Post-Apocalyptic Survivor in Another World: New Beginning

It’s been half a month now since Joe had been mugged, and the first snows of winter have begun to fall. It wasn’t anything crazy yet, but Joe was sure that the flakes would get larger later on. Right now there was a layer of snow half an inch thick covering the ground. Most of the leaves on the treetops had fallen down by now, buried beneath the freshly fallen snow. The wide open field of white was a sight to see… brought him back to his childhood years on the farm.

Betty stuck out like a sore thumb though, a giant dark metal cube contrasting the snow surrounder her. Even still she should be hard to find, she was far out into the fields now, and no new tracks had been made that can be followed to her, at least not as easily. He double checked his gear before he closed the ramp, ensuring that everything was safe and secure. His Benneli was strapped just fine, as was his magnum, the weapons he’d be using to punch holes through Henry’s metallic exoskeleton. His coat was now a deep shade of red, the dragon’s scales having been sewn into the fabric from hood to hem. He’d tested it out and it was essentially stab-proof, lightweight too. His steel plate armor had been replaced with dragonbone from the neck down. His pauldrons, cuirass, greaves, and even his boots were made of the stuff.

The only thing unaltered was his helmet, he had been having trouble crafting the bone to be a mask. He still wanted to do it, but turning it into a gas mask on top of that was proving difficult. Hell, it was hard getting the dragon bone to be shaped like this in the first place. It wasn’t like he could melt it down and fill a mold with it, it was harder than steel but it was still bone. Maybe he should use a marker to mark out the outline he’d need for the mask first… yes, that sounded like it would be easier. He’d do that once he got back.

He ended up repurposing most of the dragon’s skull for his armor, mostly the breastplate, as the top of the skull had already been in an adequate shape. The rest of it however needed to be sewn on in small accordion-like sections with his magic needle. There was still kevlar beneath it all, just in case, but he doubted that anything would be able to penetrate that deeply. He also managed to salvage the nomex underlay from his old suit, and had merged it with this new one.

He’d love to see someone try and mess with him now! Henry was gonna pay, and his rucksack would be reclaimed! Sure, he had a spare, as he had spares for everything, but that had been his favorite rucksack. It would be his once again, but now he needed to track down Henry… first though, he’d be taking this book back to Prolo. It had been two weeks since he’d lost the copied version, so he’d opt to return the original for the kid to use.

He could try and find Henry now, but the trail wouldn’t be easy to follow at this point, especially after all this time had passed and snow had fallen. He’d busy himself with finding Pienturshuld manor first. Once more he entered the woods, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement. He spotted some wildlife here and there, but only what would stay out during the winter months.

He eventually came across the portion of the road where he’d been mugged, and moved to inspect the bush that Henry had been hiding in. As expected, there were no tracks left to follow beneath the snow. He stood, using his poleaxe for assistance and sighed. He still wanted to get back at Henry, but now that he was thinking about it… Joe wasn’t sure that he wanted him dead. The cyborg had been extraordinarily kind in his robbery, other wasters would have just shot at Joe or stripped him of everything.

So Joe would plan on robbing him next time, maybe even trapping him to humiliate him further. If none of that worked, killing him was still an option… he valued his rucksack more than Henry’s life after all. He continued deeper into the woods, the sun completely occluded by a sheet of white clouds overhead. Snow crunched beneath dragon-bone boots as he went, checking behind himself often to see if anything was following after him. He mostly stuck to the trail, as they were his only real way to find Pienturshuld manor.

He knew that these paths would lead to it eventually. Things went by uneventfully until sometime in the afternoon, when a group of five men appeared on the road ahead. They had emerged from the bushes, clad in heavy furs, with three men wielding axes while the other two wielded longbows. Joe considered pulling out the Benneli and blasting them away right there, but those longbows weren’t going to punch through the scale, much less the bone. He needed to conserve his ammo… it was time for the poleaxe to get some spotlight.

“Drop any gold you might have, along with that coat n’ armor.” One man said, “Looks expensive.”

“It is.” Joe said, “Real expensive, so I ain’t givin’ it to you.”

“If that’s how you wanna play it.”

“I’m gonna kick your ass.” Joe warned.

The bandit growled, “Shoot ‘im.”

The two men with longbows loosed the same time Joseph shot forward, rearing back his poleaxe. Only one of the two arrows struck him, but the one that hit simply glanced off his breastplate. Made sense, not even his shotgun could dent dragon bone, an arrow had no chance in hell. He swung on the first bandit, catching him in the throat with the axe blade before yanking it free with a spray of crimson.

The bandit dropped his axe to the snow and clutched his half-ruined throat, collapsing shortly afterward as blood fountained from the wound, staining the snow red. He quickly stepped out of the way of another axe swing, the man stumbling past him as he missed his mark. Joe swung at his leg, chopping through the meat of his calf and sending him screaming to the ground. He felt two more arrows impact with his back, but they felt like mere pebbles as they bounced right off his scale coat.

This had got to be one of the best upgrades he could have ever done. He should have sewn some of this into Sera’s clothing… why hadn’t he thought of that before? He ducked out of the way of the last axe man, the one who had given the order for his men to fire.

“Alright look, you can go, just leave us alone!” He shouted, “Just go!”

Joe swung with the butt of his poleaxe, hitting him in the temple and sending him crashing to the snow, unconscious. The two bowmen backed away, wearing their terror on their faces.

“Get on yer knees if you wanna live, now!” Joe screamed.

The two bowmen dropped to their knees, discarding their weapons and holding up their hands. Joseph approached them, looming over them like an executioner.

“Where is Pienturshuld manor?” He asked, “Got some business with them.”

“It’s a day's travel west from here, just follow the trail!” One shouted, “Can we go-”

Joseph split his skull in twain with the axe blade, leaving it embedded to draw his knife. The other bandit scrambled to flee, but Joe managed to grab a hold of his arm, driving his blade through his back and puncturing a lung. Joe stabbed him twice more before letting him slump to the ground. Joe immediately whirled and walked over to the surviving bandit, the one who’s calf he’d split apart, and killed him as well. He couldn’t let people like this just go free… but something in this act had made him feel slightly sick.

He didn’t feel guilty about killing them of course, it was him or them… but still, something about this didn't feel right. He ignored the feeling, ripping his poleaxe from the split skull of the bowman before moving to their leader, who was still out like a light. Joe raised his boot, and stomped on his skull twice, feeling the bone crunch beneath the force. He then began looting the corpses, coming up with thirty extra gold coins for the effort. It at least felt refreshing to be looting again, that never got old.

They also had the furs they wore, along with their axes… but his gear was far superior and he didn’t really have a need for their weapons. His brow furrowed as he thought about gear… why did he feel like he had forgotten something super important? Something involving Sera… His head hung as he realized the mistake he had made. There had been one more item he’d wanted Sera to have, but it had apparently slipped his mind.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t used them in years, considering that he had been solitary for so long. He really should have given Sera a walkie talkie, he had a few pairs of long distance ones after all. They might not even work anymore but when he got home he’d need to check them. Dammit all, why had he forgotten about them!? He kicked the snow in a burst of anger.

He could have still been able to talk to her now and then! He exhaled sharply through his nose. It could have been a good way to find out when she’d finished her contract too… perhaps he should try and track her down as well to give one to her? After his business with Prolo and Henry were done of course. He dragged the bodies off the trail and a ways into the woods, burying the bloody snow to cover what had happened here.

These guys could be part of a larger clan, Joe didn’t want to be pursued by a potentially massive gang. When he was done, he moved on, his coin purse a fair bit heavier than when the day started. He kept moving until nightfall, nothing else of note happening for the rest of the day. He moved off the trail, finding a secure place to rest and laying out his bubble wrap traps and bells.

He was still warm in his armor, so he saw no need to make a campfire. All it would do was draw attention to his location. The night passed by without issue, nothing disturbed the alarm traps. He gathered everything back up and ate some dried rations for breakfast, setting out once more. He continued following the trail west until finally, he reached the fork in the road where he had met Prolo. Soon after that, he found the smashed trees he had driven Betty through. Damn… that felt like it had happened years ago, but in actuality it had only been a few months.

Some of the downed trees looked as if they had been hacked at with axes, likely being harvested as firewood by the locals. Made sense, why let a perfectly good tree go to waste when it had already been knocked down by someone else? A few more hours of walking passed after that, before eventually he found the road that led to Pienturshuld manor.

He moved off the trail, creeping between the trees to keep out of sight of the guards that were no doubt posted out front. There should be a few guys patrolling outside that wall too if memory served. He didn’t get too close to the manor, instead circling it to see who was on the perimeter. As he suspected, two pairs of guards moved lazily around the walls, chatting and only occasionally looking into the forest surrounding them.

It was almost sunset now, but Joe waited for it to become pitch dark. The guards then rotated out with new ones, the fresher men lighting torches and assuming the route. Joe hid on the west side of the forest, and waited for the patrol to pass. Once they did, he moved silently past them. Once they rounded the corner, he used his grappling hook to reach the other side of the wall.

Thankfully, no one noticed him crawling up and over. Once he retrieved his grappling hook, he began sneaking toward the manor. Prolo’s room was on the west side, if he got to the garden and took the backdoor, that would put him just down the hall from Prolo’s chambers. As he reached the door however, he came across a roadblock. It was locked. He cursed, fishing out his locksmithing kit and immediately getting to work. Being out in the open like this wasn’t good, and opening a window would be risky, as those made more noise when they opened compared to a door.

Right as he got the lock open though, he heard, “Halt!”

He bit back a curse, and stood, turning around to see the very same guard he’d knocked out when he’d escaped the manor months ago. Joseph didn’t waste time with words, immediately charging him.

“Intruder!” He screamed right before Joe’s fist crashed into his chin.

He fell to the ground in a heap, and Joseph immediately dragged him off toward the manor, opening the door and quickly dragging him inside. He deposited the body in a nearby closet that the maids had used, knowing no one would be inside. This poor guy just couldn’t catch a break… He closed the door, cursing silently as he saw torches appearing out in the gardens.

He quickly ducked down, and crept down the hall, toward Prolo’s room. It seemed there was a light on within… maybe he was in there right now? Right as his hand touched the door, he heard the alarm bells ringing. Dammit all! He’d hidden the guy hadn’t he? They must have heard the shouted ‘intruder’ and rang the bell just to be safe.

He pulled open the door and crept inside, seeing a weary looking Prolo sitting at his desk, wide-eyed in shock. His long dark hair had gotten even longer in the time they’d been separated, coming down well past his shoulders. It looked like he was getting ready for bed, based on those silk jammies he was wearing. Prolo then stood from his chair, drawing his rapier from its scabbard.

“Intr-” Prolo began.

“It’s Joseph!” He hissed, cutting Prolo off, “Shut up or you’ll get me caught!”

Prolo gasped, “Joseph? By the Overseer, you’re the cause of those bells! Uh- Quick, crawl beside my bed, opposite the door, hurry!”

Joe didn’t argue, quickly rushing over and curling up beside Prolo’s bed, sliding his poleaxe partially beneath it to keep it out of sight. He could hear Prolo taking deep breaths to calm his nerves. He drew his magnum, aiming it toward the space someone would have to walk to in order to see his hiding spot. It wasn’t long before there was a rapping at the door.

“Lord Pienturshuld!” A voice shouted, “Are you alright!”

“I am!” Prolo shouted, “Find the intruder, I will defend myself here!”

“I will post guards outside your windows and door milord.” The man said, “May I search your room?”

“Do you imply that I’m blind!?” Prolo shouted in anger, “I would have seen someone come in here fool! Go and find the interloper now!”

“Yes milord, I apologize!” He shouted back, “We’ll find him!”

Joe sat up slowly from the ground, flipping up his mask and smiling at the young man, “Sorry for the stress bud.” He whispered.

“It is nothing…’ Prolo whispered back, rounding the bed to sit by Joe, “You speak Faesh very well now, I suppose that means you read everything in the book.”

“That’s right, I also got some help from an elf that didn’t wanna sacrifice me.” Joe said, “I brought the book back for ya by the way. I had the copied version… but long story short, it got stolen from me.”

“You’re giving the original version back?” Prolo asked, “Very well… but are you sure you don’t want it anymore?”

Joe shrugged, “I got it all copied on my laptop too- uh,” He stammered, remembering that Prolo wouldn’t know what that was, “It’s somethin’ from the Outworld that can copy words fast.”

Prolo squinted, “If you have such a device, why did you copy the book by hand in the first place?” He asked, “You could have simply put it in this ‘laptop’ in a fraction of the time and brought back the original copy.”

“I like having physical copies of books too.” Joe said, “But I made you a promise to bring you the book back once it was done, and I lost it. So, I’m bringing back the original for ya.”

“That’s quite kind of you, you have it now, I assume?” Prolo asked.

“Sure do.” Joe said, slinging off his rucksack and producing the tome. He handed it to Prolo, who took it gingerly, staring at the cover with a smile.

“I would ask you to stay and help me learn English more fully… but with how we left things off last time- well, I’m sure you understand that you can’t stay.” Prolo said, sounding a tad bit miserable.

“Yup, ain’t no way I can stay here.” Joe replied, “Yer daddy’s got it out for me and I ain’t tryin’ to get caught.”

“Enough of all that,” Prolo said, “Let us catch up and have a proper conversation, after all, you aren’t going to be able to leave for a while yet.”

Joe nodded, “Ain’t that the truth. Well, how’ve you been?”

Prolo sighed, “Not well Joseph, not well. Father has returned to Relias for business but I fear he may be taking a vile path to riches.”

Joe frowned, “Whaddya mean?”

“I’ve read correspondence between him and a figure known only as ‘Madame’. I’ve not heard flattering things about her, and it seems she’s offering my father a smuggling job. Smuggling.” He said with emphasis, shaking his head, “It is shameful.”

“I haven’t heard nothin’ good about her neither.” Joe said, “You heard of those bandit camps that got destroyed?” He tested.

Prolo nodded, “Ah yes of course, word has spread quickly across Everfae, as we aren’t the largest of Shards. Uh, you know what a Shard is by now I suspect?”

“Yup, sure do.” Joe said, “Also, what are people saying about it? The dead bandits I mean.”

“Ah, well most normal folk take it as good news, but are fearful that whatever caused it may come for them. I’ve heard that it could be a giant snake monster, a dragon, or a giant moving cube. Who knows what really-”

“It was me.” Joe said.

“What?” Prolo asked, turning to face him.

“I killed ‘em, the big metal square thing is true, that’s my,,, lets just call it a wagon. I’ve been taking them out as a pass time with that elf girl I mentioned.” He said.

The cube rumor must have spread by the merchants that had been on the way to Ugals, for they were the only ones who had seen it fully and survived. At least he hoped that was the case. He supposed that Prolo’s dad and his guards had seen it as well, now that he thought of it.

“Father did say that you chased him off with a metal monster, but I had no idea you were the one taking out Madame’s men… you’ve made a powerful enemy Joseph.”

“I’m gonna kill her too, eventually.” Joe said casually.

Prolo’s face hardened, “Don’t be ludicrous, such a thing cannot be done. She owns the guard, the mage’s guild, some say even the king himself is in her pocket. You may wield powerful weaponry Joe but- Wait just a minute.” Prolo paused, pointing to Joe’s coat, “What is all this? You were clad in steel last I saw you.”

Joe smirked, “Killed a dragon.”

“That was you!?” Prolo questioned, grabbing Joe by the collar, “You’re joking.”

Joe pushed the kid back, “No way, I did it. Shot it dead, I got extra scales n’ bone in my wagon too. I can show you if you want-” Joe paused, “Sorry, I’m guessin’ that you can’t exactly visit me, huh?”

Prolo sighed, putting his head in his hands, “Father has had me cooped up in here ever since the incident in Letsher… I’ve rarely left this room, and whenever I do it is under strict supervision. If the guards see me out and about, they escort me back here and insist that the servants can bring me what I need… I may go mad.”

“You ordered ‘em not to come in here,”Joe pointed out, “Why not just tell ‘em to screw off and leave ya alone? And how do you know about Letsher?”

“What do you mean?” Prolo asked, “I was in Letsher of course, I was the one who killed Hec Letsher in a duel. That is why I haven’t been allowed to leave. Father fears I will be targeted by the Letsher family if I step outside the grounds. As for your other question… It is because they fear my father more than me. They aren’t going to defy direct orders from him. They were told keep me in my room, so that is what they are going to do…”

“You killed that guy?” Joe asked, snickering.

Prolo frowned, “...I did, what of it? What’s so funny?”

“I knocked his teeth out a while back.” Joe said, patting him on the shoulder.

Prolo snickered as well, “That was you? I wondered why he only had gums. He said that it was a free knight who had done it, but I didn’t think it would be you.”

“I’ve gotten around quite a bit lately.” Joe said with a smirk, “I even met with the dwarves in Ugals, I saved their third prince.”

“You saved Prince Varig?” Prolo asked, eyes going wide, “What is it you haven’t done in the time we’ve been separated!?”

“Haven’t burnt down Relias yet I guess.” Joe replied casually, “But anyway, why didja kill that Hec brat?”

Prolo sighed, “He used to be a boyhood friend of mine. He had been decent back then, but something about him changed. When I went to visit him after years of no contact, he’d become a demon.” Prolo sneered, “He would abuse his future subjects right in front of me without care, despite my clear disapproval. I attempted to dissuade him from acting like this, but the evil had clearly settled into his soul. The last straw was when he tried to take a woman back to his castle… At her own wedding no less. He was threatening to kill her new husband if she didn’t comply- and that was my last straw. My old friend was dead, Hec was a monster, and monsters are meant to be slain. I challenged him to a duel right then and there, apparently he thought he could defeat me. I took his life at that wedding.” Prolo said, clenching his fists, “I took full credit for killing him, and as it was a duel between nobility, it was technically legal. Yet, Lord Letsher, Hec’s father, only saw it as murder. You aren’t the first person to break into the manor as of late… assassin’s have been coming for me near constantly, it is hard to sleep nowadays.”

That was why he looked so tired. It made sense now. In fact… back when he’d first come here, there weren’t nearly so many guards moving around the walls.

“Well, these guys know that you’re here, maybe you should just say ‘screw dad, I’m leaving’ and go on yer way.”

“I cannot defy father.” Prolo said, hanging his head, “It is impossible.”

Joe sneered, “Yer a man, aintcha boy?”

Prolo’s head shot up, “What?”

“I said, yer a man, aintcha?”

“Obviously.” Prolo said flatly.

“Then stand up for yourself and get the hell out of here.” Joe said, crossing his arms, “You don’t wanna be here? Then get up and go, someone tries to stop you? Kick their ass, it's simple.” Joe told him.

“I can’t kick the ass of every man under father’s authority.” Prolo replied, incredulous “But I know what you’re trying to say. The problem is that I have no other prospects aside from serving as heir to my father’s wealth. I have no other connections really to rely on, no one I know outside the manor would give me shelter. I do not know how to survive in the wilderness either, and the assassins would still be hunting me. My only option, if I want to live, is to stay here-”

“Cut the crap,” Joe cut him off, “You wanna leave? No one will take you in? Fine, come with me then. I’ll teach ya to live off the land n’ be independent, and I can show you how to deal with stalkers.”

Prolo stood suddenly, “Don’t be ridiculous Joseph.”

Joe’s gut was screaming at him to get this boy out of here. Maybe it was because he owed Prolo so much, maybe it was because the kid didn’t deserve to be a prisoner in his own home… or maybe it was just because Prolo was a good guy in a bad situation. Either way, he’d try and convince Prolo to come with him.

“You wanna stay here then?” He asked, standing.

“...No, I don’t. But I have responsibilities here.”

“Screw ‘em.” Joseph said, shrugging, “You’re supposed to be your own man. What did you do when Hec was bein’ bad?”

“I…”

“That’s right, ya took matters into yer own hands.” Joe told him, putting a hand on his shoulder, “You can handle anything life throws at you however you want, there ain’t nothing keeping you restrained here but yerself. You wanna come with me? What does your gut say?”

Prolo didn’t say anything for a long while, staring down at the ground before finally he said, “I want to leave.”

“Alright then.” Joe said, “Start packing some valuables, don’t bring too much, we still gotta sneak out of here. Get a coat too, we’ll have to rough it for a day before we get back to Betty.”

“Betty?” Prolo asked.

“The big metal cube you heard about.” Joe said with a grin, “But yeah, pack up some stuff and we’ll get out of here, but you gotta follow my lead.”

“I-I uh,” Prolo stammered, running two hands through his hair, “Alright.” He finished, taking a deep breath, “Alright,” He repeated, moreso to himself, “I’m really going to leave then? Strange…”

“You know what’s great about that bud?” Joe asked.

“What is that?”

“It was your decision, yer a free man.” Joe said, poking him in the chest, “You can still tell me no if you wanna stay, but I think you don’t.”

Prolo hesitated before answering, “I want to leave. I’ve made up my mind. You’ll need to stay hidden for a while however, at least until the guards have searched the manor-”

Another loud knocking interrupted him, “Lord Pienturshuld! We found him!”

Joe and Prolo both looked to one another, eyebrows raised, “You did?” Prolo yelled back.

“Aye sir!” The guard shouted back, “A Letsher assassin by his own word, shall we kill him?”

“Yes! Make it quick and let me get some rest!” Prolo shouted back, flashing Joe a thumbs up.

That sure was some good timing, who’d a thought that Joe would pick a night one of those killers would invade? That was some good luck, now they wouldn’t be searching for Joe, at least not unless that guard he’d clocked woke up. Even then, there was a chance he wouldn’t have recognized Joseph with his new gear. They waited for a few hours, Prolo packing his stuff in a pillowcase before he got on his winter gear. A heavy wool cloak covered the fancy silks beneath it, a hood pulled up to cover his hair. When he was all set and ready, he took a shaky breath.

“There should still be a guard posted outside my door, we may have to knock him unconscious to escape.” Prolo whispered, putting a hand on his chin, “Killing them is not an option by the way. These are good men, I will not make their wives widows.”

“That’s fair.” Joe replied, “Is there just one out in the hall right now?”

“We can look through the lock to see but I’m assuming it is so. There will be men outside my windows as well, but that would be a worse option for our escape.”

“Alright, I got an idea. Tell the guy to come in here, I’ll stand behind the door, then when he’s in, I’ll choke him out n’ lay him on the bed. Sound like a plan?” Joe asked.

Prolo nodded, indicating to Joe to stand in position. He did so, and Prolo looked through the keyhole, his brow furrowing.

“There is… there is no one there?” He said, confused, “They shouldn’t have assumed safety because an intruder has been caught. Sometimes there is more than one, it's rare but it has happened.”

“Let me take a look.” Joe said, leaning down to peer through the keyhole.

He was right, the hall was completely empty… but he saw something strange. A blur rounded the corner of the hall, quickly approaching the door. Joe stood and drew his magnum, urging Prolo back.

“Get yer sword, we might need it.” Joe said, “It ain’t a guard, there’s something moving over here.”

“Something?” He asked, drawing his blade.

“It looks like a blur, quick, stand in that corner of the room over there, I’ll be behind the door again.” He whispered.

The two men then readied themselves, waiting for something to happen… then the door creaked open. Joe pressed himself against the wall, readying to fire. The blur solidified then, and the lean figure of a man appeared, dressed in black from head to toe. He reared back a blade, readying to throw it at Prolo, who lifted his cloak to defend himself. The blade was never thrown.

Joe grabbed the wrist and flung the smaller man backward and into the wall, twisting around and slamming his shoulder into that assassin’s forehead. The back of the killer’s head rebounded off the wall, his head hanging for a moment before shooting back up, eyes focused. Now that he was in front of Joe, he could see that this assassin was dressed almost exactly like… well, he was a ninja. Only his eyes were visible through the mask, looking pained as blood seeped down his injured forehead. Sure, it wasn’t exactly a one-to-one ninja outfit, it didn’t look like eastern garb at all, just a one piece cotton onesie essentially. A dollar-store ninja.

Joe pressed the magnum to his temple, and growled, “How many of you are there?”

“Blur!” The ninja shouted.

Just like that, Joe lost his grip on the man as he turned into a blur once more, phasing right through Joseph and speeding toward Prolo. The kid gasped and thrust his blade into the figure, but the blade phased right through it.

“Keep your sword in there!” Joe yelled, “I think if he materializes again with it in him he’ll be impaled!”

Prolo nodded shakily, keeping the rapier well within the center of the figure. It moved erratically from side to side, trying to get into a good position. It seemed as if Joe’s assumption was right, if that wouldn’t kill the ninja, he would have turned back to normal by now. He moved forward and drew his knife, also sticking it into the blurred assassin.

“I don’t think he can keep it up forever, just hold it until he has to pull back!” Joe said quickly, “Don’t freak out.”

“I’m not,” Prolo said, “I’ve- I just don’t know how to deal with this!”

“I just told ya!” Joe yelled, “Wait until he solidifies then let’s fill him with holes.”

They did this for a few more seconds until suddenly the blur leapt up onto the bed and rushed into the hallway. Joe sheathed his knife and picked up his poleaxe, “Lets go, I got a feeling yer guards are busy.”

Prolo froze, “You think they’re dead?”

“Maybe.” Joe told him, “Now let's go, keep yer eyes peeled!”

With that, they entered the hallway, cautious. Joe indicated the door to the garden, urging Prolo to follow him. He did so, basically hiding behind Joseph as they moved toward the door. Joe saw something flash in the corner of his vision, and he rushed toward it. A throwing knife plinked off his shoulder, having been aimed for Prolo. The ninja had blended in with the darkness and had tried to get the drop on them.

However, Prolo was not left unscathed.

Joe heard a scream of pain, and he whirled to see Prolo ripping a blade free from his arm, clutching the new wound to stall the bleeding. Dammit all, there really was more than just one after all! He drew his magnum, aiming at the ninja who’d first thrown the knife, and fired.

“Blu-” He couldn’t get the trigger word out fast enough, and the shot blew a gaping hole in his chest, knocking him down to the ground and painting the hall a fresh shade of crimson.

Prolo kept his blade drawn despite his gashed arm, rushing beside Joseph. No doubt his ears were ringing horribly by now. Joe whirled, spotting the next ninja and opening fire. The bullet collided with his kneecap and practically blew the leg clean off, only a few scraps of flesh and bone keeping it attached. The ninja fell down with a scream, clutching the leg and curling in on himself.

Joe considered finishing him off right then and there, but with a leg wound that huge he’d bleed out in just a couple minutes, and they needed to get out of here now. That knife could have been poisoned for all they knew, they needed to clean it out immediately and head for Betty. He pulled out his canteen and poured the contents onto Prolo’s wound, flushing it before he tugged him toward the garden door.

“Stay behind me!” He shouted, “We gotta climb the wall-”

“What!?” Prolo shouted.

That’s right, his hearing was going to be impaired for a while yet. He ran for the door, yanking it open before rushing through before Prolo, the kid following right after him. He slammed the door behind him before continuing to follow. The wall was so close now… but there was a problem. Eight ninjas stood atop the walls, aiming down at them with what appeared to be hand-crossbows. Five guards all lay scattered around the gardens, dead with no obvious wounds.

“Bastards!” Prolo shouted, “I will make you all pay for this!”

Then they fired. Joe rushed in front of Prolo, every single bolt bouncing ineffectually off his scale coat and bone armor. He returned fire right as several Pienturshuld guards stormed the garden from the left, a bullet blasting the head off a ninja before the rest blurred, all floating down from the wall and rapidly closing on their position. The guards shouted in confusion, the ninja’s unblurring as they surrounded him and Prolo. Damn, he could’t block all these shots at once! Joseph grabbed Prolo, wrapping him in the trenchcoat block as much of the boy as possible, but despite that two of the bolts still managed to hit their marks, one of them impacting with Prolo’s shoulder, and the other hitting him in the thigh.

“Damn!” Joe shouted, releasing Prolo before firing again at the assassins.

He only managed to hit one of them before they all blurred again, floating up the walls surrounding the garden before solidifying to reload. Joe flung off his rucksack before also removing his coat and throwing it onto Prolo, who kneeled on the ground, teeth clenched. The bolts flew at him, bouncing off either Joseph or Prolo. The kid would have to wear that trenchcoat for the rest of this if he wanted to live.

He fired again, killing another ninja before the rest blurred and descended, coming toward Prolo. Joe looked to the dozen guards that stared on in horror and screamed, “Surround Prolo! Keep your lord safe!”

The guards, shaken from their shock, complied wordlessly with the order, but the blurred forms got to him first. Joseph readied his poleaxe, swinging wildly as the forms surrounded Prolo on all sides. When the guards reached them, they thrust their swords into the blurs, keeping them away from Prolo.

“Who are you!?” A guard shouted.

Good, they didn’t recognize him, “I’m a friend! Keep them distracted, I have to get lord Pientushuld out of here!”

“Off the manor grounds!?” He shouted, “It is too dangerous-”

“I can’t treat him here, I know a safe place I can take him!” Joe shouted, “Bring me a horse and I’ll get him out of here safe!”

“Whatever he’s telling you, do it!” Prolo shouted, drawing the hood over his head, “Now!”

“Yes milord!” The guard shouted, sprinting off in the direction of the stable.

Yet, as soon as he ran off, a dozen bolts pin-cushioned him, and he fell down screaming. There were even more than Joseph realized! Even now he could see the rooftops becoming a blur, the walls were becoming distorted as more forms appeared. Joe cursed and quickly got on his rucksack, grabbing Prolo and heaving him over his shoulder with a curse.

He didn’t fight against this, the bolt in his leg had crippled him, Prolo wouldn’t be able to escape on his own. He rushed toward the manor once more, kicking down the door as the fighting continued outside. The blurs would solidify occasionally to fire with their bows or throw knives, but the attacks thankfully bounced off the bone and scale uselessly. One of them hit Prolo in the head though, the force traveling through the trenchcoat’s hood and causing him to go limp.

Damn, he kept getting hit! He wouldn’t be able to take much more of this- he had to hurry! He rushed down the hall, bursting through the front doors to see a massacre. The bodies of ninjas and several more guards littered the grounds. Still others fought, Pienturshuld’s men on the losing side. The alarm bells had apparently been cut at some point, for the ropes leading to them were split.

Another few bolts collided with Joseph and Prolo, but the kid didn’t even make a sound, still unconscious. He spotted a few of the horses, whinnying with terror as… Wait a second- that bastard Agdaler was there, trying to grab one of the horses to escape! Joe ran into the barn and shouldered him down to the ground, throwing Prolo atop the horses saddle and climbing on. Agdler stared up in horror as Joseph rode right past him, the horse not needing much encouragement to escape. Killing Agdaler would have to wait for another day, getting the hell out of Dodge came first. Yet, when he came upon the gate he realized that escape was not going to be so easy.

It was still sealed! More assassins were pouring in by the second, ascending the walls to join the battle against the guard. Many of them didn’t seem able to blur any longer, perhaps reaching their casting limits. It was strange, how could so many people have gotten the same exact tome? Statistically it was impossible… right? Could it be that there was merely one caster that had granted this ability to them?

That seemed more likely, but there was no time to think about it now. He swung his halberd, striking a ninja in the arm and sending him to the ground, minus one arm. If he couldn't get out of the gate he needed to clear out these bastards as much as he could. He rode around, keeping Prolo secure beneath his elbow as he gripped the horn of the saddle. With his other hand he swung his halberd, splitting skulls and backs as he went.

Not controlling the reins meant that he had no control over the beast however, and it ran about wildly, seeking an exit that just wasn’t there. Joe placed the halberd in his lap as he had an idea, pulling out a grenade from his belt. He didn’t want to have to use this, but it might be the only way out of here. He awkwardly flipped up his visor, pulling the pin on the grenade with his teeth right as the horse neared the gate.

He then threw it, the frag rolling right up to the gate and exploding. The fighting ceased as everyone looked away from one another and to the gate, stunned by the sudden explosive. The damn gate still wasn’t open yet, but the latch at least had been destroyed. He grabbed the reins and forced the horse in that direction, pulling his foot out of the stirrup as they drew close.

The animal seemed smart enough to understand that Joe was trying to get them both out of there, considering how it had readily given him control. Once they approached the broken gate, Joseph kicked open one side with his foot, opening it just enough for the horse to pass through. The horse whinnied as a bolt narrowly missed its head, and it charged through the opening and out onto the trail… leaving Pienturshuld manor behind.

It galloped as fast as it could go, and before he knew it, the manor was out of sight. He hoped that the guards could pull through, though with their target gone, the assassin’s had no reason to remain at the manor. All he needed to do was get back to Betty, get inside, n’ treat Prolo’s injuries. He was mostly concerned about that bolt in his leg, hopefully it didn’t hit an artery.

It would be hours before he could reach Betty though, and a leg wound could bleed out well before then. He’d need to get the horse to stop so he could stitch up Prolo as best he could. After a few more minutes of running, he forced the horse to slow down, disembarking and tying it to a tree. He pulled Prolo down and immediately got to work, pulling out his first aid kit and surveying the damage.

There were two bolts embedded in his flesh, one in Prolo’s shoulder, the other his thigh. There was a gash on his arm that went deep, it bled profusely. He no doubt had some head trauma as well from the bolt bouncing off his head, but there wasn’t anything Joe could do about that. He brought out his flashlight and inspected the leg wound, the one that needed immediate treatment.

The bolt thankfully didn’t appear to have lodged itself too deeply in the skin, meaning it hadn’t collided with the femur. Let's see… What was the procedure for this? He remembered that he needed to straighten out the shaft as much as possible, pulling it out at an angle would tear through more tissue and veins. Removing it at all could prove to be dangerous as well… but if he left it in during the long ride back to Betty, that might just exacerbate the injury.

He decided that it would need to be removed now.

The wound didn’t seem to be bleeding too much, but that may change once it was removed. He readied a tourniquet in case he tore an artery… straightened the bolt gently… and pulled. Thankfully it hadn’t gone too deep, pulling it out was easy… but now came the tough part. Blood began seeping from the wound, and he quickly began stitching it up. It would scar for sure, but that was better than bleeding out. Once it was fully stitched, he poured some disinfectant on it, and bandaged it tightly.

He repeated the same for the shoulder bolt, pulling it out carefully before stitching it up. He finally got to the last injury, sealing the arm wound and bandaging that as well. He then checked Prolo’s breathing, satisfied that he had not died. This was supposed to be a simple escape, the kid wasn’t supposed to get hurt like this. Oh well, at least now they were out of the woods- er, out of the manor.

“Ugh…” He heard Prolo groan, “Joseph?”

“Yeah I’m here bud. We got outta there but ya got banged up pretty bad. Don’t put weight on yer right leg if you can stand.” Joe told him, “I stitched ya up, but don’t go re-opening it, alright?”

“I… won’t.” Prolo replied, “What was the state of the manor?” He asked.

“Bad, but they should be leaving to come after us. So come on, saddle up.” Joe said, pointing to the horse.

“Help me rise?” Prolo asked, offering his hand.

Joe took it, gingerly, helping the young man to his feet and supporting him as they moved over to the horse. Joe struggled to lift Prolo up onto the saddle, the boy had been eating his burgers, that was for sure. Joe climbed up as well, and they went into a gentle gallop. Hopefully the ninja’s wouldn’t be too close behind, but it was hard to say. One never knew with ninjas.

“So what was with the ninjas?” He asked, as they turned with the trail.

“The what?” Prolo asked, “A ninja? That is an Outworlder term for certain, I’ve never heard that before in my life.”

That made sense… what were they called then, if not ninja’s? He asked this, and Prolo shook his head.

“I have no clue.” He said, “But Lord Letsher must have paid a fortune to hire those men… you seem to have picked the right night to stop by. I’d be dead without you.”

“The good Lord works like that sometimes.” Joe shrugged, “Either that or it was a lucky coincidence for you.”

“Lucky for me, but not the guardsmen…” Prolo said miserably, “They are dead on my account-”

“Shut up.” Joe told him, “You didn’t kill ‘em, the ninjas did. Hec got what was coming to him, dontchu think you did wrong by doing right boy, ya got me?”

“You are much ruder than I had thought you were when we had the language barrier.” Prolo remarked, “But I suppose you’re right, Hec did get what he deserved, and I would not take back my actions.”

“There ya go.” Joe said, “Ya can’t blame yerself for the bad things bad people do.”

Prolo remained silent for a long while before finally he said, “Is this elf girl at your wagon now?” He asked.

“She’ll be out for a few months I’m afraid. Great girl, her name is Sera. Stick with me for a while longer and you’ll probably meet her.”

“I would like that.” Prolo said, “I’ve never had the company of an elf before, they are not native to Everfae, the only ones that appear here are simply passing through, for the most part.”

“Yer pretty talkative for a guy that got knocked out.” Joe pointed out.

“Conversation distracts from the headache.” He replied, “Trust me, I feel awful.”

“Yeah-” Joe started, hearing something whistle past his ear.

A bolt impacted with the snow just ahead of them, and Joe flicked the reins, “Getcher head down!” He shouted.

Prolo folded in on himself, making himself a smaller target as more bolts flew toward them. Most bounced off the back of his armor, but the horse did not escape unscathed. A bolt hit the beast in its rear, and for its credit, this only made it run faster.

“Make sure the poleaxe don’t fall down!” He yelled, handing the shaft of the weapon to Prolo.

He took it awkwardly, sliding it under him as Joseph drew his magnum, turning to see three horsemen riding toward them. The ninja’s had taken some of the animals for themselves apparently, and were in hot pursuit. He felt terrible doing it… but he took aim and shot the lead animal in the head, killing it instantly and sending it crashing to the ground. The other two horses tripped on the dead one, sending their riders crashing to the snow.

He couldn’t afford to let the horse or Prolo take any more shots like that, and the quickest way to be rid of them had been to take out the lead horseman’s ride. He made a mental note to return here later and harvest the remains, it would be disrespectful to let the creature go to waste.

“I stalled ‘em!” Joe shouted, “But we gotta keep goin’ till we reach Betty, no stopping, not even if them stitches open you hear?”

“Yeah!” Prolo shouted.

The two of them rode through the night, hours passing by until they finally broke out of the forest. The poor beast was worn down from carrying both men at such a sustained speed, and by this point could only lightly gallop. That was fine though, they were almost there now, just one more mile to go, and he’d yank out the bolt in this horse’s ass and send ‘em on his way. When they reached Betty, he did exactly that, dismounting and quickly removing the bolt.

It was too exhausted to even gallop at that point, simply walking off into the distance. If he had the space- no, no he couldn’t afford to keep and feed an animal like that. He opened Betties ramp, and Prolo looked on in shock as it lowered.

“So this is your, I struggle to call it wagon, by the Overseer…” Prolo whispered as they both hobbled up the ramp, “How did you even manage to build it? How does it even move?”

“Tell ya about it once we’re inside.” Joe said, knocking the rhythm and opening the door to his workshop.

“Hold it right there.” A deep voice said from behind them.

Joe threw Prolo inside and slammed the door shut, turning around to see a man standing at the bottom of the ramp. It was yet another damned ninja, but this one was different. He wasn’t wearing cloth, but a dark plate armor that seemingly blended in with the night. The man’s visor glowed red as he stared up at Joseph, drawing twin daggers from his belt. The blades were serrated, made for tearing moreso than cutting.

“You ruined our mission, we weren’t supposed to have any casualties.” The man said, “After I kill you, I’ll end the boy and take whatever lay within as compensation.”

Joe drew his magnum and fired- but the bullet phased right through him! The armor blurred around the point of impact, kicking up nothing but snow. He fired again, and again, but the armored ninja merely laughed.

“Weapons are useless against me. You’re better off giving in. I’ll make it quick.” He said, darting forward with daggers ready to slash.

Joe cursed tossing his poleaxe to the snow before he dove off the ramp, rolling on his shoulder with a curse. He stood, picking up his poleaxe and taking a deep breath. He needed to figure out how this guy's abilities worked… was it magic, or was it that armor? Ninja knight laughed and leapt after him, daggers upraised to impale Joseph. He backpedaled, avoiding the stabbing motion before he thrust with the spearhead of the poleaxe.

Again the weapon phased right through the ninja knight, who rushed forward and struck. Joe tried to backpedal to avoid them, but he was too slow. The blades impacted with the plates on his arm, bouncing off and leaving Joe unscathed. This guy had been aiming for the chink in his elbow, had Joe not pulled back, this guy would have hit his mark.

“This cheap crap ain’t gonna save ya!” Joseph shouted, “You think a spell’s enough to beat me!?”

“You clearly don’t know who I am.” The man said, shaking his head, “I am Yugo, the assassin mage!”

A brief instant of silence passed before Joseph said, “Never heard of ya, but I’m gonna kick your ass.”

This cocky bastard just gave Joseph the fight by telling him his stupid title. Yugo didn’t reply, rushing forward again with his blades. Joseph dropped the poleaxe and backpedaled, reaching for one of his recently acquired tools… one which Sera had won for him during her battle in the workshop. Yugo slashed again, his left dagger slicing clean through his gas mask. It fell away in two pieces, leaving his face exposed. Good God, those things could cut steel like butter! They would be his! He gripped his secret weapon in his right hand, and waited for the next swing… when it came, he rushed into the blow, the sudden force knocking Yugo’s arms off balance as they struck his breastplate. Joe then brought them out, cupping one end of it with his hand and clasping it firmly on Yugo’s gauntlet.

“Suppressor cuffs!?” Yugo shouted.

Joe reared back his fist and punched Yugo right in the helmet, knocking him down to the snow with a curse. He didn’t relent, rearing back his boot and sending it crashing into Yugo’s helm. The force dazed the assassin, and he fell to his back, hands still gripping the daggers. He rushed forward and kicked the helmet again, and then Yugo’s hands went limp. Joe quickly kneeled and flipped him over, completely binding his wrists together with the suppressor cuffs.

“I told ya!” Joe yelled, “I told ya I’d kick your ass man!”

He could not believe he pulled that off; maybe Joseph himself was a ninja. He’d thought he would miss with those cuffs, that Yugo would have recognized them and dodged… but the assassin must have been expecting another weapon that he was immune to. Yugo’s arrogance had given Joe the win, both in revealing his title and his lack of caution in attacking.

He’d have to kill this guy for sure, a second fight like this might not go the same way, now that Yugo learned his lesson… but not yet. Joe still had questions for him after all, and the suppressor cuffs would make sure that he was all but useless. He’d tie him up further with some rope, just to be safe, then he’d interrogate him properly inside.

He needed to know why the ninjas had come in such great forces to kill Prolo, why they could all blur like that, and of course, who had hired them. He already knew that it was most likely Lord Letsher, but he wanted to confirm it, just to be safe. After confirmation, he’d be stopping by Letsher to kill that guy, if no one could pay the ninjas to kill Prolo, the ninjas wouldn’t come, simple as that.