Morwin stood and stared as Galvin, Darius, and Guenevir left the room. The audacity of them! Telling him to go with them. As if he’d already committed himself to a part of the group? He had to go and stop them from doing anything rash. Not to protect them, but the people of Jovin City. The people they were seeking to cause havoc against. Morwin snatched his dagger from off the table and sprinted out the room. Kaden followed behind.

  He found that he was in another inn, one on the other side of town. Morwin wondered if the owner knew he was housing rebels.

  “Put this on,” Galvin said, tossing him a black cloak and a mask. “And follow us. Our friend is in danger.”

  Morwin stared at the apparel and just tossed it aside. He refused. He knew what their plan would be. They’ll have him pretend to be a part of their little group, Lord Demarian would capture him somehow, unmask him and imprison him. Galvin would save him, and he’d be grateful to Galvin for doing so and join Justicar. Or they would see him without his mask and shun him from the government. He would never be able to go back, so the only option was to be a part of Justicar. Either way, the moment he dawns the black cloak and mask, he’d be one of them. He refused.

  Galvin stared daggers at him, a raging fire behind his eyes. “What’re you doing? You can’t be seen with us without that. They’re going to know who you are!”

  “They don’t know who you are, so just go without it,” Morwin replied, his voice adamant.

  “Just stop being a stubborn ass for once and do as I say!” Galvin shouted at him. Morwin folded his arms, refusing to follow the instructions. Morwin was the one in charge here, not some stupid dissenter. He wanted to show them who he was, this tall and confident person. He resisted the urge to reach for his sapphire necklace.

  “Fine, don’t. Stay here then,” he said. “Come on guys, let’s go!” They filed out of the inn. They’d really left him behind. He felt smaller than he did before. So he was nothing more than an afterthought in their plans.

  To hell with it. He picked up the apparel and stuffed it behind one of the cabinets, hidden from sight. He barged out of the inn and looked both ways, trying to find where the group had gone.

  He didn’t see anyone but heard frantic footsteps coming from somewhere, probably behind a building. He chased it down.

  All four of them were running down the street a bit away from him, all in their Justicar attire. Morwin kept close to the buildings and moved within the shadows to avoid detection. He kept this up until he arrived at the town square, where a lot of the citizens gathered. A familiar man in shining metallic armor stood at the center, arms splayed outward. Lord Demarian. Surrounding him were about ten or twelve of his personal honor guard.

  Morwin was out of breath. He panted and wheezed, his abs twisted in pain, but he pushed himself to continue. He made a point to start exercising more when he returned home from this town.

  “Citizens of Jovin City!” Lord Demarian exclaimed. “I am glad you all have gathered here. We recognize that this is your land, and we have no business interfering with you all, but the matters at hand concern not only you here, but us in Agnius.

  “As you are well aware, labor camps have been attacked recently, and the workers freed against our desires. It is none other than the people before you that’ve caused this tumult. We know there are more members here in Jovin City, so to continue maintaining your freedom, we only ask that you turn in any information you have to us, so we can remove this virus from your city, and you can keep on living without fear of these scoundrels in your city!”

  In front of Lord Demarian, three rebels sat, bound, blindfolded, and gagged. “These are just three of the members from the blasted rebellious group that me and my guards have managed to catch. Now, if you have any sort of information on them, now is the time to step up. Else, you will learn what happens to those who goes against the grace of our king.”

  Silence filled the square. Lord Demarian scanned the crowd, searching for any sign of someone about to speak up, or perhaps attempting to spot one of the members of Justicar himself.

  Now was Morwin’s chance. He could speak up and warn Lord Demarian that the very people he was looking for is here. He could help be the one to take down Justicar!

  Galvin hadn’t been very smart to just leave him there without tying him up. And that would lead to his downfall. Still, the betrayal still stung at him.

  He was about to speak up when something moved between the buildings in the distance. Galvin stood, his eyes piercing through Morwin. And they were pleading eyes. Galvin knew what he was about to do.

  Just do it, Morwin thought. Just speak up. But he couldn’t find his voice. Why was he so weak? He knew in his heart he despised Justicar. But finding out Galvin was a part of it? Could he really do that to the only person who’s been his friend growing up? He might as well use his dagger and twist it into his gut himself.

  Galvin lowered his mask and mouthed something to him, but he was too far for Morwin to be able to tell what.

  Guenevir, Kaden, and Darius were not with him. They’d spread through the crowd and were hiding somewhere, waiting in position. Waiting for what, Morwin didn’t know.

  “Very well,” Lord Demarian spoke out. Morwin’s attention returned back to the center, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see Galvin brandish a dagger out, ready to strike.

  No, he would lose. Even if he did have magical powers, he couldn’t take out all those people at once. Not even with help.

  And who was this Jules person they were concerned about? Lord Demrian nodded his head to the people behind him, and one of them stepped up and unmasked one of the members. Morwin did not recognize the bound man there.

  The soldier raised up a sword. Gasps and murmurs echoed throughout the crowd.

  The blade fell, a clean cut which took the head right off.

  Morwin didn’t know what to think. Seeing the head roll down and the blood gushing out, it may have been too much for him. He’d never witnessed a public beheading before.

  Galvin watched in horror as one of his comrades had his life taken. He’d seen it many times, but it still hurt every single time. He gripped his dagger tighter, wanting to rush in and do something. But if he did, it would be asking for trouble. But he should try right? What kind of leader is he to just watch as one of his warriors die?

  The executor moved on to the next person and unmasked him. Still not Jules. Galvin wondered if Jules was even one of the men on the platform.

  “Watch out!” a voice screamed. Galvin’s head turned, and an arrow whizzed by, straight towards Demarian.

  Someone stepped in front of the Minister of Labor and swung a weapon, slicing the wooden shaft of the arrow in two. Screams echoed all around and people began to flee the area.

  “Death to the king!” a battle cry sounded. A group of seven of Galvin’s comrades came charging out in the distance, all brandishing daggers, and swords and some stayed behind with bows.

  Lord Demarian turned his head and nodded to one of his soldiers. A wall of fire erupted forming a circle, flaring outwards and burning some poor fool’s food cart.

  Damnit. He had a Dragikiri with him. He wondered if that was the only one. Galvin needed more information before he could jump in to help.

  The members of Justicar stopped before the wall of fire, unsure of what to do. Lord Demarian leapt through it, raising sword and striking the first one he came into contact with, slicing his neck and killing him instantly.

  No! Another figure darted out of the flames and landed in front of Lord Demarian. A rumble shook the area and a small pillar made of ground shot upwards, blocking a couple of arrows.

  In total, the crew that attacked had three bowmen and four swordsmen. Well, three now. None of the bowmen had been Jules, so Galvin kept searching around until he could find the man. He had to have been the one behind the attack.

  What an idiot!

  The buildings, search the top of the buildings. He heard fighting behind him and couldn’t help but look. One by one, his comrades were struck down, their bodies growing cold and blood flowing out onto the streets. He had to do something.

  But he couldn’t. He found that his body was shaking violently. Seeing Lord Demarian there… it reminded him of King Rai’Shal. And the memory terrified him, froze him in place.

  “Galvin!” Guenevir’s voice boomed behind him. “Snap out of it! You have to do something!”

  How could he do something? How many Dragikiri did Lord Demarian bring? Surely more than enough. You either agree to work for the king as a Dragikiri or get sold into slavery. There was no inbetween.

  Another swordsman was taken out by one of his Dragikiri. A blast of pure fire soared towards one of the bowmen. He managed to dodge it just in time, but his cloak caught the flames.

  He sucked in a deep breath before rushing into action. By his side, he had a single ruby, and hoped it would be enough. He flipped his hood over his head and launched himself towards one of the Dragikiri.

  The man noticed him immediately and turned, sword stretched.

  Guenevir’s eyes scanned the rooftops, finding where their archer would be hidden. She ignored the rushing Galvin, as she knew in her heart he would be fine.

  She took off, making her way through the market, mask in pocket. She couldn’t risk being identified as one of Justicar. Not just yet.

  The sound of battle roared behind her. She wanted to go in and help Galvin, but also knew that she’d just get in the way.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted someone moving among the rooftops. Lord Demarian would already have soldiers on the prowl, looking for the would-be assassin.

  “Jules!” she called. The figure stopped moving and peered down at her, bow in hand. “Come down!”

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry Guenevir, this is something I have to do. I’m going to reposition and get a better shot.”

  Jules was one of the best bowman she’s ever known, and she’d met plenty in her time in Justicar. But skill doesn’t get you very far when your enemies had superhuman reflexes and massively improved senses. She hated how far above they are compared to a normal person. The king wanted the Dragikiri monitored for a reason.

  Guenevir leapt towards the base of the building and sank her finger in the crevices between the brick. It wasn’t much of a grip, but she was used to it from the setup of Justicar’s base. Without thinking about the fall, she scurried upwards to come face to face with Jules. He had his hood over his head, so she did the same. Then she took her mask out and planted it on her face.

  “You don’t have to do this with me, you’ll only get yourself killed,” he said. “Just leave and let me take care of Demarian.”

  “No,” Guenevir said. “You’re the one who’s going to get yourself killed. You could have just come to us. You know we are here for you, you don’t have to do everything on your own!”

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Jules shook his head. “This I have to. I can’t drag another of my friends in my endless journey for vengeance.” He notched another arrow into his weapon and took aim to the center of the marketplace, the smoke from the fires obstructing their view.

  Lord Demarian made eye contact with them. Fighters appeared behind them. Guenevir spun with her dagger outstretched. There were only two of them. Her heart sank when she realized they were Dragikiri.

  “Jules,” Galvin whispered. He removed his aim from Demarian and focused on the two soldiers.

  “Just surrender yourselves,” the one on the left spoke. Before Guenevir had a chance to reply, they attacked.

  “Duck!” Jules exclaimed. She obeyed and an arrow whizzed by above, knocking a locket of her hair out of place.

  One of the soldiers swung his sword and knocked the arrow out of the air. They had some gemstone which improved their reflexes. But that gem was so rare…

  Guenevir charged.

  The only way to beat them was attack as quickly and as much as possible so they would have to use more and more essence. Eventually they would run dry.

  Her first attack failed. The assailant knocked her to the ground immediately.

  “No!” Jules cried out. Then he sent a flurry of arrow shots, shooting arrows and notching the next one faster than she could process.

  But it didn’t matter when they were up against that gemstone. Shafts returned sliced in half, and it didn’t seem like they were breaking a sweat. Guenevir turned back to the square to see Galvin fighting with more luck than them. Lord Demarian had sent both Dragikiri he had to the rooftop, and left his other soldiers to fight one of the most skilled in all the land. Guenevir smiled. All they had to do was hold out until Galvin could come help them. Even if they died here, it would be worth it to take down one of the Ministers of Agnius.

  Morwin, Galvin thought. He needed to get to Morwin. He would have some money on him. All Galvin needed was a singular igian, which contained the strongest essence of all the gems. However, these soldiers attacked him relentlessly. Sure his reflexes were quicker, but it didn’t matter when you were being charged by about ten of them.

  The bowmen lent him a helping hand thankfully, pelting arrows in his general direction, but not at his enemies. The soldiers just needed to be distracted.

  Galvin disengaged. Lord Demarian tracked him however and struck out. He swung his sword down, which Galvin parried before rolling out of the way, sparks as steel met steel sprinkles in front of him.

  Another member of Justicar, one of the swordsmen, fell before his eyes. “No!” he let out a shout, but his grief was short lived. Lord Demarian raised a sword, ready to plunge.

  Galvin sidestepped and rolled away. One eye focused on Lord Demarian, the other scanned the crowd. He had to still have that sapphire on him; he’s never without it. That was how Morwin would be found.

  He searched with his mind, feeling the essences of various gemstones nearby. Thanks to the training he’d performed throughout the years, his essence sensing had a much bigger range than normal. He silently thanked the previous leader of Justicar for imparting so much Dragikiri knowledge onto him.

  There.

  In the southeast corner of the square, hiding behind a building, stood a man with a sapphire necklace around his neck.

  Lord Demarian struck him again. He Absorbed some essence of the ruby and created a wall of blazing fire. The Minister of Labor’s armor caught aflame and that gave Galvin the perfect opportunity to disengage.

  He should not have this difficult time of fighting someone who couldn’t Gem, yet here he was. Lord Demarian was skilled. He fought in an offensive manner that had both attack and defensive power.

  He Absorbed all of essence remaining in his ruby and sent it all towards the ground. A large wall of flames erupted front of him. And more to his sides. The smoke provided him the cover he needed to get away, choking the air from some of the soldiers within Demarian’s and his own rank. He took the opportunity.

  Galvin dashed for where Morwin stood, closing the gap within a couple seconds.

  “Morwin,” he said. “I’m going to need you to give me an igian. It’s an emergency! I know you have one, they wouldn’t keep you without money.”

  Morwin stared at Galvin. “No,” he spoke. “I’m not going to assist a rebel in any way.”

  Damn him and his stubbornness. Galvin reached to the sapphire around his neck and Absorbed in the essence. He focused on Mind and could feel the presence of everyone in a certain radius around him, their presence filling his mind and glimmers of thoughts whispering in incoherent masses. His attention locked to the person before him.

  Give him your money, he said mentally, expending all of the essence to be as convincing as possible. Even just a moment of hesitation could be the difference between life and death, both for Galvin and the richling. A look of confusion crossed Morwin before he reached into his pant pocket and produced a diamond coin.

  Galvin snatched it and Absorbed it. Just a little bit, as the essence of diamonds were the most valuable. He focused on Spatial and glanced to where Guenevir fought.

  It’d been a while since he used diamonds, partly because they’re so rare, and also because of how long it took for the essence to returned to the gemstone once consumed. But he had just a hint of how it worked. Lord Demarian charged from the fire, majestic purple cape aflame, sword stretched for Galvin.

  And if he vanished, Morwin would be in danger. No… He couldn’t protect everyone at once. He closed his eyes and let the essence flow through him. When he opened his eyes he was no longer standing in the same spot. Instead, he’d moved behind Demarian, all in the blink of an eye.

  Galvin clutched his dagger and swung it with all his might, straight for the neck.

  The plan to take down the kingdom involved taking down his three Ministers. Remove the barriers around the king. Cut off the head of the hydra then aim for the heart. The time hadn’t come to carry that out yet, but if he were to accomplish one of the tasks early, then there’d be no complaint.

  But Demarian proved more skillful than he thought. He raised his sword and parried the blow, more sparks flying.

  The momentum of the deflection sent Galvin off balance and he fell. He rolled backwards on the ground and Absorbed in some more essence from the diamond, focusing again on Spatial.

  This time, he kept his eyes open. The world shifted and changed around him, and he found himself falling straight for Demarian.

  He knew Jules wanted Lord Demarian dead. That’s why he left when he did. If Galvin could just land the killing blow. If he took out Demarian right here, the name of Justicar would spread throughout Agnius once again, and the people will know what hope felt like, a feeling they haven’t had for the better part of a decade.

  He put all he had behind this dagger strike. A single thrust, aimed straight for the neck and…

  And it was deflected. Galvin dropped his dagger and fell to the ground, landing on his back, the wind knocked out of him.

  Lord Demarian stood atop him, a towering brute, a smile creeping on his face. “A Dragikiri huh? Didn’t know there were many of you guys left unmonitored. I’m glad you came here today, as the king would love to add you to his collection.”

  “You’ll have to kill me before I join sides with that bastard,” he growled.

  “Not a difficult task at all.”

  Galvin grabbed his dagger and swung upwards, deflecting the strike coming for him. He reached out with his mind towards his ruby, a small hope in him that some essence had come back.

  Just a trickle, but it would be enough. They didn’t have to fight Lord Demarian and his men right now. Justicar will return.

  Galvin drew in what little essence that came back to the red gemstone and focused on another of the three words. His mind was filled with its essence, and the words rang through his mind. Fire, Power, Rage. He focused on Power, which increased the strength of his Gemming.

  He then Absorbed in some diamond. Normally if he had two essences inside, they would clash and tear him apart for control, but he’d already burned through the ruby, so the diamond one could fill its space.

  Power and Spatial. He felt his range of Spatial drastically increase.

  Lord Demarian swung his weapon down, but when it connected it struck the cobblestone, where Galvin had once been. Right as another sword from a different fight was about to plunge.

  Galvin appeared right in front of Guenevir and used his dagger to parry the soldier’s blow. Then with a swift spin, he sank his dagger into the chest of the assailant and pushed him backwards, to the edge, then off the ledge, dropping him to the ground, the sound of flesh ripping rang as Galvin returned the dagger by his side.

  There’d been two attackers, and the other one looked up in alarm. He had Jules in a choke hold with a dagger at his neck.

  “Take one step and he dies,” he sneered, the steel tip resting against the drunk’s neck.

  Galvin raised his arms, dagger in right hand. “You win,” Galvin said.

  “Drop your weapon.”

  Galvin did so and let the hilt of the weapon balance on his right foot. A sigh of relief escaped from the soldier, a momentary distraction which would prove fatal.

  Galvin used the remaining diamond essence inside him to teleport behind the attacker, dagger still resting on foot. As the scenery changed around him, he kicked his weapon up to him and caught it, then sent a forward thrust at his opponent.

  When everything settled and the scene turned back to normal, he found the dagger had sunk into the enemy’s neck. Blood immediately oozed down his dagger and it wet his hands. The enemy let out a silent gasp before collapsing.

  “Are you okay?” Galvin said, reaching for Jules. If only he had an amethyst with him.

  “Yeah,” Jules coughed. “Just a little shaken up.”

  “Well snap out of it, we have to get out of here. Lord Demarian is going to recuperate with more soldiers.”

  “You didn’t happen to kill him, did you?”

  Galvin shook his head. “He was too strong.”

  “Good. I want to take that bastard’s head for myself,” Jules answered.

  “Not now. It’s gotten too dangerous for us to stay here.” Galvin reached out with his mind to try and Absorb more essence from the igian but he’d drained it empty.

  “Did they teleport?” Galvin asked Jules and Guenevir, to which they both nodded. Galvin got to work searching their dead bodies. He reached out with his mind and could sense the diamond there, but he couldn’t find it.

  “Um, Galvin? Not to rush you or anything, but Demarian is really close to us!” Guenevir rushed.

  “Found it!” He pulled out an igian from each of the dead bodies and Absorbed as much of it as he could. He tackled Jules and Guenevir, and focused on Spatial. The more mass he was transporting, the more essence it required. He hoped he wouldn’t completely drain them.

  The scenery around them morphed and changed. Back to the inn they came from.

  “Go in through the window,” Galvin commanded. “We’ll decide our game plan from there.”

  “Galvin,” Guenevir started. She had an unmistakable look of worry in her eyes, which in turn, made Galvin worry as well. “Where’s Morwin?”