They asked us what right do we have to destroy them. The question is, do they have the right to live in the first place? No! They do not! Do not think of them as humans, for they have long forsaken humanity. Humanity is part of existence. All of existence is a manifestation of the God Paximillon. These heathens have turned their back on the God of existence and worshiped their God hailing from the Void! By choice, they have abandoned humanity!

I ask you, do they have the right to live? Do they have the right to walk these lands? To mingle with nature? To drink, eat, and breathe as we do? No. Such right is denied them. They have denied themselves of such right!

The city before us dares to shelter these traitors. Traitors of our empire. Traitors of humanity. Traitors of existence. Let the same punishment be given to those who shelter the heathen. Paximillon is with us all!

Sermon of military chaplain Francis Gobrain

before the razing of Bonhadrin

(Imperial Records on the Extermination of Void Mages)

“You were there?” A man brushed his long unruly hair from his face. “No way! No way you saw something that awesome!”

His gaunt companion finished gulping down his mug of ale before speaking. “I swear I was there! I saw everything. The guards were herding the people out but I was one of the last ones to get out so I saw it.”

“Is it true that Sicarius got possessed by a demon?”

“All true! I saw it with my own eyes! Lots of people were there as well.”

“Woah. So the rumors about his knife having a sealed demon inside were true.”

“Really sketchy guy. Actually, all of them in the team Baccarat are a bit suspicious and scary, except the Baccarat brothers themselves. I wonder why those twins stick with those people.”

“They are scary people, all right. I nearly pissed my pants when that guy started to transform.”

“Quick! Tell me about it!” The man once again brushed the hair covering his wide eyes that were staring intently at his friend. His own mug of ale was left forgotten.

“All the people were screaming and all that. There was this intense pressure, like my head was getting squeezed really hard. The demon was really terrifying! It has like dozens of huge spikes all over its body. And there was this black fog oozing around him. He was also doing something to make us all sick.”

“It was good that he was inside the shield when he was possessed. Who knows what could have happened if there was no shield?”

“We would all be eaten up. Even the city guards did not dare get inside the shields. They were waiting for the knights to show up. All the mages were just strengthening the shield. There were tons of mages there!”

“Those demons are a tricky business. They just see mages as food. Good thing someone took care of the demon.”

The skinny man raised his empty mug to signal for a refill before continuing his story. “Yep, it was that BasketSlayer guy. Carries around a basket all the time. Even when he fights!”

“He’s called BasketSlayer?” the long haired man said incredulously. Then he laughed. “Seriously? That’s his name?”

“I had the same reaction when I heard his name. I thought it was just somebody clowning around in the arena.” His friend’s bony arms reached for a new mug brimming with ale. “But it turned out I was actually right! He was really just clowning around. He was so strong that he could just treat everyone as a joke! I doubt he considered any of his fights as serious. Really great, that guy.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t he some kind of crazy person using that name?”

“He might be crazy, but he’s a really powerful fighter. All of his fights end with one hit from him!. None of his matches were able to hit him.”

The man flicked his long hair back in surprise. “Insane! Really insane! Even with the transformed Sicarius?”

“I was puking all over the place when the guards were evacuating everyone so I got kind of left behind. The guards just dragged me along while I was puking non-stop. But I was facing the stage while they were pulling me. I saw it! A terrifying spiky demon jumping at the BasketSlayer, then in the blink of an eye, the entire of arena shook! The demon was nowhere to be seen. It was only the body of Sicarius left sticking on the ceiling of the shield dome like some kind of lizard squeezed between the door hinges. Well, I assumed it was Sicarius.”

“Sicarius? It wasn’t the demon anymore?”

The scrawny man shook his head. “It was a human body that was mashed up. It looked like the hit from BasketSlayer was so powerful it exorcised the demon straight out of his body.”

“That guy is really strong! Tell me next time when you go see his fights. I’ll come with you.”

His friend rummaged for something inside his bag beneath the table.

“What are you looking for?” he asked his friend, stooping down as well. He once again combed his hair that fell to the front of his face.

“Look at this! Limited edition! I bought it on my way here.” Spindly fingers were grasping an object wrapped in paper.

He watched his friend unwrap it. “What did you buy?”

“A replica of the basket that BasketSlayer carries around! Merchants are selling it outside the arena. I’m going to fill it with food and walk around eating from it like he does.”

“They’re already selling souvenirs? Lots of people will buy that. Destroying a demon with one hit. Really amazing.”

“Merchants are really shrewd creatures. They were selling all these BasketSlayer merchandises after all the excitement died down and the city guards left. You can also have your basket emblazoned with ‘BS’… you know… stands for BasketSlayer.”

The long haired man stood up and tied back his hair into a ponytail. “Let’s go there now! I want to buy one!”

Captain Gregory bowed low before the person in front of him. He knew that it would irk this person if he showed respect, he had been told many times not to bow, but not only societal conventions but also the law, tradition, and custom dictate that he should bow.

“Still looking good despite your age, old man Gregory.” The man had his broad massive armored back to him. He stood nearly two heads taller than his original height due to the Powercore Armor he wore. The armored hulk turned to face Gregory. “I heard that’s what the people call you now. Such an endearing nickname.”

The Powercore Armor was designed to fully enclose its wearer and protect them from all hostile environments and invasive spells. The inner side of the thick, heavy plates were inscribed with different seals and incantations ensuring that the body will be protected from all kinds of imaginable harm. There were also crystallized healing spells ready to activate when the wearer becomes unconscious due to severe injuries.

The armor was made from impervillium, a failed product of the engynares trying to replicate the metal used by Isaac Gaomant when he made the Devastator Golems. Although it did not turn out to be what its inventors envisioned it, it was still one of the hardest materials at the disposal of the empire.

Numerous interlocking and overlapping plates along with extensively flexible joints ensured a wide range of movements for its user. Several mana stones were embedded inside the armor to provide power to the armor and backup energy for the wearer. Its massive shoulderplates were studded with gems with varying offensive and defensive effects.

A web of mana veins ran through the armor, glowing when activated. Once worn, the mana veins immediately attached themselves to the spine of the wearer. Besides an increase in strength, this network of mana essences ensure full synchronization with the thoughts of person wearing it, giving them the feeling of having a new body rather than just wearing an armor.

“With all due respect my lord, you are older than me by three decades.”

“A decade more and I’ll be a century old.” A massive gauntleted hand reached out to pat him on his shoulder. The hand was large enough to easily envelope a grown man’s head. Nevertheless, the pat was gentle and friendly.

“Most of us normal mortals can only pray to Paximillon that we can reach a hundred years of age.” The sun glinted off the golden armored hand that lay on his shoulder. Given a closer look, Gregory could see intricate workings of ivory embedded on the gilded surface of the armor. He has heard that no two Powercore Armor have the same design. Each one is a distinct investment of the empire.

The man patted him once again and bided him to stand up. Gregory obeyed. Stood straight and bowed his head once. “No more of that bowing, Gregory. We have once stood at the battlefield together, back to back, fighting for our lives, surrounded by foes. If I did not survive at that time, I would not have reached the strength necessary to have the honor of wearing this Powercore Armor.

“Lord Fahllyr, you give me undeserved praise. It is I who should be thankful for you were the one that saved my life that day.” Gregory once again bowed to Lord Malachi Fahllyr, brother of the patriarch of the Fahllyr martial noble house.

Malachi removed his helmet that was fashioned as a head of the three-eyed hound, tahlran. “Nonsense! I protected your back much just as much as you protected mine.” He gave Gregory a warm smile that was only partially visible behind the high metal collar that was part of his armor. “I hope you are doing well these days.”

“The body is not what it used to be. Even the people around me confirm that I am quite old for a warrior.” Gregory said. “My lord, you look like you haven’t even aged a decade the last time we fought together in battle.”

Malachi smiled at Gregory’s observation. He looked like he could be Gregory’s son. “Fahllyrs live twice as long as ordinary people. My face will age quite quickly once I get past a hundred years. This extended lifespan is a blessing from Paximillon and I will devote every year of my life in his service.”

“As will I, my lord,” Gregory said while bowing once again.

Malachi chuckled.“Now, now. You’re just bowing to irritate me. Enough of that. Tell me what happened here?” He gestured to the empty arena where Sicarius and the BasketSlayer fought. “I can sense a demonic aura.”

“There was a battle between an A-ranked adventurer, named Sicarius, and a Roghinian warrior who goes by the name BasketSlayer.”

“BasketSlayer?”

“Yes my lord. He carries around a basket. His antics have ingratiated him to the people. We have no information as to his real name.”

“A warrior with a sense of humor. Quite rare nowadays.” Malachi walked up the stage sniffing the air. “It’s good that you have purified the surroundings. Continue with your report.”

Gregory prepared to bow but stopped himself. “According to eyewitnesses, the A-ranked adventurer used a knife that began emitting a malevolent aura. His body also produced black fog. This black fog congealed and wrapped his body, melding his armor and skin, mutating him into a grotesque demon.”

“What happened to the knife?”

“We could not find any trace of it. It most likely merged with the body of the possessed as a manifestation of the demon’s existence in the material place.”

Malachi stopped in the middle of the stage and turned around, meeting the eyes of Gregory. “Was it a void demon?”

“No my lord.” Gregory could see that Lord Malachi gave a sigh of relief at his words. “It was a corrupted earth spirit.”

“Imagine the public uproar if it was a void demon. A corrupted elemental spirit is bad enough. I can already imagine the reaction of the people to this incident. A demon possessing an A-ranked adventurer. There would surely be protests against the adventurers’ guild.”

“This is still quite a small incident. It does not warrant troubling you, my lord. I am sure that weightier matters deserve your attention.”

Malachi started walking towards the exit of the arena. “Gregory, I am in charge of the security of the capital city. Every incident could lead to bigger incidents that could endanger Krysperium. I should be aware of all of them. Our city walls have not been assailed for five hundred years. I don’t think they are going to fall any time soon. The gravest threat that this city can face is from within. We really can’t have demons rampaging around.”

“Thank you for your concern, my lord.”

“The adventurer’s guild’s council are placed in a delicate position. Giving the A-rank to an adventurer possessing such a taboo contraband. Tsk tsk.”

“The council are more focused on fighting among themselves over who to appoint as guild master. They have left the guild in such a sorry state.”

“This issue will be a good leverage to force some imperial reforms among the guilds.”

“Indeed, my lord.”

“Turning back to this matter,” Malachi said. “It is commendable that you were able to dispose of the demon with no casualties.”

“It was not I!” Gregory protested. “It was the Roghinian.” Gregory was not a person who would falsely claim the glory of others for his own benefit. “With one strike, he was able to defeat of the demon. Its grasp on the material plane was shattered, leaving behind the human body. We are now treating the A-ranked adventurer Sicarius. His body is in a sorry state, but he will survive.”

“Only one strike?” Malachi’s forehead wrinkled. “A demon possessing the body of an A-ranker will certainly be powerful but defeating it in one strike can also be done by the elite warriors of the empire. I, myself, can surely destroy such a demon in one strike. However, I cannot exorcise it with one hit. Rituals, pentagrammic seals, it is a lot of effort to exorcise a demon while ensuring that the possessed human survives.”

“It was also an advanced stage of possession. The entire body has already been claimed by the demon. I saw the demon thrashing around while clutching its head. Most assuredly, the soul of Sicarius was fighting back for control. But the demon ultimately won and attacked the Roghinian.”

“That would mean that the demon and the human’s soul has already merged. Yet the demon was exorcized while the human body survived. And it was ripped from the body it possessed in one blow,” Malachi continued. “Why would such a powerful Roghinian warrior venture into this city alone?”

“I have never met a Roghinian, my lord. Their kingdom is quite far.”

“Did you question him what he was doing here?”

“Yes, my lord. However, he was unresponsive to our questioning. He said that he slept for a long time and when he woke up he’s already here. He was not giving us straight answers. But I did not feel that he was hiding something. It was more like he was just fond of jesting.”

“Ah, well that’s something that you can expect from someone calling himself, BasketSlayer”

“He does not seem to be a dangerous man, my lord,” Gregory said.

Malachi nodded. “I trust your instincts, my friend. He probably does not have any connection with this incident. But from what I know of Roghinian warrior, their caste keeps to themselves and rarely leaves their territory. Seeking fame and acclaim is abhorrent in their eyes. A Roghinian warrior would consider it very shameful to fight in an arena.”

“The BasketSlayer does not seem to fit that description.”

“Which begs the question, what is this Roghinian warrior doing here. There is news that some trouble might be brewing among their leadership. Perhaps he traveled here to escape political turmoil in his country?” Malachi touched the shoulder of Gregory. “My old friend, I leave this matter to you. Two matters actually. Investigate Sicarius and everything connected to him and this matter regarding the Roghinian. Obtain every information possible about him. I, on the other hand, will deal with the adventurers’ guild.”

“Understood, my lord.” Gregory wanted to bow but the enormous armored hand of Malachi was holding him upright.

“It was nice meeting you, old friend. And enough with that bowing.”

“Ah! It’s messing up my hair!” Harvey frantically fanned away the smokes. “Why is it always following me?”

“It probably loves your consecrated hairdo”

Harvey looked at Aileen who looked away. “Wind magic,” he hissed. The smoke was still following him so he ran up to Aileen. They were coughing within a few seconds as the smoke engulfed both of them.”

“Such a behavior is only fitting for children,” Felixia tutted at them. She bit into the tender barbecued meat skewered on a stick that she was holding. “Pigminimy meat is the best!”

“Felixia, you’re the youngest one among us,” her brother reminded her.

“So what? Harvey and Aileen are still behaving like children.” She stuck out her tongue at her brother.

Jel smiled apologetically at BasketSlayer. “I’m really sorry about their behaviour. They’re supposed to be the prodigies of the next generation.”

After the incident in the arena, all of the people inside were gathered to be purified by the dragon priests. They bathed them with sacred light from holy wards to eliminate all traces of corruption. The BasketSlayer was attended to by a dozen healers but in the end they could not find anything wrong with him. They told Jel that when they examined his body, it was just like a normal person’s. This piqued her interest. It must be the runes, she told herself. She can recognize some of the runes on his body but the others just evoke feelings of a repulsive nature. She wondered why it was so and resolved to ask the BasketSlayer.

Using her status as the de facto head of the temple security and as a member of the Fahllyr family, she pried the BasketSlayer away from the city guards and the healers. They were not getting straight answers from him anyway, and everyone can see that he had nothing to do with the demon. A lot of people think that the Baccarat team is a tad suspicious anyway and the incident just confirmed their suspicions.

Funny guy, she thought. He kept telling them he was 529 years old. She smiled while she remembered how the BasketSlayer insisted he was older than old man Gregory. He also kept asking food from them. She thinks he was purposely annoying the ones who were questioning him.

“Why are you grinning like an idiot?” Aileen asked.

“I’m just thinking about all of the stuff I could tease you with since your boyfriend is with us,” Jel said. “And why are you so far away from him?”

Aileen merely rolled her eyes in response.

Jel turned to the BasketSlayer, “How many sticks of pigminimy barbecue do you want?”

“Oh, it’s for free? Then, how about, six. It’s my first time trying it.”

Jel paid for six sticks hot off the grill. She handed them to him, its juices still sizzling. “Pigminimy meat is always tender and juicy. They look like compact little balls of meat, running on six little legs.”

“Pigminimies are cute!” Felixia chimed in. “Very tasty too.”

“Their flavors are really condensed and come out when barbecued. It mixes well with the smokiness from being grilled,” Felix added.

“I really love free food. Even if you have all the riches in the world, you cannot buy free food.” The BastkeSlayer quickly devoured the food that he was given.

“Is that your motto in life?”

“Sort of. I really like being given free food.” He raised his basket. “I kept this as a memento of the first person who gave me food, for a really long, long, time.”

Jel gave Aileen a sidelong glance. “Isn’t that sweet.”

Aileen just rolled her eyes. “Anyway, what move did you use against that demon?”

The BasketSlayer stopped eating and knit his brows together in though. “Um… it’s called…Dragon Claw Swat. Yep! That’s it…because it looks like you have been swatted by a dragon.”

“It was the runes on your body right?” Jel said. “They probably gave you some tremendous strength buff. Still doesn’t explain how you were able to rip the demon into oblivion.”

“That’s another secret of my runes,” the BasketSlayer said simply.

Jel gave up on prying further. She knows that the BasketSlayer won’t give any straight answers. She tried on a different line of questioning. “What sort of runes are those on your body anyway? I can recognize only a few of them.”

“Jel is an awesome sealcrafter!” Felixia said. Felix and Harvey also assented.

“So that’s why you wanted to talk to him after the match!” Turning to the BasketSlayer, Aileen said, “Seriously though, Jel is a genius in sealcrafting. In a few years she’ll probably be part of the team that manages the crux rune of the citysigil.”

The BasketSlayer stared wide-eyed at Jel, “That’s really impressive. You must have studied a lot about elemental runes to be able to control a sigil which was apparently made by one of the greatest elemental mage.”

“That’s our Jel!”

“Come on guys, I’m just asking him about runes on his body.”

“I don’t really know much about these runes since they are passed down by our elders. I can only recognize a few of them though. And I don’t study runes anyway. We have a…er…a warrior’s creed and all that on what fighting…um… paths to follow, different for each one of us, really. I picked one that did not involve studying runes. But all of us have these runes on our body.”

“Oooh, what’s your fighting pa-.” Felixia asked.

Jel stopped Felixia, “Don’t ask him about stuff like that. That’s part of the secret of their clan.”

Felixia mumbled a soft sorry.

“Going back to the runes. It’s impressive that you recognize some of them even if you’re not a sealcrafter. The runes on your body are really weird; I can see some of them are high level elemental runes. I don’t think I can make those ones. As for the others, I don’t know what they are, but I do feel a bit sick when looking at them. Perhaps they’re some sort of security runes? To prevent others from unraveling the entire formation?” Jel shrugged. “Must be the reason why I can’t fathom the design of the formation.”

Jel and Aileen noticed that the BasketSlayer stiffened for a second at Jel’s response. Jel grinned inwardly. She probably correctly surmised some part of the secret of his runes, but she chose not to ask if she got it right or not. That would be quite impolite.

Jel kept pelting Aya with questions about his runes. Aileen sensed that Jel must have said something offensive or intrusive about the runes on his body. She tried to change the topic. “Mr. BasketSlayer, are you attending other events for this festival?”

Aya blinked a bit before answering. “Why are you calling me Mr. BasketSlayer? I told you my real name, didn’t I?”

A wide smile was plastered on Jel’s face as she stared at Aya and Aileen. Felix, Felixia, and Harvey stopped eating and crowded around Aileen, asking her how she knew his real name and why did she kept it secret.

“Uh… uh… yeah…ye-yes, you did tell me your name,” Aileen said.

“My real name is Aya,” he told them all.

Felixia jumped in excitement. “Now I know the BasketSlayers real name!”

Jel’s smile kept getting wider and wider, Aileen feared that it would cut her head in half. Although that would probably be for the best since she would tease her to death.

“Ay-a, and Ai-leen,” Jel said in a singsong voice. “Wow, it’s like destiny has decreed that you two should meet!”

"But why is it a girl's name?"

"It's a boy's name in Roghinia."

"Oooo, that's neat. I did not know about that. Still doesn't explain why Aileen did not tell us about it."

Aileen didn't respond to her jokes. “Sorry about that, I thought you don’t want to spread your name around so I kept it a secret.”

“Nice save, Aileen!”

“Quick thinking, but we all know you just didn't want to be teased.”

“Shut up all of you,” Aileen hissed at them. “Hey, do you want some more pigminimy barbecue?” she asked Aya.

“Sure.”

Jel and the novice sealcrafters moved ahead of them, laughing their heads off while talking about Aileen. She placed her palm across her face. They are seriously lowering the status of the noble houses. Really raucous behaviour in a public place.

“Aya was the first name I carried. It was given to me by my first master,” he said, while looking expectantly at the pigminimys being grilled.

“Oh, sorry! I told you I would buy you some.” Aileen hastily gave money to the vendor and handed to Aya some sticks of barbecue. “If Aya was your first name, what other names did you have?”

Aya gazed at the sky while chomping on his food before answering her. “There was a time I was called Krystfallen.”

They both just stood in the middle of the street, eating pigminimy barbecue in silence.

They suddenly burst out in laughter.

“Krystfallen?” Aileen can’t hold back her laughter. “I thought you were going to tell me your real name.”

“Wouldn’t it be awesome if I’m some dragon transforming guy?” Aya was laughing with her.

Aileen was wiping tears from her eyes. “Wow, you actually dared to joke about Emperor Krystfallen. You’re lucky it was me. Some people will probably get angry with that. There’s a whole religion and all that built around that guy.”

“I kind of sensed that you’re not the religious type. Anyway, he lived five hundred years ago.”

“Oh, you’re the same as me,” Aileen said. “Just focus on the present. I’m sure he was great. He was the one who established this empire after all. But, that was a long time ago. This is a different time. Don’t tell other people that I said that. Fahllyrs are supposed to be devout followers of Krystfallen.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Thanks,” Aileen said. They started walking quickly to catch up with the others. “Anyway, I was asking you earlier if you’re planning to attend some other events in this festival. There’s the beast-taming challenge. It’s hard because you have to overpower the beasts and make them respect you, and not kill it.”

“Hmmm, I probably might try that one.”