The walls of the capital rose high over their heads - like the backbone of a huge creature resting, chunks of rock sticking up into the pale dawn light.
Aiden halted near the edge of the line, gaze sliding along the well-known walls. The banners up top - royal seal flapping in the breeze - carried that old lion-and-crown mark he'd taken for himself, tucked under borrowed steel. Back then, seeing it stirred something strong inside. These days? It just makes him want to grab a knife.
"Large, right?" Rowan muttered nearby, tone quiet.
The path was packed with people - carts pulled by farmers, traders hauling wagons, tired folks trudging under heavy loads. On the edges, guards shuffled slowly, gripping spears, looking out for fights instead of names.
Aiden watched them quietly. Counting. Weighing.
Eight stood by the front entrance. Above, four patrolled the wall paths. At a side desk, two went through records while pressing tiny clay tags for people coming in. Not one was Kael. Not a single one matched Seris. None looked like Holt either.
Yet they remained foes to him.
A guard shouted a command, so the row moved ahead.
Rowan tugged the bag's strap into place. Its little head poked through - just far enough to give everyone a sharp look - then vanished back inside. "Reckon they'll start wondering?"
"They always ask questions," Aiden said. "The trick is sounding like you're not worth the effort of more."
Rowan glanced over, eyes narrow. "Honestly, you don't even come close to sounding innocent."
He wasn't wrong.
Aiden slouched his shoulders down, not so tense, sort of careless now. It seemed off, almost like wearing a faded costume from years ago.
A quiet bell echoed inside his mind.
[Advice: Drawing unnecessary attention will hinder Main Quest progression.]
No kidding.
He let his eyes go soft, moving from sizing things up to that worn-out calm soldiers get when stuck with grunt work. Spine upright - just enough. Gaze ahead - not piercing.
The line crept ahead. Now and then, bits of talk floated by. Grumbling over tax hikes. Whispers about beasts near the trading paths. Chatter on that ex-knight - died defending the realm just recently.
Aiden's jaw tightened - right then.
"Did you hear?" a woman whispered to someone ahead. "They say he killed three hundred men in one battle."
"Three hundred?" the other scoffed. "By himself? That's just talk."
"No, truly. My cousin's husband's brother was there. Said the man fought like a demon. The prince himself honored him before he… you know."
"Shame," the second voice said. "But that's war. Heroes die. Kings live."
Aiden's hand clamped down on the sword handle, pressure building till the leather groaned.
Heroes fall. Yet rulers survive.
For now.
Rowan looked over her shoulder, gaze darting to his hand. "Everything alright?"
"Alright," Aiden muttered. His tone was dull, steady. So don't look around
They were nearly by the gate. Close up, the walls seemed taller, blocking off part of the sky. Guards inspecting people stayed behind a rough wood fence, with a notebook resting on a barrel. One appeared uninterested, while the second eyed every moving thing like it might cause trouble.
The shady guy jabbed his spear at Rowan. "Speak your name."
"Rowan," he blurted out. "I'm from... well... Westvale."
"Purpose?"
"Work," Rowan said. "In the city."
The guard looked at Aiden. His eyes tightened - checking the armor, the badge, that pale face, unblinking eyes. "What about you?"
"Aiden. Thirteenth Company," Aiden said, letting a hint of impatience color his tone. "I was ordered to escort the boy as a labor recruit. Captain Holt didn't want to waste more men on him."
When they heard Holt's name, the two guards shifted a bit taller. Word about him was everywhere.
The tired guard chuckled. "Could be his voice."
The odd one kept scowling. "Got anything on paper?"
Aiden didn't blink. "You think Holt writes things down when he can shove them onto someone instead?"
The guard paused. Worse yet, that still felt like something Holt would say.
Before he made up his mind about going ahead, someone yelled from near the far side of the gate.
"Oi! We've got a wagon stuck again!"
The wary guard muttered quietly, eyes darting sideways. With a quick nod, he motioned them through. "Whatever. Move along. Who's next?"
Aiden moved past the gate. Right after, Rowan rushed close behind - nearly stumbling from moving too fast, eager to slip in before plans shifted.
The city rushed at them like water.
Noise. Smell. Movement.
Streets jammed with folks moving slow. Stalls piled high with fabric, loaves, apples - stuff Aiden couldn't even label. Kids zipping past wooden wagons. Sellers yelling 'just-caught salmon' or "steaming pies, top pick around!" Smoke from grills twisting upward, blending with horse sweat, burnt wood, and crowds pressed tight.
Rowan's eyes widened. "Whoa."
Aiden looked around, automatically spotting paths, high ground, hidden corners. Not much had shifted in the city. Structures hunched over roads like elders eavesdropping on whispers. Flags waved from upper floors. In the distance, a chime sounded time.
[Ding.]
[Quest: Return to the Kingdom That Killed You – Completed.]
[Reward: Experience + Access to New Locations.]
[New Quest Unlocked: Hunters and Ghosts.]
[Objective: Learn the current positions and strengths of your primary targets.]
His killers wandered through this tangle of rock and blood - out there, hidden. Maybe close.
Rowan pulled on his cuff. "Okay... where do we go from here?"
Now?
Then the corpse began bothering those still alive.