In the late hours of the night, there were only few sounds to be heard within the forests. Insects coupling a one-note song alongside the gentle sway of leaves, propelled by the wind to attract others of their kind. And in that ambience, predators of the night stalked their prey, eager to score on unsuspecting denizens in the peace of sleep and darkness.

  That night, however, the natural atmosphere of the woods was broken by erratic clunks and chinks made by layers of heavy armor scratching and clashing against each other. The man who had donned them trudged through the dirt slowly, each step requiring a conscious effort. With every step ahead he glared at the path ahead with uncertain eyes and shallow breaths, wary of his surroundings.

  With fox-like ears, the predator hiding in the darkness stalked his prey, discreetly closing the gap between them with swift dashes between cover. He had spent the better part of the night following the man clad from head to toe in armor from the shadows, long enough to notice the subtle patterns in his behavior and evade in time to stay hidden.

  The paladin suddenly stopped in his tracks next to a large tree jutting its roots into the forest trail, supporting himself using its trunk. He looked back along the way he had come, taking off his greatsword from his back and leaning it against the tree trunk, followed by himself. He slid down to sit down on the ground with a sigh, hugging the greatsword as he gently drifted into rest. It wasn’t until a few moments later that he noticed a singular change in the area, down the path he was planning to go down.

  “Hey,” Nikolas spoke in a blank tone, having darted around the paladin using the cover of the woods and standing in his way. “Pretty chilly night for these parts, hmm?” he asked in a disarming way, walking towards the sitting paladin.

  “Who- Get away!” The paladin scampered backwards from Nikolas, seeing only a cloaked silhouette with mismatched eyes staring down at him in the darkness. “Who are you!?” He exclaimed, maneuvering the greatsword awkwardly to hold up its edge towards his mysterious assailant.

  “Just someone who’s been looking for you,” Nikolas replied nonchalantly, pausing while he was still out of reach of the greatsword and shifting his weight towards one of his legs. “No need to get all worked up, now.”

  “R-right… sorry,” The paladin replied, through tense breaths of skepticism. “Let me just get up?” He asked, slowly pulling the greatsword back and digging its tip into the ground for leverage. “How… How did you find me?”

  “It’s a long st-” Nikolas began, before he was interrupted.

  SWOOSH!

  As soon as the paladin got onto his feet he stepped forward and swung the greatsword overhead, using its weight to build momentum as he struck at Nikolas as fast as he could. He kept pushing the blade lower with all his strength until he looked up and realized that it was stuck in place, and his eyes grew in horror.

  “You must be fun at parties,” Nikolas said sarcastically, holding the greatsword in place by catching its edge on his palm with his fingers holding the broad sides on either side. The blade had sunk into his palm and drawn blood, but even this elicited no reaction from the rogue. Despite the paladin’s efforts, it didn’t seem like the sword was going to move even an inch from his grip. “How unfortunate.”

  The paladin let out a frustrated grunt and tried to pull his sword away. His attempt was met with a vice-like grip on the blade, keeping it locked in place. The last thing he felt was the impact of his helmet being smashed into his face before everything went black.

  A throbbing headache accompanied by the rays of the morning sun prompted the paladin to wake up, unconsciously slipping his hand between the openings of the helmet to rub his forehead with a grunt. His hazy vision slowly cleared as he sat upright. He tensed up as he caught sight of the person sitting in front of him, opposite to a smoldering campfire.

  “You sure took your sweet time waking up,” Nikolas said, getting up and dusting off his cloak. “It’s almost business hours. Feeling hungry?”

  The paladin remained silent, breathing quickly as he tried to figure out his situation. Getting a good idea of what his assailant looked like hadn’t been particularly helpful, but what alarmed him more was that his greatsword was resting against a tree trunk behind Nikolas.

  “Hey-” Nikolas snapped his fingers to catch the paladin’s attention, before walking over and dropping a small parcel in his lap. “Eat. You’re probably hungry as hell.”

  The paladin let out an alarmed grunt, scampering back as Nikolas approached, but stopped once he saw the parcel. He looked back up at the masked fox with untrusting eyes.

  “If I wanted you dead or captured, I had plenty of opportunities,” Nikolas spoke in a frustrated tone, almost scolding the fearful man. “Eat first. We can talk after.”

  The paladin considered his words, gradually calming down. There was a hint of undeniable truth in that, he decided. Considering how his first attempt to fight had gone and that all his limbs were free when he woke up, it was possible that this mysterious person didn’t mean to cause immediate harm to him. Immediate, at the very least…

  He slowly unraveled the parcel to find a loaf of bread, rice and some raisins within it. Looking up, Nikolas had gone back to sitting in front of the smoldering campfire, letting it slowly die out. The man dug into the parcel with newfound vigor to sate his hunger, showing no regard for manners.

  It had only been a few minutes when he had finished the meal, and his armor clanked against itself as he got up. He walked until he was a few feet away from the campfire, looking down at the seated fox. “Thank you…” his voice was gruff, but nothing like before. Where paranoia and pain once held rule, the meal had helped him calm down. He lowered his head in a grateful gesture, unsure what to do next.

  Nikolas acknowledged the man’s gratitude with a nod, before pointing towards the spot opposite to him across the campfire where the man had woken up. “Sit. Tell me about yourself.” he instructed the paladin.

  Doing as he was told, the man ruminated on how to start, before clearing his throat and beginning to speak. “M-my name is Gareth Knox. I was oathed as a knight in Ombraevus many years ago, but… not anymore.” Gareth paused for a moment, anticipating a reaction from Nikolas. “I promise you, it’s not what it sounds like-”

  “Mhm,” Nikolas nodded. “Word around is that an oathbreaker from Ombraevus is on the run.”

  “I’m not evil!” Gareth exclaimed in defense, before his expression went sullen. “I… I had to run away after I realized what I had done.”

  Nikolas remained silent, his piercing gaze studying the wounded man and a hand gesture beckoning him to continue.

  “Have you ever believed in something so… so fiercely that it blinds you to the reality of things?” Gareth spoke slowly, visibly struggling to think of the right way to phrase his words. His eyes were rife with pain and regret as he recalled the events of which he spoke.

  “. . .” Yet again there was no reply from Nikolas. He was sitting perfectly still, almost to the point where Gareth couldn’t see his body shift involuntarily to breathe.

  “I believed in my order, just as my mother and father had… and so did their parents and friends. I was taught the only way to serve our god was to take up arms and… cleanse the ignorance of the masses,” There was a particular distaste in Gareth’s mouth as he uttered the last part. “I thought we were bringing justice. We attacked a small town that was supposed to be the home of zealots, miscreants. For some reason, they were defenseless. We found only farmers, craftsmen and merchants. By the crack of dawn, we had razed their homes and ransacked their belongings… when I saw my brother point his blade at a child crying over her fallen parents, I could no longer find justice in what I had done.”

  “So yes, I broke my oath. I tried to reason with my brother first, but…” Gareth looked down, unable to raise his gaze any longer. “I had to raise my blade against him, and everyone else.”

  “Do you regret it?” Nikolas finally asked, breaking the morbid tone of Gareth’s confession.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Gareth seemed confuddled by his predicament. “Only that I hadn’t seen the truth earlier. I was able to free my brother from his oath before I was overwhelmed… and then I ran.”

  “Ah.” Nikolas replied, pleasantly surprised by the news. “Where is he now?”

  “With the lord now, where he is free.” Gareth mumbled, turning his head to face the sky above. “Free from the oath which stole our morals and turned us into monsters.”

  Nikolas’s eyes narrowed slightly as he caught onto the implication, and yet there was a part of which wanted to protest. “So you think death is freedom?”

  Gareth seemed taken aback by the challenge, but he was in no mood to contest anything. “I did what I had to do… he doesn’t have to follow that path anymore. That is freedom enough.”

  “What are you going to do next, then?” asked Nikolas, curiously turning over a pebble from the trail in his hands as he did. “Keep running? Search for asylum?”

  Gareth shook his head, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know… I have been running for a fortnight now… I was lucky to find space on a caravan going South into Ignisvell. The goodwill of the forest gods has kept me from starving, but it is increasingly apparent that I am not welcome in this land.”

  “You’re a wanted man in these parts.” Nikolas began, fishing out a small reddish-brown emblem from his pocket and holding it up for Gareth to see. “People have been spotting you more and more as you run… they don’t hesitate to give up information to guild sanctioned adventurers like me either.”

  “The title of oathbreaker is not a kind one, I am aware.” Gareth replied in a sullen tone. “I am cursed with it and its consequences forevermore.”

  “Titles are for nobles and royalty,” Nikolas muttered, before flicking his adventurer’s emblem towards Gareth. “It’ll help you get around, and ease most of the suspicions people have.”

  Gareth fumbled, cupping his hands but unprepared to catch the emblem, which landed in between his armor plates. “Wait, you’re just… giving this to me?” He was shocked by the turn of events as he picked up the emblem, looking it over.

  “Think of it as a keepsake,” the fox replied, rummaging through his backpack. “Try not to get caught near a guild or by other adventurers.”

  Gareth turned the emblem a few times over in his hands, before looking back up. “Once again, thank you. I don’t know how I can repay you-”

  “Do you want to keep living?” Nikolas suddenly shot a question at him, locking eyes with the paladin. “Even if that life was unsavory and made you question your worth?”

  Gareth paused once more, choosing his words carefully. “I want to go back someday… free my family from that order. I’d do whatever I needed to, to survive until that day.”

  “In due time,” Nikolas replied, pulling out a rolled up parchment and a small leather pouch. “There’s a city called Leona to the east. You’ll find asylum there… at a cost. When you ask for asylum, tell them Nikolas Wallace sent you.” He explained carefully, getting up and handing the items to Gareth.

  “Nikolas Wallace… is that your name? I- I will.” Gareth nodded as he accepted the generous offer, the jingle of coins revealing the contents of the pouch as he held it. “I swear on my honor that I shall repay you someday, Nikolas.”

  “Someday I will seek your aid,” Nikolas agreed, before stepping away and kicking the smolders of the campfire to spread its ashes across the space they had used for the night. “If you can stay alive till then, you will have done your part.”

  “Is this where we part ways, then?” Gareth intuited from the disassembly of the campfire. “Where do you plan to go?”

  “Back to my guild,” Nikolas replied, as vague as ever, before adding a sarcastic touch at the end. “After all, I failed to find the damned oathbreaker who was terrorizing the countryside. What’s more, I managed to lose my emblem as well. That would make me quite an incompetent adventurer, now wouldn’t it?”

  Gareth’s face slowly cracked into a smile, holding the items Nikolas had given him tightly within his grip. “You are a good man, Nikolas Wallace. Truly befitting of being a knight…”

  Nikolas slung his backpack over his shoulder, looking over the remains of their campsite one final time. “Take care, Gareth Knox. I hope to see you in Leona someday.” he bid the fallen knight goodbye with a wave before setting off.

  “To you as well, Nikolas. I shall be waiting!” Gareth called back, watching Nikolas walk into the wilderness. He glanced down at the rolled up parchment he was given, and opened it to find a map within. By the time Gareth looked up again, Nikolas had disappeared from the area completely.

  Walking along the cobbled road towards the nearest city as the morning sun rose in the distance, Nikolas found himself strangely alone on a path he expected to be commonly used. That was when he heard something land behind him which made him tense, but only for a split second.

  “Shakuni.” Nikolas addressed the sound in a disinterested voice without so much as looking back to grace his presence.

  “In the flesh!” An energetic voice replied, before a flamboyantly well-dressed man in a custom-tailored 3-piece suit walked around him to stand in front, flourishing his arm before lowering himself into a bow. The shiny dark-blue suit over top of a pristine white shirt was adorned with golden chains and silver linings, completed by a pitch black top hat and a gold monocle. Even though he was floating an inch above the ground where he stood, he carried an elaborately decorated cane in one hand.

  Nikolas’s eyes settled into a deadpan stare. He looked down and kicked a loose pebble from the road towards Shakuni, letting out a sigh as it passed right through him. “Not even here.” He walked through the illusion, continuing onwards as it dissipated.

  “Ay! Wait up!” Shakuni yelped as another illusion formed farther in front of Nikolas, this time with his arms crossed in a different yet equally enamored outfit, with green and white highlights. “I’ll admit I’m a busy man, but is that really how you should be greeting me? Haaah?”

  “Fine, I’ll humor you. O great Lord of Trickery, pray tell thee-” Nikolas sighed yet again in frustration, shifting from a tone of reverence into one of spite. “What the fuck do you want from me now?”

  “Oh, you~ Ahahahahahahaha-!” The taller, lankier figure giggled in a chaotic manner, turning around to start walking alongside him. “Shush now, it would be quite the problem for both of us if someone heard!” Nikolas glanced up at Shakuni to deliver another deathly glare in response, but was quickly waved off.

  “So, is death freedom… hmm?” Shakuni brought up, the intonation of his voice shifting to a mischievous tone. “What are your thoughts on that?” He asked, before a parchment and quill suddenly materialized into his hands, coupled with an ink bottle which floated beside him while they walked.

  “What’s there to say that you don’t already know?” Nikolas replied carefully, gritting his teeth under the mask upon realizing that Shakuni knew about his conversation with Gareth already.

  “You never play along with me…” Shakuni deflated, making his summoned stationary disappear into thin air with a pop.

  “Maybe if you didn’t play such dangerous games…” Nikolas mumbled under his breath, before clearing his throat and changing the topic. “Anyway, how’s the husband? You two still going strong?”

  “Oh! Cerdi- he’s great! Still busy with his writing work, but you know how he gets about that.” Shakuni began counting on his fingers as he spoke. “He’s been at it since the last… 7 months non-stop now. But-! He promised that we could come down here for a lunch date when he’s free!”

  Nikolas chose not to reply, simply letting his extravagant companion ramble on.

  “Usually he only does 4-month stretches at a time, but one of his new interns messed up getting his sources and he got fixated on that for a couple of months in between… and the other week when I was visiting he was trying to decide how to reorganize the nomenclature of all spiders-”

  The disinterested fox had let his mind tune out as Shakuni went on a tangent, only being called back to reality several minutes later when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

  “- But enough about me, I’m here to talk about YOU!” Shakuni suddenly began levitating an inch off the ground again and grabbed Nikolas by his shoulders, shaking the boy vigorously. “Now, why would an adventurer with a near perfect track record mess up a simple quest like this? All you had to do was capture or kill him.”

  “Ugh-” Nikolas pushed Shakuni’s arms away to free himself before answering, “I had my reasons, primary of which are recent events.”

  “Do tell, do tell!” Shakuni encouraged him, sitting with his legs crossed in the air now.

  “Well, Sera needs reinforcements, and as much as Atraxia is good for that, we need another way to recruit people. Atraxia has strength and numbers, but the overworld has both diversity and connections in its people.” Nikolas slowly analyzed his reasoning.

  “Good analysis! The overworld certainly has its draws.” Shakuni winked mischievously.

  “Yeah… Putting together a posse of whoever I can find while I’m here seems like a decent idea.” Nikolas shrugged, averting his gaze from Shakuni’s contagious grin.

  “Well, better keep your eyes peeled then!” Shakuni remarked, extending his arm to mess up Nikolas’s hair, before disappearing and reappearing at his side, walking on the ground once more. “Who knows, you might find more interesting individuals like that soon!”

  Nikolas raised an eyebrow under the mask, almost letting out a groan at Shakuni’s hint. “Don’t you have stuff to get back to? Stop bothering me.”

  “Right, right. You’re always so mean… but thanks for entertaining me!” Shakuni moped, before flashing a smile as an idea came to him. “Here, I’ll even do you a favor by teleporting you back! Say hi to Sera for me~” he waved at Nikolas before snapping his fingers.

  “Whoa, wai-” Nikolas tried to protest, but halfway through the attempt his entire body began to shine before it disappeared into thin air, leaving without so much as a trace of his existence behind.

  “Ah, such a young mind. And yet he’s already plotting against the higher powers that be…” Shakuni spoke to himself, before letting out a loud guffaw and letting his illusion dissipate.

  Thank you for reading!

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