They rode throughout the night, and through much of the early morning, pausing only occasionally to water Rudolph or let the horse catch his breath. He was built strong, far stronger than any earth horse according to Kim, but he still needed to breathe.

  Riley could not stop thinking about what Kim had said to him. The threat that loomed over every Warden. A few bad choices, dying to the wrong thing one time too many, and you were a goner? Now his life was back to feeling fragile again, just as he was starting to grasp the idea of being immortal.

  As they went along, the frost and snow began to steadily fade. They entered lowlands filled with grassy planes, upon which they could see the terrain of Vergoll in greater clarity. Distant forests filled with colossal pine trees, distant townships and logging camps.

  And, further afield, he got his first look at the capital.

  “Prospera,” Kim had said, motioning to the distant city. “Capital of the Vergoll Empire for... nigh on four centuries, I think. Said to be one of the biggest cities in all the world. One of the few to survive Chaos, and its forces, after all this time.”

  Riley stared at it. At the colossal black walls that ringed it. At the great silvery spires and crenelations that rose from the largest of the imperial buildings. At the broad river than ran through the heart of the city, seeming to bisect it near in two.

  It wasn’t on fire, which was nice.

  They set off again, finding lower ground. And Kim, much to Riley’s surprise, started wheeling Rudolph toward a walled fort that sat a modest distance from the road.

  “What’s this?” Riley warily asked. “We doing more plundering?”

  “Not if you want to keep your hands attached at the wrist,” Kim said, a chuckle echoing in her helm. “This is a little spot known as Hangman’s Gaol. It was a remote prison, years and years ago. Nowadays its one of many... I guess you could call ‘em ‘safehouses’ that get used by Wardens. Hey, the Vergoll Empire wasn’t using it.”

  “It’s safe?”

  Kim shrugged. “Oughta be. There were a few Wardens relaxing there when I started heading up the mountain, and some of them are probably hanging around there.”

  Sure enough, as Rudolph trotted closer to the looming walls of the fortress, a figure emerged along the battlements. A woman, by Riley’s estimation, with a shaggy mane of grey hair and a wrinkled face. Se was adorned in bronze-hued plate armour.

  “Who goes there?” she called.

  “Who do you think, dumbass?”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The older woman snorted. “Kim, huh?” she asked. “Found yourself a stray.”

  “Sure did. This is Riley. Got picked up by the Arbiter only a short while ago.”

  “Alrlight, alright. Gimme a sec and I’ll fetch the gate.”

  They sat idly on Rudolph, the beast snorting and sniffing at the grass, while the older woman vanished down a flight of steps. “That’s Beth,” Kim said. “She was a long haul trucker before some drunken bastard crashed into her an’ killed her. Now she’s a Forest Sentinel.”

  Riley cocked his head. “What’s that?” he asked.

  Kim hummed in thought. “It’s like... a barbarian. She’s real good with axes, real good at melee. Has some spells for earth and wood magic.”

  The great gate raised up, bit by bit, each movement unleashing small sprays of dust and mortar from on high. Beth stood on the other side, and spent a few moments inspecting Riley as they rode through. “Shoot, a plague wizard? Damn poor choice of class. You won’t find many friends with the local rubes.”

  “So I’ve found,” Riley admitted. “Not that I had any way of knowing, when I picked the class. And besides, the other class choices were trashy.”

  Beth snorted. “Yeah. That creepy prick seems to always put some weird options in there. Better head on in. Kenji was brewing some green tea, last I heard.”

  “Yeah, I could do with a drink. Say uh...” Kim tugged the reins, shifting in her saddle. “Is Stark back in yet?”

  “Came back just the other day. Didn’t seem happy with whatever he found.”

  “He rarely is.”

  They hitched Rudolph in a stable a short jaunt from the gate. Riley noticed a handful of steeds milling about, all of them seeming to be of a decent size and build.

  Riley dismounted, grunting and fighting to regain the feeling in his legs. Horse riding, he decided, was not his forte. Mesquard emerged from his coat and scurried onto his shoulder. So, here we are. A place of safety and respite.

  “For now,” said Riley. He glanced to Kim. “Who’s Stark?”

  “He’s like...” Kim removed her helmet and promptly shook her blonde locks loose. “I guess you could call him my mentor. A guy who might be one of the oldest Wardens I know. He’s been in the game for years at this point,” she said.

  “Years, huh?” Riley asked. He had to wonder how strong a person could get if they spent years accruing Essence and loot in a place like this?

  The interior of the former gaol was drafty and grey, as could perhaps be expected of such a place. The new residents had tried to decorate as best they could, hanging tapestries and paintings in some of the chambers, but that could not disguise what the place had once been. The rows of cells had had the bars removed, some of them serving as bedrooms or refurbished into libraries.

  Another room had been made into an armoury of sorts, which Riley only caught a fleeting glimpse of in passing. The interior housed a myriad of swords, axes, and pikes. None of them seemed particularly fancy, compared to what Riley and Kim had armed themselves with. If he had to guess, he assumed they were backup weapons in case anyone lost their gear and needed a replacement.

  Though he did wonder, briefly, if they had a blacksmith somewhere in the fortress.

  Deeper inside they found a larger room, illuminated by the crackling roar of a fireplace. A young Asian man, adorned in sleek silvery armour and a green cloak, sat at the table, sipping tea that had been poured from an ornate teapot. He looked up, blinking at Kim behind his swept fringe. “Back sooner than I thought.” He turned in his seat, revealing the spiked gauntlets resting in his lap.

  “Hey Ken,” she said, resting her blade against the wall. “Things got a tad hectic.”

  Riley removed his mask, tucking it into one of the pockets of his robe. “That’s one word for it. Nice to meet you, I’m Riley,” he greeted, brushing his russet hair loose.

  Kenji smiled and reached over to shake his head. “Good to see some new blood around here,” he said, speaking with a mild accent. “Shame you had to meet Kim first. I imagine she dragged you into trouble. And likely very nearly got you killed... again.”

  “Very funny, smartass.” Kim snatched up the teapot and poured some tea into a nearby pewter cup.

  Riley reached over and took his offered hand, giving it a quick shake. “Well. I’ve had worse days,” he said, nodding.

  “Ha. The worst is yet to come, I’m afraid. Welcome to our little social club. I hope you enjoy your stint here.”