Cedric headed towards the center of the kingdom and the enormous castle that stood out even from a distance. He had heard that the cities were placed near to the capital, but he hadn’t thought that it would be so close. The king could probably see his whole kingdom from his castle, and Cedric hoped to catch a glimpse of it too. Although, he wasn’t sure how his plan would work. After breaking the last city’s walls, another idea had donned on him. An easier way to end the fighting.

If he could just get to the king, then he could stop Sharath completely. His job had just been to stall the kingdom, but he imagined Sir L would be happier if he just ended the fighting altogether. The journey from the outer city to the capital was a short one for someone at his speed, and the soldiers he had passed hadn’t been able to slow him at all. Cedric didn’t even try and fight with them, and just ran around them. it wasn’t like they could keep up. Even their arrows couldn’t damage him. Even if there were chanters in this kingdom, he highly doubted that they would be as strong as the ones from Elpis. He could go back for the other city's walls if he needed to, but this would let him avoid a lot of injuries. It would also give the cities time to prepare and evacuate.

The walls came into sight eventually, but something else drew his immediate interest. An army was stationed outside of the city. They weren’t using the walls to their advantage, and a smaller group of people stood further apart from the main force. The run to the capital couldn’t have taken more than a quarter-hour or so. Several soldiers had been trailing him for a while, but they would take a while to catch up. He slowed down as he got closer to the army. The group that had separated itself from the main force was holding their hands in the air. It was the signal for a halt, and he recognized it easily. It was one of the few things that had been pounded into him.

However, he didn’t expect that now and didn’t really know how to respond. He had been preparing mentally to charge through the city. It didn’t look like he would need to do that anymore, and he felt relief wash over him. The relief also drowned out the adrenalin, and the reality of the situation was setting on him. He had decided to try a more diplomatic approach and didn’t really think about what that meant. Talking was not his strong suit, but he would try his best. He felt like he could do it, but that might just be the medicine running through his system.

A few things surprised him as he drew closer to the army. They didn’t look particularly hostile, and the sound of soft conversation rang over the empty desert. It was very different from Larkin. When he was last in a battle he remembered, how quiet things had gotten before the charge had started. This was much more pleasant, and it lacked the tension of battle that normally surrounded an army like this.

He could vaguely make out the people in the separated group and counted five people. Three men and two women. Strangely, the only one with weapons was one of the women. His eyes stopped on her for a second. She was pretty and her reddish-brown skin seemed to glow under the sunlight. It was a two-piece dress, that consisted of a long skirt and a loose shirt. The shirt covered her torso but was tied tightly just above her belly. It had big puffy sleeves. Her skirt started just beneath her belly button, and he was surprised to see someone revealing their stomach like that. Some people in Larkin dressed like that though it was usually the men who wore clothing like that.

When he received his house, he received a set of clothing that would show off his body. He hadn’t worn it and doubted that he ever would. In the past, he would never consider displaying his body and wasn’t used to wearing things like that. Plus, the uniform wasn’t designed in that fashion, and it was out of season anyway. He realized he was just coming up with excuses and had been staring at the woman. He looked away, noticing the two long curved blades at her hips.

His attention was drawn to a well-dressed man. Cedric didn’t know who it was but assumed it was the king. He wore a bronze crown. Its tips were wavy as if they had been made of fire. The detail was astounding, and he guessed that something like that could only belong to the king. It seemed like he would get his conversation after all. Now, he just needed to figure out how exactly to speak to a king.

“Hello, I am Cedric from Larkin.”

An introduction sounded like a good first step, but he didn’t really have any titles or anything to give. A memory passed, and he remembered being called a hero. That was not something he was willing to introduce himself as. He didn’t deserve it, and he didn’t think it fit him either. Instead, he just introduced himself with his first name. He considered his family name but decided against that too. His family had decided that they would live better lives without him, and he wouldn’t use their name. Ultimately, he wanted to let them live the lives that they wanted.

The well-dressed man had skin that matched the blade-wielding girl. A confident smile spread on the man’s face, and Cedric thought that it was oddly calculated. It looked too perfect, and it felt like there was a special meaning to it. Cedric tried his best to return the smile but knew that it would look awkward.

“I am Sabith Earmin the Third. King of Sharath, the kingdom of many sands. Before we continue, can you tell me what it is that you desire?”

Cedric was surprised by how high-pitched the king’s voice was. It was squeaky and would better fit a much smaller man. The king himself was muscular and almost as tall as Cedric was. The elixir had done a lot for Cedric’s height, and he didn’t think that anyone without it would really be able to compare.

“Uh… I don’t know exactly what I want, but I want to stop the fighting without destroying anything else.”

The king’s eyebrows rose a little, and Cedric only caught it because of his improved senses. The other four people around the man seemed equally as shocked. Cedric’s own eyes kept darting to the army behind the king. He was just speaking out in the open. That was something he didn’t think would ever happen in Larkin. Sabith seemed like a good king.

“If you wish for peace, why did you send a group of warriors prior? They had done significant damage to our eastern city.”

Cedric frowned at the king’s response. Sir L had told him that they had done nothing to provoke the kingdom. Speaking with complete confidence, he responded without thinking too carefully.

“That’s not true! A person I trusted told me that never happened. And… we are busy with Elpis. I was just supposed to delay your invasion.”

He tried to fix his outburst. For some reason, Cedric felt like the king was calling Sir L a liar, but he obviously couldn’t know what was going through Cedric’s mind. The people around the king had stepped forward, standing between Cedric and the man. The woman had rested her hands on her sword but hadn’t drawn it yet. She probably knew that it wouldn’t do much either way.

The king seemed unconcerned, completely ignoring the tense nature of those around him. Cedric hadn’t meant to speak so loudly, but he couldn’t just backtrack. That would only make him seem crazy. The king was thinking, and Cedric could almost notice when the man seemed to realize something. Something about the king changed and he looked like a completely different person. His friendly smile and luxurious appearance seemed fixed like it had been carved from stone. Everything about him became unnaturally shifted, his demeanor changing to one that would better fit a king. He spoke in a language that Cedric couldn’t understand, and Cedric was completely confused by the man’s next words.

“Oreshi, I welcome you to my kingdom. Please enter as a guest and we may speak of necessary reparations. However, I must request that you take an escort. I believe that Vena will suffice.”

Vena P.O.V

Vena watched as the strange man approached. He seemed completely unconcerned with the massive army behind her. She had heard some of the news surrounding the man but couldn’t believe it. It made no sense to her how a single man could destroy a city’s walls. Then she received reports that he helped save people from the destruction that he caused. She couldn’t believe it. Even with the small sandstorm, he was kicking up in his approach, she still didn’t believe it. When the man slowed and she could actually see him, it seemed even more ridiculous.

He looked strong and his sword was intimidating, but he was just another person. He looked young too, several years younger than herself. There was still youthful air around him that only a gullible child could have. There was no way he was the monster that the reports painted him out to be. She noticed when his eyes stopped on her, and she met them. She saw someone who was more like a little brother. Then she realized that she saw almost no signs of concern or fear on his face. He seemed completely confident in his position, with absolutely no disregard for the army. Then he spoke.

“Hello, I am Cedric from Larkin.”

His voice was deeper than she expected it to be. It had an animal gruffness that sounded distinctly inhuman. Were all people from Larkin like this? The prisoner didn’t sound anything like this, and she wondered what the difference was. She listened to the conversation idly, observing the man carefully. Even if she didn’t trust the rumors, she would not let this man attack her brother. For all his wisdom and poise, her brother acted foolishly at times. She was prepared to cover for his mistakes though and had worn her weapons openly. However, if the reports were to be believed, her weapons were worthless. They had managed to defeat the previous monsters, and he looked weaker than the prisoner they currently had.

The three warriors who had attacked earlier were far more monstrous than this man. Those three had deformed bodies with muscles that couldn’t exist on a person. And while this man was muscular, he lacked the same savageness that the others possessed. A better word for it would be mindlessness. He had an intelligence to him that told her that she was looking at a human. The other three couldn’t be considered human anymore. She realized that she had been staring, but she didn’t stop or shy away. There was nothing wrong with staring at a possible enemy. Although she should pay more attention to the conversation.

“That’s not true! A person I trusted told me that never happened. And… we are busy with Elpis. I was just supposed to delay your invasion.”

The man yelled, his voice making the sound even more intimidating. She froze but dropped her hands to the blades at her side. The sound had felt like it came from some kind of monster, like something that would normally see them as a meal. Everyone moved to protect her brother, but she doubted that they would even be able to slow the being down. Something had changed about his demeanor when he yelled. Then it was gone, and the air of immaturity around the man returned as he continued. Hearing his orders confused her. If he was so powerful why wouldn’t Larkin just kill or conquer them? It sounded like this man alone would be able to.

“Oreshi, I welcome you to my kingdom. Please enter as a guest and we may speak of necessary reparations. However, I must request that you take an escort. I believe that Vena will suffice.”

Her brother’s words turned her attention to him. He had said her name, hadn’t he. And Oreshi was the term for one of our gods. What in god’s name was he thinking? He must have figured something out and wished that he was a little less eccentric. It would be so much easier if he just shared his thoughts. Her hand gripped tighter around her blades’ hilts. She would not let this go how her brother wanted, not if he planned on serving her up to this thing.