A New Mission

The next day, their training continued much as before.

Until the afternoon, they practiced on the barracks’ training ground under Marcthain’s watchful eye.

After that, Lucius spent long hours with Aelmir, drilling spell formulas and studying the theory of Essence magic late into the evening.

By now, Marcthain was mixing things up during the morning sessions, even switching the teams around.

So it happened that this time, Lucius and Tagunel found themselves paired together, facing off against Melissa and Liviana.

And finally, Lucius was given a few vials of Essence to practice with.

“Hey, these bottles are barely filled!” Lucius complained, holding one up to the light.

Marcthain crossed his arms, unimpressed.

“First, I don’t want too many people finding out the full extent of your magical potential. And second, it’s pointless if you blow up your team, and half the training ground, in the process. The amount is perfectly adequate for now.”

Melissa grinned wickedly as she lined up beside Liviana.

“Who’d have thought I’d get to sink my claws into you in broad daylight?” she teased.

Lucius turned bright red and hastily pressed a finger to his lips, signaling her to keep it down in front of the others.

“This won’t take long,” Liviana quipped to Melissa, who laughed in agreement.

Lucius turned anxiously to Tagunel.

“So… what’s the plan?”

Tagunel looked focused and calm.

“When you’re up against fast and strong opponents, the most important thing is to keep them at a distance. And no matter how chaotic it gets, never forget to pronounce your spells correctly, or they’ll get you.”

Lucius nodded determinedly.

“Alright… let’s keep them off us first!”

And with that, the sparring match began.

As Melissa turned into her beastform, the two fierce women launched their attack from opposite sides, forcing Lucius and Tagunel to stand back-to-back to cover each other.

Lucius felt his heart hammering in his chest as he frantically tried to decide which spell to cast.

His fingers fumbled along the vials strapped to his belt.

Melissa was already almost upon him when he finally gulped down a dose of Essence.

“Ventha!” he shouted, and a gust of wind burst forward.

It wasn’t as powerful as the one in Aelmir’s sanctum, but still strong enough to blow Melissa, who was bracing herself with all her strength, back to where she’d started.

“Well, at least all that studying paid off, little wizard!” she called out.

“Glaciorath!” yelled Tagunel, hurling a vial of shimmering blue Essence at the ground in front of them.

The liquid spread rapidly, freezing the ground into a slick sheet of ice.

Liviana, charging forward, slipped and skidded wildly, her claws scraping for purchase.

“Ah, damn it!” she cursed.

Tagunel shot Lucius an approving nod.

The training continued like this for quite some time until, at last, they found themselves slumped together during the midday break, utterly exhausted.

Sweat streamed down their faces, their clothes clung to their bodies, and all four of them hungrily spooned steaming stew from their bowls.

Then Marcthain cleared his throat, his expression turning serious.

“All right. You’re still here, and none of you have tried to run off. And I’ve been able to confirm that you’re not spies. I think it’s time you knew the truth.”

Melissa and Lucius, who had been busy scooping up spoonfuls of soup, froze mid-motion and stared at him.

“I’ve already told you that Yashar is likely planning an attack. Well… it seems that attack isn’t far off anymore.”

They listened intently as Marcthain continued.

“My scouts have discovered that, in a few days, the leaders of the Yashari tribes will meet in Sahzarun. There, they intend to finalize their plans for the coming raid.”

He paused, letting his gaze sweep slowly across the group.

“Your mission will be to infiltrate that meeting, gather evidence, and bring it safely back here to Rivora. Secrecy and caution are absolutely critical. If your cover is blown…” his voice dropped, nearly toneless “…no one will come to rescue you. And Tiberun will deny any involvement. I… didn’t want to keep that from you.”

In that last sentence, there was an unfamiliar note of sorrow in Marcthain’s usually hard voice, as if he were speaking from bitter personal experience.

Lucius stared into his soup, lost in thought.

Only now did he truly grasp how dangerous this new world was.

Melissa, on the other hand, clenched her fists.

“Fine. Then we’ll just make sure they don’t catch us.”

Marcthain gave a short nod, visibly relieved by her fighting spirit.

“You’ll get the details in time. For today… training is over.”

He rose to his feet, smoothed his chainmail, and gave them one last, searching look.

“Eat up. You’re going to need every bit of strength you have.”

And with that, he left them there.

Lucius glanced over at Melissa, who was dunking a piece of bread into her soup.

Despite everything, there was a fiery glint in her eyes, wild and determined.

She and Liviana exchanged a knowing nod.

Lucius raised a brow.

Since when are those two getting along so well?

᯽᯽᯽

Two days later, after night had long since fallen over Rivora, everyone gathered in Lucius and Melissa’s room at the inn.

Marcthain and Liviana lugged in crate after crate of gear.

Vials, ropes, scrolls, rolled-up cloths, and plain clothes spilled from the chests.

With one sweeping motion, Marcthain cleared the table, unrolled a large parchment map, and smoothed it out.

“This,” he said, tapping a spot on the map with his finger, “is your target: Sahzarun.”

Everyone leaned in closer.

“The journey will take about three days. You’ll set out at sunrise. First, you’ll cross the foothills, then climb to the southwestern mountain pass of Malikth. You’ll have to gain some altitude there before descending east toward the Gate of Zahramor. That’s where you’ll cross into Yashar.”

His finger shifted a bit further right.

“Here, you’ll leave the main road and follow markers I’ve placed. They’ll guide you to a remote cave in the marshlands. One of my trusted contacts will be waiting there. He’ll give you a cart and everything you’ll need for your cover.”

“Cover?” Lucius asked quietly.

Marcthain let out a deep breath.

“Lucius, you and Tagunel will pose as wealthy merchants delivering tribute and goods to the Nobles of Yashar to prove your loyalty. Your arrival has already been announced, so you should have no trouble gaining entry. Once inside the camp, you’ll collect as much evidence as you can. Documents, names, anything confirming that they are planning an attack.”

He tapped a point north of Sahzarun, marking a small oasis.

“This will be your rendezvous point. If you’re not there by dawn, the pickup will leave without you. From that point on… you’re on your own.”

A heavy silence settled over the room.

Then Melissa crossed her arms over her chest, her voice icy.

“And just what are we supposed to offer them as tribute?”

Marcthain looked up, his expression still serious, though his voice softened slightly, almost regretful.

“The most coveted goods in all of Yashar.”

He glanced first at Liviana, then at Melissa.

“Selvarin slaves.”

Melissa stared at him in shock. Then she whipped her head around and jumped to her feet, fury blazing in her eyes.

“You’re planning to give us away as slaves?! Are you insane?” Her voice nearly cracked. “I’m not some piece of merchandise!”

Lucius felt his stomach churn. His gaze darted between Marcthain and Melissa.

“No way… you can’t be serious.” His voice wavered. “There has to be another way.”

Marcthain held their gaze, unmoving.

Liviana placed a hand on Melissa’s arm. Her voice was soft yet strong.

“It’s only a role. Our shackles won’t even be locked. Once we’re inside, we’ll slip them off and sneak away. No one’s going to drag us off for real.”

Melissa exhaled sharply, her eyes shifted between Liviana and Lucius.

After a tense moment, she gave a tiny nod, though her shoulders still trembled.

“Fine… But if any of those bastards lays a finger on me, I’ll tear his throat out.”

Marcthain allowed himself the hint of a weary smile.

“That’s exactly what I’d expect from you.”

Tagunel gave a nervous little chuckle.

“I’m sure we’d all appreciate it… but let’s keep it as a last resort, yeah?”

Lucius rubbed his forehead.

“I still don’t know if this is a good idea…”

Tagunel clapped him on the shoulder.

“Sometimes, Lucius, there are no good ideas. Only less bad ones.”

Marcthain cleared his throat and pointed again at the map.

“That was the broad plan. Now let’s go through it all in detail.”

They sat together deep into the night, dissecting every step, every word, every gesture, until they were sure that no one would forget a single detail.

When Lucius and Melissa were alone in their room again, a heavy silence hung in the air.

Lucius stood by the window, staring out into the night, the lights of Rivora sparkled brightly below.

They barely spoke, and even Melissa, usually quick with a teasing comment, was uncharacteristically quiet.

Because both knew, there was no turning back for them now.