"Why?" Valdan's voice was firm despite his confusion. "Was this morning not enough?"

Ted yawned like a boy too tired to deal with the stress of the morning, which was funny since it was night, late enough for there to be stars and for the moon to be out, and he was at level forty-nine. He could stave off sleep for days if he really wanted to.

Aiden gave him a suspicious look. "Have you been meditating or sleeping?"

"Meditating?" Ted shrugged. "At this point, I don't even know if I can tell the two apart."

"He's been sleeping," Valdan said impatiently. "The boy, Fjord. Why do you wish to speak to him alone tonight? What are you up to?"

"Things," Aiden said softly. Things that had to be done.

It was almost nightfall and Fjord wasn't back. Wandering in the forest at night wasn't the best of decisions, but someone had to either find the boy or speak with him on his return. When he had sent him off in search of the furry extants, he hadn't expected him to get any. The extants in this forest weren't so easy to acquire.

If Fjord failed, there was only one thing left to do in the plan. It would be easy, but Valdan and Ted had to not be a part of it. There were reasons.

"Things?" Ted asked with a raised brow.

Aiden nodded. "Yes. Things."

"You know, Aida," Ted cocked his head in a very cartoonish manner, "you haven't really been a nice person since we got to Nastild."

He spoke of it as if they'd gotten on some plane and simply flown to Nastild. Not as if they'd been summoned from their world.

"You're my brother, but I can't very much say that I like this secretive and broody side of you," Ted added.

Aiden gave him a look. He wasn't even sure what the look was supposed to say. It was just a look. The look you give someone when you have an intention behind it just to realize a little belatedly that you don't even know what the intention is.

Ted's expression dampened a little. "I miss my cute younger brother."

Valdan looked between the two of them. There was something in his expression that Aiden couldn't quite place.

Aiden sighed. He had never been a cute younger brother—at least he liked to think so. As children, he and Ted had fought quite a few times. Mostly, it was Ted antagonizing him and Aiden being unable to control his emotions. Most times, he often wondered if Ted simply enjoyed those fights.

Now that he thought of it, he had never won any of their fights as children. A frown creased his brows as he realized that he had never won any fight against Ted.

"Come on, V," Ted said, voice weak. "I've been learning recently that it's best to just let my brother be. Some changes are just what they are, changes. You have no choice but to accept them."

With that, he turned and began to leave. Valdan hesitated, looking at Aiden. His eyes were imploring but just as easily demanding. After a while, he gave up and turned away.

Aiden groaned. "Alright," he said, succumbing. "I sent Fjord out to get me the head of a specific monster."

Valdan paused in his departure, and his head turned very slowly. "What did you just say?"

"Wow." Ted looked visibly shocked and disappointed. "You sent the [Gambler], who isn't fit for combat and not even at level twenty, to get you the head of a monster? C'mon, man. Not cool."

"Aiden." Valdan's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Did you send the boy off to die?"

"Of course not," Aiden protested, shaking his head. But now he needed to lead the conversation in a different direction before Valdan asked one that would lead to what he was actually planning on doing. "I sent him to find a furry extant."

Valdan paused. "You are trying to build his stamina?"

"What's a furry extant?" Ted interjected.

"It's like a…" Aiden made a vague gesture with his hands, trying to find a word. "Dog," he said, finally. "It's like one of those small lap dogs but very furry and with six legs. It's also the size of a chicken."

"What's a chicken?" Valdan asked, then shook his head as if throwing off a mind spell. "No. That's not what's important. Why did you send him off?"

"So that he can learn to run after things. If he can run after things, then he can run away as well." Aiden sighed. This entire conversation was not what he had expected. "Trackback—from what I've heard—isn't a kind place, Valdan. People die there. There is hate, and there is strength. But there is no kindness. I cannot get Fjord up to a level that will keep him safe, and I cannot protect him. So he needs to learn how to run."

"And what happens if he can't get what you want?" Valdan asked. "Furry extants aren't exactly easy creatures to catch."

Aiden shrugged. "Then he can't come with us. He will have to go elsewhere."

"And does he know this?" Ted slipped between him and Valdan. "Or is he out hunting, thinking it's just some fun training?"

"He knows this," Aiden said with a sad nod.

There was just something about what he wanted to do that rubbed him the wrong way. He wasn't a monster. He was empty, often apathetic to the morality and weight of the things that had to be done, but he wasn't a monster.

His actions were reasonable.

"Wow." Ted shook his head. "Harsh that you would send him away after everything, just because he can't accomplish the task."

"He might succeed," Valdan said. "If there is anyone better at catching monsters it's poachers. Extants are difficult to catch, not impossible."

"He won't succeed," Ted said, matter-of-factly.

Valdan looked at him. "Why do you think so? Is there something you know?" He turned to Aiden. "Am I missing something?"

"I know my brother," Ted answered. "And the look on his face says that he sent the boy off knowing that he was going to fail."

The boy off. Aiden's mind clamped down on the phrase.

Ted was only older than him by a year—older than Fjord by two. Fjord was not supposed to be 'the boy' or 'a boy' to him. Now that he thought about it, Ted often spoke of Fjord as if he was a child.

Just the way I do about almost everybody.

Was he just rubbing off on his brother or was the déjà vu effect of the time travel becoming more than just a very strong déjà vu effect.

Valdan shook his head in what looked like dismay. "Your actions are harsh, Aiden."

"His actions are necessary," Ted said with a shrug. "He didn't want us to know so that we don't talk him out of it."

"That is not right."

Ted made a sound that was neither here nor there. "There's a saying in our world, I think it's from a movie. Well… not really a saying. Anyway, it goes 'I asked God for a bike, but I know he doesn't work that way, so I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.'"

"No." Valdan shook his head. "The gods do not work that way. The intent of sin with the excuse that you can be forgiven is a sin that cannot be forgiven. There are reasons for this."

"Maybe," Ted said. "But the point is that my brother was going for something similar. Some people interpret the saying to mean that it is better to perform the act and face the consequences that come thereafter than to seek permission to commit the act. Aiden didn't want us interfering or vetoing his plan."

Ted was only half right.

"And you're okay with this?" Valdan asked, surprised.

"I'm okay with most things my brother does, Valdan. You should know this by now. This version of him might be harsh, but I know my brother. He might make misguided decisions or do things that fall into grey areas, but he's not a monster."

Valdan sucked in a deep breath. He looked annoyed, pissed off. After a moment, he calmed down, washed whatever emotion he had away like the night washed away the dying light of day in this moment.

"I thought the same of my king," he muttered, turning and walking away. "Until I was wrong."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Aiden stood there, unsure of how to feel.

This is necessary, he thought.

It had to be done.

Ted sighed. "Let's hope you haven't just lost your only friend, brother."

Aiden said nothing.

"If it helps…" Ted put a hand on Aiden's shoulder and smiled. It was a genuine thing. "You are quite the stuck-up ass. Still love you, though."

Then he turned and left.

Aiden was finally alone with his thoughts and the night.

He unclasped his sword from his waist and sat on the ground quietly. He placed the sheathed weapon on his lap and ran a slow finger along the length of its scabbard.

A small part of him felt shitty.

But it was a very small part.

Sometimes, you were the villain in the story.

Only sometimes, he promised himself. Only sometimes.

…

It was somewhere near midnight when Fjord returned. The moon was a crescent in the sky and the stars flocked about it like overexcited children around a very free and loving mother. Aiden had gotten his fill of the sky's beauty and was staring at the grass when he heard Fjord's footsteps from afar.

The boy's steps were quiet, trained to silence from his time capturing monsters. Most of the day, while the boy had been gone, Valdan had been off training, while Ted meditated in his own way.

Aiden had tried meditation for his manifesting skill, but it hadn't worked. The main reason he was still below level fifty was because it was safer for their trip to Trackback. The person who held the crystal determined the level of the monsters that would arise to face them and he intended on being the one to hold the crystal.

"Lord Lacheart," Fjord announced himself when he was close enough.

From his periphery, Aiden caught the boy looking around. He was most likely looking for the others.

As expected, while he was covered in dirt, there wasn't a drop of blood on him. There was no furry head in any of his hands.

"You didn't get what I asked for, did you?" he said, voice quiet, solemn.

Fjord shook his head. "Things were a bit hectic, and I was hoping I could just go back out."

"Perhaps," Aiden muttered, not meaning the word. He braced himself, reminded himself that sometimes, bad things had to happen for good things to happen.

Sighing, he pushed himself to his feet. "This is just unfair."

"Unfair?" Fjord said, voice confused.

Aiden turned, looking directly at him. "Only those that are strong enough can go there. There's no negotiating that."

He held his sword in his blackened hand, his non-dominant hand.

"I understand," Fjord said quickly, like a boy about to negotiate on a subject.

"No, you don't." Aiden ran his hand through his hair. His hair was growing too long. He would need to cut it. It was time for the part that Valdan would frown upon. "If you can't follow us, you'll still know where we are. And the King of Bandiv is still looking for us."

He didn't know how true that last part was, but he was guessing that Brandis would still be looking for them.

The boy stiffened suddenly. The blood rushed from his face.

"I can't take you because you'll die," Aiden continued, frowning. "And I can't leave you because you could lead them to us."

"I won't," Fjord panicked, shaking his head. "I swear."

His voice cracked a little.

Aiden hesitated a little, giving the illusion of thought before answering.

"It matters not," he said, holding out his sheathed sword in both hands.

With the scabbard gripped firmly in one hand, he drew the sword free. Steel hissed as it came free, hungry for blood as it always was. It gleamed under the light of countless stars and a crescent moon.

"What has to be done, has to be done," Aiden said quietly, holding his sword down to the side. "And someone has to do it."

Fjord took a terrified step back. His legs shook terribly under him. If the boy was like this when he was scared, then he definitely wouldn't have survived Trackback.

"This is not about you," Aiden said. "You have done nothing wrong."

Fjord's lips quivered. "Lord Lacheart, please."

One of Aiden's eyes twitched, surprised that he actually felt bad now as he watched the boy. The boy had been nothing but perfect. The only reason he was going through this was because he was weak, and that was not truly his fault. With the [Gambler] class, he had been dealt a bad hand.

Shaking his head, he steeled his resolve. "It was my mistake. My fault."

"L—" Fjord didn't finish whatever he was about to say. Instead, he stopped, eyes focusing on the space between them.

The boy was definitely reading his interface. Had something popped up? Aiden wondered. Suddenly, Fjord's expression changed. The fear was still there, but there was now a need to survive. Aiden saw determination.

Good. It was in the nature of men to not simply lie down and die. He knew this better than anyone else.

Fjord's eyes hardened. His once pale face grew flush with what looked like anger. His eyes moved from the space between them to focus on Aiden, taking him in. Then they looked to his left. The boy sought to escape as his feet carried him to his right.

It mattered very little.

Aiden activated [Dash]. The world blurred around him as he moved. In the blink of an eye, he was standing right in front of Fjord. From this moment on, the boy was nothing but an obstacle in his way, a training construct capable of complex motion.

Fjord's eyes came back to him and the boy froze.

"I'm sorry, Fjord." It was all Aiden could say.

Then he swung his sword.

Fjord ducked as quickly as he could, which was really not quick enough. Still, Aiden's blade missed his head, taking off only a few strands of the boy's hair.

Throwing himself into a dive, Fjord increased the distance between the both of them. He hit the ground in a roll, came up, and started running.

Aiden leapt unto the nearest tree. [Leap] carrying him high. He activated no enchantments and used no other skill. When he landed on the tree, Fjord was already sprinting through the forest, weaving between trees.

Watching him go, Aiden gave the boy a head start. He counted five seconds, keeping the boy in his sight, before he leapt on to the next tree. Then the next. Then the next.

In this way, he kept a distance so far that the boy would not see him, but close enough that he would—with his higher perception—see him.

The chase lasted thirty minutes, where Fjord fled, and Aiden followed without him knowing.

With each tree Aiden leapt onto, he went higher, refusing to risk Fjord noticing him. When Fjord finally stopped, bent over with hands on his knees panting, Aiden waited and watched and listened.

After a while, Fjord looked back, then up, then around. He breathed deeply, doing his best to control the cadence of his breaths.

Aiden continued to wait.

Before long, Fjord moved over to a tree and rested his back against it. Aiden was too far away to make out any real facial expressions on the boy. He was probably too far away from him.

I should probably get closer, he thought.

But he didn't move. If Fjord heard a sound, he would probably run again. Aiden wasn't interested in another chase. He'd already spent too much time in the forest as it was. It was time to head back into civilization.

This should count, right? He thought. It should be enough?

Before long, Fjord had an expression that Aiden could read from this distance. His eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped as he stared at the air. He remained like that for a while before dropping to his knees.

Aiden's brows furrowed. He's alright, right?

He hoped that the boy was.

After a moment, Fjord chuckled, then he started laughing. It was a little too loud—a tad bit manic. It was stained with the insanity of disbelief.

Hoping the laugh was loud enough to hide other sounds, Aiden leapt onto the next tree, dropping lower. His hands came together in the air, and he weaved a [Weave of Lesser Silence] onto himself. When he landed on the tree of his choice, he leapt on to the next. When he was close enough, he leapt to the ground.

Aiden was four paces away when Fjord perked up suddenly. His eyes fastened on Aiden. His laughter died. Eyes moving to Aiden's sword, he staggered to his feet and tried to run.

"That's enough running, Fjord."

Aiden moved once more. He darted forward and pinned the boy to the tree with a hand against his chest, making sure that he was gentle enough not to hurt him.

"I'm done trying to kill you," he said as Fjord thrashed against his hold in vain. "You can calm down."

It took a moment but Fjord did calm down.

He looked down at Aiden with suspicion in his eyes. "Why?"

"Because I wasn't trying to kill you in the first place."

"I don't believe you."

Aiden sighed. "And I'm sorry to hear that. But, more importantly—what was the update you got? I take it your skill gave you an update."

Fjord's eyes narrowed a little, then widened in realization. "You did all this on purpose," he said in an accusatory tone. It was baleful, dipped in venom.

"I did," Aiden nodded. "What did you gain?"

"You tried to kill me!"

For all Fjord's anger, Aiden still had him pinned to the tree. "I made you think that I wanted to kill you. It was not nice of me, and I apologize for it. But it was necessary. What did you gain?"

"I fucking pissed my pants!"

Aiden was very much aware. He could smell it.

"And I said I was sorry."

Fjord fumed a little, the ecstasy and disbelief that he'd had a moment ago gone.

"I've never been so terrified in my life."

To that, Aiden cocked a brow. "You were a poacher hunting dangerous monsters. I find your statement hard to believe."

"There was always a chance that I could survive," Fjord shot back, anger still in his voice but the accusation gone. "There was always a chance. But I saw what you did to my group. I've heard the talks." He met Aiden's eyes and Aiden saw fear in them. "There's no escaping you. No surviving you."

Aiden paused. Was that how Fjord saw him? He understood if the boy saw him that way right now, but… was that how he'd always seen him?

He sounded like a monster.

Was that how those who didn't know him, but had heard of him, saw him?

He shook his head, dislodging the thoughts. Now was not the time. And honestly, while he wasn't sure how he felt about Fjord seeing him that way, he didn't care if others—besides Ted and Valdan—saw him that way.

"Fjord!" he barked harshly, demanding the boy's attention. "I have wronged you and a simple apology will not be enough. But we are two people out in the middle of nowhere, in a giant forest, with monsters lurking in places you do not know."

Fjord's eyes darted from side to side before coming back to Aiden. He was calmer now—fearful but calmer.

"What was the updated quest?" Aiden asked. "And what was the reward?"

Fjord looked around again before answering. "It said that I had to survive you."

"And did you survive me?"

A smile touched Fjord's lips as he nodded. It was a joyous smile. "I did."

"What was your reward?"

Fjord had the widest shit-eating grin on his face. He was like a child with a new toy. Instead of answering, he summoned up his interface for Aiden to see.

[Class skill Unsure odds is concluded]

[Present the head of one Furry Extant to Lord Lacheart by sunset]

[Odds calculated]

[Head 8.28 vs No head 3.42 vs Survive Lord Lacheart 59.2]

…

[You have survived Lord Lacheart]

…

[The odds are in your favor]

[You have gained +2 to speed]

[Duration: 72:00:00]

[You have gained +1 to perception]

[Duration: 72:00:00]

[You have gained Situational Title Escape Artist]

[Effect: 50% increase in movement speed.]

[Effect: 15% increase in perception]

[Effect: Stamina increase of 5%]

[Situation: Title activates when facing an opponent ten levels and higher when stamina is less than 12% and health is less than 50%]

[Duration: Permanent]

Aiden's jaw dropped.

Why the hell aren't there more people with the [Gambler] class running around?

He had hoped the boy would get something strong, but this? This was something else. Aiden had never heard of a skill or class that could grant a person a reward as great as an actual title.

That wasn't how titles worked. That wasn't how skills worked.

And yet, here he was, staring at it.

Fjord had the ability to grant himself titles.

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