“So? Put it on.” Perytos nudged urgently. He held out the collar in his hand, trying to get Mercel to wear it. Whenever he got close, the Lykani would jump off suddenly and turn himself half-visible.

  “Come on, it’s not that bad.” The wolf’s caretaker and friend persuaded when brute force didn’t work. He tried appealing to Mercel’s sense of shame and companionship. The stubborn beast didn’t budge.

  “You could always just use that magic thingy of yours to hide it.” Perytos offered at last. Mercel finally knew mercy and allowed the teen to slowly clasp the red-ribboned collar around his furry neck.

  The moment he did, it disappeared in a dim flash of silver light. Perytos barely knew a thing about magic, but he still knew a bit. From what he gathered, as a Lykani Mercel had a natural proclivity to moon concepts; because of it, he didn’t even need a mana manipulation skill to bend the ever-present energy. It would just help him learn different types of casting.

  The moon in general rarely appeared in the sky. Only every few nights a month did the white sphere of light appear in the starry sky; those nights Perytos used to spend with his dad on their roof, trading stories under the mystical canopy...

  He shook off those thoughts. He had to be focused. In the background, his Oath resonance picked up the slack. It gave him quiet reassurance.

  Perytos whistled for Mercel to follow him back towards the main parts of town. Walking back through the city, Perytos suddenly stumbled. He tripped and caught himself on his arms, scraping the skin of his palms. He hissed and stood up.

  Before Perytos even got a word out, Callum beat him to it.

  "Where the hell have you been? I've been searching all over for you!” The older teen spewed with worry.

  “You could’ve just given me a heads up, you know that right? I tho- I thought you would leave without me. You wouldn’t do that Perytos... would you?”. The Primal human’s voice cracked. When Perytos heard that tone, those watering eyes and tensed shoulders, he felt like kicking himself. He really should have done something, didn’t he?

  Perytos actually had the decency to wince when he heard the tirade. He quickly rushed in to apologize.

  "I’m sorry for leaving you like that. We ran into some trouble.” More resolutely he added, “It won’t happen again.”

  Callum visibly straightened; no longer did he look like someone put a mountain on his back. Perytos quickly changed the topic.

  “So, you got us the supplies?" Perytos asked. In response the other boy just flashed a jute bag, filled to the brim with nuts, cheap fruits and vegetables and an occasional piece of dried jerky.

  "It’s quite bland, but it should last for a while.” As if the moment earlier didn’t happen, he gave a smug grin.

  “Even better, I got us a ride out of this shithole. One of the merchants offered to take us, now come!” He turned and marched; just waving his hand at them to follow.

  When they got to the spot Callum had been hyping up the entire way, Perytos felt... sorely underwhelmed was the right word.

  The chaises’ wheels were old and had wooden springs; they creaked with every small move. The horse attached to the transport was small and greying, though at least the small pony shook energetically to chase off the flies swarming it. The thing that gave him the least confidence though was the chaises’ owner.

  The old man was even older than the mare he fed. His clothes were ripped at the edges from use; his beard had clumps of food in it, turning it from a grey color to a filthy non-descript color.

  The owner turned around with a smile; he sensed them coming from before they entered the small roadhouse.

  As if his smile couldn’t get any wider, he welcomed Callum. "Hey son, we were just beginning to think you bailed on us." He chuckled; the sound was warm and earnest. It even gave Perytos pause, but something different caught his attention.

  Us?

  From behind one of the crates peeked out a young woman. Her chestnut-colored hair was tied behind her back, so it wouldn’t get tangled up, uncovering her rolled up sleeves. Her calm, blue eyes pierced them both. She stood out fully from behind the crate, pausing her work to inspect the newcomers. Apparently, she wasn’t impressed; she crossed her arms and stared them down without a word.

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  The older gentleman seemed unaware of the scornful gaze his worker gave them. He just continued talking, while the three of them stood there awkwardly. Only Mercel had the presence of mind to sit down gently on the clean ground.

  “We would've been in a lot of trouble if not for you. My old bones aren't as spry as they used to be, and my granddaughter over there wouldn't hurt a butterfly. She’s such an angel. A good, young man like you is what we need; we’re so happy to be traveling with you! And you even brought a friend!"

  The man tattled with the same forever-happy smile, praising Callum or just going entirely off topic. When he got to the point where he was offering the exasperated boy his granddaughter’s hand in marriage, Callum butted in quickly.

  "Don't worry sir, it's no big deal. I just have a question... Can we take both of them?" He asked, pointing at Perytos and Mercel who were just standing there, without a noticeable expression on their faces.

  The old man replied with another haughty laugh. "I told you to call me grandpa, I'm no sir. Either that or call me Herman, and of course they can come with us!" His face turned sad for a moment.

  "Unfortunately, there is little place, since we have a lot of cargo to carry." He paused. "Your friend over there will have to sit beside my sweet Allys." He winked and smiled mischievously. At that the woman in question had enough and flicked her grandpa on his nose– he just gave another full-belly laugh.

  What is the deal with me and crazy old men? Nonetheless, Perytos got a good feeling from them both. His Instincts skill was silent; they posed no danger. At least that's what his gut told him.

  They were ready to leave. All of the cargo was quickly put in place. The crates contained fruits; with Perytos’ oath resonance the work was quickly done.

  Apparently, there was a good farm near the capital that grew them. When "grandpa" went to deliver the merchandise, all the shitshow with the monster horde happened. Short to say, everyone was happy to leave the place.

  Only Allys sated was quiet; content in working silently. This suited them all just fine, and they quickly began talking about other various topics.

  When they rolled onto the market near the southern exit, Perytos began sweating bullets. They're here as well? When can we get a break? He was referring to the guard-poachers of course.

  Oh god, he's here as well.

  One of the men talking with his enemies was familiar... That same condescending smirk. The failure of a guard that extorted him from his hard-earned money. Turns out, they made a nice friend group of criminals.

  Not criminals if they are allowed this. He corrected grimly

  His soul quivered; the presence of these criminals unnerved him. For the first time he could feel his soul stat activate; if Perytos could see his soul right now, he would perceive that it was covered in lustrous white smoke, obfuscating his presence, making himself appear insignificant to the world.

  Crack!

  The chaise rattled on a stone poking out of the road. "Mercel hide!" Perytos snapped quietly. Too late, the guards looked in their direction. A microsecond later they were already drawing their weapons.

  Herman and Allys looked confused; they didn't know Mercel’s whole story. But Callum recognized the knight from before. His face had gone pale- That reaction was all the wise old man needed to put the pieces together, at least partially.

  "Looks like trouble found us boys." He said with a smirk. He leaned forward, close to the horse in front of him, and whispered. "Hurry up old friend, I'll give you some carrots later if we make it."

  At that, the horse perked up and neighed. They sped up. The gate was close. The guards tensed, expecting opposition.

  The bustling market had frozen, people jumped from the road in panic as the crazy horse almost run them over.

  "Watch out people! Yee-Haw!!! You've got nothing on those old bones!" The elderly, unassuming man took the chaos in stride. He screeched at passer-byes all while having a wide grin on his face.

  Fuck, we're not gonna make it. Perytos thought frantically. They were too slow. The guards were convalescing from all over the city; the gate was closing.

  Callum screamed in terror while Allys just gripped the wooden handrails really tight. Knuckles turned white, legs braced. The madman steering the chaise laughed through it all.

  "Stop! On the authority given to me by the Baron of Netcore..." One of the guards began. The same one that took their money.

  His voice was threading into Perytos' mind, trying to intimidate him...

  "I don't give a shit about your authority!" Herman declared. For the first time, he seemed angered. His Authority crawled out of his frail body, and everyone dropped to the ground. They were facing a monster; an enraged creature. They were rebutted by a flash of Authority that made Perytos’ skin crawl.

  The ethereal cloak of presence wasn’t seen but felt; it was ripped apart, dismembered and betrayed, but it still stood out of spite. It felt infinitely vast, infinitely enduring. Like a drop that crumbles stone with a glare of contempt.

  The moment ended like it hadn’t existed.

  It didn't matter; the gate was almost closed. They wouldn't get through. At that speed they would crash against the heavily enchanted wooden barrier.

  The guards knew this; they stood beside the watchtower, their smirks smug despite their pale faces.

  Whoosh! Kapow!

  The gate exploded in a fiery burst. Wood splinters went flying everywhere; the enchantments collapsed and fizzled. Just at the last moment, Perytos looked around, trying to make sense of it all.

  The scene was strangely exhilarating- red faced, ordained knights and watchman run after them; too slow to matter. The gate teetered on broken hinges, most of it gone.

  Long way behind something prickled at his attention. Black, ripped folds of a cloak flapping in the wind. Stanford stood with his longbow in hand; determination etched onto his face. Feeling Perytos’ gaze, he did a small bow, as if saying: It's the least I could do.

  Perytos grinned, elation filling his veins. He stood on the shaky wooden vehicle. With the wind in his hair, he laughed from a mix of terror and joy.

  At last, they made it out of Netcore.