“Someone’s killing sword masters… I don’t know who or why, but three of ‘em were killed in fights. The hilts of their swords were broken off and stolen too. While most of those sword masters are mercenaries, they were still valuable nonetheless. Whether they were guards for trading caravans, bounty hunters, or hired soldiers, they were useful. And now three of the best swordsmen in this city are dead… It’s a damn shame.”

-A conversation overheard in Argos.

...

Valeryn led the group back to the ship without saying much. Since he was the most composed, his lack of words drove an uneasy silence between the group of naval guards wearing enemy colors. Even as they sent meaningful glances toward him, so that he might understand their inner turmoil, he didn’t seem to notice or care. Valeryn simply rowed the boat back to the Khalthurian warships without saying a word.

“... How did you do that back there?” Bertrand spat out the question that had been on his mind for a while.

“You will need to be a little more specific,” Valeryn replied, narrowing his eyes as he gazed toward the closest warship. Getting aboard would be the hardest task as one wrong guess would draw suspicion.

“The way you moved so quickly… there are aura masters who can’t even do that.” Bertrand showed genuine awe at Valeryn’s skills that only seemed to be the tip of the iceberg.

“It’s called a stride technique and it’s very common where I come from.”

Valeryn’s eyes widened with a bit of relief as he made his choice. He could essentially feel the presence of swords, but couldn’t draw out an exact number. He only needed a little concentration to find the one with the faintest presence when compared to the others.

“A stride technique? If it’s common then… is it hard to learn?” Bertrand asked hopefully.

“It’s one of the first things that children are taught during training so I wouldn’t say it’s particularly difficult.” As Valeryn answered, he turned his attention back to Bertrand and the others.

“So even children can learn it?” Bertrand mumbled. He decided to ask Valeryn more about it at another time when he had the chance. Since they had finally arrived at the Khalthurian warship, he couldn’t afford to be distracted. A single mistake could expose them and there would be no worse place than for an enemy to be caught than a Khalthurian warship.

“Take the ropes!” A Khalthurian soldier shouted from above.

“Got it!” Valeryn replied with extreme composure as he began fastening the pulley ropes to the rowboat.

As the group was pulled to the top, they came face to face with a deck full of Khalthurians. Thankfully, none of them were focused on the returning patrol. They were busy conversing with their own close companions.

“How’d it go?” A Khalthurian naval officer suddenly appeared, approaching them without hesitation.

“Uh…-” Bertrand stammered a bit, but Valeryn stepped forward and spoke over him.

“Nothing… I guess all of those Stagatheon dogs ended up drowning, Sir.”

“Ah, good.” The officer nodded with approval. “I know Fleet Master Quinn will be… upset, for the lack of a better word, but it is better to have dealt with all of them. We couldn’t risk any of them escaping with word of arrival.”

“So there were no survivors?” Bertrand asked, distraught by the confirmation. His companions showed clear distressed faces too, seeming to forget where they were.

The officer was no fool, clearly seeing the mood darken before his eyes.

“Is there something wrong with that, soldier?” He inquired. It was clear a slight suspicion was beginning to form, but Valeryn interfered in a timely matter.

“To be frank, Sir… we kind of hoped to see one of the Spellcasters execute someone.” Valeryn showed a disappointed frown.

“Ah, I see. That is a shame, but I’m sure we’ll have plenty of chances once we reach land. Now, I will send my report to the Fleet Master, you five are free to fraternize as you wish.”

“Yes, Sir.” Valeryn hummed back with wide-eyes as if he was honored by the Khalthurian officer.

Valeryn’s acting was so perfect that Bertrand and the others found themselves wondering if the mysterious swordsman was previously a deserter. There was virtually no difference between a normal soldier and the black-haired young man before them.

As the officer retreated into his quarters, Valeryn’s face immediately took on an expression of indifference.

“What do we do now?” One of the young men asked.

Valeryn raised a brow before leaning in close and speaking in a low voice to the Stagatheon naval guards.

“To elaborate on something my father once said to his people, those who show no effort in their struggles but expect help from someone stronger aren't worth helping in the first place. I warned you of the warships before they arrived. I saved your lives when those soldiers discovered you. If that wasn't enough, I gave you passage back to your kingdom. And what have you all done except nearly expose yourselves in front of that officer? If you have nothing worthwhile to offer me, this is where we part. Do not draw attention to yourselves and you should be able to remain undiscovered until we reach land.”

“Wait,” Bertrand hurriedly spoke, grasping Valeryn’s shoulder as he did. “We can help you… just tell me what it is that you want and I give you my word that I’ll do everything within my power to help you get it.”

Valeryn looked skeptical as he began speaking, “And all of you agree with that?”

The other three naval guards nodded, causing a faint grin to emerge on his face.

“Well, you can bring me a map, that would be a good place to start.”

…

A few hours later, Bertrand and his friends met with Valeryn below deck with a map in hand and presented it to Valeryn with hopeful expressions. As much as they hated to admit it, they needed to depend on him in order to survive.

Valeryn wordlessly accepted the map and began scanning over it. Several important things became immediately clear as he did so.

The world, Parahgaren, likely the name of some godly figure worshipped by the natives, hosted three continents that were in relatively close proximity to each other. The smallest sat southward and was named Parahgaren’s Rest while the two that were similar in size were called Parahgaren’s Reach and Parahgaren’s Step.

Ignoring the clusters of small islands that acted as naval bases or pirate fortresses, there was no doubt in Valeryn’s mind that he was heading toward Parahgaren’s Reach. Both the Stagatheon Kingdom and the Khalthur Empire were housed within the Reach.

“Strange.” Valeryn briefly wondered where his siblings would be.

“Is something the matter?” Bertrand questioned.

“The City of Argos is in Parahgen’s Step, right?”

“Yes, I believe so… We occasionally get traders from the Step. Most of them have been from Argos, but not so much in the past few years. Why do you ask?”

“I was in Argos before I eventually ended up on your ship, that’s all.”

“That is quite the journey,” Bertrand said with astonishment.

“It was indeed, now if you don’t mind, I’m getting some rest. We’ll figure out our next move tomorrow.”

Valeryn folded up the map and put it away, that was a signal for Bertrand and the other naval guards to go about their business. Three of the guards did just that, but Bertrand remained behind.

“I’ve been meaning to ask…” Bertrand trailed off.

“I assume you’re curious about the stride technique?”

“Ah! Yes, if outsiders aren’t allowed to learn then just pretend I didn’t-”

“I’ll show you what I know, but learning it is up to you.” Valeryn turned over as he said that.

“Thank you! I-”

“Shut up!” A half-sleep Khalthurian shouted with frustration.

“Thank you,” Bertrand whispered toward Valeryn’s who already seemed to be asleep.

Truthfully, Valeryn and his siblings could go a very long time without sleep. It was more accurate to say he chose to enter a state of meditation to reflect on his own abilities. The limits of his current abilities were very apparent to him, but he hoped to overcome them and grow with the experience he would gain in the near future.

With those thoughts in mind, Valeryn formed an aloof grin and continued his meditations.