Exactly an hour later, just as Veykh had promised, Edmus arrived at the designated location. He saw Guko and Fira, and soon Veykh himself joined them. Casting a glance over the three, he began to speak:
— "I'll knock out the guards. Your task — Edmus, you must use your element to melt through the wall. In case you haven't noticed — this is the biggest and strongest wall in all of Yusia, but it's also the least guarded. Wait for my signal, then act swiftly and sharply. Once you break through the wall, you'll have to deal with the soldiers. There are only about fifteen of them. If you're quiet and careful, you might not even get hurt."
He was about to continue when Fira interrupted him:
— "Excuse me, Veykh… I'd like to go with you. I'm not saying you might get hurt… but I might. I have no combat abilities — I'm more of a support. I probably wouldn't be of use to these two. But I want to be where the chance of survival is one hundred percent. If I die, my goal won't be achieved. It may look like fear, but I… I have to reach Eltvia."
Fira looked at Veykh and Edmus with a hint of fear in her eyes.
— "I agree with Fira," Grolf said, smiling at her. "We can't afford to lose her. If she dies because of our inexperience, we'll be left without a medic."
— "Alright, kids," Veykh nodded. "Fira comes with me. And you boys… don't you dare die."
Veykh took Fira and, with a single leap, soared twenty meters up to the top of the wall. Gently placing her in a safe spot, he immediately got to work — one by one, he knocked out the guards with the same technique: his lightning entered their bodies, causing them to lose consciousness. Thanks to his speed, a single touch was enough to knock them out.
Fira hid in the spot where Veykh left her, waiting in silence. After he finished clearing the area, Veykh raised his hand — and something unseen occurred.
— "Element of Lightning. Zeus' Aid!" — he shouted.
In that moment, the sky grew dark with clouds, thunder rumbled, and rain began to fall. The clouds thickened into an ominous darkness.
— "Veykh?! What is that?" Fira asked in amazement.
— "It's my element — Lightning," he replied. "And also my ability — to change the nature around me in a hundred-meter radius. By combining them, I can even influence the weather."
The old man did this to leave as few opponents as possible for the swordsman and archer, remaining atop the wall to ensure no one approached them. He continued clearing out other posts.
— "Holy crap… Edmus was right. You're incredible."
Meanwhile, Edmus and Guko heard the signal and sprang into action. Leaping over the river with a basic jump enhanced by neutral energy, Edmus focused. He released acid into the wall, which began to melt rapidly. Soon, a large hole formed. Edmus and Guko ran inside.
But they were expected — around ten soldiers stood ready. Apparently, one of them had sensory magic and detected their approach. Edmus wasted no time:
— "Slice! First level. Acid Coating!"
He fired an acid arrow that struck a soldier in the chest. It burned through armor and flesh, and the air filled with screams of pain. The sight brought Edmus a strange, almost painful satisfaction.
— "You'll all fall… You'd better run back to your families. I won't spare the pathetic soldiers of Yusia!" he growled.
Guko didn't stay idle either: with one strike, he cut down five opponents, and the remaining ones fled in panic. Edmus was stunned — Guko's movements were so fast that even his trained eye could barely keep up.
— "After you called me slow, I focused on speed," Guko explained. "I may not be Grolf, but I'm no amateur. I developed my acceleration technique quickly."
— "I can see that," Edmus nodded, approaching him.
They moved on and soon reached the ship that could take them out of the country without issue. But suddenly, a familiar silhouette appeared — Nikter.
— "Edmus… My dear child," he said mockingly. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out who killed the fat one? You tried to play it cool — I'll give you that. But you see, I have a duty to the state. So, come with me willingly."
— "Never, you bastard!" Edmus roared. "You kidnapped me! You ruined my life! I'll kill you like I did your partner! Slice, second level. Acid Coating!"
The arrow flew much faster this time, with more acid on it. But Nikter, as if anticipating it, dodged. In response, a spear made of black threads and laced with negative magic flew at Edmus.
It was an inch from his forehead when suddenly Guko stepped in with a shield. The spear bounced off with a dull thud.
Nikter stood, calmly smiling, watching the boys. Then, in an instant, thin threads shot out from his spear, wrapping around Edmus and Guko. They stretched from the tip of the spear to the shield, forming a deadly trap. Nikter smirked — he had tricked them.
— "Guko, your defense is good…" he mocked. "But to win, I don't need to break it. These threads… I can shape them into anything I wish. And, you see, I can change their size — enlarge, shrink. Yes, there are limits, but for you, they're more than enough. I don't think I need to leave you, Revlux, and Grolf — the rebels — alive. I'll just call it self-defense."
The threads tightened, nearly tearing the boys in half. They couldn't even scream. Suddenly, a flash cut through the air — thin, bright, like a bolt of lightning. The threads were sliced apart.
Nikter frowned. His eyes turned to the source of the flash — Veykh. He stood before the boys, holding a dagger crackling with lightning. His voice was calm and cold:
— "You know who I am. And I think you understand that you don't stand a chance. Run. That's your only option."
Nikter slowly grinned:
— "No. I've always dreamed of fighting a legend. Do you know what they say about you? That you're equal to ten lieutenants… A general-level fighter, maybe even a marshal. I want to test myself!"
Without hesitation, Veykh hurled a ball of electricity at Nikter, then began tearing trees from the ground, flinging them aside to clear the space.
— "I prefer open space, kid."
When the lightning cleared, Veykh saw a cocoon of threads.
— "You know," Nikter said, "my threads don't conduct electricity. I can make them nylon."
— "Think lightning is all I have?"
In the next second, Veykh was almost face-to-face with Nikter. A close-quarters battle began. Veykh searched for a weakness in his opponent's defense but Nikter held firm. Soon Nikter managed to trap Veykh in his threads. But Veykh wasn't giving up.
— "You said your threads don't conduct electricity?" he smirked. "What about this?"
— "You old freak!" Nikter shouted.
Nikter realized he'd been tricked: Veykh was only pretending to attack to create an opening. His hair whipped forward, grabbing Nikter. Though the grip was weak, the electric current running through his body was like a lightning strike. While his vital organs were protected, he weakened — Veykh now stood over him.
— "You can be proud. You're the first to survive my serious attack."
Edmus and Guko could only stand there, shocked. The battle had been so fast they barely processed it. But suddenly Edmus exploded with rage — his body surrounded by a green aura.
— "I'll kill this scum!" he growled, stepping toward Nikter, ready to strike.
But Fira appeared behind him. She gently pushed his hand away.
— "Don't. I don't want to be an orphan. My mother is already dead. Let my father live."
Edmus stared at her, confused.
— "That's your father?" he breathed. "The man who kidnaps children and sends them to foreign lands, taking them from their families?!"
— "Yes… But he's still my father. My only family. If it helps, I'll explain later why I ran away. But right now… we have to move. If we hesitate, the ones higher up will catch us."
Edmus nodded silently. The four of them ran. Soon they reached an empty ship. Naturally, it was unguarded — all the soldiers were at the gates. It was easier to stop intruders there than on the water.
They leapt aboard the massive vessel under the Yusian flag. As the ship lurched forward, the force was so great it threw everyone except Veykh to the deck.
— "Now, I think it's time to talk," Veykh said. "There should be food on board. Let's eat."
Edmus quickly realized he was trying to distract them from Fira. He went below deck and found a crate of provisions: chicken, bread, pork, sauces — enough for half a year. He grabbed a few chicken sausages for everyone and a bottle of wine. Coming back up, he saw the others had arranged crates in a square. He handed out the food and sat down. He was about to fetch glasses when Guko stopped him and, with a wave of his hand, created golden goblets. Each held one, filled with wine.
— "Fira," Edmus began, "I want answers. Why did you come with us? And why should your father live? I don't care about your blood. I care about who he is as a person."
Fira took a slightly nervous breath.
— "Alright… But first, let's clarify: I invited you. I proposed the escape, not you. My father is thirty-five. You might have thought he was younger — he just looks that way. So… my mother died ten years ago… In Elvistia or Eltvia, depending on the language."
Note: The Eltvian language is so ancient that even the most educated don't know exactly how to pronounce the country's name. Most people say "Eltvia," but in the old tongue, it would be "Eltvilia."
— "Get to the point," Edmus said irritably.
— "My mother… She…"