Sett felt weird. He had suddenly lost control of his body, lunged forward with immense speed, and then killed the dog like it was nothing. He felt like he had been possessed, but at the same time, he was very much aware of everything that was going on around him at the time.

Once he collapsed on the ground, however, control over his body returned like it was never even gone.

Strange. Very strange. But this was not the time to lull over something like this. They were still in mortal danger.

Sett slowly opened his eyes only to see Jack already halfway risen from his prone position.

“Sett?! What…?! Are you okay…?!”

*Grr…*

Jack barely managed to get those words out before the second dog, the one that had gotten knocked back earlier, let out an angry snarl. It clearly wished to avenge its brethren. Retreat was not an option for either party.

Jack unsteadily raised his sword. He could not and would not abandon Sett. The two foes uneasily eyed each other. A single spark could set them off.

*TWANG*

Yet it would end anticlimactically.

A third party had entered the fray and ended the battle with one fell swoop. An enormous crossbow bolt had penetrated the dog through the side of its chest and then nailed itself deeply into the earth. It did not even stand a chance.

Both Jack and Sett turned to look at the newcomer with surprised faces. They were relieved but not unsurprised to find that it was a human. After all, the moment they came across monsters who could fire a crossbow was the moment they would be doomed without fail.

“What in tarnation is this, Jack?! I left you alone for some twenty minutes to go check on old herbalist, and not only did you not manage to do that, but you also almost got yourself killed in the process.”

A middle-aged man lightly scolded Jack as he approached the heavily panting pair. He wore almost exactly the same armour as Jack did with the only real exception being the coloured emblems that hung on his chest and shoulder.

He looked like the stereotypical guardsman taken to the extreme. Above-average height, bulging muscles, short lightly greying hair which somehow magical stood straight up, and a thick moustache. Even his gruff voice and way of speaking fit perfectly. The only thing he was lacking to sell the look was a large cigar.

“Sergeant Gray!” Jack attempted to do a salute but failed halfway through due to his exhaustion. “Thank you for your timely intervention.”

“Good gods, kid.” Sergeant Gray’s expression loosened into a soft smile. “Our first real troublesome situation in years and you’ve almost died three times already. I know you’re eager to help the people, but there’s a limit to everything, you know.”

Sett could hardly help but smirk at Jack’s hypocrisy.

“Yes, Sergeant! I’ll be more careful next time!”

“I’m sure you will, Jack.” Sergeant Gray shook his head and remarked, his voice filled with sarcasm. He then turned to look at Sett. “And you kid. You did well helping out little Jack over there. Takes a lot of guts to risk your guts, as I always say. You might just make a mighty fine fighter. When you get old enough come see me and I’ll get you into the force pronto. That is if the city still exists at that time.”

Sett felt conflicted about the sergeant’s compliment. He did not at all feel brave at all after what had happened.

“Thank you, Sergeant Gray.”

“It’s only Gray to you. Mister Gray if you prefer the formalities.”

The sergeant easily picked Sett up from the ground and sat him down with his back against a wall. He then proceeded to do the same with Jack despite his protests.

“Alright, you two. I’ll keep watch while you catch your breath. We’re leaving in ten minutes.”

Sett immediately felt his shoulders slump as the stress left his body. During the whole ordeal, he had not even realized how much he had been tensing up.

Meanwhile, Jack talked to his superior, explaining what he had learned from Sett.

It was strange. Sett had just killed something for the first time in his life. But at the moment, he felt nothing. Nothing at all. No, perhaps there was something. A small glee from reaping the dog’s life. A horrible feeling. A feeling that no sane human should have felt.

But now, looking at the dog’s carcass, lying just a few meters away from him, Sett felt revulsed. It looked sickly, much more so now than before. Like a beast on death’s door. It too looked like it had gotten life sucked out of it by the tree in the park. It had likely only attacked them because it was starving and yet he had killed it in cold blood.

But despite his revulsion, Sett soon got over it. After all, it was a kill or be killed world. The strong take from the weak. In this case, Sett took the life of the weak. If he lost, he would have lost his life. It was his right to feast on the corpse of his enemy.

Any enemy that challenged him, be it man or beast, would meet the same fate.

Sett paused. This sudden train of thought was a dark path. Something that honestly should not be spoken out loud. But he could not bring himself to denounce the thoughts. They were, after all, true.

Sett sighed inwardly. These thoughts would have to join the growing pile of things he would deal with after this whole catastrophe was over.

For now, he would relax.

“What did you say!? That damned bastard is behind this whole catastrophe. I swear to the twin suns that I will castrate him when next I see him! I will ensure…!”

Sett could certainly see where Jack had adopted his choice of words from.

Time passed as the two guardsmen flung more and more creative insults at the man who was not even here. Soon it had reached the ten minutes mark.

“Right. Time to move, kids.” Gray heavily patted Jack’s shoulder as he helped him up. “Jenkins and I discussed the situation before I came to your rescue and we decided to leave the city, seeing as most, if not all, of those who we are meant to protect, have already evacuated.”

Hearing the words of Jack’s senior officer, both Sett and Jack wanted to protest his orders. Before they could do that, however, Gray held up his hand to silence them.

“But I very much doubt that the two of you would agree with that, considering that girl is still somewhere within the city.“ Gray eyed the two, who both nodded slowly. “So, here’s my compromise. We go to the magi tech company, get Jess, and get our butts out of here.”

“And what if she is not there?”

“Then we must leave, regroup in the villages, and return for her later. The situation is turning worse by the moment. It will do the girlie no good if we die in our attempt to rescue her.”

Sett wanted to interject, but he knew that Gray’s words were true. He could only respond with a strained nod.

“Good, then let’s move!”

The trio moved along the main road. Luckily, they were not too far off the industrial district.

As they walked, Sett found himself being surprised by the changes to his body after the small rest. He was still being supported by Jack, but he still felt that he could walk much better than he could earlier. Not only that, but he felt as if he had been injected with a huge load of energy. Be it his mind, eyes, or reflexes they all felt as if they had become sharper.

Surprising? yes. But a very welcome surprise. It was not something he was going to dwell on. Not when there was so much going on around him.

The trip yielded another surprise. When they arrived at the industrial district, they expected to find many enemies barring their way, but they found none. No one that was alive anyway.

Strewn around the industrial district were many corpses, all of them being the transformed dogs or similar. Someone or something had come through this place and rampaged.

There was one distinct detail clearly visible on all the corpses. Burn marks. Enormous burn marks. Some even had their entire bodies covered in them.

Seeing this scene, Sett’s two protectors looked confused for a couple of seconds, but their eyes soon lit up in realization. Sett too realized a couple of seconds his protectors.

There were very few things that could produce such a result. One was a fire-based magical artifact. The second was a fire mage. There was only a single person in the entire town and surrounding area who had access to and the qualification for both those things.

The trio slowly traveled through the district, their eyes alert for any enemy the prior group had missed. Thankfully, it would seem the former group was quite thorough.

Traveling unobstructed, they soon arrived before the Magi Tech Company. The epicentre of the eruption. The cause of all their pain. For countless lives ruined.

The building had been completely torn apart. Its walls were turned to rubble and its prized golden board had been burned beyond comprehension. There was nothing left of value.

“Doctor Cardric! What is the meaning of this!?”

A loud voice shouted from within the ruined compound. It would seem that the prior group had not arrived too much earlier than Sett’s group did.

“What do you mean, your highness?” Doctor Cardric’s voice soon followed the first, latent with ridicule and insanity. “I have done exactly as you have asked. I have granted you the opportunity for power. Great power! You just have to take it! Just reach out for it!”

Sett’s group slowly climbed over the rubble hoping not to disturb the quarrel.

One angry baron confronted a lunatic doctor. Behind the angry baron was a small squad of fifteen soldiers. It would seem he had split up his group from earlier. Behind the lunatic doctor stood only the somehow still standing magi tech device, producing a great number of lightning arcs.

“You were meant to bring power to Lark, not destroy it! You destroyed my city! Do you know how much your stupidity has cost me?!”

A bright red vein, which was visible even from afar, appeared on the baron’s forehead. He was truly incensed.

“Baron. Do you not see the folly of your ways? Through lightning! Great lightning! We will be reborn into something greater! Much Greater! What is a small town in comparison to that?”

Sett looked through the ruined complex, hoping to find Jess in one piece. Surprisingly, he found her exactly where he had last seen her. In the chair meant for mana draining. Somehow it had managed to stay in one place throughout the entire ordeal.

Jess was unconscious, her head lying limp on the chair’s backrest.

Sett pointed out her position and the trio sneaked their way towards her.

“You heathen! Do you truly believe that a blessed noble of the esteemed Thyria Kingdom would allow oneself to be turned into a damned monster?! You must be out of your mind!”

The baron held his staff in both his hands, readying his stance. The soldiers who stood behind him readied their swords.

“I see! I see! It is unfortunate, but I believe our collaboration has to come to an end. Yes, we need to dismantle it!”

“It seems like it. Men! Take him down!”

The vast majority of the baron’s men charged at the doctor, their weapons drawn and killing intent showing.

The doctor, despite facing such a harsh opposition, did not falter. He merely smiled his creepy smile.

Then, moments before the swords would have pierced the old man’s body, something happened. An enormous shockwave spread out from the machine and space distorted.

“You may not be willing to take upon the pure form of lightning, baron! But I am willing to sacrifice everything! Everything! To do so!

The twitching bodies of the charging soldiers were flung back. It was unclear whether or not they were alive.

“Lord Ty’lex! I have connected our worlds! Honour our bargain!”