Author's Note:

It's here! I finally finished editing it and it's probably even the longest chapter in this volume if I'm not mistaken. And that's when I had no time :D But that's probably because I received so much support from you guys and tried my best here. I truly love this chapter and it may be my favourite one so far. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

Sadly the pet thing didn't fit in as I had had no idea I was planning to include it in the near chapters until you brought that theme up and gave me so many useful ideas. Now I can promise that it'll be in this volume just not sure in which chapter. I stil have that idea I mentioned to play around with :)

****

"May I ask what is so funny? You've just been found out and I'm going to make you pay for all the crimes. Don't expect a quick death" Perry said, looking at Ace with cold eyes.

"I think you've messed up quite spectacularly" Ace said, his eyes losing their previous fake warmth.

"You can't be serious! You're still trying to wriggle out of this? I thought I made it clear enough before that your child's act has no power on me!" she said rolling her eyes but Ace ignored her and turned to Brendon.

"You say you remember him well, right?"

"Yes" the guy said, looking at Ace with distrustful eyes.

"Then tell me, please, what was truly in his eyes. You say sorrow and emptiness like in mine but madness doesn't recede quickly. So could it be that you were seeing your own feelings reflected in the monster's eyes?"

"My own? You can't sa..."

"You see sorrow in everyone's eyes. That can only mean you're pretending or having a horrible time of your own."

"Kid stop the blaming game. We know it's you!" Perry said, not liking where this was going.

"Do you now? You have an unstable witness that says he can tell a person's story just by looking at him and a bunch of reports that prove me innocent. I kind of like my chances at the trial" Ace said in a condescending tone, looking down at Perry with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You little...!"

"Think before you talk. Every word can and will be used against you if you drag me there" Ace said, finally free to make fun of her. "All your people will be witnesses."

"You would lose!"

"Are you sure of it? Take me there then" he said laughing and extending his hands for her to bind. "I'm all yours."

"Why you..." Perry hissed trying to grab him but Nein stopped her.

"Sorry my lady but we really have no proof of him being the culprit. It's all only guesswork" he said quietly in her ear.

"I know!" she said tiredly. "But he's our only suspect. If he's not the one, we're back at square one."

"Is that what this is all about? You want to punish someone? So just pick a random person and be done with it. After all, that's the main thing, isn't it?" Ace asked with a mocking smile. He was really enjoying the freedom to say whatever he wanted to her, it was so annoying to smile and pretend to like her.

"That's not..."

"Isn't that why you're grabbing for straws and trying to frame me no matter what?" Ace asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You like to twist words, don't you?" Perry asked, glaring at him.

"Nah, I just remove all the sugar coating from them. It's fun to see people having their words thrown back at them."

Nein glared at him too but he had nothing to refute with. It's been more than half a year of them trying to avenge themselves but they haven't moved even a step forward. They listened to so many witnesses but none had anything useful to say. Everyone was always assassinated from behind, hardly ever getting a glimpse of their killer.

This time Silver Wing had made a mistake and shown himself. He had thought it was an amazing victory for them but now he wasn't so sure. They had many new descriptions of the killer that half the time didn't match, many started to claim that he's just a hurt child and only needs love to become a good person while others called him a demon and prayed for his extermination.

On top of that this kid appeared. He matched some of the descriptions but the worst thing was that he was impossible to decipher. He acted all nice at first but now started to show a whole different side. How they were to understand which of the side was fake and if he had more of them? He might be the killer but at the same he could be just a kid who doesn’t like to follow orders.

"What will you do now?" he asked the kid, surprising him.

"What do you mean?"

"We have nothing on you so you're free to leave."

"Nein! He can't!" Perry shouted out outraged.

"He can. Calm down. If we ever need him again, we know where to find him. He gave us the information himself."

"The guild!"

"Yes. Romeo will be able to see where he is and will have to give us that information if we ever find this kid guilty of all the crimes done by Silver Wing."

Ace looked at Nein. The guy was smarter than he had expected. He was thinking the right way with the information he had but he had too little of it to actually be a threat. Only the guild founder had the freedom to check where his underlings were, the leader could only do it if allowed by the founder but Ace didn't plan to do anything of the like. Romeo had no need to suspect him of being anyone besides a little kid.

"So? What will you do now?"

"Who knows? I'll go where my eyes take me" Ace said truthfully. It was better to tell the truth even if they didn't believe it. That way he was winning twice: making them waste time checking him and feeling guilty for doubting his words after they did.

"And where do they point you now?"

Ace smiled and with a small jump punched Brendon in the face. "Here. He needed to be taught a lesson. It's bad manners to point at people."

"Really?" everyone around asked in unison, not having expected for a kid to actually hit someone. And an adult none the less.

"Yes" Ace said, nodding.

Brendon clutched his bleeding nose and glared at the kid. "I'm usually a nice man but you've stepped too far! You killed my friend and stole everything from him and me, not even leaving my one most prized possession which is worthless to anyone else! But that wasn't enough for you, was it? You still have to make fun of me and those who are trying their best to catch the monster? I won't take it any more!" he said and took out a large sword from thin air.

'He had that hidden in his backpack?' Ace wondered jumping aside. The man had clearly lost control and was attacking without any plan. His movements were extremely quick and the giant sword was flying in all directions with the swiftness of a small bee. But Ace didn't really mind it. He trusted his evasion and instincts to take care of it while he decided on what to do now. He hadn't expected this to happen. The guy had seemed like a sensible man and the caravan's leader had called for him to take care of the problems.

'What should I do... What should I do...' he sang in his head and dodged a swing followed by a kick. 'Pff... He even lost a sense of fair fighting. Not only is he trying to chop off a kid's head but he's even using dirty tricks to achieve that.'

Ace laughed. "You can't sink lower, can you?"

"You're despicable!" the man hissed in anger, his eyes blazing with furies from hell itself.

"Now, now!" Ace laughed, twisting to the side and noticing how the whole group watched the fight. None seemed to plan to interrupt and help either of sides. 'What weaklings, they can't even choose a side. It should be so obvious from the first glimpse who is going to win.'

A twisted smile appeared on the man's face. "You know you're going to tire out first, right monster?"

"So I no longer am a human being? What horror! Not" Ace said faking joy and then showing indifference. Lately he had heard that far too often to even pay attention. The man should be a bit more creative if he wanted Ace to acknowledge him.

"You..!" Brendon started to shout raising his hand for a vertical slash as Ace grabbed something from his bag and held it in his hands. It was a piece of paper with something drawn on it. Ace held it in a way that the piece would be cut with a next strike while not reaching him by millimetres. It was a dangerous gambit but he felt like playing around for the moment, being the bad guy.

The man wasn't able to stop his attack and tore it apart, cutting Ace's tunic and even drawing blood on his chest. 'Dammit' Ace hissed, using the paper to brush the blood off. The wound was very shallow and only took ten health points so he dropped the pieces of torn and bloody paper. The man watched their fall with a horrified expression.

That brought Ace's good mood back. A small wound was worth the sight before his eyes: a man weathered by life reduced to a heap of broken pieces like those of the paper.

"Brendon! What happened?" Perry asked, rushing to him.

The man just shook his head and continued to stare. Only Ace and the man knew what had been there, the guy having guessed from the short glimpse he'd had before cutting it. It had been a photo of a happy group. A child cut in too. And he did that. With his own two hands, his own child... A tear ran down his cheek.

Ace watched him with cold indifference. The picture was of the man's family and from the reaction he could guess it was no longer in a perfect shape. Did any of them die? Or was it simply a divorce? No matter.

He took out his dagger and in a swift motion embedded it into the man's back who hissed in pain from it. Ace dragged it out and whispered in the man's ear. "That's what you get for trying to fight me. It is a sad truth that you can't fight everything with fire. Sometimes more subtlety is needed."

"Healing hand!" a female shouted out from the group and the wound closed up, saving Brendon from imminent death but he didn't move a muscle. You could doubt,he really noticed what had happened if not for that hiss of pain at first.

Ace looked at everyone and in a clear voice said. "That was for actually hitting me. I'm a vengeful person."

"You're a monster" the female cleric said while casting a stronger spell to heal the wound completely.

"That I am too" Ace said with a smile. He raised his eyes up. 'What a beautiful sky... It's so blue... So clear... Maybe it is trying to block the earth from the sun's view? All the dirt that humans love to collect inside themselves?'

"Are you done? I would like to see you leave!" Perry said with an edge in her voice. Was she trying to say he was unwanted here? Maybe he should stay around just because of that?

He smiled. It was so easy to win him over. He sat down in the middle of the road and took out his flute. Small agile fingers ran over the little holes producing different sounds so a melody could be born in the empty air.

It was a story of a wanderer, someone who knew nothing about family ties and native lands. He had no idea who he was and travelled everywhere to uncover that mystery. Outwardly he was very loyal and nice, always going out of his way to help those in need.

But then the melody slowed down and grew darker, edgier somehow. Deep down the man hated everyone and everything, he despised weak people but only because they might be useful one day he helped them out. This way through his travels he gained many loyal supporters from the poor to the richest. His lies were that good.

Yet there was one thing he never lied about. He wanted to know who he was. He hoped to be a bastard son of some king or at least a noble but loneliness and fruitless search for years were making him to forget about it. Most likely he was born of a random whore who didn't want to take care of him.

Ace played and the man's story ran from his fingers, out the flute and to the ears of his listeners. They stood quietly as if afraid to move and dispel the magic that was working before their eyes. It was hard to say whether those images of a man in his late forties were only their imagination or a game mechanic.

The man went on another journey, got tired of his wanderings and tried to create an empire from nothing. In went well at first, he had a natural talent to lead, but other countries didn't feel like allowing him to become a major power. They destroyed his work while it was still young. The man raged and cursed the gods and world but nothing changed.

The guards were defeated and killed like all the other inhabitants of his castle. And the enemies were coming closer. They were next to his room now. The melody rose higher, becoming shrill and ear piercing. Death was knocking on his door.

And then they opened the door, the tone calming down in an instant. He was going to go down with pride, fighting to his last breath. His dream was short lived as they surrounded him and stabbed from all directions. His death was that of a wild animal and he knew it. There was bitter laughter on his lips which was hidden by his inability to move any part of his body, blood was gushing out of countless stab wounds.

He was laying on the ground in the pool it. And that was the time when the enemy general came in and squatted down beside his barely breathing body. The newcomer’s song was still strong but tired as if age was slowing it down but soon it changed back to the man's barely heard notes. All listeners soundlessly moved closer to hear how it would end. Without their own consent they were taken in and mesmerized by the story which they could see in the notes that flew in the quiet air of the empty forest.

The melody rose for a moment in surprise as the man noticed recognition in the commander’s eyes. The guy touched his hair beads that he had since he could remember himself reverently and whispered but words had already lost their meaning. A fleeting thought whether this was his father passed through his mind as the flickering light of his life went out and the melody quieted down with a last sigh.

Ace held his flute for a moment longer before putting it inside his bag and falling on his back. The sky was still so blue without a single cloud to block the view. He raised his hand as if to reach at it but quickly let it fall down. Humans weren't meant to reach the sky. They were born as worms and had to die being them. There were no exceptions.

"What... was... that..." someone asked and Ace looked in the direction of a voice. It was Nein who looked as if he had seen a ghost.

"A story. What else?" Ace asked closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of lying on the cold hard ground. It made him feel like he was still alive.

"Are you a bard? But I've never heard anything like that!"

"It's magic" Ace said with a smile. He said the truth but in real life this saying was used so often to describe great things that it was doubtful anyone will take it literary. Truth made best lies when nobody expected it.

"Keep it if you don't want to say it. It's not as if we're dying to know" Perry said, secretly taking a few quick steps back. Ace chuckled but said nothing. "So you won't say it?" she asked again.

"I just did" he said with a smile, still lying on the ground with his eyes closed. Feet walked his way but he didn't move a muscle.

"Why did you play it?" Nein asked squatting down. "What reason could you possibly have had to reveal your secret to us?"

Ace opened his eyes and looked straight at Nein's violet ones. "Secret? It's nothing but a way to pass time. I play because I can. That's all there's to it. Not every action has to have a hidden meaning."

That was yet another lie. People never did anything without a reason and they rarely fully explained what it was. It was in human nature to hide the truth and pretend so societies could exist. No one wanted to be alone.

Nein shook his head slightly as if not really believing the answer but didn't press on. "Will you be staying with us?"

"Will you let me?" Ace asked with sadness and disbelief in his voice, reverting back to his childish innocent self. He knew that character so much better; after all he'd used it for many years.

Instead of answering Nein gave him a hand and helped to stand up.

"Can I ask when did you gain the authority to allow people to join our group? I don't remember anyone making you a leader or passing the right to you!" Perry said angrily. She was tired of all the nonsense. First the kid was a suspect, then not, then returned to being one and again threw all the charges back at her as lies. But that wasn't all, he kept on joining her group and leaving every other minute depending on his mood.

"As far as I know, we're all equal here. You have the freedom to choose our ways of fighting and what strategies we use but we never discussed you preventing us to bring people along. That isn't up to you" Nein said still holding the kid's hand who smiled like a little angel. It was hard to believe that not long ago he was stabbing people or playing like the most talented musician ever. He seemed like a normal little kid you see playing on the streets.

"So you want to say I'm a bad leader? I don't know what's best for us? You think you'd be better? Stop dreaming! You're nothing but a follower! You don't know what it means to carry the responsibility of everyone's lives on your shoulders!" Perry hissed, coming closer.

"Thanks for the reminder" Nein said and turned to Ace. "Are you sure you want to stay with us? It might be dangerous."

"I'm sure big brother will protect me!" Ace said with a bright smile. He just didn’t want to be alone for the moment. He'll probably leave them in a next city but for now he could gain trust and find out more about them. Of course, he would have to make Romeo pay none the less. The guy had to warn him about such groups and their plans beforehand.

Nein was surprised but he managed to hide it quite well. "Great! Let's go then" he said matching the child's mood. He wanted to learn more about him. The kid's actions were abnormal to say the least and his character changed every other minute. Nice, all-knowing, on the verge of cruel and innocent once again.

'Does he have some kind of disorder or something? I doubt it's normal for kids to act the way he does and there's still the mystery of Silver Wing. He might not be the guy himself but there's not a chance he appeared here on an accident. He must have some kind of connection to the notorious killer.'

"Everyone, let's get moving. We don't want to spend the night here, do we? Jake help Brendon and let's get moving" Nein said gently squeezing Ace's hand and choosing different direction than they had come from. 'Is there another city nearby?' Ace wondered following the guy and enjoying Perry's misery. She deserved so much more.

Others didn't look comfortable but did as told. One of the guys took Brendon's hand and put it around his neck to get him up. This way he half carried half dragged him forward. Ace remembered how he was dragged the same way by a girl and shivered. He couldn't have looked that pathetic, could he?

"Is something wrong?"

Ace shook his head. "Just a cold wind passed by."

"You should have said something!" Nein said in fake outrage. He rummaged through his backpack and brought out a yellow cloak. "I've never had the chance to use it so it's perfectly clean. You can have it."

Ace nodded and allowed to be wrapped up. "Thank you" he said taking the man's hand again. It made people trust him more if he was in physical contact. If he acted as a child, it was harder for people to see him as anything else even if they knew a different side of his.

"You're quite affectionate."

"I'm just lonely" Ace said showing his tongue and getting his hand free. He skipped forward and turning around laughed. "Catch me if you can." With that he ran forward at full speed, ignoring Nein's calls to get back. He was no longer even sure if he wanted to, he had gained a cloak! He laughed and continued to run.

Nein was having trouble deciding what to do next. He could hurry after the kid or continue to lead the group. Both choices were bad for him. If only he had left Perry to deal with the kid alone! But no, he had to get his penny in... Now no matter what he did he was going to lose.

If he went after the kid, he'd lose the prestige and Perry will make sure to throw him out but if he stayed the kid would get away and he would have angered his superior for no good reason. How did that kid manage to turn all his work into nothing in a few moments? And he was getting further away every second.

"Go catch him, we won't disappear" the female cleric said with a sigh.

"Deedara?"

"There must be something wrong for him to act this way. Children aren't born evil, they are made into that. So go and get him back. It's dangerous for kids to run around without supervision."

"Thanks!" Nein said with a smile and a lighter heart and ran off after the kid. If Deedara said it’ll be okay, it means she’ll make sure that nothing changes until he returns. She was a really nice person but you didn’t want to make her angry. None dared to disagree if she ever said anything. "I'll be back as quickly as I can!"

"You're welcome"

"Winds carry me forth, Quick Feet" he cast a simple spell that doubled his running speed and rushed forward.

He passed a few bends but somehow the kid was nowhere in sight. 'Where could he have gone? I hope he didn't decide to explore the forest.’

Trees stood high on both sides with low undergrowth that allowed seeing well through them. It didn't seem like anyone had passed by there for some time but just in case Nein kept his eyes open. 'How fast could a kid be?' he asked himself, already starting to puff. Wizards really had no stamina.

Luckily up ahead he noticed a small person with his back to a tree looking up at the sky. Using the last bits of his stamina Nein reached him. The kid lowered his head and looked at him with surprise. "You actually chased after me?"

"Wasn't I supposed to?" Nein asked sitting down and taking deep breaths.

"I don't know..." the kid said in a quiet voice, looking in the distance.

"Let's go back to everyone. It's not nice to make women worry about us."

"Perry doesn't care about what happens to me. She would only be happier if something befell me."

"Don't mind her. It just takes time for her to warm up to people. If you stick around, you'll become best friends in moments!" he said, doubting his own words.

The kid didn't seem to believe them either but didn't argue. He stepped away from the tree and came to sit next to him.

At the same time cracking sounds reached their ears and before either one could stand up or react for that matter, they started to fall. Five, ten, fifteen seconds of free falling was a pretty scary thing and Nein managed to see at least half of his life pass through. The rest was reserved to come up with words for last breath important information sharing. He couldn't go out without leaving anything behind.

Bumpt! Once and twice before hitting hard stone floor. Nein massaged his hurt bottom before turning around to see how he was still alive with his meagre health pool.

A giant mushroom after which he could stand at full height grew right under the hole they dropped from. On its cap they had bounced and broken the fall. "Kid? Are your here? Did you get hurt?" he asked looking around but the shower of light revealing the mushroom didn’t extend into the cave they were in. It was pitch black.

"I have a name and it's Ace" the kid said standing up from one of the shadows. A small wavering flame escaped from under the cloak and made his face look ghostly white with its bluish light.

"Flare? Do you seriously just used that spell? It's useless!" Nein said coming closer and shaking his head lightly.

"I did" Ace said in defiance. "And what are you going to do about it?"

The mage laughed. "Nothing. I just wanted you to know that it's a waste of mana."

"I'm aware of the spells characteristics" Ace said dismissively and turned to go explore the cave.

"Hey! It's not the time to play adventurers. We must go back to the group!"

"If you know how to fly, sure" Ace said crossing arms over his chest and looking with mockery in his eyes. It was clearly seen from the small light positioned in a way to strengthen the effect. Nein wondered whether it was made purposefully or just happened randomly. It was hard to say.

"Dammit" Nein cursed looking at the hole high up in the air. "I don't specialize in that kind of thing."

Ace's hands fell from surprise. "You mean you're high enough level?"

"Plus minus a few. I don't remember the exact number required but I have increased statuses so probably if I was a wind mage or had many general skills..."

"Woah..." Ace said extending the last notes. He never expected his hunters to actually be high levelled and this guy didn't even put any significance into it. Who exactly was he?

"It seems you're right. We must find another way out" Nein said in a friendly tone and turned to go. "Can you light the way? I don't have any skill for that."

Ace nodded and directed [Flare] ahead. He had many new things to consider and preferred some quietness. There will be time to figure out what the guy's profession was later on.

Now he had to change his whole belief about the hunters. Previously he had thought that they were only stupid kids full of thoughts of revenge but what he saw didn't match it at all. Perry might have been a little too straightforward and quick to reveal all her cards but she was hard working and never giving up.

The female cleric didn't seem to be mad either even if she called him a monster. She just helped one who needed it and looked at him with disapproving eyes, asking to think about his actions.

This guy was very loyal, always having his master's best interests in his mind even if the master herself didn't know it. Not to forget that he was a high levelled mage. It was a truly terrifying bunch. He wasn't sure he wanted to learn about the others too.

Drip! Cold water hit Ace's eye and he grimaced covering it with his hand. It hurt way too much for a drop of water. "Gust" he murmured to prevent it from happening again.

"Hmm?" Nein asked turning around to glance at him.

Ace quickly lowered his hand. "Nothing just remembered an old song we learnt in school."

"Can you sing it for me? It's very boring here just walking like that" Nein asked with a smile.

Ace hesitated for a moment before choosing his favourite childhood song. His parents always sang it for him before sleep. "I can try"

"London Bridge is falling down,

Falling down, falling down.

London Bridge is falling down,

My fair lady.

Build it up with wood and clay,

Wood and clay, wood and clay,

Build it up with wood and clay,

My fair lady.

Wood and clay will wash away,

Wash away, wash away,

Wood and clay will wash away,

My fair lady..."

He sang remembering his mother bowing over him to make sure he was warm enough, father coming to kiss him goodnight.

Build it up with silver and gold,

Silver and gold, silver and gold,

Build it up with silver and gold,

My fair lady.

Silver and gold will be stolen away,

Stolen away, stolen away,

Silver and gold will be stolen away,

My fair lady.

He wondered where they were at the moment and whether they were happy. It was so long since the last time he'd seen them although he wasn't sure he wanted to have a meeting. Since long ago their relationship had strained and now no longer anyone knows how to act. It would be better for everyone if they never met again.

Set a man to watch all night,

Watch all night, watch all night,

Set a man to watch all night,

My fair lady.

Suppose the man should fall asleep,

Fall asleep, fall asleep.

Suppose the man should fall asleep?

My fair lady.

Give him a pipe to smoke all night,

Smoke all night, smoke all night,

Give him a pipe to smoke all night

My fair lady.

He finished closing his eyes. Somewhere deep down he wished to hear someone else's voice beside his but the song had ended and no one had joined him. His childish voice echoed alone in the cavern, the last notes flowing around not ready yet to fade into oblivion.

"You have a nice voice. Have you ever thought about becoming a singer?" Nein asked glancing back at him.

Ace shook his head. There was no future ahead of him so there was no point in dreaming. He gave up on it before even starting to have realistic dreams. 'What a sob story. Are you done?' he asked himself angrily and caught up to Nein.

The walls of the cave were uneven and slimy. Dark freezing water ran down its walls and dropped from ceiling on Nein's head, Ace had already made sure not to get hit again.

Noticing Ace's dark mood, Nein changed the direction of his questions. He wanted to learn more about the kid, but he didn't want to push too hard and scare him away. He needed to make him trust him and maybe even start to rely on him. Lonely children tended to look for older people to look up to even if they tried to deny it.

"Hm... So have you sung that song often in your class?"

"Not even once. I learnt it myself" 'by listening to parents singing it.'

'So is he from England or not?' Nein wondered. "Do you know how the game is played by it?"

"A game? I never... Well, the melody is catchy. It shouldn't be surprising that someone thought up a game for it" Ace said, taking quick steps. He was slowly getting into a leading position.

"Why did you start to hurry all of a sudden? I thought you didn't want to return?"

'Is there anything he doesn't notice?' "It's not that. I'm just tired of these boring walls. And there's not even a single enemy here!" Ace said in a whiny voice, pretending to actually care about where he was walking.

"You're such a child" Nein laughed and caught up to him so they walked at the same speed. "Myself I'm pretty happy we're not facing any enemies. It would be troublesome without a healer if we had to get through some monster encampment." 'And you would see my spells. Although, you're a child, there's a big chance you're a cold-blooded killer too.'

Ace moved his head slightly to sides as if unsure but didn't continue to talk.

Somewhere up ahead a small light appeared. It was bright and steady. As they came closer a door could be seen over which a lamp was lit. The surprising thing was that it was that the door was set into stone without any kind of man-made attachments. 'Could that mean that someone actually lives here?' Ace wondered coming closer. He carefully looked around for traps but bare walls didn't seem to contain anything.

"Careful kid, there are probably some traps here!" Nein said, grabbing him by the shoulder.

"And what are we supposed to do if there are? It's not like you can disable them, can you?" Ace asked, raising an eyebrow. 'Dammit, I forgot my act. What's going on?'

The guy was taken aback by the reply but he could see the truth behind it. It's not like they could just go back and leave. The only thing they could do was move forward and hope for survival. "Silly me" Nein said with a laugh, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed smile. But quickly he became serious. "You should let me go first. If I die, at least you'll know how to evade the trap."

"You're a mage, right?" Ace asked as if not hearing a thing.

"Well, yes... Why..."

"Then it's decided, I'll go first. I have at least a few points in dexterity."

"Really? What is your class?" Nein asked, grabbing the opportunity to find out more about the kid but Ace didn't feel like sharing information. "I used a dagger to attack the man."

'Yeah, but that could be only a cover to hide your true profession and you wouldn't be the first one to do it. Even I'm using it to an extent. Although, would you really just go in first if you were anything else but a rogue? You don't seem like a good Samaritan who would risk himself for the sake of others, me this time.' Nein asked questions in his head but he kept them to himself. It was easy to see that the kid isn't one for revealing things about himself. 'But just wait child. I'll find every single dirty secret of yours!' he vowed.

"Wait, that's not the point! I'm an adult! I must be the one to lead the way even if it costs me my life!"

Ace turned around and smiled brightly, tilting his head lightly. "Don't worry! I'll be fine. It's only ten steps to the door." 'And I've already made sure that there are no traps there'

While Nein stared stunned Ace skipped forward with careless steps. Too careless. Right from under his feet a blade shot forward trying to skewer him. Ace managed to twist to the side at the last second but that released arrows hidden in the wall. They were aimed at people's chest but because of his height they were aiming at his head and he couldn't jump his own height. With a curse and a prayer he fell flat on the ground.

Five places moved under him. 'Dammit.' Without a second thought he rolled to the side, clicking another set of traps and used [Shadow Dash] to get away but because of the rushed action he appeared in the place where he had been a second ago and green fumes were rolling around there. He was unable to get the single breath he had taken in out and a message appeared on the corner of his eyes.

*You've been poisoned! You'll continue to loose health until you drink an antidote or die*

But that wasn't the end of his troubles. From somewhere a spark appeared and lighted the fumes, Ace tried his best to get away but the explosion caught him none the less and blasted him into the other wall. *Cough* There was blood on his hand with which he had covered his mouth and a swinging axe was coming his way. He fell to the side, the axe only brushing his legs.

And the poison kept taking his hit points.

Darts flew his way but he was too low for them to hit him. Ace was about to take a breath to calm his beating heart when he took notice of a wall before him moving. Where a moment ago arrows were being released along with green fumes a large hole was opening. That didn't bode well but Ace didn't really feel like moving. Each step only set a bunch of traps on him. From the corner of his eye he noticed Nein looking desperate and probably shouting something but at the moment he was in a survival mode. He'll ask what the guy wanted when he had made it through this.

A huge round rock showed its nose out rolling at full speed and Ace didn't wait for another moment before getting away from his spot. Other traps he might be able to deal with but there's no way he could stop that thing from moving and not squishing him like a bug.

He stepped to the left side and two fires from the remaining wall shot out scorching his feet as he jumped to evade them. He grabbed to take hold of the ceiling but it was too wet and slimy to hold it and he fell down. Although, he did manage to trigger some more traps. It seemed like they were everywhere. He fell right through the fire and onto another set of traps. His health got below half in seconds.

The triggered trap opened up a wide hole filled with spikes. At the last second Ace managed to use [Shadow Dash] but the ground beneath him was moving, opening up and the awkward footing messed up his balance and even made him twist his ankle.

The jump took him almost to the other side of the spike hole but it lacked a few centimetres and he only grabbed the edge with his hands, his legs dangling by the points of very sharp spikes.

'If there was only something I could hold onto well and drag myself up...'

"They who hate the touch of mankind rise and bind them for forever, Wild Vines!" Ace chanted directing it upwards. It was a spell to stop your opponent’s movements, but if he made them grow from the ceiling, maybe they could be used as a rope too? There was water at the top and probably dirt too as this was an underground cave. If only they could hurry up! His strength was receding quickly and the hold was so bad.

Finding no living beings to bind the vines fell down lifelessly and that was exactly what Ace hoped for, now if only they could hold him. Noting his hands losing hold, he took a breath and putting his feet against the wall to help out too jumped on the vine. He grasped it like the dearest thing ever and held for a moment shaking all over. It was holding somehow. But he couldn't press his luck. He needed to get out.

Using his tired limbs he dragged himself up and almost to the ceiling. From there he jumped to the edge he didn't fully reach last time. This time he made it but his left leg didn't hold and he fell down, almost sliding back down into the spike hole.

He lay there breathing heavily and unable to move. His health was below ten percent and he didn't even have a required antidote. This place was extremely high levelled if he couldn't even sense the traps and his instincts were late to react. It was only a stroke of luck that he had made it through somehow.

And it meant that even if he had had time he couldn't make an antidote. Unlike real alchemists he didn't spend his every waking hour on creating potions so his skill in alchemy was not even up to his level, not even talking about making anything even higher than that.

Feeling like just lying there and dying he started to drag himself forward. Few steps ahead the door stood. He reached it and like a hero who had finished his quest but had met his bitter ending sat against it. His head lolled down and his vision started to blur but he smiled. No matter what, he had succeeded; having to die was only an unwanted side effect with which he could deal if he really tried.

Three percent of health remained. He still had a few minutes. Or maybe not. It wasn't only poisoning killing him. The damage he received from fire opened imagined wounds from which he was supposedly bleeding. The game was made in a way that without healer's help or healing potions one wouldn't be able to survive after having less than ten percent of health. Now that he thought about it, wasn't it called internal bleeding? That's why you could die even if there were no open wounds you could see with naked eye.

Freezing cold liquid entered his mouth and ran down the throat, chill passing through the whole body

His sight cleared up and energy filled him once again. But there was something wrong with it. Even though he felt like he was ready to face anything again, there was no way to move. It was as if he was no longer the boss of his own body.

"Sorry about this but I had no other idea how to help you" Nein said with a sheepish smile. Somehow Ace was looking straight at him even though he hadn't moved his head; it had done so on its own accord.

"I see the question in your eyes so let me explain it in short. I like experimenting with alchemy and this is my best creation so far. It is an elixir that takes full control of a person's body, making it like that of a doll. That is why you're unable to move without my order but your death has been postponed. I hope you don't mind it too much."

The glare in Ace's eyes could melt Antarctica. Twice.