The united forces of the Eastern Alliance and the Guild Networks managed to repel the sudden attack from the Army of Darkness, but with substantial casualties. The town square was in ruins, and so were other parts of town. Xnoa could not remember when he had a proper break. Every day, there were always requests from the townsfolk: repairing houses, finding lost relatives, and search-and-rescue.

  With every request completed, more came. With every request completed, his contempt for the Army of Darkness grew.

  The sun had set over the hills in the west. Xnoa had just finished a search request. A mother lost her son in the attack. He found the son cowering in the hollowed trunk of a large meranti in the dense forest on the eastern outskirts of town. He received a basket of fresh oranges from the mother in lieu of payment, though he tried to reject them. With basket in hand, he returned to the Guild headquarters in the town center. After putting the oranges in the common area and reporting his work to dispatch, he visited Zerona in the sick bay.

  Zerona had been bedridden for a week now. His wounds have healed, thanks to the help of the Priests and Alchemists at the Guild but moving around still put him in pain. Deep down, Xnoa felt pangs of guilt. If only he were stronger, Zerona would not have had to bail him out like that. Every time he used that power of his, his lifespan grew shorter. To this day, he still could not understand why Zerona chose the cursed path of the Dark Stalker, a profession condemned even by the Dominians.

  “How’re you doing?” Xnoa asked, sitting down on a stool next to him.

  “I’ve seen better days,” he said, wincing. “There’s still some lingering pain in my stomach. Priests can’t patch up bullet holes, apparently, so the Alchemists had to whip up some mending salve,” He opened his gown to reveal a murky yellow ointment smothered over his stomach.

  Xnoa simply nodded.

  “Look, don’t worry about what happened. Nobody expected a Machina to appear in this backwater town. I did what I had to do, so stop feeling guilty,”

  “But…” Xnoa stammered.

  “I chose this path. I choose when to use my powers. It’s my responsibility alone. I thought we already talked about this?” Zerona said sternly.

  Xnoa hesitantly nodded. “Yeah, but…”

  “Before you say anything else, stop. Can’t focus on the past—”

  The door to the sick bay swung open. A bespectacled man in a navy blue hakama entered. Xnoa rose and bowed. “Boss!”

  “Ah, Xnoa, I didn’t know you would be here. Good work helping the citizens today,”

  Xnoa bowed again. “All in a day’s work, Boss,”

  “Apologies if I interrupted something important, but I would like to speak to Zerona alone. Would you mind, Xnoa?”

  “Not at all, Boss. Please excuse me,”

  After Xnoa exited the sick bay, the Guild Master gazed intently at Zerona while stroking his long silver beard. “You unleashed that cursed power again, didn’t you? What was this, the fourth time?”

  After a long silence, Zerona said. “Fifth time,”

  “I would scold you, but considering the circumstances, it was warranted. To think a Machina would be deployed to a small farming town… a vile tactic, but excessive,”

  Zerona snorted. “Isn’t the Army of Darkness all about excess?”

  “True, but this was particularly peculiar. We won’t know anything about its mission parameters unless we crack it open,”

  “The Machinists can’t handle it?”

  The Guild Master shook his head. “The Artisan Guild says they’re stretched out thin as is. None have had time to study that bucket of bolts. We could, but our only Machinist still hasn’t returned yet,”

  “Boss, maybe it’s time to tell me your plan?”

  The Guild Master sighed. “Yes, yes, it is finally time,”

  A girl of medium build sat at the counter. She was drinking a fizzy, orange-colored drink and chatting with the bartender. Amidst the other Guild members in grey armor or plain robes, her canary yellow sleeveless top that matched her yellow-colored wolf cut made her stick out like a sore thumb. A large utility belt covered her waist, where two silver pistols were holstered.

  She finished her drink in a single gulp and let out a long sigh of satisfaction. “More please!” She held her glass up to the bartender.

  “Coming up!” The bartender took her glass and poured another serving from a pitcher. “It’s on the house. Someone left behind a big basket of oranges earlier. Enjoy!”

  “Thanks!” she said, taking another big gulp.

  “Where have you been the last six months? Everyone around town has been asking about you!” the bartender asked.

  “That’s classified,” she replied. “Just been out and about,”

  “May? You’re back?”

  Upon hearing her name, she turned. Xnoa was standing behind her in disbelief.

  “You-you’re back already? Since when?” he stammered.

  May let out a nervous chuckle. “Well, I just got back today… How’s it going?”

  Xnoa sat next to her at the counter and asked for a draft beer and fried chicken. While waiting for the bartender to fulfill his order, he began interrogating May.

  “We haven’t heard from you in six months, and suddenly, you appear right after the town was attacked. Explain yourself,”

  She let out another nervous chuckle and clasped her hands in front of her face. “I can’t really tell you everything, but I spent some time in Morgia and Tonka Island in the south. Been working on something really important that the Boss wanted,”

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  Xnoa groaned. Every time, he felt everyone was intentionally keeping him out of the loop. The Boss, Zerona, even May, his childhood friend. It was because he was nowhere near capable as the two. Zerona was a seasoned veteran, a former Knight of Crusadia before he was dismissed for becoming a Dark Stalker. May, an accomplished Machinist, a peerless prodigy even when she was young. Meanwhile, all he was good for was swinging his sword around…

  The bartender came around with his beer and fried chicken. He chugged the pint and shoved the still-hot chicken into his mouth, wincing as it seared his tongue.

  “Hard day, huh?” May asked, returning to her orange drink. “Heard you’ve been helping a lot around town. Just like the old days,”

  Xnoa asked for a refill, to which the bartender obliged after telling him it was going to come out of his next paycheck. “A full week, helping people rebuild their houses, reuniting families, and cleaning up after the Dark Army attacked. Wish I could do something more than just clean up,”

  May did not reply. She smiled, silently. After finishing her drink, she asked him about the Machina that Zerona defeated. Xnoa had no idea where it was, and he told her about their battle. She grimaced when hearing Zerona had to use his Dark powers. “Where is he now?”

  “Sick bay. Been there for a week. He’s fine but the Alchemist’s ointment doesn’t seem to be working as fast as it should,”

  May frowned. “I should’ve left behind some of my fast-acting healing salves…”

  “Hey, it’s not your fault! Nobody would’ve expected a Machina to show up here,”

  The bartender brought around Xnoa’s second pint. “Take it easy there, would you? They don’t pay me enough to clean after you,”

  “So, why are you back all of a sudden? I reckon Tonka and Morgia’d far more interesting than this backwater town,”

  “Boss wanted me back,” she said. “I gave him my report earlier today, then I went over to the Artisan Guild to get my stuff. These…” She pointed to the two silver pistols in her holsters. “…I call them the ‘Harmonic Sisters’,”

  Xnoa broke into a sudden laugh.

  May frowned at him. “It’s a good name!”

  “Sorry, sorry. But I thought they were standard-issue Gunner pistols… Wait, since when did you have a firearms license?”

  A big smile appeared on her face. “These aren’t standard-issue pistols. I made them myself,”

  “You’re lying,”

  She shook her head profusely. “Absolutely not! I made these babies myself. Don’t compare them to the antiques those Gunners use!”

  “What’s so different about them, then?”

  “They don’t shoot bullets, that’s for sure,”

  Xnoa looked flabbergasted. “How? All pistols must shoot something right?”

  May grinned. “That’s my secret: they shoot magic. I found a way to compress magical energy, feed through an accelerator, and unleash it on command… just like how Spellusers cast their elemental missiles!”

  He still thought she was joking. But, as he recalled his basic counter-magi training at the Fighter’s Guild, it started to make sense. Most Spellusers do not really need their scepters, staves, or tomes to do magic. He remembered the late Father could cast his Seraphic magic with his bare hands, but he chose to use his staff to prevent his mana from leaking and causing his spells to destabilize. May’s pistols just acted a more potent focus, just like Spellusers’ scepters, staves, and tomes.

  He looked at her grinning face. She was amazing.

  “Neat, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah…” Xnoa said.

  “Hey, sorry to butt in your conversation…” the bartender said. “But I got a message from the Boss’ assistant. Says he wants to see both of you in the sick bay. Like, right now. You gonna finish that beer?” he said, pointing to Xnoa’s half-finished mug. “I’m still charging you for the full pint, just saying,”

  “I hate you,” Xnoa said casually as he finished his beer.

  After exchanging several heartfelt greetings and applying May’s handmade healing salve to Zerona’s gunshot wounds, the Boss began to explain what he had in store. He first explained the situation of the town, and rumors of a looming attack on all major cities surrounding Crusadia.

  “They won’t leak it to the public yet, but the higher-ups at the Guild Network are all preparing defensive plans in all major cities. Most of it has been discreet; fortifying defenses, recruiting militias, and intelligence operations. But, there’s a second part to those plans…”

  Xnoa felt like he knew what was coming. “A counterattack on Crusadia?” he said.

  Zerona and the Boss nodded. May’s eyes widened in disbelief. “A counterattack? With what army?”

  “The Liberators. They’ve been gathering intelligence from within Crusadia since the Fall. They’re confident this time, they’ll be able to gain control of the capital,”

  Xnoa felt uneasy. He had heard that the Liberators were among the best of the best warriors Reverste had to offer, but he was skeptical they had the power to fight back the dark powers in Crusadia. The capital fell overnight; whatever took it in the first place must have unimaginable power. “How are they planning on doing it?” he asked.

  The Boss stroked his silver beard and stared right at him. “Can’t tell you, boy. You’d have to find out yourself. After Zerona’s healed up, you three make your way to the Liberators,”

  Xnoa and May looked at each other, puzzled. Meanwhile, Zerona stared pensively at the ceiling.

  “How do you expect us to find the Liberators? They aren’t exactly the easiest group to find, Boss,” May said.

  The Boss glanced at Zerona. “Care to say something, boy?”

  Zerona sighed. “I know where their headquarters are. I’m actually part of the Liberators,”

  Xnoa stared at him, stunned. “How?”

  “It’s a long story, and it’s irrelevant for now,” he replied in a tone that told Xnoa to stop with any further questions. “What matters is you two are now also part of the Liberation, since the Boss said so,”

  “Wait, so Boss…” May said. “You’re also…”

  The Boss nodded. “Since the day Crusadia fell. We’re part of the Eastern chapter liaison,”

  Xnoa struggled to process all this new information. The town he grew up in was attacked out of the blue by the forces of darkness. May had invented a new revolutionary piece of technology. Zerona and the Boss were Liberators, and now, he, for some unthinkable reason, was now part of this. He glanced at May. It seemed she was also experiencing the same thing.

  “Why us?” May asked the Boss. “I’m not even a Fighter! I just tinker with machines in ancient ruins…”

  “The Liberation is not as shallow as that, girl. The rear guard and supporters are as important as the front line. Gunners need Machinists to maintain their weapons. Knights need Blacksmiths to forge their armor and blades. And someone needs to take care of the Liberation’s airships,”

  May’s eyes grew wider at the mention of airships. She tried to hide her enthusiasm, but her hands were clenched at her waist, gripping the tools on her utility belt.

  The Boss chuckled. “What about you, boy?” the Boss turned to Xnoa. “You’ve always wanted to play a bigger role in the world, haven’t you? Now’s your chance, boy,”

  “But why me, Boss? I’m nowhere near the Fighter Zerona is. I can’t even support the rear guard like the Artisans or Spellusers,”

  “That’s true, boy. You’re still a greenhorn with a good heart. Probably won’t even last a single day in an actual battle,” the Boss chuckled. “But, you have potential, boy. Probably not as a great Blademaster or Bounty Hunter. But you have something in you, something I sensed when you first applied to join the Guild. And you’d be a fool to not live up to it,”

  Xnoa asked for some time to think outside.

  “Don’t dilly-dally, boy. You only have five minutes,”

  Xnoa excused himself from the sick bay. He leaned against the wooden wall of the corridor and weighed his options.

  He thought about himself. Was this the chance he was looking for, to prove himself that he could achieve greatness? Or was it a dumb idea, in which he was likely to get killed in the process, his name lost in the sea of other warriors with misplaced optimism?

  He thought about the town. If a Machina could appear here, then nowhere was safe. When the Dark Army arrives, all he could do was defend the town with all his might, but what comes after? He knew the Dark Army would not stop until all Reverste was under their dominion. Was he going to just stay on the defensive forever? Or was it finally the time to strike back and reclaim their peace?

  He thought about his friends, and felt a pang of jealousy, which morphed into a sense of loneliness. They were moving on, again, without him, to do great things. As usual, he would be stuck on guard duty, holding down the fort, awaiting their return – if they ever did. Enough, he thought to himself. This time, he was going along for the ride.

  He exhaled, and then entered the sick bay again. To the Boss, he said. “I’m in,”