Seeing the last stretch before them, the maid began to look about her, making sure the coast was clear. As she saw nothing, she was just about to dash over to the door in her sight when she heard a tug, and a voice.

  Mona felt his shoulder pulled back.

  "Hey, Malcolm. Get over here! He's here with a maid, and they have keys!"

  Mona looked back at the man shouting. He couldn't see his would-be assailant's face. It was covered in a mask, a seamless one, that only had two slits for the eyes and one smaller one for the nose. It lacked detail, and seemed to be as dark as the night sky. What hair the man had was pulled back by the mask. His set of clothes were not much different, lacking an insignia for him to recognize. These men didn't want to be known.

  In his right hand he held a sword, a rather simple thing. It glowed in the light of the two moons, its edge freshly sharpened. Mona could see the leftover marks from the whetstone along the edge of the blade, as well as indents for blood to flow. The weapon was made to cut and gut efficiently, and the man was ready to start on the young noble. If Mona was alone, he would surely be bleeding his organs out right now.

  But thankfully the maid was nearby, giving this man pause. He could sense the woman was charging aura of the Fighter level, and he couldn't afford to take chances right now. So he called into the distant to Malcolm, another attacker a ways away.

  "Not stand there, young duke. Just wait for the others to arrive."

  The man chuckled, turning back to see Malcolm making his way over.

  "You're finally here. See that woman over there? Help me take care of her, then we'll take care of this one."

  "But what about the boy, Edgar?"

  A more tinny voice came from the second rogue, the man pulling his own blade out of the sheath.

  "He just awakened, you idiot. Do you really think a single Aura Novice, without a single technique, can get away. Light the flare already, and let's get on with this."

  Edgar began charging his own Aura, an earthy smell permeating into the air. Giving a nod, Malcolm reached for his bag. He carefully took out an oblong shape, charged it with his own Aura, then threw it into the air. It made quiet the sound, muffling the surroundings and casting the sky in a greenish hue.

  Edgar turned around, feeling his palm floating in the air.

  Wait, where was he?

  "Dammit, Malcolm. That bitch used the silence to drag him away."

  His attention lapsed hearing the noise, and he didn't notice the frail son of the duke slip under his grip. The maid was quickly dragging him along. It seemed though the pair were having trouble; it wouldn't take long for the both of them to catch up.

  "The others will be here soon. Come on, let's go get that bounty!"

  The maid accompanying Mona could only pant. Her Aura was steadily running out. It took a bit of effort to quietly coordinate with the young noble and swiftly move him further to the inner gate leading out of the estate. With her Aura, the soreness from all the running, as well as the creeping dread and fear would break through, and she'd get them taken hostage. The keys left off a heavy jingle as she rushed to unlock the next gate Before her.

  Mona looked at his armor. The gems had no glimmer in the moonlight, unlike the scene he saw during the ascension. If only I could stow this away, and then the armor would be taken care of, he thought to himself. He could see the nervousness in the maid when she fumbled thrice for the correct key. And not far behind, he could see the two men from earlier closing in, with others arriving at the sight of the signal.

  As if responding to his summons, the armor called on his Aura. Mona felt a good portion of his aura taken from him, and watched the gems flicker in a strange rhythm, before the ceremonial piece seemed to fade out of existence. Instantly he felt much lighter in his inner robes, but wondered where the armor had gone. On queue, he could feel his connection with the armor still active, although it seemed to be somewhere else? He didn't know where, but calling on the armor brought it back atop his body. He felt the heaviness of it return.

  Or the heaviness it felt after hours of running in those passageways. He asked the armor to return in his mind, and as before it disappeared back into the void. The Aura must have been used to activate this function. How useful.

  The maid finally got the gate open, then turned around to Mona.

  "Young lord, let us --- where are is your --"

  She stopped when she noticed Mona was no longer covered in the armor given to him for his ascension. Freezing for a second, she was once again awakened by the pack steadily catching up to her and the young noble.

  "Never mind. Let's go!"

  She ran through the door then stood on the side, letting Mona past her. Once he did, she once again shut the door, locking it from the inside.

  Good that she did, because the both of them could see the Faulkner attackers just within arms reach of the door gate.

  Ignoring the banging, shoving, and frustration on the other side, the maid returned to her earlier running with Mona beside her.

  "The gate is sturdy, and thankfully the walls are too high for an Aura Fighter to traverse in a short time."

  The maid and her charge found themselves in front of the outer gate door after going down a few flight of steps.

  "We'll need to disappear into the city, through the alleyways. I understand young lord you haven't travelled there often, but please follow my lead."

  She produced a cloak, a burgundy cloak for Mona to wear. It looked ragged, and had a peculiar scent. The edge laying on the bottom was frayed and stained with some discoloring, and the sights and smells gave him a wave of nausea.

  "Please bear with it young lord, we need to hide among the commons."

  "I'm... I'm fine. Let's keep going."

  The two could still hear the banging from the other door, echoing inside this tight space. As before, the maid locked the door shut once Mona left, finding themselves right behind a building.

  It was a tight fit. Mona could feel his knees touch the exterior of the building as the shimmied through the thinner side exposed to the door. The maid reasoned that it was safer, because anyone would think pressed for the time the two left out the way exiting to a side street.

  While Mona had been outside the estate a few times, he had never seen this part of the estate. The light of the two moons couldn't reach here, this hazy place. Discolored puddles were scattered about. Buildings weren't built with the best of material. The road could use some repairs, and the few living souls here were asleep against the walls. They didn't stir hearing the movement of the two, so neither Mona nor the maid had to deal with being noticed here.

  As Mona walked, he could feel the cloak get heavier as the puddles soaked the edges of his new disguise. The smells in this place made him want to hurl, but he stuck it out as well as he could. The path from the inner wall to the outer walls of the city was several times longer, and judging from what the maid said before, he'd have to return to the earth.

  Windows were shut this late at night. Mona thought of how this place looked in the morning under Golron. Would this alleyway have life? Maybe then someone would come and clear those puddles he had to take careful steps not to step in.

  The maid led Mona down one alley to the next. They crisscrossed the city, never anywhere familiar. Mona knew this must be the slums, or close enough to it. He'd only ever seen the merchant district, and the residential locations didn't have alleys they could sneak between. Maybe these weren't alleys at all, but streets to those who regularly ventured this deep into the city.

  Right next to a turn, the maid stopped moving and whispered harshly under her breath.

  "Oh Alphi, did they also send knights?"

  Mona took the moment to also peak behind the corner, seeing a man in a suit of armor, one of his arms holding a sword much better than those previous. It gleamed under the little light that came in, and already had a few stains. Just a ways beyond it was a storage house, with not much detail given to it.

  "The Faulkners didn't just send an attack force, but also a regiment of their knights is searching the inner city."

  Mona could see the hope leave his attendant's face. She must have received orders among others from her father for his safety, and now a large obstacle appeared before them.

  "That house just beyond contains the tunnels young lord. If that guard wasn't there, we would be able to safely get out of here. But he's clearly trained. I don't know what to do."

  She seemed to panic at the figure, who had his earth Aura filling the surroundings. The earthen scent he had noticed on the first attack in the great hall had long occupied this space. Mona could only imagine to whom the blood of the blade belonged. Hopefully no one he could recognize.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  For a short while, the two caught their breaths, hiding behind the wall, waiting to see if the knight would leave. Sadly it seems the man was posted here, and was standing vigilant. The two ducked when the knight gave a cursory glance in their direction; a whetter on a nearby rooftop took to flight in the chill evening air.

  Feeling useless, Mona spoke up.

  "Let me be a distraction, and then I'll run back. Once I return..."

  "NO!"

  The maid held back the young lord. She had clear panic in her eyes. She couldn't let the young man sacrifice himself at this juncture.

  "If we don't, then we'll be stuck here, and who knows what will happen then. Let me go."

  "But--"

  "Trust me, and be ready. When I come back, you need to attack."

  The maid bit her lower lip. She already had the general idea of the plan when Mona mentioned becoming the bait, but she wasn't sure if this could work. Her eyes stayed on the young noble, and a bit of a haze came over her when she saw the armor return to his figure out of thin air.

  Before she could ask where the ceremonial armor came from, Mona was already off, charging his Novice Aura to his legs. He pulled down the hood of his cloak, doing his best to look lost.

  The knight didn't miss his appearance. The man was on his guard, readying his weapon. At this moment, all he could see was a silhouette coming closer from the nearby alleyway, taking timid steps. The man waited with his eyes fixed, only to see the young lord of Aurum looking about, as if he was lost in the marketplace, before their eyes met.

  Mona saw the knight start dashing towards him, smiling inside. It was his first time trying this, and he thought that maybe his stocky movements would throw off what he was trying to do. He turned around quickly, running for the maid behind the corner. He heard the practiced steps coming from behind, fast and heavy, the sword whistling in the air. It cut through the cloak's end instead of his body, barely missing his back.

  When the knight turned the corner to follow after his moving target, all he could see was a cloaked maid a head shorter than him slam her palm upwards towards his chin, hitting him unconscious. The man fell flat on his back, the sword clattering on the ground. The sound of steps coming from the other directions in this intersection began.

  "Run!"

  The maid whispered, her steps quickly following Mona when he began to move once more. The two passed through the center of the street, hoping no one had seen them, before they went to the front of the storage pointed before.

  Catching his breath, the maid carefully pointed to the side.

  "The front is intentionally blocked. Follow me when you're ready, young lord."

  Nodding, Mona followed, the cloak hood back atop his head for safety. He couldn't do anything about the rip from the sword, or the sounds of heavy steps tracing into their direction. The maid on the other hand pried open a panel on the side wall, left loose. She gestured him inside the dusty interior, before joining him. Then from within she replaced the loose panel. The two waited in darkness, listening quietly for the sounds of running knights and who knows who else gradually died down.

  Once silence returned to the outside world, the two looked at each other where they remembered seeing each other last. For safe keeping, Mona returned the armor back to that mental space, and then began to feel out the darkness for his attendant. A soft hand held his. Her eyes seemed to glow lightly.

  "Young lord, are you alright?"

  Her whisper was barely audible in this place.

  "Yes, I am. What do we do next?"

  Mona whispered back. He couldn't see his way in darkness, but it seemed the maid could see just fine.

  "Past that door is a flight of stairs leading to the earthen tunnels. Just hold my hand, and we should be able to reach the underground waterways and finally leave the duchy."

  She pulled Mona forwards, opening a door on the far wall. The door creaked twice, with both disappearing inside.

  *****

  The staircase wasn't well built, but carved into the earth. The dirt gave way to stone, and the earthen tunnels were barely tall enough to traverse. The struts holding up the path seemed sturdy, but from time to time Mona could see a bit of the tunnel's ceiling crumble down. The movement of the hunting party above seemed to loosen up bits and pieces all along the path. The maid, who gave the name Helena, seemed to fashion a candle from her clothes, and lit it with Aura. While her talents were in Metal, the little in Fire was just enough to light it.

  The two for a while walked in silence. Mona wanted to bring up a few things, but kept shut due to their current predicament. The relative silence of the environment let thoughts leak into his mind, one after another. Did his father know? Was this part of his preparations? Would they see each other again? What would life be like now, on the outside?

  He couldn't answer any. He didn't have much Aura to begin with, and what element favored him his body kept from him. By now, the estate was likely ransacked, and his family's arts and techniques confiscated. He could only taste bitterness; when could he visit his mother again?

  Helena from time to time tried to say encouraging words. She didn't let the young noble know he was supposed to have a few more guarding him along this path, but the prearranged checkpoints they were to meet at showed no signs of their arrival. That could only mean they were dead or delayed. Transporting a single duke's son in the middle of this quagmire was highly dangerous. She was trained, but training could only do so much.

  "One moment, let me check, then you can follow me young lord."

  The maid let out quietly, before walking forwards. Just up front, Mona could see the earthen path they had travelled connect to a cobblestone archway. The sound of trickling water was steadily coming in, reminding him of the desert his mouth had become. It had been hours.

  The maid returned, and a sense of relief was evident in her gaze.

  "It seems no one knew the abandoned mines were expanded into the city, or connected to the waterways receiving fresh water from the distant mountains. We're nearly there, young lord."

  Helena tried to carry a spring in her words, hoping to alleviate Mona's mood.

  "Yes, I suppose we are. Let's continue."

  Giving him a slight nod, Helena turned back, leading Mona through the waterways.

  The smell of dirt and candlewax was washed away, the scent of river water taking its place. The sounds of water flowing past helped to soothe his nerves. Candles weren't necessary here; blue sigils coated the walls, giving enough light to travel forward.

  "As long as we follow this path, we should be able to reach the end of this river stretch contained in the city, and enter the forest nearby. From there we should be able to find a village, borrow a horse or two, and disappear somewhere closer to the Stritten Republic."

  "While we aren't on good terms with them, they shouldn't turn away war refugees."

  Mona could hear the maid's tone beginning to falter.

  "Although, to be truthful, I don't know how they would react to nobility..."

  Mona taught back to what he knew of the Stritten Republic. Lush with forests and grassland, it was originally abandoned due to the remnants of nearby Aura storms. Forgotten soldiers, no where to go, restored the region bit by bit before eventually building the country it now was. Stritten, to strive independently. But of course, he understood why Helena wasn't motivated to go there; could a kingdom and a republic truly be good neighbors?

  Mona sighed. Between snakes or storms, he'd choose snakes. It didn't seem like he would have the chance to rest anytime soon. In some ways this was better. He wouldn't be left alone with his dark thoughts.

  Helena was careful to wait for Mona at every turn. The river to their right split at every four blocks, each feeding different sections of the city before reducing to a small stream. Mona was grateful they didn't take the adjoining sewers. He was still nauseous from walking those ill-maintained alleyways, and he would definitely vomit at the smells filling that space.

  At long last Mona and Helena could see another gate. Unlike before, this gate guarded the river. They would have to jump into the water to unlock it, then travel through this passage to reach outside.

  Stepping into the river, Mona's feet felt slippery on the bottom. Years of water flow had eroded any imperfections, along with the pressure of the water on his legs, made walking a challenge. He had to reach waist height before his feet reached the bottom. If I had Water Aura, he thought, this would feel like walking on land. It seems he doesn't have Water Aura after all.

  Helena went to the lock on the gate, taking out a deep blue key from the set she had, and nudged it in. Then, she carefully twisted it three times, then twice counterclockwise, then once more clockwise. The gate shuddered, and let out a loud shriek. Mona grit his teeth and covered his ears. Helena, looked back apologetically.

  "I'm sorry, young lord. I didn't know that... time would ruin the hinges so heavily. Next time, I'll surely..."

  She stopped talking, and turned around. Next time? She couldn't lie to the young lord and say that there would be a next time. Would they even be able to return from Stritten. Would the estate still be here, or anyone to remember them? Would the Steel Kingdom still exist by then?

  Reaching the other side, the two of them could see the two moons of Onas high in the sky, full of color against a clear night sky. They stopped for a moment, and felt refreshed. They made it outside in one piece. Standing out of the river stream, the both of them stood again on flat ground, soaking wet.

  Too wet. Mona could feel the heat leaving his body. Helena tried to use her meager talent in Fire Aura to warm the both of them, but that didn't help much. She then gestured at the forest a fair distance away.

  "Let us make camp in the forest young lord. Using twigs and branches, we should be able to make a small fire. Or, with any luck, we may find a group of adventurers to hide among. While its risky, its our best options yet. Maybe we can find a stray horse and ride it to Stritten?"

  Mona could tell Helena was trying to be optimistic, but the forest looked dark and the only sound it made as they approached were that of fluttering whetters moving among the branches. He was starting to feel chilly with his moist clothing, and it was eating away at his energy. While Aura could reduce the pain and effects of the environment, it could only do so much. Once they had made their way deep into the forest, the two scrounged together a few leaves and twigs. Having Fighter Aura, Helena jumped into the air, snapping off a few loose branches to help tend to the eventual fire.

  A crackling sound joined the sounds of the whetters from before. Between a couple nearby trees, the two sat against the bark of these Marlbi trees, watching the pale beige branches and dark yellow leaves slowly burn away. The smoke the burning made was very faint, so hopefully no one nearby would notice they were here.

  Feeling the heat warm his skin, his moist clothes were slowly drying, albeit too slowly. Helena built up a pile of twigs, ready to feed the flames and keep it going.

  Exhaustion soon took Mona over. At first he fought the sensation. He was in strange territory, and still on edge.

  "Please rest young noble. I'll keep watch, and if anything happens I'll awaken you immediately."

  Helena gave out a promise, and Mona gladly accepted. Dozing off, Mona's eyes were fixated on the flames before him. If he just let his vision blur, he could see a resemblance to the flames from the cabin fireplace, the Aurum insignia gleaming within. Was his mind playing tricks on him before he slept?

  All he remembered last was shutting his eyes, hearing Helena throw a few more twigs into the fire. The snapped as they joined into the flames.

  *****

  When Mona awoke, he could feel his body was sore. He groaned, but his jaw wouldn't open. Was it stuffed? As sensation returned to him, he realized his arms and legs were bounded in rope. His arms were behind his back, his feet and thighs were tied together. He was in a sitting position, but the rope was digging into his muscles. He opened his eyes, the haziness of his vision, and the crust from his eyes bothering him.

  He wanted to rub it all away, but with hands tied, he could only try to blink repeatedly to clear them. Finally his vision returned to him, and he realized his mouth was gagged. He turned his head around, seeing the rising Golron blinding him for a bit as he adjusted. There he was, sitting in a cart. Next to him were several tied, but a few weren't gagged. Mona couldn't see Helena anywhere.

  The cart was caged off to prevent their escape. In front, a bandit sat, a hat on his head and a set of reins in his hands. The bandit, as Mona could tell from his clothing, was guiding the two horses up this mountainside path, passing by the rock formations nearby. Suddenly he heard a voice, speaking to him. It was one of the others captured, who dressed in the style of the Steel Kingdom.

  "Hey, you. You're finally awake."

  The man seemed gaunt, like he hadn't eaten in days. Mona couldn't make much of a sound besides a muffle.

  "Don't talk. It wastes energy. Just listen."