Kal groaned and dizzily blinked. A dull ache thudded at the back of his head, and he felt something nudging his arm. “What is it?” he murmured, still calibrating to his surroundings.

  “He’s alive, Wort. What now?”

  “Poke him again.”

  “Hey, quit it,” Arix shouted. “Leave him alone.”

  “Poke him, Bougie. Do it. Harder this time.”

  “What?” Kal’s eyes groggily fluttered open. “What’s happening?”

  Blurry green gradually took shape, and Kal rubbed at his eyes.

  Moist, black orbs flickered at him, and Kal recoiled at the scaly forms craning over him.

  “You alive?”

  “Of course he is, you dumbass. He just opened his eyes,” one of the geckos sighed and palmed his face.

  “Oh, right.”

  “What the…” Kal shook his head. “What’s going on?”

  “Oh, my goodness. You’re actually okay, Kal. Thank the heavens,” Arix sighed.

  His situation dawning on him, Kal turned toward Arix’s voice.

  He was where he left him. Plastered against the wall, entangled by dozens of thick roots.

  “You don’t know how happy I am.”

  “I’m pretty sure I have an idea,” Kal said. “It was quite the mission finding you. I’m glad I made it in time.”

  “Ah, Wort?”

  Kal climbed to his feet, ignoring the geckos and passing them as he walked toward Arix.

  “Hey there, pal,” one of them waved.

  “I’ll get to you two in a moment,” Kal said, and the two geckos shared a confused look.

  Grabbing hold of the roots, Kal drew on what little mana he had recovered and sent heat into them as he pulled, snapping them away.

  “Thanks, Kal,” Arix said, grabbing his shoulders as Kal helped him down.

  “What are you, and what was that—toad?” Kal said, turning back to the geckos.

  “Us?” The geckos said in unison, crooking their heads.

  “More like, what are you?”

  “You tell him, Wort.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah,” Wort nodded, pointing a crooked claw at Kal.

  “I’m Kal. Kal Jakari.”

  Wort sniffed. “That ain’t all you are. “I smell fiend and not like this grifter,” he added, eyeing the toad corpse.

  “Fiend?” Arix echoed under his breath.

  “Don’t say another word,” Kal hissed, suddenly serious.”

  “It’s fine, Wort. Let’s just leave. Maybe if we are quick, we can make it across the pass before winter—lots of fiends up in the Ruby Waste past Ender’s Reach.”

  “Aye, Bougie,” Wort said, his big black eyes trained on Kal’s glare. “Let’s go. This kid ain’t worth wasting our time over. I still can’t believe we were tricked. We better move quickly; with all this demonic energy, some pesky mages will surely come looking soon.”

  “Yeah, I bet he ain’t even a real fiend. Let’s go find someone decent to serve under. Just wait; we’ll have plenty of options in the Ruby Waste.”

  “I hope so,” Wort broke eye contact and turned to follow Bougie out of the burrow.

  “Wait,” Kal raised a hand. “What are you two talking about?”

  “We don’t have time to educate a dummy. Sorry, little guy,” Bougie waved.

  “Wait, please,” Kal rushed after them.

  “Kal,” Arix called out.

  “Huh?” the two geckos turned. “What do you want?”

  “Just some answers. What was happening here?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? That big frog tricked us.”

  “It’s a toad, Bougie, ye dumbass.”

  “Alright, alright. That big toad, are you happy?”

  “Better,” Wort nodded.”

  “So what now?”

  “He’s still talking, Wort.”

  “Hey, you didn’t answer my questions. So get lost,” Wort waved dismissively and kept walking.

  Kal glanced back at Arix and lowered his voice to a whisper. “My core is demonic, okay? That’s what you wanted to know, isn’t it?”

  The two geckos looked at each other.

  “So, you are a demon, then?”

  “Shhh,” Kal raised a finger to his lips.

  “Kal, what’s going on?” Arix slowly walked up to them. “What are they saying?”

  “Arix… it’s difficult to explain.”

  “No, it ain’t,” Bougie interjected. “Your friend here’s a demon.”

  Arix froze, staring at Kal.

  “Shut up, I’m no demon,” Kal hissed. “But it’s true I have a demonic core.”

  What am I doing? Why am I admitting this? What if Arix tells everyone? I won’t be able to stay in Ebenshire, that’s for sure. Mages will hunt me.

  “It’s fine, Kal,” Arix broke the silence between them. “You saved me. You taught me magic. You’re my friend. I don’t care what your core is.”

  “Come on, Wort. Let’s get going. The longer we stick around, the higher the chance of bumping into a demon hunter is.”

  “Are you sure you don’t care?” Kal said.

  “Are you serious, Kal?” Arix said. “I owe you my life.”

  “You won’t tell a soul?”

  Arix nodded firmly.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Sorry, Arix. I should have known to trust you.”

  “I get it, Kal. You don’t have to look so serious.”

  “Alright, this has gone on long enough. Let’s move, Bougie.”

  “Wait,” Kal said, turning to the geckos. “What if I could hide you?”

  I can’t spend my entire life running away from what I am. If these fiendlings need a master, maybe I can make use of them.

  “Wait, Bougie. He might not be all there, but the Ruby Waste is one heck of a journey. It mightn’t be such a bad idea to stay if he can keep us safe.”

  “Stay with him?” Bougie said, eyeing Kal up and down.

  “I can hide you; I know how,” Kal said. “You can sense my core. There are no tricks here. You saw me get knocked out. You felt my mana drain. There’s no way I could hold up an illusion like that throughout it all.”

  “True,” Bougie nodded.

  “Make yourselves useful to me, and I guarantee you’ll be safe. I’ve lived here my entire life without anybody detecting my core.”

  “Really?”

  “Right. If what you say is true, we’ll be your servants. Anything you want, bossman. As long as you keep the demon hunters away,” Wort said.

  Kal knew precisely how to hide them. The warding spell Daedrik had cast on the spheres had been designed to hide Kal’s mana. All he needed to do was bring them all here and top their mana up a little.

  “Tell me, though, how exactly will you provide value to me as servants?”

  “Are you serious, Kal?” Arix said. “You’re going to make these things work for you?”

  “It’s complicated. I’ll explain later.”

  Arix nodded. His already strong trust in Kal had been cemented.

  “Anything, bossman. That fat bastard over there mostly had us gather food for him and keep watch for intruders into the forest,” Wort said, nodding toward the toad corpse.

  “Can you make things for me?”

  “Ahh–”

  “Hey, Wort. What about those plants and shit. Human mages love that stuff, don’t they?”

  “Yeah,” Wort nodded thoughtfully. “We can gather reagents for you. Pretty helpful for advanced spellcasting, and there’s a bunch of stuff in this forest.”

  Reagents? Now, that could be handy. Kal had read quite a bit about reagents. They were very useful for casting spells above the fifth circle but could be used for many weaker spells to reduce the mana and skill requirements to cast them.

  “But it ain’t all on us, bossman,” Wort said. “You might be a fiend, but that doesn’t mean you got what it takes to hide us. You fail, and we’re outta here.”

  “I’m not a fiend, remember?”

  “Eh, potato, potahto.”

  “Remember it,” Kal said firmly. “I don’t plan to go introducing you to people, but still. My demonic remains between us, and I don’t want to hear you calling me a fiend again, got it?”

  “Yeah, sure thing, bossman.”

  I trust Arix, but he’s still a kid. Hopefully, he can keep all of this to himself. Otherwise, I’m screwed.

  “I lied about having an arcane core. For whatever reason, I was born with a demonic core. That of a lesser demonic core, to be precise.”

  “Y-you, what?” Arix shook his head. “So that’s why those two—lizards keep calling you a fiend? B-but how? You saved me. I could feel you tearing that demon away from more core. That’s not something a fiend does.”

  “Because I’m not a fiend. If I were, my father would have noticed years ago. I don’t know how it’s possible. I haven’t found any mention of humans with demon cores in all the books I’ve read, but that’s the truth. Look, I’m still the same guy you got to know. Your friend. The one who rescued you from that monster.”

  “I know, Kal, you don’t have to remind me. It’s just a lot to take in. Wait, is that why you’re so good with magic?”

  “Probably,” Kal shrugged. “Can’t say I’ve tried with a different core type, though,” Kal smiled.

  “It’s amazing. Anyway, you don’t have to keep asking me. I won’t tell anyone, I swear. I might not know as much about the world as you, but I understand how important this secret is.”

  “Good. But when I say everyone, I mean everyone. Even Ellie.”

  “You’re not going to tell her?”

  “Not sure. Not yet, anyway. Maybe in a few years.”

  “Okay. I understand,” Arix said, a sudden wave of resolution washing over him, and he slammed his fist against his chest and stiffened. “I swear to you, Kal. Your secret is safe with me.”

  “Well, we better get to work,” Kal sighed. “There was a lot of demonic mana lashing about, thanks to the demon who possessed you. I need to get a barrier up around this place, or a mage will surely come looking.”

  “You think it’s a good idea to trust those things,” Arix said, shooting the geckos a sideways glance. “You haven’t forgotten what they did, have you?”

  “No idea, to be honest. But it’s not every day you get a couple of fiendlings wanting to serve you. And I’ve realized something. I can’t just pretend this part of me doesn’t exist. I know without a doubt it is thanks to my demonic core that I was able to save you—if I were just a talented young mage, then… then you’d be gone. I’d probably be dead too. There’s no way I would have stood a chance against that fiend had it broken through,” Kal shook his head.

  “I think I get it. You want to use it for good. That core of yours.”

  “Yeah, something like that, Arix.”

  “I still don’t trust them, but I trust you, Kal.”

  “Good.”

  I didn’t come here to be a hero, Arix. I just want to make the most of this life, and these are the cards I was dealt.

  “Come on then, let’s go,” Kal said, patting Arix on the shoulder. “Let’s get you home. The entire town is in a panic. It probably isn’t kind to leave them hanging.”

  Arix nodded.

  “Hey, where you two going?” Wort said as Bougie shuffled up to his side.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be back. I need to grab something for the barrier anyway.”

  “Alright, but don’t take too long.”

  Kal waved and led Arix out through the burrow’s entrance.

  ***

  Before arriving in Ebenshire, Kal asked Arix to tell his parents that he had awoken in one of the wheat fields on the other side of town, and Kal sent him on his way. If he returned with Arix, Yandi would no doubt make him stay, and hiding the burrow was paramount.

  He wanted to keep the location of Arix’s disappearance as far away from the woods as possible. That way, if some nosy demon hunters came poking around, they wouldn’t have reason to think his disappearance was related to the phenomenon. Hopefully, that would spare Arix an interrogation.

  No doubt there were already suspicions among demon hunters about what was going on in Dimvale. If they weren’t already scouring the place, it was because they doubted it was worth the effort. Kal just had to reinforce that.

  Collecting the spheres, he ran back into the woods. Daedrik would no doubt notice that they were missing, but as long as he could convince his father that he moved them for his own training, he hopefully wouldn’t dig too deep.

  Reaching the burrow, he paused to catch his breath.

  “Hey, bossman, you’re back already,” Wort said, appearing from the burrow.

  “Maybe he ain’t so bad,” Bougie appeared beside him.

  “This—this mess,” Kal panted. “Clean it up. Move branches, sticks, whatever. Just make sure the entrance isn’t easily seen from outside.”

  “Huh?”

  “Or do you want a mage to turn you into a kebab?”

  “You heard the bossman, Bougie,” Wort jumped. “Make the entrance invisible.”

  These two are in of a lesson in discipline if they’re going to work for me. But at least they can be reasoned with.

  Passing through the entrance, Kal selected four points at the furthest corners of the burrow he could reach, embedding the spheres into the tapestry of roots that lined the dirt walls.

  He had been cycling through them as he walked, channeling his mana as he recovered it into the most heavily drained spheres. They would be fine for now, but he would need to return regularly to top up their reserves; if he was diligent, he could fill them up enough to be left for a while.

  “Okay, all done,” Kal said, appearing from the entrance as Wort and Bougie worked on the burrow’s camouflage. “Once you’re done out here, the both of you will have to remain inside. At least until everything blows over.”

  “Inside?” Bougie groaned. “You’re making us your prisoners?”

  “Shut up, idiot,” Wort snapped.

  “No. But the barrier I’ve placed will only shield mana within the burrow. So, if you want to stay alive, I suggest you listen to me.”

  “You know I get itchy feet. How expect me to remain cooped up in that little hole?” Bougie whined.

  “Shut up, Bougie. It’s either this or we test our luck trying to walk to the Ruby Waste. Put that little pea brain of yours of yours to work. This is great news.”

  “Ah, fine. I’ll stay in the dumb tunnel.”

  “Good,” Kal nodded and placed his palm against the sphere he had placed near the entrance. Since Daedrik had already glyphed the spell onto the spheres, it didn’t require much knowledge to resume it. All it took was a tiny trickle of mana from Kal.

  “Alright, done. Remember, you’re only safe inside.”

  “Thems fancy magic items. I’m sure they’re worth a bit,” Bougie eyed the sphere.

  “Bougie, don’t make me tell you again. Be respectful of bossman’s possessions.”

  “I was just saying!”

  “Looks like we’re all good here. I better head back to town.”

  “Wait, what about grub?”

  “There’s a toasted toad in that hole,” Kal shrugged.

  “Gross, you expect us to eat that filthy monster?”

  “Shut up, Bougie. I’ve seen you eat worse before.”

  “Like what?”

  “You telling me you forgot about that Rotargian?”

  “Hey, that was a secret between you and me.”

  “Then quit complaining and talking the bossman’s ear off,” Wort turned to Kal with a yellow grin. “It’s fine. Roasted toad will do as nicely.”

  “Okay, great. Well, that is sorted. I'm off. I probably won’t return until whoever comes investigating the demonic mana has left. The last thing I want to do is lead them here after all the work I’ve put into hiding you.

  Besides, those spheres are bound to raise suspicions if someone manages to find this place. I’ll just have to be careful. These two might just help me make the most of what I’ve been given.

  “We gotcha boss. Stay in the hole,” Wort gave a thumbs up.