The infrastructure of the Skywall Fortress wasn’t what many would consider ‘stable’ or ‘normal’. Within that mountainous stone fort, there were thousands of soldiers, led by a couple of high-ranking military personnel, which, in their turn, were under the authority of one person. It seemed to be basic hierarchy, but conflicts and skirmishes weren't that uncommon.

Excluding the soldiers, the rest of the civilians were just farmers and craftsmen, the former were given small pieces of land in which to grow crops and whatnot, and the latter literally living within the walls surrounding the fort itself.

However, contrary to what many would assume, life wasn’t easy for the farmers. In addition to the exorbitant annual tax, they had to offer a huge portion of their seasonal harvest to the soldiers.

At first, when they were offered a lucrative sum of money to relocate to the Global Line, the farmers were elated at this golden chance. Alas, that was the only time they were treated fairly, so to speak.

The soldiers demanded a fixed amount of ‘offering’ regardless of their overall harvest.

Yes, the lands around the Skywall Fortress were decently fertile, but the weather and humidity played a huge part as well, and the noticeable lack of rains for the last couple of years had caused an unfavorable change to these ‘new’ residents.

“You know the rules.”

Three soldiers, all dressed in clean bronze sets of light armors, were standing at the entrance of a humble cabin.

The one in the middle, who had an ugly mug and an unkempt auburn beard, was glaring at the family of three facing him.

“Sir… this is all we have. How are we supposed to live if we give it to you?”

Despite their threatening glare and notoriety, the old farmer didn’t back down. He looked well above 60 years old and his skin was wrinkled and pale, nevertheless, he didn’t look scared.

He maintained a polite tone while retorting, but that only made the soldiers angrier.

Two of them walked around the relatively empty cabin and thrashed around the place by randomly kicking the furniture and cursing outloud.

The bearded and hideous-looking soldier approached the elderly farmer and looked down at him,

“You willingly came to the Global Line. It’s only natural that you fulfil your end of the bargain.”

“...”

“Defiance will avail you not.” Added the soldier as he kicked the old man in the stomach and then glanced at other two family members.

One was an old woman and the other was a woman in her mid twenties, youthful and a bit plump.

“As per the rules, we’ll take one of your family members until you pay us back.” Obviously, this was illegal and not part of the official government rules, however, the old man didn’t have the strength to retaliate or stop them.

The two soldiers, who ruined the entire cabin, walked to the scared woman and held her from both sides, not even hiding their lecherous ogling.

All was proceeding smoothly for the soldiers, who were pleased with the result whether they got the woman or the fixed quantity of food.

However, just as they were about to drag the woman outside, their ‘leader’ suddenly grabbed his neck and shouted in pain.

He fell to the ground, his neck bleeding profusely and his body convulsing.

His colleagues freaked out and unsheathed their swords while warily looking around. They didn’t suspect the old man to be the assailant, so they kept looking around.

The woman whom they bound, shrieked in fear and grasped her head as she saw the dead soldier stand up again.

He casually swung the swords once, decapitating the two of them simultaneously.

Blood gushed out and splattered on his face, making him look more horrifying than ever.

The sight was so traumatizing that the family of three rushed out of the cabin and called for help.

It was common for soldiers to use a bit of violence on the farmers and their families, but killing them was beyond the limits.

Not all soldiers were corrupt, and committing murder in broad daylight was bound to attract attention, especially if it was done by those who needed to enforce the laws.

…

‘This should be enough.’

Arthur, possessing the body of the soldier, took out his storage artifact and hid it somewhere in the old man’s house before he got on his knees and patiently waited to be apprehended.

Very soon, a squadron of 10 soldiers barged into the cabin, armed to the teeth and ready to fight.

When they saw the decapitated bodies and one of their own sitting on the ground, his hand raised and bloodied, they were momentarily stunned.

“Take him away!” Shouted their Captain, a tall bronze-skinned woman with raven-black hair and a piercing stare.

She seemed disgusted by the sight, and when she stared at Arthur, there was a hint of contempt in her eyes.

‘Good. The host I chose seems to be disliked.’

The parasite grinned as he was bound by a special shiny rope and dragged elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the woman stayed behind for a little bit and inspected the corpses.

She was Captain of 2nd Sky Battalion, the person in charge of soldiers stationed outside of the Skywall Fortress: Melina Tos Yarzen.

The culprit, Kezar, was notorious for his violence and clandestine dealings with the farmers, but he was a relative of the 1st Sky Battalion Captain, so, despite being her underling, she couldn’t control him.

Now that he had been caught committing murder against his own colleagues, she was certain that no one would be able to save him. He would finally get what he deserved and rot in the Shadow Keep Penitentiary.

“Still… why would he attack them out of the blue?”

Melina mused for a moment before shaking her head. She didn’t care at all. She was going to get the testimony of the witnesses and quickly wrap this case.

The Skywall Fortress was gargantuan and had hundreds of rooms and corridors. Arthur was dragged for almost two hours before he was locked in a dimly-lit square-shaped room.

Alone, he waited there for another hour before someone kicked the door and angrily barged in.

It was a mustached-man with a receding hairline and bulging stomach, which couldn’t be hidden even with the armor he was wearing.

“Kezar, you stupid motherfucker!”

The man was beyond furious as he cursed atop his lungs and glared at his cousin.

“Are you of your freaking mind, huh?! Do you realize what you’ve done? Fucking idiot!”

“...”

“Why are you not speaking?! I’m waiting for your elaborate excuse. Spit it out!”

Arthur, albeit slightly confused by this, merely shrugged his shoulders and nonchalantly responded,

“Sorry. My hand slipped.”

“Slipped?!”

The man walked up to him and viciously slapped his face.

“I’m the Captain of the 1st Sky Battalion yet my damned cousin! COUSIN! Goes and offs not one but two of his colleagues!”

‘I guess snooping around and waiting for the right corrupt soldier was a good tactic.’ Arthur inwardly praised himself as he watched the man go off for a whole minute.

The Captain shouted vulgarities, stomped the ground and anxiously paced around.

“Okay okay…”

After a bit, he calmed down and closed the door.

“Listen to me; You’re going to act like a guilty and repenting soul, d’you hear me? Don’t give that southern whore any leeway to corner you. As long as you show remorse and admit your mistakes, maybe I can get you out of this.”

“I understand.”

Arthur didn’t object, opting for obedience. Then again, his goal was to enter the Shadow Keep Penitentiary, so he was, of course, not going to follow his cousin’s orders.

The evidence was conclusive enough to deem Kezar as the culprit, however, there were necessary steps to be taken.

Therefore, the parasite was taken to another room, in which the woman from before was waiting.

His cousin, Captain Jeremy, had to wait in another room. In terms of ranks, he was higher than Melina, but his jurisdiction was strictly within the fortress and Kezar , technically, was part of the 2nd Sky Battalion.

Arthur was sat across from the menacing woman, who had a well-fit body, a unique bronze skin that wasn’t common in the North, and a pair of naturally piercing eyes that were as black as coal.

“I’ll get straight to the point; Did you kill Private Alex and Private Krian?”

“...”

Haering no response, the Captain kept her composure and continued,

“Why did you kill them? The witnesses said you were attacked by something.”

Only then did Arthur open his mouth and plaster a broad, sickening smile across his ugly face.

“That’s right! I killed them. The sensation of cleanly cutting off their heads was so sweet and… exhilarating.”

Barely five seconds after saying that, Kezar’s cousin rushed into the room with a reddened face, looking absolutely livid, to say the least.

“Captain, I’m questioning the suspect. You cannot barge in like this.” Stoically declared Melina as she motioned for Jeremy to leave.

The man, huffing and puffing, glared at his cousin as if wanting to rip him to pieces.

Only when he left did the woman continue, her stare colder than ever before.

“Is that your motive? You do know you’re confessing to murder, yes?”

“Of course. You see, Captain, I wanted to kill people and know how it feels. As I had expected, it was awesome! Truth be told, I want to do it again!”

“...”

Seeing him act like a total manic, a sigh escaped Melina’s lips. She scrutinized Kezar for an entire minute before scribbling something on her notebook.

“We’re done here.”

The interrogation didn’t need to be prolonged, not after the one and only suspect practically confessed to murder. Then again, even if he tried denying his wrongdoings, the witness statements and being caught red-handed were enough to incriminate him.

He was undoubtedly going to get locked up in the Shadow Keep Penitentiary, never to be seen again.

As Melina exited the room, her path was blocked by the frustrated Jeremy.

“This isn’t over, Melina. Don’t think you can push me around just because of that bastard.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Captain.” She softly smiled and, with several soldiers following her, walked away.

Meanwhile, Arthur was taken to a cramped and dusty cell not far from the interrogation room.

‘For such a medieval-like world, I didn’t expect such an intricate way of dealing with criminals.’

Arthur sat on the cold ground and stared at the night sky beyond the cubic and small window. His precarious situation notwithstanding, he was feeling relieved that his plan was going well.

His objective was to infiltrate the infamous prison, but he quickly discovered that it wasn’t that easy. The entire fortress was protected by a strong barrier and trying to break it using [Wither Touch] or [Wither Blast] might alert the soldiers.

He needed a safer option and more time to prepare and ascertain his suspicions.

If the recently-caught criminal was indeed his dear and old friend Christopher, Arthur wouldn’t be able to get him out in the span of a day. Nevermind the Shadow Keep Penitentiary, it was hard to get inside the Skywall Fortress undetected.

Admittedly, using a small host would significantly facilitate the task, however, Arthur’s magical and physical capabilities would be greatly limited.

He needed a host able to use Magic and ensure his safety at all times, so a human vessel was the perfect choice.

Lastly, entering the Shadow Keep Penitentiary was the easy part. Breaking out with another prisoner, on other hand, was going to be difficult.

As no one knew he was a parasite, Arthur was confident in escaping even if he was imprisoned. He could just kill a soldier and possess him, which might raise a bit of suspicion but would nonetheless give him enough time to leave.

The risks were undeniably big, but they were risks the parasite was wholly willing to take.

‘If it’s really you, Chris. If it’s really you… there’s nothing I won’t do. Even if it means killing every last person in this place.’