Road to the Top

"Hey, he's a commoner, right?" Evan asked, looking at Aron approaching them.

Klaus nodded, "Yeah, only the head warden is a mage. However, Aron is much stronger than a commoner, people like him are called Knights, not by status but by power."

"I see..." Evan narrowed his eyes, seeing the cold aura emanating from Aron. It was just like him - calm and confident like a frosty knight defending his kingdom covered in a thick layer of snow, cozy to his people and hostile to outsiders.

Not everyone could become a mage, everyone knew that, however, even without magic, the human body was capable of amazing things if it was at the peak of its powers. 

A few Commoners, even surrounding a Knight, would never be able to win, since Knights were well-fed, trained their whole lives, and could even have magical equipment like Aron.

Often, Knights were among the personal guards for the children of noble families or politicians, as it was much cheaper than hiring a mage and even more effective. 

Five or three top-notch Knights with catalysts could defeat a single Mage and they didn't need talent, just hard work and maybe a little luck.

Evan jumped down the slope, sinking to the cold ground and throwing off the hat that hid his face.

"You are..." Aron stared wide-eyed at Evan or rather Kellan in his eyes.

"My name doesn't matter, more important is my intentions." Evan smirked, swinging his metal club, thus shattering the ice beneath him into splinters.

Aron nodded deeply, "Sure... Anyway, the only punishment for what you did is death."

At the same moment, Aron ran forward as well as Evan.

Klaus hadn't entered the battle yet, he just bit his lip, trying to think of a plan.

'Shit! Shit! Shit! We shouldn't have run into him! The chances of us defeating him are extremely low, even considering that soon he won't be able to use his catalyst...' Klaus muttered internally, looking at the crystal in Aron's sword, which was now pale.

The catalyst had a cooldown, even if Aron was a mage and could forcefully infuse the crystal with mana, it would cause serious damage to the crystal due to overloading after the next use.

Thus, right now the weapon in Aron's hands was a simple sword, though made of really high-quality materials.

Crackle.

The first clash caused a cascade of sparks to fly off to the sides and reflect in Evan's eyes, while an excited smile shone on his face.

Aron's eyes narrowed as he strengthened his grip.

'Something's not right... It's definitely Kellan, but can a weak guy suddenly become someone like him!!!'? Aron inwardly exclaimed, and his pupils narrowed as he saw the tip of the club coming closer.

Aron abruptly jerked his head as the iron rod swept at his neck, knocking out his long black hair, and creating a hole.

Then, Evan stepped forward, throwing forward his palm - right into Aron's neck, making him gasp.

Evan wasn't stupid, he realized that his current body, Kellan's body, was weak and exhausted. In an equal fight, in a confrontation of pure strength, there was no way he could defeat the main warden, the one above the commoners.

However, there were enough weaknesses in the human body that it didn't need much force to cause trouble to the opponent.

'Fine, if he's not a mage, I should be able to deal with a commoner even with this body, though... I'll need to fix that as soon as possible.' Evan pondered for a moment before turning around and bringing the club down directly on Aron's right shoulder.

"Argh!" Aron cried out in pain, grabbing his shoulder.

"Bastard!!! I don't know what happened to you, but you're nothing compared to me! You pathetic slave!" Aron exclaimed, starting to swing his sword furiously.

Evan's pupils narrowed as he took a few steps back, dodging the sharp sword, the tip of which whizzed right in front of him.

From time to time, the sword left light cuts or scratches on his body, after all, Evan was still not fully accustomed to his new body, the difference in physical strength between his previous body and this one was catastrophic.

Crackle.

Aron's blade slashed across Evan's palm, passing upwards and cleaving it. The wound was shallow, but long enough to reach up to his elbow and colorful, spurting streams of blood outward.

"You cannot defeat me. Surrender and your execution will be official, in a few days." Aron said sternly, pointing his sword at Evan. Even in this situation, he tried to do everything following the rules.

Evan glanced at his wound, then reached a hand forward, "Turn around."

"Argh...?"

At the same moment, the metal club came down on Aron's knee, causing his face to contort in pain and stagger for a second.

Without hesitation, Klaus knocked the sword out of Aron's hand and like a predatory snake curled around him, clamping Aron's neck between his locked hands.

Obviously, Aron was physically stronger than Klaus and even more so Evan with his weak body, however, the techniques and grabs were invented precisely for the weak to defeat the strong. In Evan's eyes, it was further proof that Klaus was not a slave at all and he had come to this prison on purpose.

Aron tried to get out of that dead grip, and gradually succeeded, bringing his fists down on Klaus, who was getting harder and harder to withstand the pressure.

However, soon, Aron stopped at the sight of the silhouette towering over him.

Streams of blood trickled down Evan's arm, traveling to the sword and sliding down the sharp blade, falling to the cold ground as droplets and spreading over the thin layer of ice covering the ruined place.

"Any last words?" Evan gripped the sword tightly with both hands, hovering over Aron's chest.

"My sister... Don't touch her... She... she... she shouldn't have been here like me..." Aron muttered in a shaky voice.

Evan nodded silently before drawing his sword down, piercing the warden's chest with ease.

Aron didn't fight back, he couldn't and didn't want to anymore. He had admitted defeat, and all he could do was hope for a better fate for his sister.

"Fuck! Even while in the clinch he almost broke me! How did you even manage to dodge his attacks?" Klaus exclaimed, breathing heavily and coming to his senses.

Evan pulled his sword from Aron's chest, looking at the dark blood of his first worthy opponent mixed with his own.

"Experience. It doesn't matter now anyway. I'm sure the explosion of the cauldron was heard on every level, so... we need to hurry." Evan directed his gaze into the distance of the second level, where hundreds of shadows could be seen.

The slaves had finally freed each other, and now they were ready to wreak real havoc, a riot sweeping away everything in its path like a wild whirlwind.

"Sure. Let's not waste any time. You need to get to the very top, right?"

Evan nodded.

...

Pretty soon, the news reached the first and zero level - where the main building was located with several tall towers like a gothic castle filled with horrors and ghosts.

Evan and Klaus swept like shadows through the first level, where frightened slaves and anxious guards plunged into chaos, barely in control of the situation.

"That way?" Evan asked, pointing to a spiral staircase leading to the tallest tower in the center of the prison.

Klaus nodded.

Evan immediately stepped forward, but Klaus stopped him by holding out his hand.

"Wait. I'm not going any further with you."

"Hmm?"

Klaus glanced to the side, "I have some unfinished work. Someone I promised I'd save when I escaped, so... I have to keep my word."

Evan's gaze changed, filled with dignity and respect - something he thought was really important.

"Also... Are you sure you should go there? You seem like you can fight, but the head warden is a mage. The chances of you dying are far more likely than not. She'll be the last to get the news, so... you can come with me." Klaus offered, uncertainly, as if realizing it was pointless.

"Don't worry about me. You better keep your promise. That's more important." Evan said quietly before taking a deep breath.

In a heartbeat, the sharp tip of the sword was at Klaus's neck. All he managed to do was shudder with a confused expression.

"Evan... What the hell are you doing...?" Klaus gulped.

"Don't get me wrong. I don't mind being companions, but I demand honesty. Why did you talk to me in the mine?" Evan narrowed his eyes.

"Well... We just happened to be near each other and... and... my intuition told me that you might be a suitable ally!" Klaus replied quickly, trying to sound as believable as possible.

Evan smiled ironically and took a tiny step forward, causing the tip of his sword to leave a light cut on Klaus's neck.

"Did your intuition tell you to speak to the most feeble and weak-looking slave you could find? In that case, you have the worst intuition in the world, but the best luck. However, we both know it's not about luck, don't we?" Evan's voice became as cold as ancient glaciers.

Realizing that it was useless to play further, Klaus's face changed completely as he took out from his pocket a black, round amulet with a red crystal inside.

"My tooth was the last resort if things don't go according to plan... From Arcanum, I was able to grab this amulet. It has only one function, to activate once when someone who hides insane power is nearby and show it." Klaus uttered, pulling the amulet forward as its crystal shone brightly.

Evan nodded, "In that case, what did you see when the amulet reacted to me? What do you see now?"

Klaus's eyes grew deeper as they reflected the many shadows with cruel smirks that lurked behind Evan, radiating from his body like an aura.

"Demons... As someone who knows the demonic arts. You asked for honesty and I will give it to you. I want to be your ally and I won't ask how you know this power. I have my secrets just like you. We'll work together until fate separates us, agreed?" Klaus held out his other hand, with a straight palm.

Evan thought for a while as if trying to figure out if Klaus was being honest. Then, he smirked and responded with a handshake.

"Deal!"

Klaus breathed a sigh of relief.

"In that case, see you later." Evan stepped onto the step.

Klaus bit his lip, "If you stay alive, I'll meet you at the back gates leading into the mountains. I'll be waiting for you for exactly thirty minutes."

Then, Klaus rushed forward, having no more time to waste.

'Hmm... So she's a mage, right? Well, with such a weak body I can only use HIS power, and it's going to cost a lot...' Evan shook his head before stepping onto the stairs.

Immersing himself in the darkness, slowly striding forward as his footsteps echoed off the cold, lonely walls, shadows reappeared in his eyes, one of which was most active as if anticipating its imminent exit.