The big blue tent with Magaravia’s royal flag fluttering from its pole was right in front of Ezra, but the flaming ring separated him from his goal.Most D-level Gunners would have no difficulty surmounting this little obstacle since they could activate their Magic Flight skill to fly over the flaming ring. Ezra however, was yet to unlock this crucial skill since he had only recently reached D-level.Without the ability to fly over the hurdle, the next option was to use teleportation scrolls. However, Ezra had used his last teleportation scroll to sneak out of Verdant Gardens.“You seem troubled, my dear Lord,” Marlin taunted. “Perhaps you can try asking that blood mage to assist you. He seems to be quite good at utilizing portals and he also has a knack of getting you out of sticky situations.”“I do not need any help. I can do this on my own,” Ezra said, clenching his fist and narrowing his eyes on the tent. Even though the flames looked menacing, he was not prepared to back down.Ez
This was the first time Ezra had registered for an important tournament after his arms had healed. He still remembered the last tournament he had participated in had ended disastrously with his elimination in the very first round.Now was his chance to finally sweep his past away and prove himself in front of the crowd. A victory over here would not only win Ezra the support of the commoners, but also help him build ties with potential allies.With the registration complete, Ezra was now officially enrolled to participate in the opening duels on the first two days of the tournament. This information was conveyed to him by another sparkling display in which King Reginald Aubrey, the reigning king of Valaria greeted him.“Is that the king?” Ezra asked, taken aback by this unexpected encounter.But Marlin quickly corrected his mistake. “His Majesty is probably sound asleep inside his palace. The magical projection you see before you is merely a pre-recorded message. But don’t worry; you m
Out here on the deserted streets, Ezra had no one to watch his back except Marlin, and without his body, the old Gunsmith could only do very little to assist him.The City Guards and patrolling Longmans had all left to secure the palace premises, leaving behind a handful of volunteers to guard the city streets. However, Ezra was so far away from the residential areas that he could not call for help. And even if he did manage to catch someone’s attention, there was a slim chance that anyone would put their life on the line to fight the Shadow Lurkers in this blinding darkness.Since Ezra had never encountered these creatures before and none of the texts on monster hunting or dungeon raiding ever mentioned them, he had no idea what to expect.Looking around cautiously, Ezra spotted five pairs of green eyes and clusters of white, needle-like fangs sticking out of their mouths. Since most of the street lamps were flickering unsteadily, he could not make out their other features.“What are
Setting his eyes on the next street lamp, Ezra took a deep breath and touched his Lunar Howl medallion to summon his Spectral Companion. The White Wolf leaped out of Ezra’s medallion and howled to the waning moon, its ferocious battle cry drowning the shrieks and screeches. Even though the Shadow Lurkers were beings of darkness, the Dire Howl ability frightened them, causing them to panic and scatter.This brought Ezra just enough time to sprint through the darkness and reach the next street lamp. Once he was there, he caught his breath and surveyed his surroundings again. The next three street lamps were placed at twenty-foot intervals, alternating between the right and the left sidewalks. It created a hazy mirage of light and shade, with only small patches shaded by the trees. Ezra took another deep breath and broke off into a run, crossing the dimly lit path running between the sidewalks. Since there were no cars on the road, it was safe for him to sprint ahead without looking
Ezra had pinned his last hope on the dimming lights of Quentin Square, but as the last crystal lamp powered down, he realized he was in great danger. He immediately turned back and looked behind him, desperate to find another safe zone.But the street lamps behind him had already turned off and the ones in front were flickering rapidly, their power crystals almost on the verge of returning to their dormant state. Ezra looked around him, hoping to find a house or an inn on whose doors he could knock to escape the clutches of the Shadow Lurkers, but this part of the city had no residential buildings, and the only concrete structures flanking the road were the statues of Valaria’s old kings and stargazing courtyards with open roofs.There were open parks in the distance, and a couple of car repair shops, but not a single soul was stirring at this late hour, and none of the stores had any lights on.Ezra could hear the Shadow Lurkers chittering in the darkness and in the dim light cast by
Now that Ezra was back in his room again, he had time to think about his next move in peace. Taking part in the tournament and winning allies was only one of his many objectives. However, his main goal was to kill Lord Wilhelm and his son and reclaim Aranor.Ezra pulled out the Mirror of Replication stored in his inventory and tried to use it to write a message, but it was badly cracked down the middle and fogged up so terribly that he could not even see a glimpse of his own reflection.“Where are you, sister? I hope you are alright,” he sighed.Marlin sensed the defeated tone in Ezra’s voice and jumped into a conversation. “You still did not tell me what you wrote to her during your stay in that cell.”“I told her that the Morelises had organized a coup and they were trying to kill her. I also told her that father and I had managed to flee Aranor and would contact her again when the time was right,” he replied. “It was the only way to keep Aurelia away from danger. I did not want to
Marlin gasped as he stared at the objective displayed on Ezra’s floating system screen. Just looking at the blueprint had made him feel uncomfortable, and now that he knew it was for a damned weapon, he wanted nothing to do with it.“I warned you that this might be a cursed blueprint, yet you persisted as always,” he grumbled in a displeased voice, his lips barely opening to mutter his words. “Now, get rid of this thing. Burn it and delete the blueprint saved in your system.”“I am going to do no such thing,” Ezra replied calmly. “I desperately need an enchanted firearm, and if this is the only thing available, then I will go for it without hesitation.”Marlin was shocked by Ezra’s words. Even though it was clear that the Twisted Bonecrusher was a damned weapon, he seemed to be completely unbothered by the terrifying truth.“Are you out of your mind?” Marlin snapped at him. “Why would you want to craft and use a weapon that could pose a greater risk to you than your enemy? Do you want
Ezra was proud of the Romanov name his father had so unselfishly bestowed upon him even though he was an abandoned orphan. However, the same name that was once revered across Aranor was only going to cause him more trouble now.Since Jasenki and Ramel were likely to have their spies and informers in every corner of Valaria, it would not take them long to locate Ezra if he went around Magaravia flaunting his family name and meeting the people in power.To prevent attracting any unnecessary attention, Ezra had chosen to hide his true identity and assumed a new name. The fictitious name he was using right now was ‘Loris Lagerlof’. And this helped him learn the secrets of Magaravia without exposing any of his own.As Tanya and Count Gressil left the mansion, Ezra cleaned his room, re-checked his inventory, and then stepped outside on the pretense of following the Count’s instructions. However, his first goal was to collect his suit from ‘The Silver Thread’.Marlin noticed Ezra inquiring ab