“[Spark]!”

It was the first time Rael cast the spell. They were afraid that it would be flawed. There was significant drain, but it worked. Rael’s spell flew from their hand, illuminating the brig in a flash of blue light. The wargs flinched back from the brightness, but the electric spark dissipated against the hide of the warg Rael aimed for.

Its smirk grew larger.

Antimagic collars. Rael hoped that the Bergin wargs were different in that aspect to the wargs Bjorn fought so long ago. No such luck. The pitter-patter of sandals ran from behind them. The legionnaire was trying to make a run for it!

The moment of distraction was enough for the leading warg. It jumped to Rael with a snarl. The Dragonward jumped out of the way, slicing towards it with their uninjured arm. It caught Rael’s arm in its own parody of an arm.

“Got…you…” Its breath smelled like rancid meat. But the fact it could speak caused Rael to freeze.

It opened its maw wide, preparing to tear out Rael’s exposed throat. Rael slammed their head into its snout with as much force as they could muster, feeling a meaty crunch break against their skull. The warg howled in pain and recoiled.

‘Thank you Kip, for showing me how to headbutt.’

Rael was free from its grip. They turned and ran, the baying of misshapen hounds following hot on their heels. A quick cast of [Minor Detect Life] allowed Rael to witness the wargs descend on their weakened kin first, tearing it to shreds in a deluge of fur and claws. Within moments, the blue light that signified life faded from their perception, submerged in a flood of bloodthirsty wargs.

Rael jumped up the ladder as quick as they could, finding themselves in a panicked mess of legionnaires running about on the lower deck.

BOOM!

A wave of heat washed over them, another compartment within the blimp bursting into flames. The airship began to descend faster, the fog enveloping the ship in its entirety. The deck tilted precariously, sending screaming Bergin sliding overboard.

‘So much for capturing the ship. Focus. What do we not want to happen?’

Rael looked down the ladder. A warg climbed slowly towards them, its misshapen paws struggling to grip onto each rung. Rael slammed the hatch shut and began casting [Synthesis] to seal the trapdoor.

Another use of [Minor Detect Life] revealed the wargs amassing right below the hatch. And on the very edge of their perception, tips of trees flitting by below. The ship was moving too fast. The crash would fling everyone forwards and damage the hull enough for the wargs to escape.

A spear plunged where Rael had been a moment ago. Another legionnaire, one not so intent on self-preservation, had noticed Rael in the chaos.

“For the Emperor!”

A [Spark] jumped across his spear and danced across his armor. The legionnaire spasmed and fell to the ground, the smell of burning hair filling Rael’s nostrils. The Dragonward put their tome-dagger in their mouth and grabbed his spear with their uninjured hand, pulling it out of his unconscious grip.

The lower sails were only half open, the lower ends only now beginning to rip through the highest branches. If Rael could get them down fully, the airship would slow dramatically.

There was a small problem.

The Bergin soldiers who kept their composure between Rael and the sails. The first charged Rael spear-first. Rael swung the spear like a staff at his ankles. He fell to the ground like a sack of bricks. Before he had a chance to get up, Rael kicked his head and sent him off to dreamland. Rael ducked under the swooping gladius of another, flipping the spear up between his legs. He was armored there, but he still flinched, giving Rael the opportunity to pull him over their shoulder in time to catch the spell another soldier sent Rael’s way.

The sizzling of flesh was drowned out by the legionnaire’s screams as the acid spell ate through his armor. The spellcaster was too stunned to react to the spear Rael threw his way. He looked down in surprise at the haft of the spear embedded in his gut and collapsed.

Rael threw the whimpering legionnaire from their shoulder with a grunt. Some of the acid had eaten away at his sword, but it would serve Rael’s purposes. They swung the corroded metal onto the ropes connected to the lower sails. The lines snapped apart with a resounding crack and the airship trembled as the makeshift anchors tore through the forest below.

The ship groaned and creaked as the sails caught on everything below. Until one of the sails caught something and everyone lurched forward. There was a resounding CRACK! The tilting ship swung further down. Rael, already destabilized, stumbled overboard, flailing wildly to grab at something. Their injured arm found a loose rope and twisted it around themselves as the crackling ship tore through the mangrove forest. Loose branches whizzed by Rael’s face as the upper deck collapsed onto the lower one, the weight pushing it further into the mud before the mast was ripped off. The upper levels of the ship smashed into the detached hull and slid across it, pulling ropes and smearing people paste across the deck. The blimp, having lost the lower hull, was light enough to start floating forwards again…until several more explosions rang from the balloon, sending it crashing back down into the wetlands.

Rael was too busy holding onto dear life when the momentum of the final stop of the Bergin airship ripped them from the rope. They landed in a deeper part of the estuary, the brackish water stinging at Rael’s wounds. The tome had long since dissipated from the tight grip of their mouth, their jaw almost slack from exhaustion. They swam upwards and dragged themselves to shore, the adrenaline fading from their system enough to feel the pain in their arm.

They leaned against a tree and took in the damage. A rift had opened in the grove, the airship having torn its way through nearly a hundred meters of forest before the top slid off and landed once again a few dozen meters away. The top half of the ship was still burning, the screams of the injured muffled by the thick fog.

Rael pulled themselves up and looked over their mangled arm.

‘Definitely going to need an expert for this one. In the meantime…’

A quick cast of [Minor Heal] closed the skin around their wounds, but no more. The arm was still unusable. They began walking toward the wreckage, picking up a spear on the way there. Looking over the destroyed vessel, Rael couldn’t help but feel a knot of guilt tighten in their heart. They helped cause this. As if mocking them, a body cracked through branches and landed right in front of them in a meaty thump.

It was the spellcasting legionnaire Rael speared in the gut. His body must have been flung from the ship in the crash to land in a tree. He smelled awful. His lifeless eyes stared off into space. Rael’s stomach churned at the sight.

‘I killed him. And many others.’

Rael dry-heaved, bile coating their tongue as they struggled to wrap their mind around the events. The first time they killed someone…the legionnaire may have been trying to kill them, but Rael had attacked their ship. If anything, they were defending themselves.

Rael shook the spots from their vision, pushing the thoughts away like so many others. ‘This is war. War with a people that outnumber the Faulk, a people who enslave and conquer, a people that would use me to make more of those…things.’ Mad yellow eyes and salivating fangs appeared in Rael’s mind. ‘Focus on the now. Looking for survivors.’

The first man they found was a legionnaire missing his legs. A trail of blood leading from the wreckage indicated he’d narrowly avoided having his entire body crushed. He was alive, but it would not last. When Rael walked closer, he gritted his teeth and struggled to pull his gladius from its sheath. It was so bent out of shape he could not pull out his sword. His eyes burned with hatred as he tried to draw his blade, muttering a mantra under his breath. His ailing strength was quickly leaving him.

“Let me help.” Rael offered their hand.

“For…the…Emperor!” The legionnaire snarled as he swung his sheathed sword at Rael, batting their arm away. He’d spent the last of his strength and collapsed. Dead.

There were others. A gored Faulk warrior reaching for his axe. Another was too dazed to respond. A legionnaire who begged for help pulling the arrow from his side, the stink of his punctured guts too reminiscent of the dozens of dying men Ruen and Bjorn had seen after battle.

Rael helped where they could. They brought the warrior his axe, pulled the other Faulk to rest beneath a tree, and held the dying man’s hand as he passed. How could they not? Most of the people that Rael had heard cry out mere minutes ago had passed. There were few Faulk who died, too many of whom Rael found still reaching weapons. Most of the others were legionnaires. They died alone in a foreign land. Without their helms, their weapons, and their ship, they were but men. Some old. Some far too young.

Rael wanted to spit at them. Curse at the bodies for the foolish decisions they’d made while they were alive. But the expressions of pain and sorrow they all had…mollified Rael’s anger. At least, towards them.

Rael found an ax embedded in a tree. There were no Faulk corpses nearby, so it could only have been flung from the ship among the corpses and flotsam. They pulled the weapon out and heard someone yell.

“Help!” Someone called from the water.

Someone was trapped beneath a sail as it pulled them deeper in the water. A figure tried to swim past the sail, reaching upwards and struggling to tear through. The canvas grew heavier the longer it stayed in the water, pushing the survivor deeper into the water.

Rael jumped in and swam towards the figure. They summoned their tome and tore through the sail, grabbing the survivor by the shoulder to drag them back to shore. A bit tricky with only one hand. Rael managed.

The survivor reached shore on all fours, hacking up swamp water from his lungs. When Rael straightened to get a good look at him, they were stunned. It was the kid they fought earlier. Rael awkwardly patted his back as he coughed up the water.

“Th…thanks.” He gasped.

“Uh, sure.”

The kid recognized Rael’s voice, whipping his head around to see them standing over him. He scrambled away on all fours and tripped over some mangrove roots. He landed face first in the sand. He got to his feet and held his arms up in a boxer’s stance.

“Easy, kid.” Rael raised their arms placatingly. Their haggard expression mollified the boy and he put his arms down. Slightly. “If I wanted you dead, I would have let you drown.”

His steely eyes glared at Rael. They raised an eyebrow.

“I am not a kid.” He put his arms down but kept his distance. “I am a legionnaire of the Bergin Empire.”

“Fine then, shorty.” Rael scoffed.

“I am not short.” The short boy gritted his teeth. “You are freakishly tall. A product of your Faulk blood.”

“Ding-dong, you’re wrong. I’m not even related to the Faulk.” The kid blinked in surprise then reasserted himself.

“No matter. What will you do to me now?”

“I think…I’m supposed to capture you?”

The legionnaire winced as a scroll briefly manifested around his arm before disappearing. He and Rael stared at each other.

“Did you try to summon your tome?”

“…No.”

“I did save your life.” Rael crossed their arms, careful to keep the ax firmly in hand. “If I leave you out here, you’re going to die to something like a crocodile, leeches, swamp cats, wild boars…”

“I don’t think that’s fair.” The boy stood taller. “We should have an honorable duel to decide who gets to be prisoner.”

“Excuse me?”

“You attacked us by surprise. With more men. If you have honor, you will let me fight for my freedom.”

Rael stared at him. To his credit, he did not shrink under their glare. There were so many things Rael could say. Mention that the Bergin outnumbered the Faulk three-to-one in that skirmish. Point out that they were invading Faulk land. Call out the dozens of hypocrisies of the Empire. ‘The balls on this kid. Maybe I should have let him drown…’

“You know what? Sure.” Rael shrugged and dropped the ax to the ground. “Let’s do this.”

The boy gleefully got into a defensive stance. He scarcely had time to notice the fist aimed right at his face. When he next awoke, his arms were tied behind his back and his nose was broken. There was also a dull throb in his side, as if someone had kicked him several times while he was down.

“You cheated!” He blubbered.

“No, you just suck.” Rael pulled him to his feet and dragged him by the rope. “What’s your name, legionnaire?” The kid kept quiet. “If you want, I can call you Puke.”

“John.” He muttered.

“Thank you, John.”

The pair walked in silence around the wreckage. There were signs of other survivors, but those who could not walk, limp, or crawl had passed from their injuries. Even then, Rael found several bloodied drag marks. Recovering the injured, perhaps?

John wasn’t an avid conversationalist. Rael was fine with that. When he came across a legionnaire’s body, he stumbled and stopped. They looked about the same age.

“A friend?” Rael asked.

“…Yeah.”

Rael let him stew in silence.

“If it helps, I’m sorry you lost a friend.”

“As if a barbarian like you could care.” John’s breath hitched.

Rael shook their head and sighed.

“Fine then. He deserved it for invading the Jarldoms.” John swiveled his head and growled. “Isn’t that what you wanted to hear?” Rael let him stew in anger. Eventually, they grew curious.

“What are two guys your age doing as legionnaires anyways?” Rael kneeled next to him.

“How could I explain the depths of our devotion to one who refuses Emperor Lyon’s light?”

“So you chose to become a legionnaire. To risk your life killing Faulk.”

“The Jarldoms have raided our provinces for years.” John hissed. “The Senate finally decided to put a stop to it.”

“I bet you volunteered as soon it was possible.” Rael observed his expression. His stiff face told a different story. “Fighting Faulk probably seemed better than dying in a suicidal charge against Medlam magic artillery. Or falling into an Anaïe enchantment. Or suffering slowly from Paralu poisons. Or getting—”

“Is there a point you’re trying to make?” John jumped to his feet and glared down at Rael. He shrunk back when they slowly stood up. They leisurely dusted the mud from their trousers.

“I once met a Bergin noble. He bragged about a lot of things. His expensive spells, his vast estate…his freedom from military service.” Rael stretched and smiled coyly. “I was wondering if you had the same privileges.”

“The nobility are among the chosen few.” John said firmly.

“I see.” They lied.

“Performing great deeds in war could elevate you to nobility.” John continued briskly.

Rael shook their head and sighed. Caldon had painted a beautiful picture of his home, one of merit, responsibility, and honor. He talked a lot but said very little on how Bergin maintained such excess. Even their own citizens were suckered into a system where they risked their lives for nothing more than the hope of upward mobility.

“Do you know anybody that became a noble recently?”

John opened his mouth. Closed it. He reminded Rael of a fish. Rael was about to comment on his expression when they froze. It was quiet. Their neck prickled uneasily. Acting on instinct, they pushed John to the ground.

“What the—” The boy yelped as a massive furry body bolted between them, grabbing the rope and pulling it taunt. Rael and John were dragged for a few meters through branches and mud, until the warg stopped to observe them. It pounced on the smaller target.

The warg snarled into John’s face, bloody spittle coating his face as he screamed in terror. Its sharp claws raked across his armor, tearing through the leather and ripping away the strips of metal. The boy struggled and screamed as its yellow eyes sparked with twisted joy. The rope binding his arms tightened and he was pulled from beneath the warg.

Rael heaved at the rope again to pull the boy closer to them. The warg glared at Rael. It bounded past John. The Dragonward whipped the rope at it, hoping that the thick line would at least slow it down. No such luck. It caught the rope in its maw and smiled. Rael hated it when wargs smiled. It clamped down and cut the rope. John’s bonds loosened. Knowing not to look a gift horse in the mouth, he squirmed about until he stumbled to his feet, backing away from his former captor and the man-beast. He looked between Rael and the warg.

The warg licked its chops.

Rael frowned.

John ran.

“You bastard!” Rael pulled their ax from their belt.

The warg yipped excitedly and charged after him.

‘I won’t let some little shit I’ve saved twice now die to a warg. I’ve killed enough people today.’ Rael chucked the ax. It flew true, lodging itself into the warg’s thick hide. It yelped in pain and turned around, rage simmering in its almost-human face. Its leg reached around and pulled the ax out of its back, throwing it into the water.

Rael was left facing an angry warg, with no weapon and a useless arm.

“That makes three times I’ve saved you, ASSHOLE!” Rael screamed into the swamp.