Return to Balin

"What the f***!"

The soldiers went sprawling across the path, collapsing with a rattle of armor. Simon, surrounded with a shimmering aura that made him appear blurry and unfocused, appeared behind the group of soldiers.

His short curved blade darted forward, slipping between the heavy plate armor the soldiers wore. The aura surrounding SImon extended to his blade, which sliced through the chainmail between the joints of the soldiers' armor like butter.

As three of the soldiers were dispatched quickly by Simon, one of them began to flee, running for his life. Simon calmly drew a blade from the belt slung across his chest, and threw the blade with almost inhuman accuracy. The blade shimmered and twisted in midair to follow the soldier, easily finding his neck.

Now only their leader remained.

The leader stared at Simon wide eyed, speechless. He tried to clamber to his feet, but Simon raised his palm, and a thin stream of mana snaked its way through the air towards the leader, sinking into his forehead. The leader of the soldiers fell, paralyzed from the neck down, stammering in fear.

"You and I are going to have a little talk, let's get you off this road." Simon pulled the bodies off the road into the tall grasses to either side, before returning for their leader.

"It seems Kultas has fled Ursten, but he has sent his men throughout the Kingdom, searching for you, it appears you're quite the prize, nephew." Simon walked into the camp at dawn, finding Kothar awake, polishing his sword.

"What does he want with me?"

"It's not about what he wants with you, but rather what he wants from your father." Simon began to remove and pack away his blades and dark uniform.

"Since your father has been campaigning for decades, his army is more loyal to him than the King. So if Kultas were to have leverage over your father, he would have a formidable force at his back." Simon explained, now once again looking like an innocent travelling scholar.

"We should be in Balin soon enough." Simon picked up his pack and they returned to the road.

Balin was not much different from when Kothar had left, the wide paved streets and magical carriages that zoomed along them were still present. However, after the recent rebellion and attack in the capital, there was a noticeable military presence in the streets. Groups of soldiers patrolled the streets, all with the bear of Ursten emblazoned across their chests. The usually boisterous chatter that Balin usually had was still there, but more muted.

A pair of soldiers guarded the doors of Kothar's home. Unlike the soldiers patrolling the streets, these soldiers had a large hawk emblazoned on their breastplates, and where the soldiers patrolling were polished and preened these soldiers were battle-scarred and warlike.

"Halt, who goes there?" The soldiers crossed their halberds as Simon and Kothar approached.

"Come on now, can't the General's son enter his own home?" Simon berated the soldiers.

"Oh, Ambassador Simon, apologies, we didn't recognize him, or you for that matter. Please head inside, the General is away but Mistress Ophil is home."

"Welcome back! Both of you!" Ophil gathered the pair of them in a massive hug, ruffling Kothar's hair.

"Hello Mother."

"Hey Sis."

"You know what? Why don't the pair of you wash up and I'll find something for you boys to eat."

"Ophil! Are you saying we stink?" Simon protested, indignant.

"No, I'm telling you both that you stink. Go wash up!" Ophil shooed the pair of them up the stairs.

Now washed and dressed in fresh clothing, Simon, Kothar and Ophil were all sat around the dining table, which was arrayed with a variety of cold meats, cheese and bread.

"You must have been worried Son, I'm sorry your father and I weren't more honest with you."

Ophil sighed as she stacked Kothar's plate high with food.

"Your father has always thought that too much coddling would be poor for your growth, just like his father before him. I'm glad for it though, otherwise we would have never met and Simon and I would probably still be making mischief in some backwater hole." Kothar simply nodded, his face too stuffed with food to answer, Fred had introduced him to far too many delicious foods for him to be satisfied with rations anymore.

"We all have our secrets Mother." Kothar finally swallowed and answered Ophil.

[If only she knew Kothar.]

"Speaking of secrets Son, when were you going to tell me you had become a Beginner Mage?" Kothar coughed, almost choking on a large hunk of cheese.

"Of course I was going to tell you, it just slipped my mind."

"I guess being so tight-lipped runs in the family, huh Simon?" Ophil grinned at him, teasing him.

"Will Father be returning soon?"

"Perhaps, but he's on the hunt for Kultas, Simon filled me on your little encounter before you came down. The news is sure to enrage him and he won't return till he finds the b******."

"I'll head off to join him tomorrow." Simon interjected.

"I'll come with you." Kothar added, eager to gain some real battle experience and see what battles were like on Eclat.

"You do that Son, I'd love to see the look on your father's face when you show up. I wonder if his policy against coddling will change then." Ophil chuckled.

"Now that you're a Beginner Mage you should be safe on the battlefield, and your father might even put you to work." Ophil said with an exasperated sigh.

[A battlefield again, after so long.] Silane sighed, as Kothar cleaned his gear and restocked his pack.

[Brings back memories, doesn't it.]

[Yes, I remember our first real battle, against the rebels that had seized the Cadmium mines on that asteroid.]

[Do you even think about if we did the right thing, Kothar?]

[Now you've got a moral compass too huh? All jokes aside Silane, I'd say we were more a tool then anything, especially to the higher up in the Alliance.]

[Then why go back at all?]

[For the people of the Alliance of course. The people who I became a symbol for.]