I learnt from Adrian that the Amendment’s man on this expedition was named Cranston. He had an infamous reputation amongst the academic community. He was a fixer and not particularly gifted in any of the sciences, he much preferred to spend his time mastering the art of manipulation. They deployed men like him to act as saboteurs when problematic people started making noise they didn’t like.

If he thought he was going to pull a fast one on me though, he had another thing coming; likely a boot up the ass or a fist down his gullet.

He wasn’t used to travelling at length. We’d been walking over the uneven terrain for an hour and he was already falling behind the rest of the group. His brow was covered in sweat and he was breathing heavily. It wasn’t easy to walk over – and my own legs had done their fair share of work in the previous days, but my new, lightweight armour took a big burden off of them. Felling those giants was worth the risk.

Marcus wasn’t having the same problem that Cranston was.

“I’ve been out here on fifteen giant hunts,” he boasted to me at the back of the line, “Never lost a man either. It’ll be a shame for us when they’re done away with – but this isn’t right anyway. If they stick around much longer there won’t be a town left to protect.”

“We’re living life on the road, I’m sure you’re used to it by now.”

He smirked, “I suppose. So… you thinking of a change of tact? You’ve put a lot of money into that armour.”

“Not that much, I got a discount from Medalie.”

“Still, not something a rogue would wear.”

“Needs must. I’m not under any illusions that I can run away from what I’m used to doing, things have changed a lot in the past two months. I’m broadening my horizons.”

I skidded to a halt as the soldier in front of me stopped without warning. I rounded the taller man and gazed upon the sight that had enraptured the group. A farmhouse, half of the building collapsed by the weight of a giant. Out on the marked path, a bloody, viscera covered stain where a human being used to exist.

Marcus covered his mouth, “God above.”

Even me, a man who spent his days picking through battlefields, felt the same way. It was a truly gruesome sight. A vague mockery of what used to be a person. A single intact arm connected to a bloody mush by tendons and bone. I wasn’t beyond recognizing when something had gone too far. The good times for the mercenaries coincided with some very, very bad times for the people living here. This man wasn’t a soldier, he hadn’t chosen to risk his life for coin and fame.

I was certain there were more bodies buried inside that house.

Cranston swallowed his reason, “What madness has that blasted witch unleashed upon these poor people?”

I wasn’t going to credit him with sticking to the party line. It was pathetic. Even the two cronies who came with him seemed to think it was in bad taste. I looked him dead in the eye, and told him to “Shut up.”

This wasn’t an argument. Cranston, sensing that he was about to lose the audience he was trying to play to with his theatrical bullshit, backed away without another word. The group started moving again – giving one last weary glance to the dead man and his destroyed home. What a damn waste. Marcus didn’t feel like talking for a while afterwards. When he finally broke the silence, it was for another subject of interest.

“You came from Exarch’s Bend? I heard the fighting over there was real bad. Some of the lads I knew decided to head over and join in.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it. They were just running at each other, fighting until thousands of them were dead. Then nobody even came to pick up the bodies.”

“You couldn’t pay me all the money in the world to fight in a war like that, not at this age.”

“Some people only think about the payment.”

He nodded, “Right. They get stars in their eyes just from a big number, run headfirst into something dangerous. Too dangerous. This is coming from a moron like me.”

“Sull won in the end, but it’s been a while since I heard any news from the Bend about what’s going on. God only knows.”

I didn’t get to enjoy the modern convenience of reading the news on my phone anymore. Though a prolonged separation from being plugged in to everything and anything happening around the world at one moment had instilled a feeling of calm in me. Why was I always so worried about those kinds of things? I could only do what I could do. I did worry about the people I knew who were still there though.

I hoped they’d all escaped like I did. Some of them had attachments that were stronger than mine. But that was the rogue life. Sometimes an asshole like Bell would upend the entire thing and ruin what you’d built for yourself. I was waiting for the hammer to fall on me.

Things were going too well.

Cranston refrained from any more crass comments. Everyone put their heads down and focused on the task at hand. We had to reach the target area before the sun set after all. Adrian was struggling with the terrain. This was a much longer walk than the one we had done the previous day. I had noticed a few hours in that Cali was starting to look strange.

“Are you okay?”

She stood at attention, straight as an arrow, “I’m fine.”

“You look tired.”

“I’m not. The tides here are strange, they’re putting me off balance.”

Cranston had slowly fallen to the back of the convoy, seemingly incapable of setting the pace himself. He decided that instead of using a dead family to take pot-shots at Dora, he was going to start an argument with Cali. “Pah, to think that anyone could ‘feel’ the etheric winds in such a manner.”

Cali’s eyes narrowed, “A talented mage can.”

“Are you trying to imply that I don’t know how to use magic? I don’t need to hear this from you!”

“I would think that a man as ‘respected’ as you would be aware of my family heritage. The La’Corvan clan has always been deeply connected and attuned to the magical arts.”

That was a tough pill for him to swallow, “Wait a moment – you’re a La’Corvan? Out here of all places?”

“Not all of us enjoy being cooped up inside that manor.”

“That would be news to me.”

“In fact, leaving was the best thing I have ever done. There are some things that cannot be learned, or experienced, inside a gilded cage.” Her jaw was set and her body language was tense. It was something she cared strongly about.

Since Cali was already beating down on him, I decided to join in; “I already know what you’re trying to do. Your reputation and payment depends on Benadora going down.”

“A cute theory.”

I closed in on him, “So let me just make something crystal clear for you. If you do anything that puts me, or any of the other people here in danger – I’ll leave you to the giants.”

“I don’t need your protection.”

“Really? Because you don’t seem very well suited to this kind of job. Anything could happen out here.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“…Yes. Yes I am.”

He sputtered and stumbled as I confirmed his exact suspicion.

“I don’t have time for bullshit from people like you. I have even less patience for assholes who think they can get through life by throwing other people under the wheels.” I wanted to position myself as the impartial middle of the two sides, but I knew that ultimately, he and the other Amendment scholars would be the key issue causing problems. His reaction would be adversarial as long as he believed that I was on Marcus’ side.

"Noted.”

The fatigue that defined his slovenly gait vanished with a sudden desire to get away from me and Cali as quickly as he could. I turned to my companion and shrugged, “I guess the La’Corvan family is rather infamous for being insular?”

“Yes, that and our immense wealth and influence. My older brother only leaves the manor when it is absolutely necessary. Everything else is done by servants. They always say that there’s nothing that cannot be brought to them. There’s no need to leave the safety of those walls.”

“Doesn’t sound so safe to me,” I said, recalling Cali’s tale of near-assassination.

“While I disagree with my family’s policy, it is safer to be in the manor than out. It’s very difficult to find a way inside. The last infiltrator to enter the compound was a servant.”

“You ever worry about them?”

“If they ever left, I doubt they’d be able to survive for long.”

That didn’t tell me what I wanted to know, but Cali always spoke directly through my questions. My mastery of her facial language didn’t extend far enough yet for me to understand her relationship with her family. Was she even fully capable of feeling anything for them? The most emotion I’d seen her was after we freed Blackwake from the cult, even if the cause remained a mystery.

My musings were broken by Marcus yelling from the front, “Giants! Giants!”

The men he brought with him sprung into action. Two of them were equipped with wooden crossbows, which they put to effective use from long range. They hurried onto the nearby high-ground and knelt to steady their aim. Through the morning mist I saw two lumbering monsters.

Thwack!

The crack of a coiled rope releasing. Two arrows flew into the distance. One of them struck the giant in the head, seemingly blinding it. Without confirming the accuracy of their strikes, the crossbowmen reloaded while the others formed a line in front of the expedition. They fired again. The second giant wasn’t so lucky this time around, I could see the arrow piercing its singular eye.

They were a well-oiled, giant slaying machine. They waited for the damage to settled in and for the giants to exhaust themselves. Marcus banged his shield, “Charge!” The men set forth in a lockstep march, spears and swords at the ready. They surrounded the wounded giants like a pack of hyenas - ready and eager to pick the bones.

When they saw their chance, they took it without mercy. They stabbed at the writhing beasts with their weapons until they were covered in hundreds of wounds, small and large. I watched the display from a distance with a confounded gaze. If only things could be that easy for me. Cali and I could kill one or two of them but at the cost of some extremely expensive and precious catalyst powder. Not an economically sound decision at any rate.

“Jealous?” Stigma teased. Stepping into my field of vision, still naked, her long black hair fluttered in the bitterly cold wind. “A profound strength like yours need not the support of others. When we’re done, not even an army could stand against you.”

“I’d appreciate it if you stopped hiding things from me,” I muttered under my breath.

“Isn’t the mystery part of the fun?” Her smile was almost enough to make me angry. “There’s little else for me to say, Master. Lest you find yourself in the possession of more cursed items.”

A subtle change from her usual goading. I noted it immediately.

“Doesn’t seem very fair to me. You get to see everything through my eyes, but I don’t know the first thing about you.”

“What is there to know? I’m the vestiges of a woman that once was, nothing more than a ghost.”

I shook my head and sat down as the soldiers finished the job. Two giants slain in two minutes flat. They celebrated on top of the corpses and looted their bags for whatever they could carry. They left the steel if there was any, carrying a heavy rock on a full-length journey was a terrible idea.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Cali asked.

I was thankful for the time I’d already gained, “No. Too risky. The last thing I need is some fanatic running off to the inquisitors.” I couldn’t trust anyone in the party, especially not the Amendment scholars. They were men of science, but also highly superstitious and connected to powerful institutions. Of the three, it was highly likely that one of them was an Inquisition collaborator.

Cranston huffed from across the way, “What a barbaric sight.”

Welcome to the real world buddy.