first arrived with his followers to start a new life. 

The rest of the journal listed several incantations and locations he did not recognize or understand. One page contained a detailed illustration of a familiar diamond-shaped device. Looking at the page, he absentmindedly took out the inactive, identical device from his bag. He rubbed his thumb over the smooth, black glass. 

He wished he knew how it worked or what its purpose was. If he knew that, he’d be clued in to exactly how and why the device had killed his mother. He’d been told it’d embedded itself in Queen Gabrielle’s chest and slowly killed her. He grimaced at the thought, looking back at the page as he tucked the device back into the bag.

The text called the device a gem key. If the gem key failed for whatever reason, there was a backup in Mermortiva, Venwick. It was meant to be placed with the right hands, whatever that meant, at a certain location in order to activate what was called the Totrium; a word he didn’t recognize in ancient Elden. His mother’s scribbled handwriting to the side of the paragraph mentioned that the Totrium was in Elden Town, Venwick, but it explained nothing of what it did or what it was. 

He pulled at his hair, knowing he wasn’t going to get anywhere, no matter how long and hard he stared at the page. He knew this from experience.

Closing the journal, he rolled onto his side after snuffing his little lantern out. He let his tired eyes close, quickly drifting off to sleep.

 

 

He was awoken a few hours later to a scuffle outside the tent. 

Hearing footsteps and hushed tones, he quietly slipped his covers off, feeling around for his sword. It was pitch black save for some kind of light source these intruders were carrying. Staying low to the ground, he watched as the shadow of a man appeared on the front of the tent.

“We’ll need to snuff ‘em out first,” a hushed tone said. “Should only be one person judging by the tent size.”

Adrian knew these were not friendly visitors, and Boden had trained him for a moment just like this.

As soon as the door flap was lifted, Adrian thrust his blade into the figure, a cry of pain ringing out. The body fell into the tent with him, and two panicked voices could be heard on the other side.

“They’re awake!” a woman’s voice cried.

“I told you Eric wasn’t the stealthiest,” a man grumbled.

“Alright, Stranger, come out with your hands up if you don’t want to meet a grizzly end.”

“I think I’ll be fine in here, thank you,” Adrian replied, sounding more confident than he felt.

“This asshole…”

“There’s only one person,” the man said. “We can take him.”

The flap opened and steel met steel as Adrian clashed with the person the man’s voice belonged to. He was quite strong, and Adrian took a step back, so his weight forced him to stumble forward. The king brought his sword around, not hesitating as Boden had taught him, and plunged it straight through the man’s heart. Pulling his weapon free, he frowned at the blood before tearing his eyes away to face the last intruder.

Of the three, this woman was the most cunning. She used her smaller size and quick movements to move around him while carrying a small axe. He barely blocked several of her attacks. Boden’s voice crept into his thoughts.

“Distractions are a man’s best friend on the battlefield. Use what I’ve taught you to gain the upper hand.”

Adrian could feel the sheath of the used knife he’d bought those few months ago in Cappeland, pressing against his left thigh, and had an idea.

The woman swung at him, and the blade of the axe pinned part of Adrian’s puffy pants to the ground. Their eyes met, faces inches apart and he could see the murderous intent in her eyes. He swallowed, shaking himself back to attention as he swung his sword at her in a showy manner, leaving himself wide open. She grinned, thinking she’d got him, but as she quickly lifted her axe for another blow, her eyes widened.

Adrian’s knife was burrowed into her chest, and she looked down at it in surprise, her shirt slowly staining crimson. He stared at it too, his face paling, then he looked back up to see the light quickly fade from her eyes.

He reclaimed his knife as her body crumpled to the ground. The last of his adrenaline petered out. Stumbling slightly, he fell to the ground, retching. He dropped his knife and sword with a clang.

This was his first time killing. 

Sure, he’d ordered soldiers to kill others or ordered executions of assassins, but he’d never been the one physically spilling the blood. Boden had prepared him for battles like this, and yet he was not at all prepared for the aftermath. He looked down at his shaking hands, eyebrows arching in distress at the red staining them. His chest heaved up and down as he tried and failed to calm himself. It was all too much. Three people were dead at his hands. 

He closed his eyes. 

“They would have done the same to me,” he said aloud, bottom lip trembling. 

Mercy to someone merciless was a death sentence. A waste of a good life as Boden would say. Adrian shivered, wishing more than anything that the father figure was here now to comfort him. 

To think the older man had seen so many killed in his lifetime, many at his own hand… It astounded him. He held a much greater respect for him, wondering how he could stomach something so dehumanizing.

After some time, Adrian finally got up, wiping his hands off on one of the corpse’s sashes. Knowing he was never going to go back to sleep that night or maybe ever again, he packed everything up, nearly throwing up again when he had to move the body that had rolled into the tent. He couldn’t bear to look at the others as he hitched up Tulipe with the last of his things.

Leaving the bloody horror behind him, he pulled the donkey at a quick pace, wanting nothing more than to leave behind the mess along with his memories of it. They stayed, of course; the flashes of the light leaving that woman’s eyes resurfacing in his mind the next couple days of travel. 

He did not run into any trouble again on the remainder of his journey. He was almost surprised when he spotted the large city of Elden Town in the distance. He’d been so consumed by his thoughts of those he’d killed, that the time had gone by unnoticed.

Elden Town was somehow more cramped than New Minoka, the buildings all pressed up against each other and the thin roads crammed full of carts, donkeys, and people. He could see several mosques as well as a massive palace in the distance.

Venwick was run by a monarchy just like all the other Elderian countries, though how much control the royals here in Elden Town actually had considering how Boden had described the issue with the water lords was dubious. 

Adrian led Tulipe down the crowded street. He’d studied the map from the journal beforehand so he wouldn’t have to worry about pulling it out in public, but being in this bustling city, he felt overwhelmed and a bit lost. He suppressed the urge to peek at the Alchemist journal.

He followed the street signs, at one point catching a small boy trying to pickpocket him. Had the version of himself from a month ago been here, he would have definitely lost all his possessions. The little boy flipped him off before disappearing back into the crowd. Adrian rolled his eyes before pulling Tulipe forward again.

He noticed the water lords now as he grew accustomed to the large crowds, recognizing them from Boden’s descriptions. Out onto the sides of the road were groups of rough-looking characters holding weapons and standing menacingly together as if to intimidate anyone who dared make eye contact. 

Adrian looked away before any of them caught onto his stares and quickly made his way towards the edge of the city. He was thankful he’d stocked up so much on water back in New Minoka, because here the prices were surely beyond inflated, and he didn’t exactly want to flash his cash around. 

He was on the outskirts now, looking around for his destination when he spotted an odd pavilion that was unmistakably an Alchemist ruin next to several other similar ruins. Each were made of the same reflective black glass, and Adrian quickly moved towards one, pulling out his bag to double check it was the one his mother had marked. 

As soon as he opened the bag, a green light glowed and dimmed like a heartbeat within. He stared, his eyes falling on the once dormant gem key which was now emitting the strange glow. He arched his eyebrows in concern, wondering if the device was still safe. 

With the gem key glowing, he knew for sure this was the right place, and simply closed the bag again. He tied his donkey before walking inside. The pavilion had steps in the middle of it that descended underground. Swallowing, he made his way down, not realizing that someone had been watching him the past several minutes.

The stairs led into a small underground chamber where he immediately recognized a large arch at the end of the room. There was a slot beside it that he could only guess was meant for the gem key.

Something wasn’t right. The gem key had to be placed with the right hands, and he still didn’t know what that meant. He opened his bag and pulled out the glowing device. 

The light was flashing in and out more quickly now and he walked cautiously with it towards the arch with sweaty palms. Now what? He eyed the slot and moved the device toward it. As soon as it made contact, the diamond-shaped object opened its black walls to reveal a stunning emerald within. The walls moved and shifted into jagged edges around the gem.

Before he could admire it further, something shoved him hard to the ground. There was a flash of green light as a small explosion rang out. Something shattered onto the floor. He groaned, pushing the weight off him to realize that the something was actually a someone who had pushed him. 

Adrian moved to sit up when he noticed there was black glass and chunks of no longer glowing emerald rock scattered all over the floor. He stared at the shattered gem key in horror, standing quickly and drawing his sword, facing the stranger.

A young man around Adrian’s age who stood more than a head shorter than him, got up to face him, his dark brown eyes narrowing under thick black eyebrows. Long, curly black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail away from his oval shaped, bronze colored face, drawing attention to the glittering piercings in his left ear. He pursed thick, full lips and scowled. 

Adrian noticed this man wore something similar to himself: baggy pants and a sash around the waist with a short vest, but the vest hung open. Instead of a high collared shirt, this man’s top opened in the front, revealing much of his chest. A sword was strapped to both sides of his hips.

“Why did you break it?” Adrian demanded, his temper leaking out. “What’s wrong with you?”

He scoffed. “What's wrong with me? I just saved your fucking life.” 

Adrian blinked at the expletive, only hearing it in Venish a few times back when those ruffians from the New Minokan Inn gave him the runaround.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, his sword lowering slightly. 

He rolled his eyes. “That thing was opening up, about to embed itself in you, most likely killing you. You’re welcome, Sweetheart.”

Adrian’s eyes widened, the blood draining from his face as he glanced back at the shards. How could he have been so stupid? This was exactly how his mother had met her grisly end, and he had almost been next. 

Blue eyes met brown.

“You… saved my life,” he said incredulously.