CHAPTER 8

A DARK FIGURE blending into the night entered the Canson's estate unnoticed. Every guard that the figure passed by dropped to the ground without much of a fight. How could they fight? Before they could draw their swords, one of Hakken's blades had already slashed them. Hakken knew it'd be better to sneak in and not cause disturbance, but his lady ordered, "Destroy them." Of course by his lady's will, he would.

It was already past midnight; the moon was high, and the thick smell of blood surrounded the whole Canson's estate. Anyone who tried to stop Hakken met their demise, and the whole Canson's estate was in chaos.

"Don't let him come any further!" screamed the head of the Canson's house who was woken up by the commotion Hakken caused. "Kill him! Kill him now!"

The Canson's hired men immediately surrounded Hakken. They believed in their numbers, but they were nothing but a small fry to him.

"Kill him!" The head of the Canson's house felt as if his head were about to burst with anger. This man whom they didn't know just entered their estate and started causing havoc. He couldn't be reasoned with, and all his men met their end with his blade.

Hakken looked at the men surrounding him and sighed. "Come on, I don't have all night. I still have to go see my lady."

The men felt insulted at Hakken's nonchalance that they all mindlessly attacked.

Spreading his arms, Hakken didn't even move from where he was standing and just waited for his enemies. Taking advantage of his war blades, he use one to block and the other to attack. With his quick footwork that could evade any attack, his powerful slashes that could cut a man in half, and his strength that no one could penetrate, he made the head of the Canson's house back away in fear.

Now the men that the head of the Canson's house was depending on were all dead by the hands of one man.

Trying to escape, the head of the Canson's house tripped on his own foot and fell on his back. He trembled in fear after seeing the blood dripping from Hakken's sword.

No one had ever raised their swords on the Canson's family. Everyone was docile and wanted to be connected to them because of the profit they could give, but all of that meant nothing now.

"W-What do you w-want? I-l'll give it a-all to y-you...p-please don't k-kill me," the head of the Canson's house begged. "I'll g-g-give you a-all my m-money. J-just spare m-my l-life."

Hakken sighed at the pathetic sight of the person in front of him. "Free the slaves."

The head of the Canson's family paused for a second before he started laughing hysterically. "All this for those worthless slaves?! Pathetic! Pathetic!" The man continued his hysterical laughter. "You made the Canson's family your enemy for those worthless and filthy halflings?! You will pay for this, do you hear me?! You will not get away with this!"

Hakken expression darkened, and the blade on his right hand swung and slashed the neck of the Canson's head of the house, beheading him in an instant. "That's for calling my lady pathetic." Hakken clicked his tongue as the head rolled on the floor, and then he left and went inside the Canson's house, looking for the halflings.

When Hakken didn't find any, he stepped out and started searching in the whole property until he saw a small house with a chained lock on the door.

Swinging his sword, Hakken slashed the chain lock and pushed the door open. He stopped when he saw trembling halflings, fearful for their lives. And they even became more scared when they saw Hakken's sword covered with blood.

Hakken quickly put away his sword on his back and spoke. "Everyone in the Canson's estate is dead. You're free."

No one moved even though they knew the man was speaking the truth. Their slave collars had opened, meaning their owner had died.

Hakken sighed. "Look, you can leave and be free, or stay here and be caged."

"F-free?" the oldest of the bunch said with a trembling voice. "What is that? Even if we leave here, we will still be hunted and caged. We will never be free!"

Everyone nodded. They all have given up on their freedom.

Hakken expression darkened. "Honestly, I don't care what you all do from here on out. My order is to free all of you, and I completed it. But my lady who's fighting for all of you has not given up yet, and it will break her heart if you didn't escape. So stand up and leave this village, or I will add your body to the pile of dead bodies outside."

Every eye inside the small house widened in fear, but they also felt gratitude toward the lady the man was talking about.

"Go to Adral," Hakken advised. "It's a region under the Infernal empire. They accept halflings there. If you can get there, you'll be free. Travel light and don't use the normal travel route to avoid bandits and slave traders." Hakken pulled a map from his small leather pouch and gave it to the oldest of the halflings. "Here, let this be your guide. Leave and stay in the forest on the north. Wait for the demi-humans that my lady is saving at the moment. Then you all can leave together."

Hakken turned around and was about to leave when the oldest of the halflings asked hesitantly, "W-why are you helping us?"

"It's my lady's will," Hakken answered and left, headed south, to the Nollane's family base.

Hakken wanted to give his lady a hand, but when he arrived at the Nollane's estate, the whole place was burning. The mansion had been devoured by flames, and in the middle of that blistering destructive fire was a figure clad in dark red cloak, her long wavy dark red hair was swaying with the flames, unharmed and unburnt.

The woman, Sollel, walked through the fire, toward Hakken. And at every step she took, the flames acted as if they had a will of their own, parting and giving way to their mistress.

Before Sollel reached Hakken, she put her hood to hide her hair and eyes.

"I like what you did with the place," Hakken commented, trying to lighten up the tense atmosphere.

Under the hood, Sollel smiled. "Thank you. How about on your end?"

"Done," Hakken answered. "They're waiting on the north side of the forest so they could leave together."

Sollel was pleased with the outcome. "I will inform them."

Sollel went back to the blazing flame. It parted as she passed, and Hakken just watched his lady disappear into the fire. Moments later, Hakken saw Sollel walking back toward him.

"I already informed them," Sollel happily reported to Hakken as she neared him. "Thank you for your help. I owe you."

"You can show me your face and call it quits," Hakken teased Sollel while a playful smile was plastered on his lips.

"Maybe some other time," Sollel answered and started walking toward their inn, while Hakken immediately followed Sollel and walked beside her.

As they treaded their path, Hakken decided to break the silence and commented, "The weather is nice." Then he scolded himself for opening a conversation in the most common way.

Sollel glanced at Hakken. She was a little bit amused, so she played along. "Yeah. The moon is bright."

Hakken ran his fingers through his hair. "Don't tease me, my lady."

Sollel just chuckled and continued walking in silence, while Hakken stopped to stare at his lady's back. Her long wavy dark red hair was something Hakken could never forget—and of course, the sweltering flame that swallowed the Nollane's whole estate.

That flame... Hakken's expression became grim.

"Come on, Hakken," Sollel called out. "We have to leave early later."

Hakken quickly picked up his pace and smiled at Sollel.

The two returned to the inn without anyone knowing that they left and that they were the ones who destroyed the slave traders in the village.

Sitting on her bed, Sollel looked at her hands and willed her flame to cover them fully. It didn't take a second before the flame ignited in her hands. Seeing her flame danced on her palm like it was happy, Sollel clenched her fist and extinguished the fire in her hands.

She finally recovered one-eighth of her strength, hence the destruction she caused in Nollane's estate. Sollel was happy that she could finally manipulate her flame to some extent, but she was perplexed because she didn't do anything special to recover them. Even after crossing the ash terrain and being soaked in that kind of heat, her strength didn't heighten...so what's going on now?

All she did these past few weeks was travel with Cira and Hakken—nothing more. She didn't consume anything that could recover a fraction of her strength that fast. Even taking Cira's essence didn't do much.

Think, Sollel, Sollel urged herself. What have you consumed these past few weeks?

But however Sollel tried, nothing came to mind. She would surely remember if she had eaten something special. Even after Sollel she woke up, she couldn't get it out of her head that she kept thinking about it until they started traveling again.

On the road, like usual, Hakken handed Sollel a piece of bread, and Sollel absentmindedly accepted it. She was already used to Hakken providing her bread every morning.

"Just how much bread do you have?" Sollel asked Hakken while eating.

Hakken tapped the small and plain leather pouch tied to his waist. "Just enough."

"A magical pouch?"

Hakken nodded. "Unlike Cira's magical satchel, my pouch can hold food without rotting."

"Must be expensive," Sollel commented while eating the bread.

"I'm a hunter. I'm always on the road, so I have to invest on a good magical vessel for my food."

Sollel nodded. "How long have you had this bread?" Sollel sounded interested that anyone would think that she was just striking conversation because she was curious. "Have you had this bread even before you met us in Ashmire?"

"Yes," Hakken replied as he focused his attention on the road and reigning the horse.

"Such an incredible pouch you have." Sollel continued eating, and when Hakken was not looking, Sollel tore the remaining bread in half and hid the other half for her investigation and analysis.

Sollel was not a careless woman; she always minded her surroundings, always trying her best to remember all the little details concerning her and her companions.

"My lady?"

"Yes?"

As usual, Hakken and Sollel was in the wagon's front, while Cira and Len were on the back, resting.

"My lady, once we reach Belrac, are you planning to continue what we started in that village?"

"Continue freeing the slaves?"

"Yes."

"I wanted to, but I have to be vigilant." Sollel knew what she needed to do in order to reach Gatria safely. She knew that after what she did in that village, soldiers of the Infernal Empire would come looking for her for sure. She needed to avoid them.

"So you're going to turn a blind eye on them?" Hakken asked.

"Of course not," Sollel replied as she finished her bread and glanced at Hakken. "I'll order you to save them, of course."

Hakken smiled wryly. "My lady, I can defeat anyone with a sword, but if the enemy camp has a sorcerer, then I'm toast since they like to fight from a very safe distance...and I'm a close combat warrior. I hate them."

"Don't worry about it," Sollel said reassuringly. "If they have a wizard, I'll lend you a hand."

"With your flame?"

Sollel knew that after what Hakken saw in the Nollane's estate, it's too late to deny it. "Yes. My flame with guard you."

"If that is so," Hakken replied, smiling at Sollel, "then by all means, my lady, use me as you like."

Sollel looked at Hakken amusedly. "Use you, huh? I would gladly take your offer then. I will use you to destroy every slave trader we can find on our way to the capital of Treterra, the city of Ager, and free the slaves."

Hakken stilled, and a wry smile appeared on his lips. Damn, he thought. That bit me right back in an instant. "By your will, my lady."

Sollel secretly chuckled at the bitterness in Hakken's voice, and then she subtly shook her head.

Seriously, what was Hakken thinking when he offered her to use him?

I hope not something lewd, Sollel thought to herself.



CECELIB | C.C.