A couple days later, the three walked on a dirt path at a steady pace. Ted didn’t dare show weakness by slowing, even though his legs hurt like hell after days of constant walking. Empowered by the spite he felt from the way the elven man effortlessly continued forward, combined with his own pride, allowed him to push forward ceaselessly.

  “Ori, how much longer do you suspect this will take us?” Ted asked after a long bout of silence among the group.

  The elven man tilted his head in his direction, “From what I’ve seen on our maps, I’d say three days, counting today, and four nights.”

  Ted made a low sound of agreement.

  Then, after a pause, Sanet spoke up, “So, what about that friend of yours at the guild hall? He seemed to be quite strong.”

  Ted turned to Sanet as they continued on the path, “Oh, Simon? Yeah, I’d say so. He’s been pretty strong for just as long as I’ve known him?”

  Ori raised an eyebrow, “How long would that be?”

  Ted contemplated, “Well, I guess that it would be about 9 years by now, though it’s been four or five since we’ve really met.”

  “Good friends then?” Ori replied.

  “Yeah, or I’d like to think so, at least.” Ted said.

  Ori then asked, “How did you meet him? I wouldn’t think that a noble and a middle class citizen overlap in areas. Especially since it seems that Simon comes from the Heiligian Empire.”

  Ted replied, “Well it was really just fate. His family was traveling near where some of our trade routes ran, and their carriage crashed during a thunderstorm. Me and my family were making our way back home at the time, and we helped them get out safely. After that, we let them stay at our house for the night, and we managed to get along pretty good since then.”

  Sanet said, “Well, that’s pretty nice! It seems that you two get along well! A good friend is always valuable to have.”

  Ted just snickered, “Yeah he’s alright…”

  Ted opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted by Ori, “Look.”

  When he did, Ted saw a group of people walking over a grassy hill on the dirt path in front of them. There were five figures. Two of them women and three men. There was one child as well. All of them were in dirty dark green cloaks which, though they had their hoods down. As the figures approached one of the men, who seemed to be the eldest of the group, stepped forward and walked a few paces in front to meet them. Ted did the same.

  “Excuse me, but where are you traveling from?” Ted asked, raising his voice so they could hear as he walked.

  The man replied, “Yes, we're just coming from an outpost. We just need to get to Fort Trionis. You?”

  Ted offered the man a friendly smile before replying, “Oh then you’re going the right way. But we have business with a criminal who we think is hiding out in your outpost. You wouldn’t have heard of anybody named Zaren?”

  The man looked up at the sky for a moment; his eyes searched the clouds for answers, “I don’t believe so no. If he’s there I haven't heard anything about it. We’ve been getting a lot of visitors recently. It gets difficult for a man like me to keep up with it all. Just a few months ago there were only a couple hundred people in Vonzar.”

  Ted nods, “Of course. Thank you anyways. I won’t hold you any longer.”

  Ted, Ori, and Sanet began walking once again. Though, as the two groups passed each other, he felt a heavy impact against his neck. A screeching sound wringed out as bladed metal clattered and scraped against his chainmail. Ted stumbled back, startled and coughing, his hand shot to his neck to check for blood. Thankfully, there’s none that he can tell. Then another impact. This time it's a fist landing heavily across his face. Ted stepped back as he grabbed his face, pulling his glaive out with his other arm. Another one of the cloaked men took a step to Ted, and raised their sword. However, Ted was prepared this time. He activated [placeholder}.

  His vision doubled, and he saw the sword sweep down to his thigh. Ted quickly stabbed his glaive into where the sword would arc, intercepting it. The glaive’s blade interlocked with the sword’s, locking it into place. Ted pushed forward as the blade and the glaive hit together, yet the man held his position. The man took his other arm, and tried to throw a punch at Ted. Ted spun out of the way of the punch, before shooting his foot at his opponent in a kick. His foot sank into the man’s stomach, who stumbled back, losing their grip of the sword. Ted pulled the sword with the glaive, before unhooking it from it. Then, Ted took the sword, and threw it at the man. The sword, heavier than most objects that Ted had thrown, missed its target of the thigh. Instead, the sword sank into the chest of the man.

  Ted stood there, dumbfounded. The sword was impaled straight through and out the back. The assailant staggered back two steps. He then straightened up, not collapsing as Ted had expected. Instead the man, his face now slack and emotionless, pulled the sword from his chest, sickening black blood drooping down his stomach.

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  Ted’s eyes narrowed harshly, “What are you?”

  Not waiting for a response, he launched forward. The thing he was attacking pulled the sword out just in time to barely deflect Ted's strike. The force pushed him off-balance. Ted didn’t hesitate and twisted the blade the opposite direction, bringing it back up. His blade glided through and cleaved the things dominant hand off. The sword landed dully on the ground several feet away.

  The thing didn’t appear to pay the wound much mind though, it instantly closed the distance after Ted's attack, diving under the pole-arm. Ted cursed and twirled the pole. The blunt end blurring into the under of its jaw. It staggered for a moment. This was more than enough time though. Ted once again spun his pole-arm the opposite direction, the long blade coming down with a loud crack, splitting the skull of the thing decisively.

  The thing went limp instantly. Just the friction of the skull that gripped the blade kept him from dropping to the ground. Ted gripped it by the neck and pulled it off. He then dropped it to the ground and turned to look for the others.

  Ori took a couple careful steps back from his opponents. His cloak had some gashes in it, a couple even stained with a bit of blood. Though his opponents were much worse for wear. Both of them had holes riddles throughout their bodies. That same thick black blood leaked from them slowly, even as they inexorably advanced on him.

  Sanet on the other hand, was in the midst of the other two. She was holding her own, as she dove with her axe, lopping off the arm of one of the men. The woman to the side tried to intervene, but Sanet slammed the side of her axe into the side of the woman, knocking her back. Sanet had only suffered mild bruises.

  Ted yelled, “Their weakness is their head! If we destroy it, they go down!”

  Sanet and Ori nodded. Sanet grabbed the arm of the man, and slammed it into him, knocking him down. Upon impact, the man began slightly spasming, trying to get back up. Sanet would then use her other arm to grab the woman’s face, wrapping her entire palm on it. Then, in one fell swoop, she took the woman and threw her over Sanet, into the man on the ground. The back of the woman’s head impacted the man’s head, but that’s not where they stopped. Sanet forced her hand further down, cracking the woman’s skull and the man’s skull together, like a Dire Bear crushing a watermelon.

  Meanwhile, Ori acted in his own way. He threw his needle at the man’s chest, and pulled him towards himself with the string on his needle. The man flew at Ori, who stuck his fist out at the man’s head. Ori’s fist sank into the man’s skull, before he pulled out his needle, and promptly stuck it through the man’s head, assuring his death. Then, the only one left was the woman. She looked left and right, before running off to the child, who had been hiding behind a tree trembling as they watched the conflict. Ori grunted, and dashed to the side. He threw the needle at the woman, and pulled her back as well. However, Ori swung the string to the left, sending the woman flying. Spinning through the air, she failed to see the axe that intercepted her.

  Sanet slammed her axe down at the flying woman, and in one clean strike, divided the woman’s head into two. The brain matter looked grey, and oozed with the darkened blood. After the last one of them had died, they all ran to the child that was sitting next to the tree. They slowed as they got closer.

  Ted yelled, “It’s ok! We won’t hurt you! Just come out!”

  Ori walked closer, as Sanet said, “It’s ok! We’re here to help.”

  As they all slowed to a walk, as to not scare the child, Ted gave Sanet a grin, “Can you believe it? First day on my first real mission and I’m already saving a kid from some monsters.”

  Ori approached the child first, who was clutching at the frozen tree. He knelt next to them slowly.

  “It’s ok child, we are friendly. Let us help.” Ori said, in an oddly comforting tone that the others had not heard from him.

  When he touched the child though he paused. Silence stretched for a few moments. He then slowly retracted his hands, disappearing under his fine cloak. He then slowly stood up and barely turned his head to address the others behind him.

  “The child is dead. At least a week.” He said in a neutral tone. After a moment he turned and walked away, down into the field of long grass.

  Ted watched in silent shock as Ori left them there. The child’s body still clutched, frozen at the base of the tree. He walked over and knelt next to him, just as Ori had moments ago. Tentatively, as if the boy was made of porcelain, he pulled the cloak back. The child had a terrified look on his face, as if he had just seen the murder of his parents laid out in front of him. Maybe he had. His eyes were dull and distant, like he was looking into some far place. Ted moved to touch him, to confirm what Ori had said, but he paused.

  Ted gritted his teeth as he retracted his hands. He couldn’t bring himself to touch this boy who he had most certainly failed. Whether that be because he didn’t get here in time, or if he had just brutally slain his parents like they were mere monsters. But, weren’t they monsters? Didn’t they start the fight? The child had been walking fine earlier, why now? Why had the child dropped dead, as cold as ice? Why? Wh-

  “Stop thinking about it.” Ori said.

  Ted was about to say something, but was quickly interrupted by Sanet, who said, “What the hell are you talking about! How can you be so cold to say that!”

  Ori replied, “I am just being realistic. We did not kill that child, or even lay a hand on its bodice. It died through no fault of our own.”

  Ted interjected, “Those people could’ve been it’s family, it’s parents. And, we killed them. We threw them around, made a mess of them. For what? Fun?”

  Ori’s voice gained a sharpness to it, “Why is morality striking you now? You saw that child the whole time, and could have made that connection any point during the fight. Any of us could’ve, but we didn’t. We fought because we had to. I would have fought the same had they been human or hog. It is irresponsible to judge the living and the dead based on something as black and white as the intelligent and the dumb.

  Then, Ori added on, “Though, if it does matter to you two, what we fought were not humans. Or, at least, no longer were. Which means that the child was most likely not either.”

  “Even if that may be the case they still acted human. I can’t help but wonder if some part of them was still there. The look on that poor boy's face…” Ted said, trailing off as he clenched hi fist, “...and to not even consider the morality of one's actions is immoral in it of itself.”

  Ori grimaced as if wounded, before resetting his facial expression, “No matter, it is useless for us to spend more time here. I think we can agree on that.”

  “At least let us bury the boy.” Sanet said, finally speaking up.

  Ted agreed immediately. Ori looked like he’s about to protest, but he hesitated before nodding. With the green light, Sanet took the responsibility of carrying him, kneeling down and cradling the boy who was now stiff and freezing cold. To Ted, the sky suddenly felt a lot grayer than it had just minutes before. He shuffled down one of the hills, down to where the earth was a bit softer. He untied a small shovel from the side of his pack. He stood there for a moment, silent. Then suddenly, he slammed the tool into the earth hard, grunting with the effort. His net attack on the ground was harder, now yelling with the exertion. He did this over and over again. Until eventually, he screamed so loud, his voice got hoarse. His screams only became raspy and quieter despite his effort. With every thrust of the shovel into the ground, the brittle wood ached and his muscles were exerted more and more.

  Ori and Sanet watched from just up the hill for what felt like hours. Their expressions grim. A while later, the hole was sufficiently deep. Becoming what is known as a grave. Ted breathed haggardly through short raspy breaths. He knelt at the bottom of the hole, leaning against the shovel for support. Ori and Sanet watch silently as he jumps and barely pulls himself from the grave. Ori and Sanet quickly moved to take the child and gently lay him in the grave. They crossed his arms, making him look as if he was just sleeping. They got out of the grave, and stood across from Ted. He stood in front of them covered in sweat and mud, his shoulders slumped but his eyes full of anger and a raging inferno of emotion. He looked at the child, who lied there, never to move again.

  “Ori, I understand there was really nothing we could do. But, isn’t that hope, that wish that things could have gone better, that drive to have it be better the next time. Is that not the very meaning of being a Hero?”