Chapter 6

Koji ran down into the cul-de-sac, coughing as a foul tasting smoke invaded his lungs. He covered his mouth and nose with his shirt and slowed down to cough out the smog.

He could hear shouting and a clamor of metallic sounds up ahead, but there was too much smoke to properly see just what was happening.

He growled, thinking back to the dead guard in the water. The golden light responded to his emotions and with a radial pulse, the energy coming from his hands blasted out like a gale. The smoke was blown away in an instant, and Koji could now see what was going on. It seemed that the explosion had caught the attention of other Order guards and there were now five of them fighting what looked like plainly dressed people. The black cloaked figure was nowhere to be seen.

Remembering what had happened out by the road, Koji doubled his speed and joined in the fray.

Seeing a guard about to take a sword to the back, he shoulder tackled the offending fighter and knocked him to the ground.

A roughly dressed woman stepped out of the building and held out an arm, a ball of fire growing in her palm. Koji whipped his hand down in a slashing motion. A discus of golden light spun out and struck the woman in the chest with a bright flash, and the fireball flew off target into the water. The surface of the canal sizzled as the flames were extinguished.

Koji had no time to celebrate, for another two men came running out, holding daggers that sparked with blue electricity. An Order guard attempted to duel with one of them, but a single touch of the assailant’s dagger sent jolts of lightning up the guard’s body and rendered him helpless.

Koji reached out to try and reach him before the man with the electric dagger could kill him, but he was too far away.

Suddenly a metal shield spun out behind him and slammed into the enemy.

Koji turned his head and saw Sylvia running up to him, her sword in hand.

“Fancy meeting you here,” she said breathlessly. “Guess that means you’ve decided to join us.”

“No, I just-”

”Look out!” Sylvia shoved Koji aside just as a crossbow bolt whiffed through the space his head had just been occupying. “You know what, we can talk after. Right now we’ve got interlopers to deal with.”

Scooping up her shield from the ground, Sylvia charged forth to engage the remaining foes. With her long auburn hair streaming out behind her and the sun glinting off her armor, Koji could not help but notice how gallant Sylvia looked.

It took him a few seconds to snap out of his trance. Mentally berating himself for getting distracted, Koji looked around to see that there were only a handful of enemies still standing, and most of them had laid down their arms in surrender. Sylvia was grappling with the remaining three.

Fearless in the face of her opponents’ weapons, Sylvia ducked under one swipe, parried the strike of another before sweeping the offender off his feet with her shield. Without missing a beat, she lashed out with a mighty forward kick that sent another man flying into the canal with a great splash.

The last swordsman saw an opportunity to attack Sylvia, who was off balance from her kick. But Koji was faster and launched a golden lance of energy into the man. It slammed into his chest and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Sylvia looked down at the man Koji had felled and gave him an approving nod. Meanwhile, the other Order guards set about apprehending the other offenders.

“Well done, Koji,” Sylvia said once every last one of the magic users had been securely tied up. “I was just heading over here myself on a tip from a citizen. But why are you here?”

“I was on a walk,” Koji shrugged. “I saw the same cloaked person from before and followed them down here. There were a bunch of wooden boxes or something.”

“You mean these!” A member of the Order came out of the building, carrying an armful of those wooden chests. “Looks like someone’s been smuggling magical wares again. This is the second operation this month.”

“Magical wares?” Koji stared at the chests curiously. “Like what?”

“Charms and talismans mostly,” Sylvia told him. “The Magecroft Organization preys on the desperate and weak-willed. Selling them these items brings in a steady amount of money and debtors.”

“Hmm…” Koji watched as the guards began taking the chests of goods away. “So it’s illegal to sell that stuff in the city?”

“Yes,” Sylvia said. “Highly illegal. These miscreants will be spending a long time in prison for this, but at the point it’s just symptoms. We need to weed out all the distribution centers, or this won’t ever stop.”

Koji and Sylvia walked back to the main path with the bridge and stopped there.

“So, after seeing all that you have, would you like to join the Order? With you on our side, we could really make a difference to the people of Behalan,” Sylvia looked at Koji expectantly. In the afternoon sun, her eyes sparkled like the water in the canals, and Koji found himself staring again.

“Hello? Are you all right?” Sylvia tilted her head to the side in a worried manner.

“Oh! Yes, yes, I’m fine. I… uh, I didn’t know you could fight like that.”

Sylvia smiled proudly. “I’m one of the most skilled swordsmen in the Order. I was offered a place in the training academies, but I would rather be out here, making a difference.”

“Would I get to work with you if I join?” Koji ventured, hoping his eagerness wasn’t too obvious.

Sylvia gave him a wry sideways glance. “Maybe. Wouldn’t hurt your chances, though.” She patted him on the shoulder and began to walk away. “I’ve got to go help secure the scene of the crime. If you’re serious about joining the Order, then I think you know where to go and what to do.”

“Yeah…” Koji looked towards the point in the city where the Order’s headquarters was, an eager smile forming on his face at the notion of more like today. “I think I do…”

***

And so it was that Koji found himself standing in front of the High Lords of the Order of the Unbroken Path.

It had been a short but meaningful meeting. Koji had expressed his desire to work with the Order to drive magic out of the city, and offered to volunteer his newfound power to aid in that cause.

This seemed to please the High Lords greatly.

“You have done a momentous thing this day, young man,” High Lord Sampson’s voice reverberated around the chamber. “The Order of the Unbroken Path will be glad to have you and your unique set of skills on our side in the war on magic.”

“You’re one of us now,” High Lord Tristan nodded. “We’ll take good care of you, as well as get you that house and salary we spoke of before.”

“Thank you,” Koji said with a bow. He thought some kind of respectful gesture would be appropriate. “So, what do I do now?”

High Lord Eliana picked up a stack of parchment and looked them over.

“You have already taken your first step towards aiding our cause,” She told him. “The raid on the smuggling operation that you led today has helped us identify many members of the public who might be in opposition to the Order of the Unbroken Path, as well as robbed the enemy of a large amount of contraband.”

“I didn’t exactly lead the raid…” Koji muttered humbly.

“Nonsense!” High Lord Tristan exclaimed. “Without your sharp eyes and fighting skills, the culprits might have escaped or injured more of our men. You played a great role in the raid. Don’t devalue yourself, lad. You performed admirably.”

“But someone did die, though,” Koji protested. “I wasn’t able to save him.”

High Lord Sampson grunted. “You can’t save everyone. This is war. There will be casualties.”

“High Lord Sampson is right, unfortunately,” High Lord Eliana said sadly. “You did well to make sure nobody else lost their life today. Sometimes that is all we can do.”

High Lord Tristan cleared his throat. “Yes. In any case, we can have someone show you to your new abode. Sylvia tells me you are close to the family that runs the inn down in the Gate District. Perhaps a house near the inn would suit you well?”

Koji nodded, wanting to see where this was going..

“Excellent,” High Lord Tristan clapped his hands together. He took out a scroll and wrote on it with a quill for a moment. “Give this to the carriage driver outside, and he will take you to your house. We will send a messenger hawk to you on the morrow. For now, you may rest; you’ve earned it, lad. Be on your way, and always remember, for destiny’s true path.”

Taking the scroll, Koji bowed awkwardly to the three High Lords and departed from the meeting chamber.

He found the aforementioned carriage at a station beside the stables and showed the scroll to the driver, then Koji climbed inside. The two unicorns at the front set off at a gentle trot, and Koji absently stared out the window as he waited for the coach to take him to his new home.

The ride took longer than the one Sylvia had taken to bring him here the first time, but Koji didn’t mind. By the time the carriage stopped, he was feeling more than a little bit tired. Stepping out, he thanked the driver and looked around to see where he was.

He had been dropped off at what he would have called a town house back on earth. It was situated on a wide street and placed alongside numerous similar other buildings. There was an Order guard standing watch outside, and as Koji approached the guard, he saluted.

“The High Lords told me you would be coming to live here,” he said with a friendly smile. “Here’s your key. You’ll find everything inside to be in order. Not much else to say; enjoy your new home, and I hope you’ll go on to do great things for humanity. For destiny’s true path.”

The guard handed Koji a heavy iron key and then marched away into the night.

Koji unlocked the door to his new house and went inside. It was dark, but there was enough light coming in through the open door for him to see some doorways as well as a set of stairs. Deciding to go up first, Koji found the bedroom and promptly fell asleep.

***

The next morning, Koji was awakened by a sharp tapping noise. He groggily opened one eye to see where the irritating sound was coming from and saw a handsome-looking hawk standing on his window sill. It was pecking at the glass and had a scroll tied to its back.

Getting out of bed, Koji slid the window open and the hawk hopped inside, standing very still so that Koji could retrieve the scroll it was carrying.

“Dear Koji.” The young man scratched his head and smoothed out his hair. “Please meet me at the Order’s headquarters at noon. We have been assigned our first mission together, and I want us to make a good impression on the High Lords by succeeding masterfully. Until then, you may spend your time however you wish. For destiny’s true path, Sylvia.”

A faint smile touched Koji’s lips as he rolled up the scroll and placed it on his bedside table. Noon was still a couple of hours away, and he had complete and total freedom until then.

With a spring in his step, Koji went downstairs and got ready to go out. But first, he thought he would stop by Rena’s inn for a bite to eat and to tell her about all that had happened to him in the past few days. Wouldn’t she be surprised to hear that he had been chosen by the Order’s High Lords for a special mission? Koji could hardly wait.