"So that is the unfortunate reason why I no longer stay in Ichorwood," Iver concluded, drawing his cloak around him further as a particularly strong gale blew past them. It had been a little over a week since they've left Langarich—the barriers repaired and Moric giving Darin a couple of low-grade mana potions in gratitude ("It's better than nothing, Darin.")—and they were fortunate enough to have decent weather when entering the mountains. Albeit a bit windy, but no snow or rain as of yet. The path inclined as they dipped into a valley, nearing a dwarven town called Rokor. There, they would stay for the night.

"But . . . that's not fair," Argent said with a frown. "Why does it matter so much that your father wasn't an elf?"

"Ah, well," he thought for a second, choosing his phrasing carefully, "it is uncommon for a female elf to conceive more than one child. My mother is from a long line of pure-blooded elves, thus, my birth was considered a waste and corruption of a once pure line."

"That's not fair," Argent said again, but in a firmer tone. Iver couldn't help but smile at the boy. It had been a while since he harbored ill feelings for the higher elven society—he had long since accepted the fact that it wouldn't change—but he appreciated the boy being outraged in his stead.

"It is not as bad as one might think," he assured the boy. "There are many half-borns, and we all belong to our own communities outside of Ichorwood. It is a comfort, at least, that I am not the only one."

"Tarkana is a half-born as well, isn't she?" Darin asked. "And isn't she considered the most talented elven medic for the last century?"

"She is, and the high elves begrudgingly acknowledge it," Iver laughed. "I have had the pleasure of meeting her a few times, mostly coincidental run-ins, and can confirm she is indeed very talented in her field. It is what inspired me to focus my magic on the healing arts, I must admit."

"Century?" Argent gave Darin and Iver a confused look.

"Elves live much longer than humans, as do dwarves and dragonkind," Darin explained before glancing at Iver with a subtle half-smile. "Forgive me if I'm rude, but may I ask how old you are, Iver?"

"I do not mind," Iver said, returning the smile. "I am currently 84 summers old."

"Really?" Argent looked at Iver in wonder, his mouth slightly ajar. "But you don't look that old."

"Are you suggesting he does look old, Argent?" Darin questioned him with a grin, and Iver chuckled at their antics. Argent hastened to correct himself.

"No!" he blurted, waving his hands slightly. "He looks the same age as you."

"I am flattered I still look young in human standards," Iver said, unable to keep the amused smile from his face as Argent progressively became more flustered. With a huff, the boy shot a glare at his mentor—Darin wasn't doing a good job in hiding his laughter—before resuming his place at the front.

"Well, we know about me, we know about Iver, and we know about Argent," Darin began, stepping around Iver and boldly walking next to Noctifer, "so what about you?"

Noctifer didn't look at him with a scowl as he expected. Instead, his gaze was almost considerate. Darin couldn't help but narrow his eyes at that, and he immediately regretted saying anything as Noctifer began to speak, keeping the wizard pinned down with an unnervingly perceptive stare. It made him apprehensive, and he quickly looked back to the road.

"You haven't said anything," Noctifer pointed out. "It was Amonis who told us the most, such as that you aren't a guild wizard."

"If it was Amonis telling you things, then there really isn't much more to it," Darin stated.

"Really?"

There was a long pause, and soon, Darin was unable to stand the silence. "Really. I'm just a traveler that happens to be competent in magic."

Noctifer hummed. "Who taught you magic?"

"I—" Darin stopped himself from answering. The space between them had diminished significantly, but he refused to step away, even if Iver gave him enough room to do so. Instead, he redirected the conversation with a forced laugh, glancing down between them before looking back up at Noctifer. "You know, for someone who doesn't like to be touched, you sure like to get in people's personal space."

"It helps to get people to talk," Noctifer said mildly.

"Oh." Darin observed the fog mildly as it passed through the trees soundlessly. He suddenly realized what Noctifer was implying, and Darin gave an impressive accusatory glare at the warrior. "So this is an interrogation! You've done this before!"

"I have."

He was taken aback by Noctifer actually admitting it. For weeks Darin has been trying to get anything from the stoic-in-all-but-anger man, and he should have felt smug for finally figuring something out. Instead, it made him even more restless. If Noctifer was once an interrogator, that meant he was once a soldier. It made sense, really. The warrior was, well, a warrior. Someone who trained much more than the average traveler. But if he was an interrogator, it was even more likely he was trained to see through illusions. The thought sent an icy bolt straight to his core as he quickly cast a glance at the boy walking in front of them. If he saw what Argent really was . . .

"I can assure you, you're wasting your time," Darin said decisively, not looking Noctifer in the eyes. "There's nothing notable about me."

"Not even the fact you stood up against a harbinger deity?" Noctifer asked with a raised eyebrow, unimpressed by Darin's attempts to shrug him off.

Darin mentally cursed the apothecary for giving away that bit of information. How was he supposed to play innocent now? He didn't have time to formulate a proper response as a heavy hand gripped onto his shoulder, startling him. His eyes shot back to Noctifer in an instant. It was clear the other man knew what he was thinking and was not amused.

"Let's get one thing straight, Darin," he began, having long since dropped the impassive, almost conversational tone as he leaned down and spoke with his usual brusqueness. "I don't like liars. Why don't we make this easier on the both of us by you answering my questions clearly."

Argent felt a shiver go up his spine, and he cast a wary eye over his shoulder. Spikes of mana radiated from the wizard at his agitation. He had never seen Darin truly angry before—besides when he snapped at him after the bandits attacked—but this might have been the closest as of yet as the two opposing forces glared each other down. When he looked to Iver, however, wondering if he would do anything about it, the elf only shook his head with a grimace. Iver would have been lying if he said he wasn't curious as well, Noctifer's suspicions lingering in his mind. It was a risk, but he assumed Noctifer had already taken that into account. If Darin were to strike, at least they would finally see what sort of person the wizard was.

"I don't have to tell you anything," Darin grit out, his hand twitching for his spellbook. Anything to get Noctifer away from him. He was getting too close to things he shouldn't be meddling with.

Noctifer's grip tightened, but before he could utter a retort, an eerie, ghastly wail echoes through the forest, and they all stilled. Something moved ahead of them with heavy steps, almost limping, and it was steadily heading towards them. Noctifer turned to the other two and nearly demanded them to tell him what that was, but Iver hushed him with a vigorous shake of the head. Both Darin and Iver were pale.

"Argent," Darin said in a low voice, keeping his eyes fixed ahead. "Come to me. Now."

The boy quickly scampered back to Darin's side, and Darin pulled him close.

"Everyone off the road," he commanded next, and none objected. Even Noctifer, with whom he had been feuding with seconds earlier, obeyed swiftly by almost herding everyone into the trees. There, they settled to the side, crouched to the ground below the shrubbery.

Argent felt Darin's hand settle at the base of his skull, just as he did when activating his mana to react, and he felt strangely numb. He gave his mentor a curious look, silently asking what he was doing, but Darin didn't look back at him. Instead, he kept his eyes on the road. The footsteps were growing nearer. As he carefully glanced between the adults, he saw Darin and Iver also holding a hand to the back of their necks. He didn't know the purpose of the action, but he didn't question it as the source of the footsteps came into view. It took everything he had in him to not make a sound at the sight.

A harbinger stood before them, stooping its head down to sniff the area where they had just been standing a moment ago. Long, skeletal limbs bent at unnatural angles, and its back arched severely enough for each vertebra to look as if it would snap out of place. White, near-translucent skin, laced with faded black veins, strained as it clung to the harbinger's body tightly. It looked as if it would rip apart at any moment. The shape of its head resembled a human's, but nothing about it was human at all, as it had a mouth full of fangs so large it could not close properly, holes for ears, and a thin membrane covering where its eyes should have been.

Argent gulped.

In an instant, the harbinger's head snapped to where they sat, and the membrane ripped apart with an awful squelch, revealing pitch-black eyes. Its jaw unhinged, two more sets of teeth behind the first, as it let out another ear-splitting shriek. Bladed fingers raised to strike as it lunged for them, only to collide with a forcefield that shattered on impact. Darin had his hand raised, the other holding his spellbook.

"Run!"

They all bolted for the road. It was pointless to hide from a harbinger once it had spotted you. Their only hope now was Rokor, if it was still standing at all. Had it been turned into a tainted portal without anyone knowing? Dwarven villages weren't usually a target of the foul creatures, as most weren't built around reservoirs, but it wasn't as if it was unheard of. Any town could become a victim to a harbinger so long as there was mana to consume. Darin spun on his heel, facing the harbinger head-on. Setting his thumb on the barrier tab and flipping to the next page, in a swift motion he raised a wall of earth from the ground, quickly surrounding the harbinger with stone. He heard it scream from the inside, bashing into the wall so hard it began to crumble. Branches reinforced it soon after, sprouting from the sides of the road, and to his left, Iver gave a nod as a green light disappeared from his palm. Once again, they ran, leaving the shrieks and wails behind.

"How long will that last?" Iver asked, running alongside Darin smoothly. He was relieved, if not a bit impressed, by the speed Darin was able to run at, as he was surprisingly fast for a human of average height. Then again, humans were notorious for being pushed past their limits when faced with danger. Noctifer already carried Argent, having long since lifted the boy into his arms when it became apparent he would not have been able to keep up.

"Give it a minute at most, ten seconds at least," Darin replied, breathless. They were in the center of the valley by now, so Rokor shouldn't have been far off. He could only hope they would make it in time. It was when they rounded a corner did they see the tall walls of a fortified town, just as pounding, galloping steps began to gain on them. Darin didn't dare look back.

A small figure stood at the top of the wall, waving for them to keep running as the town gates groaned open.

"You're almost there!" they shouted. "Don't slow down now!"

Argent watched, unable to tear his eyes away as he looked over Noctifer's shoulder. He could feel the harbinger's breath on his face. It lunged one last time, its claws grazing at Noctifer's back, and Argent shut his eyes tightly as he let out a terrified scream.

There was a large spike in magic, and he heard the harbinger howl in pain.

Snapping his eyes open, he saw the gate slowly shutting behind them. Darin stood just beyond with his palm raised, his spellbook still in its carrier, having blasted the harbinger away in the nick of time. Argent was dropped to the ground hastily, and Noctifer lunged forward, grabbing onto the back of Darin's shirt to yank the wizard to safety before the gate shut with a heavy clang. None of them spoke for a long while, fighting to catch their breaths.

"So!" Darin declared suddenly, giving the warrior a fierce glare. "Who's bright idea was it to go through Téchivar again?"

"Don't blame this on me, wizard," Noctifer snarled.

"I am blaming you!" Darin stepped forward, cutting through the air with his hand as he motioned to the gate. "What was so important that we had to go through the gods' forsaken mountains and through unseelie infested territory when there's a perfectly safe and clear path to Ormath!"

"We would not have made it," Noctifer said through clenched teeth.

"That was your reason last time! Give me one damn good explanation, or so help me—"

"Oi!" a voice cut in, loud enough to get their attention and startling the group's already wired nerves. There stood a scowling dwarf, his blond beard capped and braided down to his chest, with his arms crossed tightly as he looked at all of them disapprovingly. "Shut your mouths and keep your voices down! Ordephus' hairy balls, you might as well summon another harbinger yourself!"

Argent gave a rough snort while Darin gaped at the dwarf in shock. Iver didn't fare much better than Darin at the crude expression.

"Ordephus' . . . what?" Darin managed to press out.

"Who are you?" Noctifer asked instead, ignoring the other three and narrowing his eyes at the dwarf.

"Hah, not the grateful kind, are you." The dwarf gave another huff before jabbing his thumb into his chest. "Call me Kilden. I run the only inn in Rokor. I heard the commotion and came to take you to it since you'll be here a while."

"How are you so sure of that?" Noctifer raised an eyebrow at the assumption.

"Unless you have a plan to get rid of that," Kilden said, tossing his head in the directions to the gate, "then you'll be stranded here with the rest of us until someone gets rid of our friend outside." He waved up at the dwarf above, the one who opened the gate, before ambling down the street. With not many other options, the odd band of travelers followed.

"For how long has the harbinger been lingering outside?" Iver asked.

"A few weeks now, give or take a couple of days," Kilden replied, turning down another street. They were strangely vacant. "We got a lot of other travelers here as well—you aren't the only ones who survived the harbinger—so I can only give you one room to stay in." He sighed. "We can't exactly send a messenger out to warn people from walking down this road."

The door gave a ring as it triggered the bell above, and they all filed into the tavern. Noctifer and Iver had to stoop to clear the doorframe. Inside sat a large number of people, all crowding around tables in some shape or form, dwarves, elves, and humans alike. Some even had to stand or sit on the tables themselves due to the lack of seating. Argent cast his eyes to the ground and stuck near Darin, who laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He knew the boy was skittish around large groups of people, especially ones as boisterous as the group nearby who were playing an intense game of dice. Kilden stepped behind the surprisingly empty bar, motioning for them to sit. Both Argent and Darin had minimal trouble getting settled in the low seating—Argent's legs dangling as they were supposed to while Darin's toes brushed the floor—but it proved to be a bit more difficult for the swordsmen.

"Order anything you'd like. By this point, I've stopped charging anything for travelers." Kilden gave a hardy laugh. "Won't make you pay after barely escaping by the skin of your teeth."

"That is very kind of you," Iver said, giving Kilden a grateful smile. Despite the offer, Darin made a mental note to somehow repay the dwarf in the future.

Rokor was smartly situated with all of its resources inside the enchanted walls. Fields, water supply, and all. Dwarves were very good at magical structures, so there was no doubt the walls of Rokor would keep the harbinger out so long as it didn't become a deity. At this rate, however, it was only a few weeks away from evolving. The more victims it consumed, the stronger it would get. Darin pushed aside his thoughts momentarily as they were served, but couldn't help but feel as if he was being watched. Idly, he glanced around the room to find the source and spotted a group consisting of two men and a woman nestled in the corner. There were two staffs propped against the wall, and all had guild wizard insignia.

"Do you know them?" Noctifer asked quietly, having also noticed the odd amount of attention Darin was receiving.

"I don't," he admitted, pushing aside his now-empty plate. He felt their magic signatures begin to move, and he couldn't help the grimace that pulled at his lips. "But I'm sure we're about to find out what they want shortly."

Sure enough, they all heard three sets of footsteps approach, and Darin turned in his seat to face them. On a normal day, he would have greeted them with a smile, but at the moment, he was exhausted. It was his own fault for acting without thinking, blasting away the harbinger without his spellbook, but what was he supposed to do? Let the harbinger harm Argent and Noctifer? If one thought unseelie wounds were hard to heal, they have never seen a harbinger wound.

The woman waved a timid greeting, giving an apologetic smile while fiddling with the staff in her hands. "We're sorry to disturb you, but . . ." She trailed off, glancing at the spellbook strapped to his thigh. "You're from Paraglia?"

Darin couldn't help but give a sly smile, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What gave it away?"

"Don't be coy with us," said the wizard without a staff. So he's from Loten unless he has a wand or other channeling device under those frivolous robes of his. "Answer the lady's question."

He sighed. "Then yes, I'm from Paraglia."

"Is . . . Does your name happen to be Darin Alaris?" the woman asked hopefully, folding her hands in front of her as if she was praying for it to be true.

Oh no.

"That's me," Darin replied reluctantly, immediately wishing he had said no as the third member of their part lit up excitedly.

"I knew it!" he shouted, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You're the one who fought the harbinger deity!"

All eyes in the tavern snapped to him, and never in his life had Darin regretted anything so quickly.

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