We waited a few hours before leaving the tavern. The sun setting beyond the trees to the west, casting long, gangly, shadows along the streets. Soon the shadows faded into nothingness as the whole town was wreathed in darkness. Clouds shielding the light from the stars and moon from reaching the ground. There were but a few torches lining the roads. Their light did not reach far. After about 20 minutes of walking through alleys and backstreets we caught view of the stockyard. We saw a few cells under awnings next to the buildings on the other side. Out in the middle of the yard we saw the stocks. Each with a person clamped by the neck and wrists in between the boards. Metal hinges and locks hung on the sides. In the middle one we saw Mr Hadar, his greasy black hair hung in a curtain over his face. Nyx's breath caught in a gasp. "Alright" she said shakily. "Time to split up. Stick to the plan." She pulled her hood over her head and her mask over her face before darting down an alley to the left. Her cloak melting with the shadows as she disappeared. I turned to Aloura and held out my hand. She clasped hers in mine, our thumbs wrapped around the other and fingers closed around the back of the hand. We nodded silently and I walked off to the alley. I glanced up the wall and noticed there was hardly anything to grab onto. The closest handhold I saw was a windowsill about ten feet off the ground. Well, here goes nothing. I got as much of a running start as I could and planted my foot on the wall, pushing myself up. I realized I wasn't going to make it so I redirected myself towards the other wall, twisting in the air so I'd face it. Again I planted my foot and pushed off towards the wall to my back. I had just enough height to grab the bottom of the window. I pulled myself up and started climbing. A hole where a brick had fallen out here, another window there, all formed a path that led me to the roof. As I grabbed the edge of the roof I heard footfalls above me. Staying as still as possible I saw him walking past me. He was wearing brown leather clothes and a green cloak. A large scar crossed the right side of his face across his eye. He clutched his rifle, pointing the barrel down at an angle. After a few seconds he stepped out of sight so I slowly pulled myself up, eyes just past the edge of the roof. He was on the side of the roof facing the stockyard, crouched down on one knee. I slowly crept up to his back, careful not to make a sound. I could feel my heart begin to race, pounding in my chest. I could feel my vision and hearing become sharper, just like back when I was on a hunt. Soon I was within arms reach. I lunged out, hands reaching for his neck, but to my surprise he twisted around and caught my in the jaw with the butt of the rifle. A flash of pain and dizziness rang through my skull for a second, then faded quickly. He tried to jab me with the blade affixed to the end of the barrel but I kicked it from his grasp. While he was stunned, I took the chance and caught him with a right hook to his temple. He crumpled to the floor but before he could recover I had my arms closed around his neck like a vise. My left arm around the front, crook of my elbow tucked under his chin, my right formed a bar on the back of his neck and gripped my left shoulder for support. I clamped down and squeezed, pulling his chin towards the sky with my left arm. I felt his heartbeat pulse faster as he scrambled and scraped to try to escape the headlock. His movements began to slow after about 15 seconds, soon after he collapsed entirely. I checked his pulse, Still alive. Good. He wasn't a threat anymore so I took his belt he had on and tied his hands to his ankles. I grabbed his rifle from the floor and made my way to the next guard. I quickly jumped the gap over the alley I had first climbed to the next building. The last guard that I had to take care of was supposed to be on the next building but didn't see him anywhere. The only thing in sight was a wooden coupe full of carrier jays. Their deep cobalt plumage caught the glint of moonlight along their edges. Sleek black tail feathers fanned out behind white, leathery legs and bronze talons. Wicked hooked beaks shared the color scheme, white towards their beady black eyes and bronze towards the tip. I walked past it, looking slowly around the corner in case he was standing behind it. Nothing was there. I began to turn back around when I heard a click of a mechanism cocking. "Hands up boy. Now, before I get impatient." A gruff voice said behind me. Oh Fuck me I thought. Slowly, I raised my hands and turned to face the man. He was wearing the same clothes as the other guard. Brown leather clothes and armor, with a dark green cloak on top, clasped at the neck with an anchor brooch. His hood was thrown over his head, shadow cloaking his face, save for his dark brown beard that brushed against the rifle stock. "What the hell are you doing in this place? This is a restricted area to the public. Explain yourself." His words came fast and bluntly. He spoke very directly and sharp. Must've been a higher rank. I opened my mouth to speak, trying to come up with some lie that might get me out of this. But then I saw something in the distance, a cloud of green smoke. Perfect timing Aloura. I simply smiled. The guard started to step closer, beginning to form a sentence when a loud bang rang out and a ball of fire erupted into the air. He whipped around on instinct and froze upon seeing the blazing flames in the sky. I took my chance. Rushing forward, I rocked my torso back and forced all my strength into my right leg, heel impacting his lower back with force that sent him flying. His rifle clattered to the side as he slid across the roof. I thought he would stop a few feet away but he tumbled off the edge, barely able to grip onto the edge before falling forty feet to the ground. I dove and grabbed him by the wrist as his fingers gave way. Staring down I finally saw his face. His hood had fallen away. His large brown beard took up a large portion of his face, full and thick. His hair bore the same color, slicked back and neatly combed. His eyes were filled with nothing but fear. Tears began to stream from the corners. I yanked his arm and he flew back over me onto the roof. I quickly got up to restrain him before he could move. But before I could reach him I saw a familiar face, or should I say mask, kneeling on his back, black dagger at his neck. "Nyx what the hell are you doing?" I asked. "Finishing what you won't" she jabbed the dagger into his neck while covering his mouth. Dark blood spurted out from the wound. It streamed out rhythmically, along with his heartbeats, until the flow ebbed away into nothingness and the light burned out from behind his eyes. "You didn't have to do that. We could've ju-" "We don't have time to argue. The distraction just went off and the guards are all filing out except for a few. Just as planned. Let's get down there and finish this. You can yell at me later." Her gaze was sharp, staring daggers into my own. I decided to leave the matter for later. No sense in arguing when her father is within reach. We perched on the edge of the roof watching most of the guards leave the yard. The only two who stayed were right below us. "Think you can take a drop like that?" Nyx asked me. Years ago I would've said no. But after the experiments I knew I could handle far more than any normal person. "I think so" I responded. "Alright. On my mark drop on the left one. I'll take the right. Three...two...one...drop." I stepped feet first off the roof, feeling my stomach rise into my throat, the weightlessness sending a rush of adrenaline through me. The next few seconds unfolded in slow motion. As I connected with the guard on the ground, my feet landing on both of his shoulders, I locked my knees, sending all of that energy directly into his body. As he crumpled and fell to the floor, I tucked my knees to my chest and rolled out twisting around mid roll to face him. I launched back at him while I was still sliding backwards in the dirt. I grabbed his arms and pinned them behind his back. He groaned a bit before falling unconscious. Just like the first guard I took his belt and tied him up. We jumped up and rushed over to Mr Hadar. Nyx knelt in front of him, meeting him face to face. "Nyx? Wh-what are you doing here? I told you to take the chest and leave the city if something like happened." His eyes were frantic, darting around, as if someone was going to jump out of the shadows. "I'm not leaving you behind father, we're here to get you out." He looked up at me quizzically, unsure of who I was. I could almost see the last piece fall into place as he recognized me. "Bjorns boy! Kaine how have you been? You've gotten much bigger since the last time I saw you how long has it been?" I laughed. "About 8 years sir. Now let's get you out of here." I looked at the lock. Damn. We forgot to find a key. I looked at Nyx. She nodded and pulled a few odd looking tools from a pouch, getting to work on the lock. After about a minute of messing with the lock her tools snapped in half. "Shit" I heard her say under her breath. "I can't pick it. Think you can break it?" In the distance I heard footfalls. It could've been nothing but I didn't want to spend any more time than necessary in here. "I may have a better idea." I grabbed the lock tight and focused. Soon my hand was glowing, again veins and bones were visible through the skin. "What in the..." I heard Nyx whisper, trailing off. The lock itself began to glow as well, turning a dark cherry red. After about ten seconds it was glowing bright yellow. I squeezed hard, the lock molding in my hand like clay, and pulled. The lock ripped away from the hinge. I grabbed the wooden plank above his neck and pulled it away, a dark black scorch mark where my hand was. Mr Hadar jumped up and stretched his arms, then pulled his daughter into his arms and held on tight. The footsteps grew closer. "Look I don't mean to interrupt but we need to leave before any guards come back. They broke the hug and nodded, Nyx wiping away tears. We turned to leave down the alley that I first climbed from when we saw a silhouette emerge from it. A guard held a flintlock to Alouras head. The guards face was familiar, a large scar crossing his right eye. Impossible. I tied him up. How? Tears streamed down her face as she struggled and kicked. "Well now what's all this?" The guard said sneering. "The hell are you doing here?" A look of confusion, then understanding crossed his face. He smiled. "Ahh I get it. You were just a distraction weren't you. She set that contraption off while you all broke him out. Now I get to hold you all here until the rest get back. Because I know you don't want anything to happen to this precious little girl." He smirked. A rage grew in my chest, burning hot. I felt the heat crawl up my neck and face as the scar did the same. As it crossed my eyes I could feel them change. I couldn't see them but I knew what they looked like. Black as the void with a crimson iris. Unconsciously I stepped forward. He pointed the gun at me, "Not another step. You move an inch and I pull the trigger." Suddenly I heard swift movements behind me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nyx dive behind a crate next to a wall and.... disappear? It looked like she was going to run headfirst into a brick wall but, right as she passed out of the light of the torches, her form dissipated into smoke. I was stunned. What had just happened? I heard a slight flutter of fabric blowing in the wind. Looking up I saw Nyx materializing in the air above Aloura and the guard, her dagger risen in the air, ready to strike. She fell and drove the dagger deep into his skull, the blade driving in just short of the hilt. Instantly his eyes rolled back and his body gave way, as if someone had dropped a ragdoll. The silence was deafening before the sound of Nyx wrenching her dagger from the guards head rang in the air. Aloura rushed to me and brought me into a hug. I just stood there. Aloura almost died because I couldn't take him out. This whole operation almost came undone because I couldn't take him out. No. Not that I couldn't. Because I didn't. Maybe Nyx was right. "Kaine!" Aloura said, shaking me by the shoulders. I woke from my daze as the scars faded. "We need to go" she said pulling me by the wrist. Nyx and Hadar were already halfway down the alley. We took off after them through the streets. Weaving through backstreets and pathways, we made our way towards Mr Hadars house. When we arrived he opened his cellar and ushered all of us in, closing the doors behind us. Inside was black as pitch, no windows were there to let in the faint moonlight that shone from the sky. "Damn. Where did I put my matches?" Hadar cursed under his breath. "Don't worry sir" I lit up my index finger on my right hand, and a small flame rolled off my fingertip. I saw a few candles on a table in the center of the room and lit them up as well. The room was soon bathed in warm golden light, flickering shadows dancing on the walls. Mr Hadar held a curious expression for a moment before grabbing a chest from beneath a shelf and laying it on the table with a thud. "Now I would love to discuss all that happened tonight but our main concern is getting out of the city. Kaine, I need you to carry this" he said, pointing to the chest. "Nyx, you know what to take. Aloura, this might be of use." He handed her a small flintlock pistol, along with a leather bag and wooden tube. "You know how to use this yes?" He asked. She nodded and tucked the pistol into her waistband. While Nyx and Hadar were scrambling around gathering papers and other items, I pulled Aloura aside. "Are you alright? You're not hurt are you?" I asked. She responded, "No I'm fine darling. Just got a bit scared is all. It's my fault really. Should've stayed more hidden." I chuckled. "Alright. I'm just glad you're okay." "Are we ready?" Hadar asked. "Ready" we said together. I grabbed the chest and followed Hadar into a doorway on the opposite side of the room than the cellar entrance. "This leads into the catacombs. A network of tunnels under the city. It's mainly used for smuggling contraband past the guards." Hadar explained. He carried a lantern with him, lighting the tunnel ahead. The tunnel was cool and damp. The air smelled almost sour. After about an hour of walking, making so many turns I couldn't hope to remember the path, we found a spiral staircase. Mr Hadar put his lantern down and pulled a lever next to the staircase entrance. We heard stone grinding on stone far above us, then the line of black metal lining the wall of the staircase at about shoulder height disappeared, leaving a two inch gap in the stonework. Hadar opened the lantern and touched the flame to the bottom of the gap in the wall. Suddenly, a thin line of flame lit up along the gap, ascending the staircase and wreathing it in golden light. He set the lantern down on the floor and ascended the stairs. The two girls followed closely behind him and I held up the back. As we climbed the stairs I saw many names and strange shapes carved into the stonework. Around the middle of the staircase I saw the names Hadar, Nyx, and Klaus encircled by a braided wreath design. "Who's Klaus?" I asked. Hadar and Nyx stopped in their tracks. After a moment Hadar continued on very slowly. Each footfall echoing loudly. "How do you know that name?" Nyx asked, voice shaking. I pointed to the carving. "It's carved here in the wall." Nyx turned around to take a look. She sniffled a bit the said "Klaus was my brother. A while back he was taken by guards on a job we were on. I haven't seen him since so he's probably dead. I'd rather not speak any more about it alright?" She quickly turned and followed Hadar. After a few moments me and Aloura followed to catch up. At the top of the stairs we saw an opening, the black sky visible up above. We stepped out and saw that we were surrounded by trees. Looking around I saw, off in the distance below us, the town of Anchoraad. "We need to keep moving" Hadar said. "We're still to close to the city." He pulled a map and a compass from his satchel and laid them down in the snow, mumbling to himself while tracing over the map. "Now we just need to head north. Hmm. This range will be difficult though." I heard him whisper. "Um sir? If we need to cross that mountain range I know an easy path. It's a bit out of the way but it's far easier than climbing through all of that. And it's away from the main roads" I said to him. He glanced up with a puzzled yet delightful expression. "Well then boy, lead on." I knelt beside the map, took the compass in hand, and gazed up at the stars. I traced over the map until I found the spot where my father had taken me and some other men from the village to travel to Fulgerous, a city northeast of the mountain range near our home. We had traveled there to trade pelts of some exotic animals that were native to our area. Apparently north of the range didn't have any splitter wolves. Their silvery white pelts fetched a high price from the merchants there. The city was quite beautiful, arourus stones lined the streets and some buildings. They glowed with the light of the arora borealis, dazzling rays of azure and emerald, shining hues of crimson and amythest lined the whole city. Everywhere seemed to be bathed in ethereal light. "So where are we headed past the mountain range?" I asked. Hadar pointed to a spot on the map with a small symbol on it, a snake wrapped around itself. "Here. It's a storehouse I use a little ways south of Fulgerous." "Alright. Let's head that way by my estimate it should take about four or five days to get there from here. And Mr Hadar, I know you wanted to speak about what happened back there but we should make camp first, this area isn't safe, and I'm not just talking about city guards." I tossed him back his compass. "That's about ten degrees off by the way." I said pointing to the stars. He seemed to understand and tucked the thing away. We began to trudge through the snow towards the northwest. Sunlight began to break through the night sky after about an hour of travel. The stars faded out of existence as the golden light overtook the horizon. I looked back at the three behind me, their breathing heavy as well as their steps. Every footfall was laborious and slow. I decided it was time to rest. "Alright let's take a break. We don't need to make camp yet, it's daylight so hopefully we won't encounter anything dangerous." All of them dropped what they were carrying and found something to rest on. Hadar and Nyx found an old fallen tree and Aloura kicked back on a large stone. I sat the chest down in the middle of everyone and took a seat next to Aloura. "Well now that we're resting, how about we discuss the events of last night. First off, Kaine, your abilities. What in the nine hells happened to you boy? How did that come about?" I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the cold air stinging in my chest. "Honestly sir, I don't know. One day I started to develop this mark. It grew until it completely covered half of my face. And I wouldn't call any of this abilities or powers. It's simply a curse that comes in handy sometimes. And because of it I had to endure five years of torture in the garrison commanders laboratory, as well as having my family arrested and taken away. Which brings me to the reason we came to Anchoraad in the first place. We heard that the transport they were taken on was going to Anchoraad, or at least through it. Do you know anything about that?" He glanced down and fidgeted his fingers for moment before saying, "Yes I did. In fact I talked to the guards they were with. I tried to slip them some supplies in fact, hoping they could possibly break out but I was sloppy. Got caught. Why do you think I was in the stockades? But unfortunately they're not in Anchoraad. I stole the guards map with their route on it just in case something like that happened. It's somewhere here in the files I brought." I ping of excitement rang throughout my body. I looked over at Aloura who also bore a wide smile. Hadar opened a small leather bag and reached inside. What surprised me was that his arm kept going down into it, up to his shoulder before he pulled out a sheet of parchment. I sat perplexed at how the bag had fit his arm. There was no room in it for his arm to bend, it seemed impossible. He must have seen my look of utter confusion because he explained, "Oh have you never seen one of these? This is an item called the satchel of holding. You can put anything in here that can fit through the opening and it disappears within. Anything you want you simply think of it, reach in, and pull it out. And the best part is whatever is inside has no weight at all. I keep almost all of my charts and files in here. It's quite handy. Speaking of which, Nyx, open the chest and let them pick something out of there. It's the least I can do to repay them." Nyx went wide eyed. It seemed that giving someone an item from this chest was not a common occurrence. He handed her a small silver key from a leather strap around his neck. She unlocked the chest and turned it around towards us. Inside the chest appeared to be nothing. I gestured towards Aloura and said, "Go ahead." She didn't waste any time and stuck her hand into the chest. It seemed to operate like the satchel Mr Hadar had pulled the map from. She fumbled around for a bit before pulling out a pendant necklace. Its slender chain was made of braided silver and gold. The pendant itself was rung with platinum in an intricate weave. The stone in the center shone with lights like an arourus stone. The color shifting around under its crystalline shell. She put it around her neck and the stone began to glow even brighter. Her hair began to float as her eyes shone a stark white. Her markings on her arms flashed white so bright it was hard to look at. Mr Hadar look on in bewilderment, with eyes wider than even Nyx's. "You're a mage, Aloura?" Aloura blinked and the lights faded as her hair fell back down. "Y-yes sir. What is this thing?" "That is an amulet worn by a powerful mage long ago. It's an anchor of sorts. A way to concentrate and channel arcane energy to maximize efficiency of spells. It can only be activated by another magic user, an innately powerful one at that. Tell me, where did you learn your magic at? Was it Windfell, Equinox perhaps?" He seemed ecstatic, giddy even. The grin crawling across his face was almost creepy. "Well just like Kaine my abilities aren't a product of study. We were born with them. I've had these markings for as long as I can remember, but Kaine developed his far later." Hadar stroked his chin with his right hand. "Interesting. Very interesting. Kaine, go on I want to see what you pull out." I nodded and reached my hand down into the chest, grasping at air for a few moments, until my fingers found a small metal object. I pulled it out and took a moment to study it. It was a small bracelet made of shiny black metal. A scale pattern covered its entirety save for the two ends. They were capped with the heads of dragons, sharp teeth and horns jutted out from the bracelets smooth surface. The eyes glowed a dull red and the whole thing seemed to be humming or buzzing. Like it was alive. "Sir, what is this?" Hadar walked over and took the bracelet. He looked over it for a bit before handing it back to me and saying, "I'm not entirely sure. I don't remember that one." I was curious as to what this thing could do so I put it on my right wrist. Immediately I felt a jolt run through my entire body. My skin began to crawl and itch, I couldn't sit still. I felt a buzzing sensation in my head that made my ears ring. Every muscle fiber in my body became extremely tense, as if a single twitch would send me flying. It was an electric feeling. My breathing became quicker and heavier. It seemed like every part of me was on overdrive. "Well?" Mr Hadar asked. "I'm not sure. I-I feel like I just ate a whole vine of Kama berries." In case you don't know. Kama berries were a part of our hunting ritual. We each ate two or three to give us energy and heighten our senses. An entire vine had easily fifty or so. "Here boy, take this it should calm you down a bit." Hadar tossed me a small vile of brown liquid. But something was off. The vile seemed to be moving extremely slow, like it was sinking in molasses. I looked around and saw that the rest of the world was moving slower as well. I saw Aloura brush a strand of hair from her face and, as it fell, it seemed to freeze in the air. A bird flew by overhead, its wings barely moving. Only I was moving normally. I looked back and the vile was nearing my face, the dark liquid sloshing around like waves in the small container, sunlight glinting an amber hue from inside. I slowly reached to grasp the vial, plucking it from the air with my index finger and thumb. Looking down from where my arm had been, resting at my side, I saw a trail of afterimages along the path it had taken. Suddenly there was a large rushing wave of sound as everything returned to normal. The wind began to howl in the trees and birds sang in the distance. The other three were no longer moving in slow motion. I stood there, stunned and confused as to what happened. Mr Hadar must have noticed. He asked "What happened boy?" In response I said "Uhm. I'm not sure. Everything... everything seemed to freeze in time except I-i could still move normally." The feeling that I had when I first put on the bracelet had subsided for the most part. But I could feel a bit of uneasiness in my stomach. I uncorked the vial and turned it up. I wasn't expecting it to taste good per se, or even edible. But what I was not prepared for was a large swig of whiskey rushing down my gullet. I coughed a bit before handing him back the vial. "Ughg. You could've told me that was liquor sir." He simply chuckled in response. I wiped my face with the back of my hand and then let out a belch of flame and a bit of smoke. We all stood silent for a second before Aloura started giggling like a fool. We all had a good laugh over that one. Aloura then said "Wait a second. Nyx, I've been meaning to ask you how you got above that guard so quickly. I saw you dive behind some crates and then you were right above us." Nyx kind of closed up for moment, bringing her arms closer to her body and dropping her chin a bit. "Well since you two shared the information about your abilities I suppose I might as well." She gulped and continued on. "Like yours I was born with this. Didn't know it until later when I was being chased by some merchants that I stole some jewelry from. I was about... thirteen or so. I ducked into an alleyway and hid behind some barrels, hoping they wouldn't see me. I just wanted to get away. Suddenly I found myself two streets over under an awning. I ran. Didn't take the time to think about what happened until I got home. Over the years I learned to control it. Now, I can use the shadows as a doorway, instantly moving anywhere the shade reaches." Aloura was amazed. She walked over and took both of Nyx's hands in her own. "That's incredible! Can you show us? Please?" Her smile so wide and bright Nyx couldn't possibly say no. She groaned slightly and stood up, walking over to a large tree. She stood in the shade right next to the base of the trunk. After a second her form dissipated into smoke, before reappearing at the far end of the trees shadow about thirty yards away, a cloud of smoke seeping from the ground melting together to form a human shape. "So that's how you did that" she said. "Impressive." Nyx shyly smiled. "That's not all she can do. Show her the dagger" Hadar piped up from behind me. Nyx nodded and pulled her dagger from its sheath. Its dark blade curved wickedly up to the tip, razor edge catching the sunlight as she turned it over in her hand. The hilt was wrapped in black leather with a spiked silver pommel on the end. "Kaine, catch." She tossed the dagger towards me. As it flipped through the air I noticed it start to slow down. The closer it got to me the slower it moved. The effect was nowhere near what had happened when I first put on the bracelet but it was enough for me to reach towards it and catch it without a problem. But, as I reached for the hilt of the dagger I noticed black smoke began to pour from the handle, forming fingers, then an arm, then a whole body which solidified into Nyx, holding the dagger right as I was about to catch it. I stood puzzled. "Whenever this dagger is out of my reach I can teleport directly to it just like how I jump through shadows. But unlike that ability I can do it anywhere I want." She sheathed the dagger and walked back over to the fallen tree she was sitting on, Aloura and I close behind. "Well we've seen mine and Kaines abilities but we've yet to see a demonstration of yours, Aloura." Nyx chimed. A light pink blush washed over Alouras face. "Well it's nothing like either of yours so don't expect much, darling" she replied while rolling up her sleeves. She held her hands out towards the ground and her markings began to glow white. Then a small circle of runes around her wrist, as well as an arrow on her forearm changed to a bright green. After a few seconds a small vine bloomed from under the snow, leaves sprouting from its stem. The vine grew larger and larger, sprouting more offshoots and leaves until it was a decent sized bushel of frost huckles. The glow faded from her arms as she let them down to rest on her sides. "Mine isn't as strong as your two but it's quite useful" Nyx gave a few small claps and said "Not bad Aloura. Not bad at all." We rested for a bit longer and ate some rations before setting out around noon.
