The situation looked dire for Ezra, but he wasn’t the same boy Ramel had tried to kill inside the training dungeon. He was a D-level Gunner now and had plenty of tricks up his sleeves.“Kill him!” Ramel commanded, pointing at Ezra.The Corrupted Spiderlings scampered across the road, but Ezra held his ground.“Let’s hope crafting you was worth the trouble.” Ezra pointed his weapon’s nozzle toward the enemy and pulled the trigger. The dragon’s eyes lit up as Ezra held the trigger down. Then suddenly, a torrent of searing red flames gushed out of the steel nozzle and flooded the road, setting the spiderlings ablaze.“I think I am in love with you!” Ezra moved forward, pushing the enemy back. The spiderlings tried to flank him from the sides, but he quickly turned his weapon around, re-directing the flame to cleanse his path.Ramel’s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched Ezra exterminate the swarm of Corrupted Spiderlings. It was all too easy for him since the cleansing flames spread a
Ramel’s hex distorted Ezra’s perception of reality, twisting his thoughts. His heart raced inside his chest, and his legs started shaking under him. He looked around him like a scared little hare, his eyes frantically searching for something.Everything had suddenly turned dark around Ezra. The trees and bushes had all disappeared, and the road in front of him was obscured by dense gray fog. “What is happening to me?” Ezra clutched at his chest, trying his best to calm his trembling nerves, but his heart kept thumping like a caged bird. He felt jittery all over, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop his body from twitching.Suddenly, Ezra heard the clopping of hooves in the distance, and he spun around sharply. A Centaur Brute emerged from the shadows, its eyes gleaming like blood-soaked rubies. Unlike the other Brutes Ezra had faced in the Starlight Forest, this one was armed with a spiky steel axe, and its chest was resplendent with claw marks.“Ezra Romanov!” the Brut
Ezra stood there all alone against an army of undead led by Ramel. But he knew he could obliterate the skeletal horde in the blink of an eye. The only thing that stopped him from attacking was the gun pointed at his father.Lord Wilhelm and his son were holding Lord Sebastian hostage, and Lester and his adventurers had their guns and crossbows pointed straight at Ezra.The only one Ezra could count on in such a situation was his sister. But she had been led far away from Aranor by the Headless Horsemen. Lord Wilhelm had carefully planned every single step, and now his deceptive schemes had finally come to fruition.“Give up now, brother,” Ramel spoke again, his lips curving into a sly grin and his eyes gleaming with a malicious delight. “There is no way you can win. Aranor’s fate has been sealed, but there is still time to save father.”“He is your father as well!” Ezra snapped back, turning the Shadow Cannon toward his brother. “Is this how you intend to repay him for raising you and
Ezra’s world came crashing down as Lord Sebastian’s lifeless body was dragged away by the adventurers. His life had turned upside down within a single night, leaving him devastated and distraught.“I will kill you all!” Ezra screamed at the top of his lungs, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Jasenki and his father. Even with the shackles on his hand, he looked far too dangerous to be left alone.In a moment of carelessness, the adventurer standing next to Ezra got distracted by the kill, giving Ezra the chance to break free. He shoved his elbow into the adventurer’s stomach, causing him to flinch and stagger back.“Ugh!”Before he could recover, Ezra ran off with his hands still cuffed.Paying no heed to the consequences, Ezra sprinted straight toward the skeletal horde in an attempt to get to Jasenki. Two Skeletal Warriors rushed at him, but he kicked the first one away and tackled the other one to the ground before bashing its skull with his head.“Order your minions not to attack him,”
In the blink of an eye, Ezra’s life had turned upside down. He had everything he ever wanted in this world: a loving family, a life of comfort, and a special talent that he could be proud of. After having overcome all the taunts and mockeries, Ezra had proved his worth by joining Dragon Claw. His life-long dream of becoming an Ace Gunner felt almost within his grasp, but Lord Wilhelm had snatched everything he held dear in one fell swoop.Even the one whom he had called his brother had betrayed him. The Romanov family now lay in ruins, and Aranor had been overrun with the undead. Things looked dismal from every angle, and here he was rotting inside a dark dungeon.“Damn you. Damn you all…”Ezra slumped down on the ground, his back pressed into the cold, damp wall behind him. He wanted to scream at someone, but he knew no one would hear him inside this dark prison.“Why didn’t you fight back, dad? How could they just overpower you so easily?” Ezra kept questioning, his mind clouded wit
“That was the best thing you could think of?” Marlin questioned in a vexed voice as Ezra slowly picked himself off the floor.“I did what you advised,” Ezra replied, catching his breath and rubbing his bloodied lips on his sleeves.“I do not remember telling you to make things so obvious. Now the guards will be expecting those ruffians to act up,” Marlin replied. “You should have handled things more tactfully.”“I am not in the mood to handle things tactfully. I just want to get out of here. And nothing would make me happier than to watch those prisoners kill those two guards.”Hearing Ezra’s explanation, Marlin realized that Ezra had acted in such a rash manner only to create a tense atmosphere which would possibly lead to a violent altercation between his captors and the prisoners.Although it was a blunt and risky approach, there was a good chance of it working in Ezra’s favor since the actual dungeon guards had been killed and the adventurers weren’t used to keeping an eye on such
Frankko did not waste any time and quickly unhooked the keys from the adventurer’s belt. He then quietly opened his cell door. Once outside, he grabbed the bombs hanging from the guy’s waist and searched his pockets for potions. “You really can’t keep your grubby fingers to yourself, can you?” Maya asked. “Now please be a good boy and open my door too.”Frankko stood up and walked up to Maya’s cell, but before unlocking the door, he asked, “I am not doing this to free that Lord. I just wanna escape from this hell hole. Are you with me?”Maya sighed and shook her head. “And here I was thinking you had taken an interest in that boy. I am afraid I won’t be going anywhere without my dainty darling. Lord Ezra is coming with us.”Frankko flashed a sly smile at her and turned the key in the lock. “Congratulations, you passed the test.”“I know how much you love coin,” Maya replied. “Besides, after we escape, we are going to need the money to disappear from the wanted lists and start afresh.
Maya pulled away from the door, her mind clouded with doubt. Although she was eager to get her hands on the reward Ezra had promised, she wasn’t too keen on risking her life for it.Frankko too seemed to reconsider his options after hearing Giles’ words of caution. He turned to his companions and asked, “Is it too late to back down?”“We killed two of the adventurers sent to guard us. I believe it is way too late to turn around and walk away,” Giles replied as bluntly as possible.Maya clicked her tongue and shook her head, touching her forehead with her fingers. “I should have just stayed in my cell. Lord Wilhelm might have kept me as a mistress for himself or his son.”“And here I thought you wanted to become independent and open an orphanage for girls,” Giles said, giving her a cursory glance. “Perhaps you really do belong here with the rest of us.”Frankko put his hands on his waist and backed away from the door. “If Lord Wilhelm really had the Romanovs murdered, it means he has p