Ril floated in a lightless void for what felt like an eternity. The pressure that the shadows had exerted on him had faded after the first couple of minutes. Instead the shadows simply held him. He couldn’t move much, but at least it wasn’t near painful to blink.

Despite the pseudo comfortable restraints, Ril couldn’t relax. He was wound as tight as a coiled spring. His heart hammered in his chest, and he couldn’t seem to get enough air into his lungs. His eyes stared sightlessly into the void, desperately scanning for any hint of escape.

Every sound that made its way through the shadows causing him to clench his fists uselessly. Every unexpected bump caused his core to clench as he tried to locate the source of the disturbance. But no matter what he did, he couldn’t make the shadowy prison give even partially to his struggles.

Again and again, Ril cursed his weak body, repeating like a mantra filled with rage and fear.

So weak. Too weak.

Indeed, only eight strength was not nearly enough to break free of the shadows. Not nearly enough to achieve much of anything in this battle crazed world.

He understood logically that he couldn’t escape physically, not in his current state and not against Siorraid’s power. But somehow he couldn’t for the life of him stop himself from trying. The worst part was that he had a way to destroy the shadows. To banish their hateful presence back to the abyss from whence they came. Destroy them so utterly that they would never be able to restrain him again.

But he didn’t do that. He held himself back from reaching out and wrapping his powerful mind around Siorraid’s core. He restrained himself from inflicting the same terror he felt upon another. He battled the desire. As if instead of being held by chains, he was the one holding on to the chains. It made it so much harder.

The sharp knife at his throat was a harsh reminder of the quality of people he had garnered the attention of. He had no illusions that he would survive if he tried to force a fight. Not here. Not now. And so, he forced himself to stay still again and again as he subconsciously and continuously tried to push off the shadows.

Ril fed his anger. Grinding his teeth so hard that it hurt. Holding back the little whimpers that tightened his throat and threatened to make themselves known to his captors.

Finally. Blessedly. They stopped. The shadows retreated from his eyes.

Ril hungrily took in the room, ignoring the twinges of pain from his eyes as they adjusted to the brighter environment.

At first Ril thought that he was in an office. In front of him there was a large heavy looking desk made of some dark wood. It spanned half the width of the office, dwarfing everything else in the room. Unlike a normal office where the desk was covered in papers and perhaps a few pieces of memorabilia, this desk was covered in...soup.

That wasn’t to say there weren’t papers on the desk, just that they were vastly outnumbered by the soup. Ril counted seven extra large bowls of soup that littered the surface. Three were full of a delicious smelling potato soup, while the rest were either empty or were being emptied by the man sitting behind the heavyset desk.

For lack of a better word, the man was beautiful. Handsome in a way that Ril was immediately envious of. Chiselled jaw and perfect hair. The man didn’t seem to have a single flaw upon his person. His skin practically glowed without a single scar maring its pristine surface. If anything, the man seemed a little thin, but not so thin as to suggest starvation.

In fact, the man seemed utterly perfect. His clothes were immaculate. A deep blue velvet suit with a perfectly folded handkerchief folded in the lapel. A silver sphere hung off a cord on his neck; a symbol of the church.

His posture accentuated his majesty, somehow being both stiff and relaxed at the same time and exuding the thick cloying confidence of royals.

The only thing that spoiled the perfect image was how the man was shoveling soup into his mouth with unrestrained hunger.

Ril quickly glanced at the rest of the room, noticing Siorraid standing at the edge of his vision, and Saddie leaning casually against the mantle of a fireplace with a giant cauldron full to the brim with more of the potato soup that filled the bowls.

The man behind the desk lifted the bowl to his mouth, slurping greedily at the remaining contents before quickly swiveling in his chair and refilling it with more from the cauldron. Ril found that strange since there were several perfectly full bowls sitting on the table. He placed the bowl on the desk and began drinking from a second bowl.

Ahh, he’s letting it cool down. Ril thought to himself. The man behind the desk was probably the guild leader that Siorraid had spoken about. Neither of the other two people in the room reacted much to the man’s strange behaviour. Maybe he just came back from a mission where he didn’t eat anything for a while. Still this is a little excessive. Ril wondered as he glared at Siorraid struggling against the shadows.

“My name is Bahlinar Spears.” Said the immaculate man, pausing briefly to fill his mouth with soup. Strangely, Ril didn’t feel that repulsed as he normally was when people talked with their mouths full. “So you’re the new kid that entered my city yesterday.”

The shadows covering Ril’s mouth dissipated, but Ril stayed silent, glaring at each of them in turn. Bahlinar finished the second bowl but unlike the previous time, he set his spoon down and steepled his hands under his chin.

“Why?” Bahlinar said.

Ril narrowed his eyes, twisting vanely in his bonds. “Why what? Be specific Bahli.” Ril responded derisively, intentionally shortening the guild leaders name.

Instead of getting angry, Bahlinar simply turned and refilled the bowl of soup, then started drinking from the next bowl in line.

“Why what indeed.” Bahlinar said slowly, putting another spoon of soup in his mouth, “Well for one I would like to know how you almost managed to best my second in command, but that story can be saved for another day. It is sure to be amusing.”

Bahlinar lifted his spoon and waved it in Ril's direction. “You said to be specific, so I shall be explicit. Why did you come to Sela?”

“None of your business.” Ril spat, attempting to burn a hole in them with his gaze. Focusing mainly on Siorraid who stood stoically behind Bahlinar.

“Hmm,” Bahlinar said, finishing off another bowl, “but I am going to make it my business. This city is precious to me. When powerful individuals enter Sela I make sure to speak with them. See I find it important to understand what powerful unknowns such as yourself are planning on doing in my city. Establish a cordial understanding so that there are no accidents.”

“But I am getting ahead of myself, what should I call you?” Bahlinar said.

“Ril.” Ril said curtly.

“Well Ril.” Bahlinar said, finally turning his attention from the bowl of soup and locking gazes with Ril. “Accidents are messy things. And entirely unnecessary in my opinion. So I ask you again. What are you doing in my city. And why did you run from and attack my envoy.”

“No reason,” Ril grudgingly said, “seemed as good a place to go as any.”

“So you were not hired to travel to this city?” Bahlinar said. He seemed unconcerned with the discussion, the soup in front of him taking up most of his attention.

Ril snorted. “Nah, left the old place. Came here to start over.”

Bahlinar raised an eyebrow, “and this old place is...”

“Anduin.” Ril said after a moment.

“Why did you leave?”

“That’s personal.” Ril said, resuming his glare. When Bahlinar opened his mouth to ask the obvious question Ril interrupted him. “Not what you think Bahli. Trouble with a friend. Didn’t kill no one.”

“Wonderful!” Saddie squealed from her corner of the room, clapping her hands excitedly. “So when can you start?”

Ril stared in confusion at Saddie, then at Bahlinar. “What?” Ril asked.

Bahlinar let out a sigh. “Saddie, dear? Could you let me handle this?” Saddie visibly wilted, then adopted a bored expression as Bahlinar continued. “If you are not working for anyone else, we would like to hire you. You would be amazed how rare someone of your skillset is.”

“And why should I join up with you, huh? Two of you tried to kill me,” Ril said angrily, then he turned his glare onto Siorraid who was just on the edge of his vision. “One of you succeeded.”

“Oh but that just makes it so much better doesn’t it?” Saddie sighed euphorically, then gave Bahlinar a guilty glance before clamping both hands on her lips.

“What is wrong with you?” Ril shouted at Saddie, stressed to the point of breaking. “All of you! The most normal one here is Siorraid and he is wearing more knives than I have ever seen in my life.”

Saddie looked mildly hurt, while Bahlinar was unfazed, as he calmly refilled his bowl and continued to eat.

“Perhaps it would help diffuse the situation if we released his bindings.” Siorraid said, breaking the silence.

“Go die!” Ril hissed, lashing out, obliterating Siorraid’s connection to the shadows and finally freeing himself from bonds. Suddenly he felt as if a great weight had lifted from him. All the pent of energy that had built from being trapped against his will and unable to move released all at once. He collapsed into the chair that was set under him, suddenly realizing what he did.

Contrary to what he expected the three people didn’t really respond all that much to his attack. Siorraid was as stoic as ever, while Sadie giggled like a school girl, and Bahlinar stared at him curiously.

“Oooh, you said a naughty!” Saddie said, bursting into another round of giggles.

Ril stared, angry and confused at the group that was breaking all his expectations. “You’re not mad?”

“No,” Siorraid said, “but if you could release your hold of me I would appreciate it. It is not a pleasant feeling as you know.”

Quickly Ril released the older man from the Mana Prison, embarrassed at his outburst.

“Uhm, what now? Aren’t you afraid that I am going to hurt one of you?” He asked.

Saddie giggled again, but it was Siorraid who responded. “Realistically there is nothing you could do to harm us while in this room. If you would like, you can try.”

Then to Ril’s utter bewilderment, Siorraid drew one of the daggers at his waist and pushed it across the desk top. Then he proffered an arm for Ril to stab.

Ril carefully took the dagger and glanced at Siorraid. “You sure?” for all he hated the man for trapping him, he didn’t actually like hurting people, unlike Saddie.

Saddie giggled maddeningly again, while Siorraid smiled kindly. “Go ahead. Try chopping off my hand. It will be useful for you to understand.”

“And I want to see his face when he understands.” Saddie said, covering her smile with one gloved hand.

Alright, I have no idea what’s going on here. Ril thought to himself.

He raised the dagger over his head, and then with all eight points of strength that he had he slammed it edge first onto Siorraid’s forearm.

The dagger halted a millimeter above the man’s skin. A telltale blast of blue sparks rose from the impact sight.

“Guardian Armor.” Ril whispered, flashing his gaze between the three until he spotted a bleeding gash on Bahlinar’s left arm. Then before his eyes, the droplet of blood that had escaped slithered back into the man’s body and the gash closed. The faint silver scar fading a moment later.

It was as if there was never an injury in the first place.

“Oh, that tickled.” Bahlinar said dryly, as he refilled another bowl of soup. Then his calm broke and he broke into a full belly laugh.

Ril recoiled in horror, falling back onto the chair. Not because of the laugh or Saddie’s gleeful expression. No it was because as Bahlinar laughed it revealed the inside of his mouth. More specifically, his teeth, or lack thereof.

The man had teeth, but they were ground down to flat nubs. Even his incisors were dulled, as if from a lifetime of chewing.

“What happened to your teeth?” Ril asked in morbid fascination.

Bahlinar settled back into his chair, a hint of sadness appearing in his perfect eyes.

“Before anything else, what is your answer regarding working with us? You will be paid of course, and it is better than working in the Gardens.” Bahlinar said, a hint of a smile appearing on his lips. “But I will have your response. Either we watch you directly, or you leave the city. I will not have a rogue element operating in my city.”

So they followed me today. That’s how they know that I am searching for a job, and how I signed up to work in the gardens., Ril thought, It was probably Siorraid, he looks like their Outrider.

Ril deliberated. But honestly it wasn’t much of a choice. Compared to the gardens, this was paradise.

“Sure,” Ril said, then hesitated, “but wait, what do you guys do?”

Bahlinar smiled. “We are the White Lily. We watch over this city. Work with the guard to maintain order and otherwise ensure the smooth running of a city as densely populated as this. In addition we work loosely with the Artorius family to maintain order throughout the realm. We have numerous agents that report on powder beast activity. Holistically, we are an organization of Outriders, Scouts, Rogues, Spies and Assassins. I welcome you to our ranks Ril.”

“Cool, but what happened to your teeth? And why are you eating so much? And how did you heal the wound so quickly?” Ril said eagerly sitting forward in his chair.

A clap resonated through the room, causing Ril to flinch back. “Well! This was great, but I’ve heard this story before. You and I should fight some time. It’ll be wonderful, I daresay.” Saddie said, before sauntering out of the room.

Ril watched her go, appreciating the view before Bahlinar’s voice pulled his attention.

“Have you ever heard of the Fragments, Ril?”

Ril nodded.

“That makes it easier. Through my adventuring I had acquired one of these so called Fragments. The Stomach to be precise. It grants increased regeneration, at the cost of being always hungry. As for the teeth, well. I was less careful with my body back then. It really is exhilarating to swallow steel. Unfortunately the increased regeneration brought about by the Stomach doesn’t seem to extend to my teeth, and so here I am, forced to drink soup for eternity.”

“How did you get the Stomach? Is it something that anyone can get?” Ril said, excitedly.

Bahlinar froze. Then he looked at Ril in trepidation. “Trust me kid. There are far less dangerous methods of acquiring power than the Fragments.”

“I’m not--” Ril began.

“Hear me out.” Bahlinar said, “there are plenty of abilities out there that can grant regeneration on par with the Stomach. Sure they are temporary, but they don’t come with a horrid downside.” He looked down at the cauldron of soup in disgust. “It is not a fate I would wish on anyone.”

“I don’t want to get the stomach, I’m just interested in the fragments.” Ril said sheepishly.

“Ahh, which piece did you acquire? Have you awakened it yet?” Bahlinar said shrewdly.

“The blood, and yes.”

“That makes sense.” he said, nodding to himself, then with a grimace continued to drink the soup. “The blood is the least harmful of the Fragments. As far as I know it doesn’t have a downside. Not like the other pieces. Admittedly I have never met someone who has awakened the Blood, but the unawakened version seems to only reduce the aggression of powder beasts to the user. Very useful for scouts infiltrating into the Wastelands, and for merchants I suppose.”

“But make no mistake, just because the Blood is not excessively harmful doesn’t mean that the other pieces are so mundane. They are deceptively easy to obtain, and almost exclusively they destroy. Few survive the acquisition, and even fewer retain their quality of life after the transformation.”

“Wait! How do you acquire them?” Ril interrupted.

Bahlinar reached up to the necklace at his throat, and gripped it tightly, a bitter smile on his face. “All you have to do is believe. Believe that the world will bend to your will. That regardless of how the world actually works, the way you want the world to work is how it will.”

Bahlinar shook his head. “But that is not the real problem with the Fragments.” He opened his mouth, pointing to his teeth. “You see these? Wouldn’t it be convenient if they were made of sterner stuff? It would be great if they were made of steel instead of bone.”

Bahlinar gave Ril a pointed look. “There is a Fragment that converts your entire skeleton to pure Chromium, the strongest metal that we know of. The Bones of the Chromagnum.”

Bahlinar sighed. “But therein lies the problem. Have you heard of Earthbreaker? I see that you have. If I went out into the wilds and did the necessary actions to acquire the Bones, sure my teeth troubles would be over, and I would have incredible strength as a bonus, but what would protect my mind from the debilitating side effects of the Bones?”

Ril opened his mouth, but Bahlinar overrode him. “Exactly. How convenient it is that the Mind of the Chromagnum massively improves the intelligence and resilience of an individual’s Mind.”

“Do you understand the problem. Each Fragment grants power, but leaves the individual forced to collect the other Fragments or suffer. To make it worse, each Fragment increases a user’s Warp upon acquisition. There are some who try to travel this path. None are able to collect more than three. Either their minds fail, or their bodies collapse. The greatest among them become powder beasts as their Warp spirals out of control. I implore you to find your strength elsewhere. There are plenty of abilities that can help you achieve your goals. It may take you longer to collect them, but you are young, you have plenty of time. Whatever your goals are, The Chromagnum shall provide.”