Don't Dragging People Down With You!

I didn't have to search for long. Liana was indeed the woman who severed my arm. Unfortunately, the sword was not on her. 'She probably hid it in her storage item' I thought. It was a shame, but there was nothing I could really do. We watched the funeral till the end. It was the least I could do for the person who introduced a new goal in my life.

The late Emperor was taken away, probably to be buried with other past Emperors. But for some reason, the people didn't disperse, and waited for something. I then heard someone announce "Today is really a sad day. Not only did the Emperor passed away, one of his children left our world too. Prince Roland is no longer amongst us". I was shocked, and took a look at the crowd. No one seemed concerned, people even talked between each other. The speaker continued, "Whoever killed Prince Roland, will pay for this! We swear to find the killer!". Then some people brought the corpse of Roland onto the stage.

Fox was as stunned as I was. She said "We spoke to him, not that long ago…". I sighed, and laughed a bit. I could've helped him, but I didn't. 'Hah… You made a wrong choice Roland. Now you are going to join your father… All of that because of greed… Greed for power' I thought, and shook my head. What was amusing for me, was not Roland's death, but the Royal Family's response. They were the ones who killed him, so by default, they should kill themselves. 'Well, none of my concern' I thought.

I quickly found that I was wrong. The speaker continued "Roland managed to leave a message for us. He told us that a certain someone in this city, is a practitioner of the filthy Arts! That person must be destroyed! He must've been the one who killed Prince Roland!". I almost exclaimed "Bullshit!" loudly, but I stopped myself. 'Roland you idiot. I saved your life, and you sell me out' I thought. Fox knew, and she stared at me.

She said after a while "But we didn't…". I replied "Relax, I didn't do anything. Roland sold me out. Fortunately, I had that mask on. Otherwise, he might even describe me to them. Why would that bastard even do that?". 'If you want to die, die alone bastard. Don't drag other people with you…' I thought. Fox asked "What are we going to do now?". I replied "Nothing. They don't…". But before I could finish, the speaker continued "He also had an accomplice!". I said "Oh for fuck sake! Fox, take that mask off".

Fox shook her head, and refused. I then heard the speaker "They both had masks on, but we will find them! For anyone who provides information to us, will be rewarded!. Those who wear masks, will be searched, and asked to remove their masks! No exceptions!". I looked at Fox again, but she refused to do it anyway. I asked "Woman, why are you so bent on keeping that mask on your face?".

She replied with a harsh tone "If I take it off, I will die". 'What nonsense is this? She already took off her mask, when she used my mask… ' I asked myself. She continued "We need to leave. The sooner the better". I could feel a headache coming. Was I supposed to run again? I was tired of running, hiding my skills, as if it was a crime. After a while, I said "Fine. We are in this together after all. Besides, I promised your father not to abandon you, so I will have to at least take you back home".

I then continued "Leave the city first. I will tell Paul about this. We will meet outside, just wait in the forest, after you leave through the southern gate". She asked "You will come right?". I replied "Did you seriously think, I would sell you out, or leave you behind?". She asked again "You promise right?". I was lost for words, and replied "I promise". She nodded in response, and disappeared.

I quickly headed towards Paul's house, but when I entered, he was not around. 'The smithy is closed today, due to the funeral. I just have to wait here' I thought. I didn't have to wait long. Paul and his wife Elen rushed into the house. They seemed to be distressed. When Paul saw me, he said "You need to run!". I was a bit surprised by his urgency, and replied "I know".

He continued "There is no time. Leave quickly, your friend with that mask… she is very easily noticeable. They will take both of you in, for interrogation". I said "I already told her to leave the city. Just so you know, we weren't the ones who killed Roland. On the contrary, it was the Royals who did this". Paul replied "Even if you killed him, I wouldn't care. Go now, with your skills, you should be able to leave this city. Go before they send the Royal Guards to block the city!". I nodded, and said "I will come back one day. We will meet again".

Before I left, Elen patted my head like I was her own child, and said "Be careful Nex". I nodded, and left the house. I used the side alleys, and headed towards the southern gate. 'I hope that Fox is already outside. With her stealth, she shouldn't have any problems' I thought. I made sure that no one noticed me, while I headed towards the gate.

When I arrived, I saw loads of guards and soldiers checking people out. Everyone was checked, but I could still get past them. I hid behind the crowd, and slowly made my way outside. The soldiers didn't reach their Inner Limits, therefore it would be hard for them to notice me. I managed to get past them, and left the city without any problems.

Inside the forest, I called out quietly "Fox. You there?". After a while of silence, Fox appeared next to me. She said "They already blocked all the gates. We didn't do anything! Those hypocrites should be chasing themselves!". I laughed, and replied "Welcome to my world. Anyway, let's leave. I will take you back home, and deal with this myself". Fox shook her head, and replied "We are in this together, I will...". I cut her short, and said firmly "No! You are going home. There are no buts or ifs".

She tried arguing, but I stayed adamant. 'I can't worry about you Fox, while being chased by people whose strength I don't even know about. You will be much safer with your father' I thought, and said "Let's go". Fox reluctantly followed, I could tell she wasn't happy. This time though, it was not about her happiness. This time, she had to listen. Her life was at risk.

We travelled quickly through the forest, our destination Ortava. I thought that when we left the city, we would be in the clear. I was wrong. "We have company", I said to Fox. She looked back, but didn't see anyone. I continued "They are following us for sure. I don't know how many of them there are, but they are all at their Inner Limits stage. We can't return to Ortava like this".

She asked "So where do we go?". I replied "WE, don't go anywhere. You go back to your father. I stay here, and stop them". She replied "Are you crazy? You want to fight alone?". I replied "Don't worry, I can run away if I have to. You on the other hand, just broke through not too long ago. Go, I will stop them".

Fox refused. I said "Sonia, I'm not asking you this time. This is an order. Go, we will meet again in the future. I promise you". I stopped, took out my mask, and turned around. Fox stopped as well, and refused to go. I asked "Why are you making things difficult?". She replied "I will go, but promise me you will come back to Ortava". 'I already promised…' I thought, and replied "I promise you. Now go! Don't reveal yourself to anyone. Go straight to your father".

She nodded lightly, and disappeared while saying "Farewell Nex". I waited for our pursuers patiently. There was no need to hide the fact I had that mask, or that I knew the Arts. These people must've figured out those things, or in the least, they were already suspicious. 'Haaah… Why am I so unlucky all the time?… If you want war, then war you get' I thought.