Jorish stared with astonishment as he walked inside the capital. It makes sense. He thought as he saw all the different people around the city walking around. Yet, it didn’t make him feel any less astonished. Even their ragtag of a group didn’t really catch much attention.

Jorish kept switching between astonishment and irritation as he felt the fabric of the top he was wearing against his skin. Under Mitki’s insistence, he was gifted with a set of clothing that suited the capital more closely. He understood that people from rural cities were not treated well. Jorish didn’t understand how people under the same sun’s blessing can do so to each other, yet he knew that such people exist.

When they entered the city, they bid Sitki and Mitki as well as the rest of the caravan goodbye as everyone went on to do their own thing. Traves and his group went on with the only logical thing to do in the enemy's base, the place where chaos was destined to brew. The impregnable fortress.

Go have some food.

Jorish sat in the restaurant, visible tense while everyone else ate without a care in the world. Many outstanding mouth-watering dishes sat in the middle of the table, yet Jorish couldn’t even bother to think about food. This is where he is. This is where the Tyrant is. How can I even think of relaxing?

As Jorish tension rose higher and higher, it was broken as he felt a flick on his ear. He turned around, looking at Traves who smiled.

“Relax, Jorish. When it's time for rest, you relax.” said Traves as the look in his eyes changed momentarily. “And when it is time to fight. You fight.”

Jorish couldn’t refute what Traves said. It made sense. But that was easier said than done. Jorish started eating, trying to distract himself from his worries. As he started eating, he was slightly taken back as he looked at what he was eating. So this is the fish that everyone talked about. Jorish wondered how they could get fish into the core of the sun-touched cities before shaking his head. It was the capital, they would take those costs if they had to.

Minutes later, Jorish and everyone else was walking around after they finished food. Traves started speaking as he looked around. “Well, I am still feeling a bit hungry and I want to try some other places around. Do any of you want to join me?”

Jorish shook his head as he replied. “I am full. I will just walk around.”

Cail also replied. “I will check the library I heard about in here. Might find some interesting things there.” as he walked away.

Traves shook his head as he spoke. “Fine, just don’t cause any trouble. Let's meet here tonight.”

Anise stood, confused, until she decided to follow Jorish.

Jorish and Anise walked around, taking the sights around them in awe. Regardless of where he went, he could see one of the smaller “eyes” of the cities. He had learned that they were called “irises”. Each one was almost as fearsome as the eye in Zeltol. This city is truly a fortress. Stood Jorish speechless.

As the duo kept walking, they were greeted by a familiar face.

“Hey, Jorish, Anise!”

“Oh, Mitki! You are alone? Where is Sitki?” said Jorish

“Ah, well, he went to do his own thing. He is always like that.” laughed Mitki

“Well, we are free right now. You?”

“Ah, I was just going to check on the market. If you are free, care to tag along?”

Jorish and Anise joined Mitki as they headed to the market. Their steps slowed down as they got there; the size and scale of the market were incomprehensible to Jorish, even more so were the varieties of products that were found there. He saw many things that he had never seen before. Probably imported goods. He concluded.

As they walked around in awe, Jorish heard some commotion. They walked towards the disturbance as they saw two men arguing. One sat at the counter of the shop, wearing fancy robes, while the other wore the same light clothes Jorish often saw in Zeltol. The group went closer until they could make out what the men were arguing about.

“Get out, savage. Either you buy this at this price or you don’t.” shouted the man in the robes

“You just sold this at a fraction of this price moments ago! Please, I beg you!” said the other man before the robed man punched him, causing him to fall.

“I said, get out of my way.” gruntled the robed man.

“... please!” begged the man as the robbed man approached to hit again.

As he raised his leg to kick him, he got punched by Mitki. Who stared at him in rage as he spoke. “You seem to become an even worse person as time goes, Khar.”

“Mitki, you savage. You all are savages. You will pay for this.” shouted Khar.

Mitki got the counter as he threw a few coins at Khar, then grabbed a bottle as he handed it to the man. The man kept thanking him over and over as he tried to pay Mitki, who refused, and then finally, he left. Khar gruntled as he gathered his merchandise and left. Even refusing to touch the money Mitki threw, as if it was contaminated with some disease.

“Sigh, that guy never changes.” said Mitki.

“So, what was that about?” asked Jorish

“That was an uncommon medicine around here that cures some specific poison, there are other medicines that cure it as well. However, that medicine is unique, being the only one that is affordable enough for most common people. That person must’ve spent a fortune already just trying to reach Slenham.”

Having dealt with the disturbance, Jorish, Sitki, and Anise finished their visit to the shop and started walking around the city. There was still time until they would meet with Traves and Cail, so they were unsure what to do.

As they walked around, they were interrupted by a shout from behind.

“Stop right there!” said the man as footsteps followed. Moments later, five guards stood behind them holding various weapons.

“You there, scarred face, yes you. You are under arrest!” shouted the guard in front.

“What?” muttered Mitki, confused.

Jorish felt equally confused, yet he did the first thing he learned to do in any situation. Look around.

The guards were well built and armed. They were not practitioners, those weren’t that common, but they were still close to the peak of human strength and might’ve had some energy training. Jorish kept looking around, trying to catch anything that he might’ve missed. Then he saw it. In a random corner he could see Khar snickering as he hid. So it was that idiot’s fault huh.

Seemingly, at that same moment, Mitki must have seen him as well. As his demeanor changed aggressively as he shouted at them. “This is a mistake! That guy is…”

Mitki’s retort was interrupted by the guard shouting. “If you will not come peacefully you will come by force!”

The guard stepped forward as he prepared to hit Mitki with his baton. Mitki froze, unsure of what to do as the baton flew towards his face.

A clash was heard as the baton hit. However, it was not the sound of flesh being hit. Instead, Jorish stood as he held his staff, blocking the baton.

“You...You wish to defy the city guard and protect this criminal? Guards!” shouted the guard as the rest of the guards equipped their swords and spears, putting aside their batons.

“Jorish, you…” muttered Mitki.

“Sorry Mitki.” said Jorish as he took off his top, releasing his muscles as he felt free. That thing is truly annoying. He thought as he said, gripping his staff harder as he looked towards the guards. “Those clothes were just not for me.”

Jorish stared at the guards as he felt a presence next to him. His months of fighting that person told him that it was Anise on his side without needing to look.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a shout. “What is going on here?”

The guard turned around and got his knee on the ground. “Senator Bishi, these people were resisting the guards when we tried to arrest a criminal.”

Jorish looked at the two figures which appeared. One of them wore intricate red robes that reminded him of the royal instructor that Traves fought back in Zeltol. The other wore ordinary red clothes. Candidates? No, the red-robed man’s presence is strong. Probably peak candidate.. And the other person is also a candidate... This might be a problem. Maybe we should just back off. Thought Jorish evaluated the situation. Neither Jorish nor Anise was a practitioner yet. The difference it made to be a practitioner was a massive difference that was very difficult to overcome.

“Well, just arrest them all or whatever. I have some…” Talked the robed figure until he paused, looking at Anise. The indifference in his eyes slowly replaced by rage and disbelief as he shouted. “Kill them. Kill them all.”

The guard stood confused as he muttered. “Senator, are you sure we should…”

The senator waved his hand as a wave of force slammed into the guard, causing him to crash at the ground. “When I tell you to do something, you obey.” he said, turning around to face Jorish’s group.

“What do we have here, a lizard runaway isn’t it. I thought I had this thing dealt with.”

Anise’s pupils shrunk as she heard what the senator had spoken. The chaos that clouded her eyes for a moment as she heard and processed what was just said was slowly replaced with an uncontrollable rage.

Jorish grip on his staff tightened as he got into stance. Neither Traves nor Cail should be close to here, unless he was lucky. And he was not willing to trust luck when he had two practitioners and a few guards out for blood.

He glanced at Anise, worried. However, he calmed down as he saw there was still some reason in her eyes. As soon as the guards started moving, Jorish burst into action. He who strikes first, wins! Jorish burst like a shadow as he slipped between the guards as he used his momentum, thrusting his staff towards the head of the senator.

The senator smiled in disdain as he waved his hand. Jorish felt as if he had hit a metallic wall with his staff before he was pushed back. Jorish looked at his staff in horror as he stepped back, avoiding getting surrounded by the guards.

That reaction speed and that spell. He is both a body and an energy practitioner. We are in trouble. Thought Jorish as every part of him warned him to try to run away. But logic won over as he knew he had no hope of escaping. He had to fight it out somehow. He looked at the staff’s edge, as a deep crack ran through it.

“Anise!” shouted Jorish as he burst into action. We have to get rid of the weaker guards first, or we will be overrun! Decided Jorish. He sprinted forward again. As the guards started recovering from their shock and tried to stop him, he didn’t try to overtake them. Instead, he pushed his body low as he swung his staff to the side aiming towards the guard’s knees, breaking it.

As the other guard tried to swing down his sword at Jorish, he pushed his hand against the floor, moving himself to the side. As soon as the guard’s sword hit the floor, Jorish got up as he jabbed his staff into the guard’s stomach, sending him to the floor. He looked at Anise, letting a breath out as he saw she had also disarmed the guards without killing them.

He looked at the senator and the other man, who sat motionless as Jorish and Anise disposed of the guards. Those people are scum. They don’t care about their companions, nor do they care for human life. All they care about is their greed. Grunted Jorish as he started walking to the side, trying to find an opening against the senator.

The senator's face deformed from a smile into a cackle. “Petty squabbles. You dare to think you can face practitioners? What foolishness. Lokhi, you play with the girl. I will kill this kid, then I will deal with that lizard myself.”

Lokhi let out a laugh as he moved to face Anise. Jorish had no time to check on her however, he was facing a peak practitioner. One step below a candidate, he couldn’t win this fight. It was not possible.

Yet I will, because I have no other choice! Jorish lifted his spear, renewing his determination as he faced death.

Jorish approached the senator who stood motionlessly, almost taunting him. Jorish stabbed his staff, keeping his attention on the senator’s movements. As soon as he saw his hands move, he switched from a stab into a swipe towards his knees. The senator reacted instantly as he swiped his hand downwards, creating a force that blocked the staff as cracking sounds burst out.

Jorish didn’t feel discouraged as he tried to attack in the senator’s downtime, swinging his staff towards his head. Only to see his smile widen as he moved his hands rapidly, blocking the strike and forcing more strikes towards Jorish.

Jorish fell back as he blocked the strikes that appeared out of thin air. His staff cracking louder at every collision. Until finally, it broke in half as it blocked the last strike. Jorish threw it away as he quickly scanned around him. Before he could think he felt another strike coming towards him. He dove to the right as he barely dodged the strike, grabbing a sword from one of the fallen guards.

The senator looked in amusement as he spoke. “Oh? You think you could pick random weapons you probably never used to face me, a practitioner? How naive.”

Jorish’s teeth clenched as he tried to think of his next plan of action. He knew he couldn’t risk fighting barehanded, one of those strikes can mess him up completely. At least, this steel sword would last longer against him than the wooden staff he had.

Jorish readied his sword as he pushed forward. The senator looked, mockingly, as he waited for Jorish to approach. As Jorish was in range the senator waved his hands again. Jorish parried the strikes with the flat of the blade. As the strike push his blade, Jorish stepped forward, turning the momentum he gained and the carelessness of the senator into a quick strike that went for his neck.

The senator reacted in surprise and panic as he thrust his hand upwards, creating a force that blocked the strike in the last moment. A thin line of blood flowed as a graze appeared on the senator’s cheek. The senator’s face turned from carelessness into fury as he swung his hand once more. Jorish felt the energy pulsing, knowing that the senator was getting angry as he tried to block the strike.

A loud crash sounded as the blade snapped, sending Jorish flying, hitting the floor. He laid on the floor as the senator approached him.

- - - - -

Anise’s eyes shone with anger. I will make them pay. She held her club as she approached Lokhi. As her rage mounted, her eyes shone golden as grey lines appeared on his skin. She felt power coarse around her body as she prepared to get rid of the hindrance so she could deal with that man.

Anise forced herself to momentarily calm down and keep a clear mind. Her time in the trials initially taught her to have a calm mind. Later, she learned to think.

Anise pushed off the ground as the zipped toward Lokhi, who reacted as he swung a whip towards her. Expecting it, Anise smashed her foot into the floor in front of Lokhi, causing a huge cloud of sand and dust to soar. Anise made use of her canceled momentum to step to the side, swinging her weapon.

Lohki’s smirk never left his face as his body slithered backward unnaturally, dodging her strike. A body. Knew Anise as she jumped back. Lohki swung his whip at her again. Anise concentrated all forces on one foot as she pushed off the ground, smashing the whip to the side as she reached Lohki. Anise began her assault, swinging her club, hands and legs as she kept trying to hit Lohki, who kept moving in inhuman ways. He kept slipping away as his bones turned in abnormal angles, moved to impossible positions, or in some cases disappeared completely.

Lohki kept swinging his whip pointlessly as Anise kept blocking or parrying it. She knew he was biding his time, yet she couldn’t be careless. Perhaps one of those weak whip lashes turned strong, causing her to fail. And she couldn’t afford to fail. Not today.

For the next few minutes, nothing changed as Anise kept chasing after Lohki who kept slipping out of grasp, while Lohki kept harassing her with his whip. This can’t go on for longer. Thought Anise as she thought of Jorish. She trusted him, but she knew that this was a fight neither she nor him could win on their own. They would need to fight the senator together to have a chance.

Anise stopped as she stared at Lohki, who taunted her. “What, done already? Kchh.”

Anise focused on what she heard from Traves in the last few weeks the feeling she had in her spars as she tried to call on the power hidden in her bloodline. I need that last step. I must find it. Her eyes got brighter, while the lines on her body got more pronounced as she gathered strength in her legs, pushing off the ground again.

Less than a moment later she was almost face to face with Lohki, who stood stunned. Anise gathered her strength and momentum into her arm and she swung her club. Lohki reacted in time as he slithered back, yet he was hit by the shockwave of the strike. Lohki was sent back a few meters before he stood back up, slightly injured yet still ready to fight.

As Anise prepared to continue her assault on Lohki his voice sounded as he proclaimed. “Well, it's about time for your nap now. Isn’t it?” As Anise tried to move, she felt a weird sting throughout her body as she sluggishly stepped forward instead of leaping. She tried moving, confused, as she felt numb all over.

Damn, poison! Knew Anise. The sand dragon bloodline should help against poisons, yet she hadn’t awakened it enough. And he is a practitioner. His abilities are just above mine. Knew Anise.

A moment later, the whip flew as it coiled around Anise’s neck, as Lohki laughed.

Is this it?

Is this all I could do?

Sorry, my friends.

Sorry, Jorish.

Sorry, mother. father...

Sorry, grams…

As Anise lost hope, she turned her head with all her remaining will, looking at Jorish. She saw as his staff was broken, as he was thrown back.

It’s over.

Yet, she saw as he stood, as he held a sword.

She saw him score a cut on the senator. Lohki was a practitioner, true. But the senator was a peak practitioner. They were not on the same page. And she was stronger than Jorish, yet here she was. Pathetic. I am pathetic. She thought as life burned back into her eyes.

Yes. A human, a mortal, fighting a practitioner is an impossibility. It would only end up in death.

Her thoughts raced around as her pupils started shrinking, and the gray lines turned into grooves as her skin rose up.

But I am a dragon.

- - - - -

Damn it. Thought Jorish. His will was still alive and burning, yet he didn’t know what to do. He tried to stand as the senator approached him. He rose up slowly, holding the broken sword in his hand. The senator sneered at him as he sent a weak force pushing him, throwing him back a few meters.

Jorish sat, as he looked at the senator approaching him. Finally looking bored enough to finish him off.

Is this it?

No, think. There must be a way… something.

As Jorish knew he had no more ideas, nothing in mind he saw the handle of a weapon in front of him, below one of the guards. What difference would it make? Thought Jorish as he extended his hand to the weapon. Better fight until the very end.

As Jorish held the handle of the weapon and pulled it back, he felt a jolt through his body.

Jorish’s look of despair turned into a crazed smile, confidence that didn’t belong was born in him as he held his weapon.

It is alright. I will defeat him.

For I hold the ultimate weapon.

Jorish gathered his strength as he spoke, a wild grin on his face.

“Behold… the spear.”