Mr Worldz

Chapter 72: Arrows

William crouches low in the brush, heart pounding in his ears. Eight brigands already lie dead, his arrows in their backs, their stomachs, their heads. All because they hadn’t seen him coming. Hadn’t known where to look. But now they do.

Now they hunt.

Five left by his count. They...

Chapter 71: Burning Will

For a heartbeat, the world holds its breath as my eyes linger on Hamza's broken form.

Hamza...?

I charge, snow spraying underfoot, the screams of the dying drowned beneath the pounding in my ears. Brigands stand between me and Yurik, blades raised....

But I’m faster.<...

Chapter 70: Hamza

We approach the road by midday, the narrow, frozen trail winding ahead through thick trees. Hamza leans in, voice low. “Did you find out which way the merchants are coming from?”

I shake my head. “No. Yurik got distracted before he would say. If I ask him again, he’ll get suspicious...

Chapter 69: My Nature

Yurik’s company gathers beneath Fort Gaelin’s iron gates, the towering doors creaking in the early dawn wind. A horse-drawn wagon waits near the path, its wheels half-buried in snow. Yurik stalks the line of men, about fifty in total, most barely awake as they wait.

"Is that all of ‘e...

Chapter 68: A Proposal

I wake with a jolt of pain in my right arm, sharp as it drags on the stone floor. Blood seeps through the bandage in dark threads, sticky against the skin. The barracks is still. Most of the bedrolls lie empty; those still filled housing Yurik’s men. Bran’s company left before dawn to recruit...

Chapter 67: Secrets of Mana

The days bleed together in Maldor's laboratory, each one a haze of tedium and revulsion. The horrors of this task and place have worn off somewhat, dulled by repetition. I spend hours etching runes into severed flesh, arms, torsos, faces, Maldor having expanded my canvas to all areas of the body....

Chapter 66: Quick Thinking

The feasting hall stinks of smoke, sweat, and spilled ale. Firelight flickers from the hearth, casting shadows across the stone walls. I sit hunched over some bread, chewing slowly, surrounded on all sides by brigands jostling for food and drink.

Runes weigh upon my thoughts as I take my me...

Chapter 65: Two Paths

I leave Maldor’s laboratory with a furrowed brow, thoughts crawling like his spiders. His magic still lingers in my mind, what he did to that creature... I don't fully grasp it, but I know I want no part of being on the other end of such a spell.

And Two expects me to kill him? <...

Chapter 64: Dark Arts

The minutes crawl by slowly under the old fort. In the laboratory proper once more, I wait as ordered by Maldor. The smell still hangs in the air, sickening, almost literally so. I try to get accustomed, but my throat tightens with each breath and I feel light-headed. The sight of butchered ...

Chapter 63: Maldor

I look to Two, eyes wide, heart pounding. But he's already released me, striding ahead without pause. I hurry to keep up as he stops before a large, weathered wooden door. I'm about to speak, to demand answers, but he lifts a finger to his lips, signaling silence.

"We're here," he murmurs.<...

Chapter 62: Two Brothers

I follow Two through the dark halls, our footsteps echoing against the cracked black stone. His quarters are larger than I expected, spacious. Though the stone remains chipped and crumbling in places, the furnishings are surprisingly refined. A solid wooden bed sits against the far wall, its fram...

Chapter 61: Warband

The next morning, a boot slams against the post beside my head.

"Up! On your feet, dogs!" Yurik's voice booms through the barracks like a warhorn.

Bran is already pulling blankets off men still groaning in their sleep, tossing them to the stone floor with little sympathy. "Move your a...

Chapter 60: Edric The Butcher

The hall buzzes with life, torchlight flickering against rough stone walls. The long tables are already packed, wood groaning under the weight of trenchers piled with thick cuts of steaming meat, greasy legs of mutton, pork, loaves of coarse brown bread, pitchers of ale. The scent is thick, invit...

Chapter 59: Fort Gaellin

I follow Hamza back to the alehouse, the door creaking on its hinges as we push inside.

Yurik stands among the brigands, sleeves rolled up, barking orders as they haul the loot from the past few weeks to a battered table at the center of the alehouse. He leans over it, inspecting each pouch...

Chapter 58: What Is Right?

Work under Yurik is bleak, but easy. Shaking down merchants for coin. Accosting men on the road. I've not had to shed blood since that day, but Yurik seems satisfied with my work. And as the days go by, a small amount of trust is fostered. The brigands respect powerful fighters, imposing figures....

Chapter 57: The Life of a Brigand

Morning comes slow and ugly.

The alehouse reeks of smoke, stale ale, and unwashed bodies. Half the Knives are passed out in corners or slumped across broken benches. The rest nurse hangovers with greasy meat and bitter cider.

Yurik stands by the hearth, warhammer slung over one should...

Chapter 56: Yurik

The alehouse groans under the weight of too many bodies.

The brigands of the Bleeding Knives crowd the room shoulder-to-shoulder, filling it with pipe-smoke and drunken shouting.

Yurik holds court at the center, a keg tucked beneath one arm like a child’s toy, roaring with laughter ...

Chapter 55: Recruitment

The days pass slowly and as Luna predicted, no one comes to recruit us.

So, we spend our time harassing the village in small ways, pilfering unattended goods, knocking over carts, frightening livestock, enough to cause a stir, but not enough to truly hurt anyone.

A poor choice it seem...

Chapter 54: Trust

The night is brittle with the cold. We huddle around the fire beneath our cloaks and the scant blankets we brought, now stretched thinner with Luna among us. The moon hangs low and pale, barely illuminating the trees above. Dawn approaches, but it should be an our yet before it comes.

I loo...

Chapter 53: No Place For A Woman

William shoves past me with an eager grin, thrusting out a filthy hand.

"Evenin', m'lady," he says brightly. "Name's William, what could we do for a beautiful lass like yourself? I'd be more than happy to help you with anything you need."

He flashes a crooked grin, bold and unafraid.<...

Chapter 52: Trouble at the Alehouse

We make our way to the south gate, where a battered wagon waits. The old horse shifts impatiently in its harness, its breath misting in the chill air.

Seated atop the wagon is a familiar figure, Old Bram, the same carter who once ferried me into Ravencroft after I fled Mistvale.

He sp...

Chapter 51: To Redwick

I pack as Zaenith instructs, carefully tucking each herb into its designated satchel. Dried wormwood, powdered bark, and sprigs of feverfew, all sorted with methodical precision. When I'm done, she hands me a tightly sealed leather costrel, thick, oiled, and stoppered with waxed cork, the sort us...

Chapter 50: Freedom

I return to the gaolhouse beneath grey morning light. The heavy oak door groans on its hinges as I push it open, stepping into the fetid dungeon. The gaoler sits behind his splintered desk, nursing a mug of something steaming.

He grimaces when he sees me, but makes no comment. We've grown a...

Chapter 49: Infiltration

We're led down a hall to a broad dining chamber. A long oak table at the center of the room, set for a meal. Roasted duck, buttered turnips, crusty brown bread, bowls of barley pottage, hard cheese, and a jug of watered wine, humble, but rich enough to mark the mayor's status and certainly better...

Chapter 48: The Mayor’s Call

In the weeks that follow, I do not speak to or even see Luna or Ren. Whether they’re avoiding me or tending to business of their own, I can’t say... and I don’t seek them out either. I've my own pursuits to focus on.

I pore over Lucien’s scroll day after day, tracing each rune with ...

Chapter 47: Secrets Exchanged

I step out through the heavy double doors of the counting house, the night air chilling my skin. Outside, beneath the half-lit sky, Luna and Ren wait near a frost-covered wagon, the wind tugging at their cloaks. Luna spots me at once, arms crossed, brows drawn tight.

"Finally," she says, vo...

Chapter 46: Speak The Word

We hurry through the smoldering streets. One by one, the fires are put out, the cold and wet wood aiding the efforts of the women, along with the plentiful snow. Men stalk the alleys with makeshift weapons, hunting for any brigands who remain. Order, or something close to it, slowly reasserts its...

Chapter 45: A City Cleansed

I trudge through the snow, each step slow, heavy. Smoke stings my eyes, and the air reeks of blood, piss, and ash. Women dart from house to house, tossing buckets onto flame-caught rooftops. Men pour from their doors, axes and farming tools in hand, faces pale but grim. Each one conscripted into ...

Chapter 43 & 44

Chapter 43: A Town In Flames

Screams rip through the air like tearing cloth. The square erupts in chaos, families trampled beneath fleeing crowds, children lost in the crush. The obelisk stands untouched, but the ground around it runs dark with blood.

Smoke rises quic...

Chapter 42: Beneath The Earth

“Of course you lost, fool boy. What did you think you’d accomplish in just a month?” Zaenith says as she wraps a length of boiled linen around my skull, binding the salve in place.

I grind the herbs, slow and steady, mixing more of the ointment for my own treatment, just as I was taug...