I wake up to a sudden yowl and instincts scream for me to roll, which I perform purely automatically. Sword already taken out and ready to send the enemy to afterlife.

Before me stands a 2 meters long white cat with black stripes and huge dagger-like front fangs. After scowling at me it performs series of rapid strikes which I barely defend against with the shield. Each strike can end me any moment. After that as if feeling my weakness it pounces at me as I try to protect my neck and face with shield. Sending as much mana into right arm I perform a stab with all that is left in my body. And it finds it's way to cats neck. Cat yowls again but the sword is too deep and all movements only quicken its death. After few seconds of thrashing around the movement starts slowing down and finally ends at all.

I find myself buried under 300 kilogram piece of dead cat meat. I try to take several deep breaths to gather energy and crawl out.

Looking back at it an idea pops up, this thing is worth quite a lot. But I don't have time to skin it. And it's too close to the city. And only the fucking pelt will weight few dozen kilograms.

Why? Why does that shit always happen to me?

Wait. Maybe the cave belonged to it. And it just came back and found an intruder in it.

Me.

Looking outside I find that the sun is just rising. I barely had any sleep.

I clean myself and look back at the body. Cats body is worth more than few solid gold coins and I can't take anything. Shit.

But before that I need ration. Well at least the meat came to me on its own.

…

It has already been a week since I left Emeral. And the travel went not so well. I evaded the main road as there could be a pursuit. I didn't find that much food in the first week, a hare and a fox. But one the second week a pack of wolves decided that they could have a small snack. Twice.

And this time I didn't come out unharmed, there were just too many. I got a damaged right hand and left foot. Great. Can't attack and can barely walk.

But as I walked souther and souther less and less snow was lying on ground. Yeah it still was freezing cold, but the walk should be easier now. At least SHOULD have been.

FUCK.

A broken leg is not and issue. But it is an issue if you must continue walking while it is regenerating. But noooooo, those mutts had to a rip out tendon. I should have thought of possibility that alpha would attack from behind. I sigh.

A small issue with a foot and time restriction, therefore I decided to take a small risk and get back on the main road. I am far enough that is there was a pursuit team, there is a small chance of meeting them.

The question is which direction is the main road. I know that I need to go south based on the direction of sunrise and sunset. Is the main road on east or west.

Shit. Fuck my life.

The walk continues…

…

So. Results so far.

Finally there is no snow and the weather if a bit warmer.

I have enough food and didn't meet too much local wild-life trouble since the last incident. My leg and hand got a bit better, but that took too much energy.

Main road was found. Strangely it was really close.

And even better I came to a small village. But for some reason the village chief and locals look really strange.

“Greeting traveler. I am Ntar. The village chief. Sam here told me that you are a hunter.” he said while pointing on the thirtyish looking guard. The guy spoke few words since I met him not so far from the entrance of the village. Big burly muscle-head which you can meet anywhere.

The chief is about 1.7 meters tall with grayish beard. He is dressed quite nicely for a remote village like this. His rectangular hat with red and green symbols on top of it is reminding me of something, but I just can't place it.

“Greetings. Yes I am. My name is … Alan.”

He smiled brightly, but I knew that it was fake, the important question is which type of fake, the merchant one or…

“It looks like you are a really good hunter Alan. Not many are brave enough to hunt during winter. And even less come back. So what can our humble village do for such formidable hunter as you.”

Acknowledgment of my danger and flattery. OK, for now this is a usual merchant behavior.

“I am low on some supplies and wondered if you have anything for the trade.”

He smiled again with his barely distinguishable fake smile.

“Of course. Of course. Sam, take our guest to Kala. She will help you everything.”

Kala is a girl with long light brown hair and face full of freckles. She is barely 20, but already main village trader. Her shop was located not far from the village center and looked quite strange, more like a storehouse, but it had quite a list of interesting items for sale.

I got few salves and quite a lot of dried meat. Even with my healing few extra burn or poison salves are never extra and I am really tired of eating raw shit. I have collected few coins on the way here so the payment is not an issue, additional to that the price is good.

After we finish the transaction Kala invites me to have a meal with them.

I shouldn't stay here too long.

But hot food…

I always laughed at people who were easily manipulated by nice food.

“Thank you very much. It will be greatly appreciated.”

Fuck. But here I am doing the same as those idiots.

…

About a dozen people gathered in a house several meters from Kala's shop. Village Chief Ntar and Sam were here too. We all sat around a bit table.

“We hope you have no problems with mushrooms.” Asked the Chief.

“No problem at all.”

The bowls were placed around which were quickly filled with grayish soup with mushrooms and pieces of meat. People started eating as soon as their bowl were filled.

I took the wooden spoon and scooped a bit of soup which then went directly to my open mouth.

When the spoon was half-way back to bowl from my mouth I freeze.

Magonite.

My mind when to overdrive trying to deduct how the actual FUCK is this poison in north kingdom.

I look up and see everyone looking at me.

The moment chief's hat comes into my vision everything comes into place. The symbol on it.

“Qaes.”

Eyes of older ones didn't change, but the younger ones and kids did.

That's bad. Really bad.

“I have no issues with Sarshi Caliphate. I will leave this village and tell no one of its existence.”

Everyone were still silent. But the eyes of chief became sharp with determination.

This is MUCH worse than the spirit activity in the north or coming war with Qing. Caliphate assassin village in heart of north. This is not just a village of spies, this is a major invasion node. Do they even understand what they are doing?

No.

Only the chief know the part-truth.

They always use fanatics. I have lost count of fanatics I personally killed. More than several thousands of ones belonging to Caliphate Quartet God Sect, and the uncountable number of constantly appearing Dark Churches. During that whole period I became nearly immune to all poisons and internal curses.

I should not have come to this village.

Sam performs a horizontal slash at the place where my head and neck should have been. His sword shining with blue energy.

Kala takes an elderly woman by neck and performs a quick cut after which blood start flowing out into a small blood sphere. Some start running out some take out hidden weapons.

The chief starts chanting something.

Shit. Wizard, Warlock, Enforcer and a group of equipped assassins. And everything in closed space.

I quickly take out a small yellow orb and throw it at the table. Never expected to use it here. It hits the table and explodes into yellow-red gas.

Now it's a bit more fair.

The blood ball start deforming and falls down. Sword stops shining and the chief looks at me baffled.

Kill or be killed huh.

…

I started collecting anything of value in the village. There was a lot of stuff, but I didn't have time to order it and space take it with me. They have two horses so the travel will become a bit easier.

I continued walking around as the bodies of elder, young and kids continued to burn in the center of village. Their dead eyes looking lifelessly onto the sky. The smell of burning human flesh is indescribable, but you will never be able to forget it or mix it with something else.

Words cannot describe the hate and powerlessness I feel right now.

They always use the young. The ones that are easily influenced or controlled.

I remember when I was younger, how I argued with the superiors and believed that we can save them. Help them. Fix them.

But they did not want to be saved.

They could not be saved.

Kids can not be held responsible for the actions of their parents. Nor can they be held accountable for the things the have been told to do. They do not understand what is right or wrong. And their zealous belief into something that they don't even understand.

When you see a child less than 10 running at you with a sword she can barely hold, with eyes full of hate and contempt. With pure innocent eyes they believe that you are the bad one, that all the atrocities that she has been told to do, are good, justified. At those moment something in you breaks forever.

And after that you can't stop trying to save them, because maybe, that can save yourself.

I will never forget the time when we tried to save the children from a new necromancer church. We killed everyone except children. We truly believed we saved them. We ignored their hateful eyes, we believed that as soon as we get to base we could explain to them, teach them what was actually happening. Maybe they even would join the legion and become our brothers.

But were too naive.

They had a timed devil pills inside of them. More likely made to swallow the moment we attacked. That night, they turned. The ones we wanted to protect became the end of my many brothers. We killed the devils.

But the morning was the worst. Cold realization that we lost more that night than on the actual mission. They could be alive, breathing, laughing with us.

A part of us all died that night.

You could try to save them.

But they do not understand that.

They do not want to be saved.

Or maybe that are the words that I am telling myself to sleep better.

That was not the main road I came to. It was a hidden path. No one was meant to come to this hidden village.

I finish preparing the horses. And resume traveling south again.

This village had much more importance than they could understand. They were meant to be used as a sacrifice for the portal. I have seen similar, villages. This would have been one of the points where the Sarshi Caliphate would invade from.

War.

Qing with Northern Kingdom and Sun Empire.

Now Sarshi Caliphate with Northern Kingdom.

The Desert Alliance will be involved one way or another.

I need to cross the Dead Desert before that.

This all means that soon more than half of the continent will be at war.

Am I running out of burning house?

No. The events will still catch on to me.

I need to reach Toaan as soon as I can. And the time left in decreasing with each second. I am not sure how much it will take to reach my goal. And every day it feels more and more like it can be the last.

But please, if there is someone up there.

Please, just one more day, one more fucking day.