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
Hearing such a large crowd roaring and shouting put Ezra under tremendous pressure. He remembered the last tournament he had participated in had ended disastrously. The faces of his previous opponents flashed before Ezra’s eyes. Although the tournament held in Aranor was nowhere near as grand as this, all the townsfolk had gathered to watch it. Ezra’s father had high hopes for him and Aurelia was cheering loudly in the crowd, but instead of fighting like a true prodigy, he failed to shoot straight as his arms kept trembling. His rival, another boy two years younger than him knocked him out in the first round without taking a single hit.As all those thoughts crowded his mind, Ezra felt uneasy and anxious. For now, his only relief was that almost no one in Magaravia knew his true identity except the Gressils, and he had a mask to hide his face.The demonic mask allowed Ezra to hide his emotions but it did not block out the constant booing from the crowd. It sounded like the half-elf
The first round of the Grand Dueling Tournament had kicked off with Ezra’s flawless victory over his elven opponent. But his decision to not fire a single bullet had divided the crowd, leaving many unimpressed and frustrated.However, none of that mattered to Ezra because King Reginald had applauded his feat and he had also managed to attract the attention of the Chief Gunner as well as the king’s Chief Court Mage.As Ezra walked back to his room in the Arcadium, the organizers congratulated him and presented him with fifty Sovereigns for winning his first match. But that was not all.Since Ezra was a new participant with no previous record of fighting in any tournaments, he was permitted to access the shooting range right next to the Arcadium and train whenever he wanted. To ensure that Ezra had all his needs taken care of, the organizers even arranged a room for him at the Firebolt Inn. He was free to use his lodging whenever required and could keep the keys with him at all times.H