New chapter, yay!! Don't forget the usual. :D

Varis stalked out of the little and over-crowded community home in the dead of the night, dressed in a dark hood and jeans. He dropped into a crouch, fearing a Timare could grab him at any given moment. A familiar pang of sorrow hit him hard and he swallowed it duly. Little eerie sounds were made from a dozen places at a time. Trying to sneak out of the village like this could be suicidal. He just had to do it.

There was a deep layer of mud right in front of him, a massive sinkhole bored into the ground. He stepped around it quietly and walked quietly towards the forest, away from the safety of the community home. He was fully aware of what could happen to him there.

He couldn't see a thing in the black light. He could barely make out the outlines of his own hands. As he expected, he saw a figure slouching on a tree, waiting for him.

"Varis, you do realize that you're late?" The voice asked, booming through the thick forest. Varis shook naturally from the sudden noise. "Sorry, the housemaster is extremely protective of his homes, sir."

The voice laughed. "Yes, he is. Now where did you say the supplies are sold?" Varis bit his lip. The man had sensed what had gone wrong in the transfer of the supplies. "Towards the Lord's citadel in the heart of the city, near his central legion's position."

"And how long is that going to take from here due to, ah, your lack of ability in what makes us normal or abnormal as the case may be?" Varis swore under his breath and shot the man a murderous look, thankful for the lack of light. "It takes at least four hours."

"I see, what happens if I find you guilty of stealing funds meant for the housemaster?" The man asked, clearly sporting a grin.

Varis gritted his teeth. The man knew perfectly what would happen if he were caught. "It is a stripping and walking about the whole of the city naked and a good flogging from the Housemaster involved and is thrown in prison for a period of two weeks."

The man allowed a nod of approval. "Good you remember your history lessons and criminal law." He sighed and began running into the darkness at a full sprint, avoiding trees with pure ease with his abilities at the Arts in clear display. For Varis though, the struggle was real. Running at that pace was usual for him and on a normal day, he could sprint faster than most. But in the complete darkness, running practically blind, could cause serious injury to him. Not that the cold-hearted man couldn't give a raven's feather as to what would happen to Varis.

Varis licked his lips and tried to get his eyes to adjust. The man had become nothing but a silhouette now and was several yards away in front of Varis. The man slowed his pace eventually and went into a jog, giving room for Varis to catch up. The man was grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Well, we'll make good time at this speed. We'll be at the citadel in two hours. That is if your lungs don't catch fire from this average speed." He eyed Varis with contempt and almost spat. Varis increased his pace and shot ahead of the man who was still looking at him in absolute disgust. He narrowly avoided a strong tree branch that would have broken his neck at that speed.

"The thing is, I would beat you in any race that doesn't involve you using any of the Arts. I think that should be clear to you." Varis said, still looking forward. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a storm evidently brewing somewhere. He jumped over a log and rolled under a thicket. His legs were indeed burning from the effort. 

The man ignored him and picked up the pace again with the use of his Arts. The monotonous terrain was bearing down on Varis, who was tiring out immensely. He began panting in a short while, lungs on fire, sweat pouring down his body.

"I see that you're finally tired. Do you have enough money to hire a horse?" The man asked, slightly distracted. Varis knew what he was getting at so he ignored him. The edge of the forest was near. The way the trees bent gave a little light into the forest, enabling Varis the ability to see. Bolstered by the light, Varis increased his pace and caught up to the hulky man who was deep in concentration. They were lucky that the sounds of their footsteps hadn't awakened any Timare in the forest yet. 

Varis gave himself a pat on the back mentally. He'd caught up to someone who was using his Art in a race for the first time. They finally emerged from the thick forest, the sun rising a little. The hulky man brought himself to a stop, looking red from the effort. He sat on the grass and stared at the sun, sweat soaking his shirt. Varis though, was in a much worse shape. His legs were on fire as well as his lungs, his chest heaving from all the effort.

"How much time did we make?" Varis asked in between pants. "Approximately an hour there. Much quicker than I expected from you though. I expected something more like two and a half hours there, which is why I chose the time for you to get up." He said matter-of-factly. He pushed himself to get up again, wincing. "Let's not waste this good time, shall we? Keep this up and we might be back before noon to witness someone's flogging."

The man began descending from the hill, not caring if Varis was even okay to continue. Varis walked after him, catching up in no time. Lord Renar's citadel stood high into the sky in the distance, looking like a very lonely figure. A little past it was the Great Wall dividing the Jorans from the Dragans.

The place on a normal day was full of human traffic, but as they arrived in the earliest light, the streets were practically empty, void of movement. The citadel's lights were fully lit, illuminating the city for miles, bathing it in soft light.

The hike was quite exhausting and twice they met with a Timare but thankfully the husky man tamed the stuff's nerves. Very few Timares have ever been tamed. They made good time eventually and made it to the Council of Ren. Varis was effectively exhausted from the two and a half hour run through the forests and his inability to use the exquisite lines made for powerful Artists. 

A secretary was seated in the entrance of the massive structure, a revolving door beside him. Judging by the way the appliances were in use, he had to be a powerful artist to operate them. The man was bent over, his shoulders slumped. His forehead was full of wrinkles and he showed signs of graying early. Varis' husky companion cleared his throat loudly and the man's head snapped up, studying his company. His eyes widened and he was reaching for the security bell.

"Go easy there, lad." Varis' companion said coolly. "We're here to see the good Supply Manager." The secretary looked at them and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He reached for a machine that was not familiar to Varis, never taking his eyes of them and concentrated. He punched in a few keys and slipped in a silver lion. A person's face popped up on the screen.

"It better be a good excuse this time, Fervius. I will not tolerate any minor disturbances from my sleep." The voice boomed in detail. Varis gasped from what had to be an enormous effort of molding.

"Sir, there are two individuals here to see you. From their looks, I'd say they've been running for quite a while." The secretary replied. The man's face twisted. "What are they looking for here? Has the long expected civil war begun?"

"I'm afraid you have to speak to them, sir." The secretary said and passed the machine to Varis' hulky companion with a grunt. The man gave a nod of appreciation and pressed a button on the machine. The man's face appeared again.

"Sir, I'm looking for the Supply Manager."

"You found him." The man's face hardened. "Now what do you want, interrupting the best part of my sleep?"

"My name is Adolf. I need to ask you about a blacksmith Varis who was here to get some supplies."

The man laughed. "Why are you asking about that young chap? Is he missing?"

"Normally, I would have loved to have him missing. But there's something bigger. There is a loophole in the system."

The man's face hardened visibly. His jaw was set stubbornly against his teeth. "What kind of loophole is there?"

"The one that requires stripping" Adolf said smiling. "And also a demotion if the Supply Manager was in on the whole thing."

"What's missing?"

"More than ten bags of oatmeal and four bags of meat"

The Supply Manager swallowed and looked in Varis' direction. "And how did he lose all that?"

"That is what I'm here for. To inquire if he made a full payment on behalf of the housemaster and shortchanged us."

The Supply Manager laughed deeply. "Did you even bother to ask him if he was attacked by any bandit or a Timare?"

"If he was, he's still liable to not being able to protect property. And I'm sure he gave it up without a fight."

The second part bit deep into Varis. He looked away trying to hide his anger. From the corner of his eye, he saw Adolf smirking.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Return the money or we demote you."

"That's not possible because I gave him the goods."

"Then happy demotion Sub-manager."

The Supply Manager's eyes hardened, his voice dropping to barely a whisper. "Stand down or I face you in the Death Dance right now."

Adolf started sweating. The secretary looked taken aback by the Supply Manager's outburst. The Supply Manager never took his eyes off Adolf. The tension was thick in the air, the elements crackling under the weight of the intense silence. Adolf swallowed and laughed nervously. The secretary had started backing away from the group.

"You could never take me on in the Death Dance and you know it." Adolf said, knees trembling. The man couldn't even convince himself. He swallowed again and looked into the Supply Manager's never-blinking eyes. Adolf sighed.

"I suppose we could find a more, ah, peaceful solution to this." Adolf said, voice skipping an octave and sounding more like a boy in puberty. The Supply Manager's stance relaxed a little bit but his eyes became much harder.

"The only solution is for you to take your sorry ass back to whatever community home you came from before I get downstairs and your blood flows freely on the last steps you will ever climb." The Supply Manager said quietly. Adolf swallowed again. His hands started trembling and he was barely holding the communication between them.

"You have five minutes to get out of my territory. Or I shall slit your throat." The Supply Manager said icily and ended the communication. Adolf sat hard on his buttocks, the encounter draining him. Varis knew that the man was a coward, but just not on these levels. He spun on his heel and began leaving the office. Pleasure coursed through him as he imagined a murdered Adolf. But the housemaster would practically kill Varis.

"Adolf, get your ass up before I get there and smack you." Varis said impatiently. The sun was high in the sky already and they were supposed to be on the way back. Adolf's head snapped to look at Varis, a mad look in his eyes.

Adolf got up and rushed to Varis, dealing him an open-handed blow before Varis had the chance to even register what was happening. Adolf glowered over him as blood trickled down Varis' mouth.

"Never talk to your betters, blacksmith. The next time, I will kill you." Adolf said and marched to the door of the high tower in haste, obviously worried about the Supply Manager. Varis followed quickly. The walls on both sides were curvy, making Varis feel a little sick. The walls had signs of wearing paint. They descended the seemingly endless steps with Adolf looking warily above him. Soft footsteps were barely a floor above them, their five minutes had expired. The Supply Manager was after Adolf now and Adolf would certainly die.

Adolf concentrated and used his Earth Art, rushing down the steps at super-human speed. He was deathly afraid of the Supply Manager, for whatever reason. Varis jumped after him, trying to catch up to Adolf. After what seemed like an eternity, the granite steps gave way to polished marble floor of an encampment canopy.

Adolf came to a dead stop and Varis nearly ran into him. He had to turn left and bumped into a jogging legionnaire in full armor. He and the legionnaire fell onto the floor, both stunned. Muttering an apology, Varis got up, his head ringing from the steely impact. He glared at Adolf and saw pure fear in his eyes. He turned his face in the direction that Adolf was staring and saw the Supply Manager with a sword in his hand, steel gleaming with metal energy, eyes hard.

"You...h-how did you...g-get down here so fast?" Adolf stuttered, trying to back away a step at a time. He withdrew his own sword rather clumsily and Varis was sure that with a single attack, that sword would clatter from Adolf's hands. Varis looked around him. The legionnaires had gathered on both sides of the encampment, whispering in excitement. Evidently, the Supply Manager was renowned for his fighting prowess.

"I gave you five minutes to leave the building. Instead, you strike the young chap that can't harm you and sit down on my floor. I gave you enough time, commoner. You didn't have the wisdom to save your life." The Supply Manager said.

"I'm out of the building now..."

"You left a bare ten seconds ago. A full minute after I instructed you to leave" The Supply Manager took a step forward and then stopped awkwardly, reconsidering. Adolf let out a nervous sigh of breath and stepped back pensively. Then Adolf steeled himself and stepped forward.

"Who do you think you are, you bloodcrow? Do you think that you are of any importance to the Realm?"

The Supply Manager didn't even reply. He just smiled and took another step forward. Adolf's stance gave way to one of panic.

"Don't move an inch, Manager. I warn you not to move!" Adolf practically screamed. The legionnaires laughed at him and kept watching the fiasco. The Supply Manager knew it was an empty threat and moved several steps. Adolf, panic blinding his decisions, moved in attack.

Adolf, his Earth Art in effect, sped the distance between them in barely more than two seconds and slashed upwards with his sword, aiming for the shoulder of his weapon arm. It was easily parried and with a swordsman's grace, the Supply Manager simply amputated Adolf's arm, a precise execution of what Adolf had intended to do. The amputated arm fell to the floor with the sword in hand, clattering against the hard marble. Adolf let out a scream of pain, blood trickling down from the stump.

The Supply Manager smiled insanely, silently daring Adolf to come and attack him again. Adolf, in agony, took his sword from the ground with his remaining arm and rushed the Supply Manager again. This time, he bent forward as he closed the distance then jumped into the air, sword arm twisting, leaping for the Supply Manager's throat. It was again parried easily and again, in a mockery of Adolf, the Supply Manager simply buried his sword to the hilt in Adolf's throat. Blood erupted in a fountain from the fatal wound. Adolf drew his last breath, eyes rolling backwards and fell to the floor in a heap.

The soldiers cheered and shouted the Supply Manager's praises. He went to Adolf's corpse, set his boot on his chest and removed his sword. Then he bent and cleaned the blood on Adolf's cloak as the soldiers dispersed. Varis stared in horror at the killing. It had been so easy, so effortless to snuff out Adolf's life. The calm the Supply Manager had exhibited was frightening. He bent over and vomited whatever food he had eaten that morning. Now he knew why Adolf was afraid of this man. He knew that the Supply Manager could kill him without a drop of sweat. Still, Adolf had started the fight. If he had simply apologized, the man wouldn't be dead now.

"It was absolutely necessary, Varis." The Supply Manager supplied. "He brought it upon himself." Varis stared in disgust at him. "Absolutely necessary. Perfect excuse to kill someone who has a family to fend for, a community home to work in, and an Empire to serve!"

"He was going to kill you, Varis."

"Like you know that. I guess there's no way to find out now, is there?" Sarcasm clear in his throat as he gestured to the corpse. The Supply Manager sighed. "When you used to travel with him, did he ever go with a sword, even on this kind of business?"

Varis' heart skipped a beat. The sword was Adolf's, no doubt, but he never took it with him. There was a white paper jotting out from under Adolf's cloak, so he reached out and pulled it away.

He recognized Adolf's handwriting immediately and read it.

Housemaster Kurt,

A most unfortunate event has taken place. The blacksmith boy couldn't make it back from our visit alive. We were attacked by bandits as we arrived, and due to the boy's inabilities in the Arts, he died when he took a clean thrust to the heart from behind. His corpse was left behind because the bandits turned their attentions to me and I ran away. Send word to the boy's uncle and if you can, his aunt, so they may know of this tragic loss.

And since he is already dead, I have a pouch full of his blood as you instructed me to, I still don't know why you made me write that fake stuff in my first statement, I killed him, you know, as we must make haste, also as you ordered to happen.

You said to kill him early this morning, but of course the boy was well prepared for any misfortune. Now that he is out of the way, we can go ahead with the next phase of the plan.

As for the code, it is in full swing. I'm very sure the freak has no idea, no matter how smart he may be. He must die as a sacrifice to them, or they would attack and definitely kill us.

Also, the plans are going smoothly. The rate of production of swords are skyrocketing now, so I believe that we would be able to fight it ourselves with little help in case they have a diversion past the outposts.

Horrible news as well. The rebellion seems to be on the brink of starting. I believe that Lord Karunus is behind it. In that case, what I would advise is to leave the community home with the strongest Artists and leave the elderly and the freak to die, as you suggested.

Spirits help us, we would escape through the blood of those who die. The freak would suffice, just as you told me, though sometimes his head can become a little too witty.

With best of luck, I wish us success in our grand plan. Even if the boy reads this, he has no understanding and no way of stopping what we have in our cog.

On business,

Adolf Rudiger.

Varis took a step back. Obviously he was the freak being referred to. And as far as he understood, the Housemaster was in on the matter. The housemaster had planned to kill him. No wonder the Housemaster had hurried him out of the community home this morning.

"Now you see, Varis? They don't even expect you back at the community home alive again. They wanted you dead. They used the ruse that fourteen bags of food were missing and made you believe it, lured you away from the relative shelter of the community home, because they couldn't commit their heinous crime there. You thought you were going for a stripping and followed blindly, not suspecting any foul play. He had approached me to be in on the crime, but I thought better of it. He had promised a handsome payment for ordering you to be stripped and flogged, so that you would be occupied with the thought that you were going to be flogged. Then Adolf planned to disappear from your view and then kill you. Do you see it now?"

It was too much for Varis. Why did they want him dead? What danger did he pose in any way? He had no chance of killing anyone of them and he couldn't have found out if Adolf hadn't been killed. Why? Why was it so?

"So where do I go from here?" Varis said, sighing.

"You stay with the Legions."

Varis gave him an incredulous look. "I can't do that. My uncle could be in danger too."

"Remember, Varis. The Legion is the safest place you could be. There are numerous rumors of a Dragan advance. And also a rebellion."

"As far as I have been alive, there have always been rumors." Varis stared down at Adolf again. "This is proof, Supply Manager. We can have the Housemaster jailed for Attempted Premeditated murder"

"Too risky a step, boy. There could be numerous other insiders to this plan in your home, waiting to pounce"

Housemaster Kurt. The man he had trusted since his childhood wanted him dead. Adolf, a new man who was made Varis' supervisor who he had come to trust as an enemy. But why Kurt?

"If I go back, I'm sure to be killed?"

"Yes."

"Adolf gave you all this information?"

"Ravens, yes boy."

Varis swore under his breath.

"Okay. How may I serve the Legion?"