Chương 57: Mouse trap

Ethan was an idiot. He should have considered his options more. He had known there was another piece on the board, but he had assumed they and the Valkyries were working toward the same goal. Especially after Desmond took over the guild and had been working alongside them. Now it was obvious how wrong that assumption had been. He had been played. They had drawn the Broken Dawns army away from Highrocks while avoiding the battle entirely, heading straight for the settlement. Someone shoved his shoulder.

It didn't move him, but it still managed to irritate him. He turned his head and found Leah staring at him.

"Stop brooding. No one could have guessed there was another army at play. And even then, Highrocks isn't undefended. There are still plenty of guild members there, including Alex. Didn't you say he was strong?" Ethan snorted. She wasn't wrong, but it didn't change how he felt. He should have known. That was the problem. The first level had already started to drift from what he remembered. The events unfolding now were new and unfamiliar. It grated at him.

He had all this knowledge of how things were supposed to go, but the moment he changed something—when he found Leah—it had sent ripples through everything. Now an organization he knew nothing about had stepped into the open, and from what he could already tell, they weren't just another faction. They were an active threat. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath, pushing the thoughts aside and focusing instead on the healer's mana moving through his body.

It rolled through him in steady waves, dulling the pain, but not removing it entirely. When he opened his eyes again, Leah was still watching him.

"It's not your fault. We'll get there in time. They can't be that far ahead." Ethan gave a small nod and thanked the healer as he stood. They were back at the main camp, stuck in a catch-twenty-two. Highrocks needed their help, but they also had hundreds of prisoners sitting under guard. If given the chance, those same prisoners could turn and join the fight against them. Thane and Nivia moved closer, having been a few yards away discussing their options while Ethan was being healed.

Ethan rolled his shoulders, testing his body. The lingering strain from his aura usage still clung to him, a dull reminder of how far he had pushed himself and how much further he needed to climb.

"What's the plan?" he asked.

"We don't have one," Nivia admitted.

"If we go after them, we need to deal with the prisoners first. The problem is how."

"We are going after them," Thane said, his tone firm. Ethan already knew that. Leaving Highrocks wasn't an option.

"So we split," Ethan said.

"Send part of the force ahead. It'll be faster."

"We'll have to," Thane replied.

"But how many do we leave behind to keep them in check?" Ethan's gaze shifted toward the prisoners. They were huddled together, surrounded by Broken Dawns members. Their weapons and equipment had been taken, but that wasn't the real issue. The mages were. There was no reliable way to stop them from casting if they decided to. There were items in the system store that could suppress them individually, but not in numbers like this. Then there were the unknowns. Storage skills. Hidden items.

Anything they hadn't accounted for. There were too many variables. They needed overwhelming force to keep them contained. The problem was Thane and the others wouldn't want to stay behind. And neither did Ethan. His oath was still active, sitting in the back of his mind like a weight he couldn't ignore. He had to end this war, or deal with the consequences. He still wasn't sure what would happen, or if there was a time limit he had to complete an oath by. He was coming to realize just how dangerous the skill was.

Leah followed his gaze.

"Let me talk to her."

"Talk to who?" Nivia asked.

"To Alice. The Valkyrie that warned you guys." Ethan turned to her.

"What would that achieve?"

"She trusts me. We're friends. Or at least we were," Leah said, holding his gaze.

"Maybe I can get her to keep the Valkyries in check." Ethan hummed quietly. It wasn't a bad idea, even if he didn't trust Alice himself. She had warned them. That counted for something.

"You can try," Thane said.

"It won't change much. We'll still leave a large group here." Leah nodded and started walking toward the prisoners. Ethan moved to follow, but she turned back to him.

"Maybe you should stay here." He paused.

"Let us talk it out. Trust me."

"…Alright." He watched her walk away, then shifted slightly closer anyway, keeping himself within range if things went wrong. Ethan watched closely as Leah reached Alice. To his surprise, the two embraced almost immediately. He slowed his pacing for a moment, then continued once they separated and began talking.

"What did you think of her?" Nivia asked. It was the first thing she had said to him since the battle, outside of necessary information. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"I think she has potential," Ethan replied.

"From what I've seen, she's reasonably high up in the Valkyries. If Leah can get her to cooperate, we might be able to leave a smaller force here." That much was true. The only real issue between them stemmed from him taking the book from her. Even then, it was hard to ignore the fact that she had stood beside Desmond. She had given her explanation, but only time would tell if it held up. Giving her responsibility now would be the real test. If it worked, it solved their problem.

If it didn't, it could cost hundreds of lives. And even if she did cooperate, there was still bad blood. Maybe not from Ethan's side, but he doubted she felt the same. While he waited, Ethan decided to pull up his status. Name: Ethan Carter Level: 24 Class: [Knight] Cultivation: • Core — [Molten] • Body — [Poisonous] Attributes: • Strength: 54 (10) • Endurance: 45 (15) • Agility: 34 (5) • Perception: 36 (5) • Willpower: 42 (5) Skills: (7/10) • Steadfast Lv. 12 (Common) • Advanced Sword Mastery Lv.

5 (Uncommon) • Keen Sense Lv. 10 (Common) • Oath Lv. 3 (Rare) • Mana Infusion Lv. 6 (Uncommon) • Aura Overload Lv. 1 (Uncommon) • Aura Field Lv. 1 (Rare) Ethan read over everything. His stats were solid, but they also confirmed his oath was still active, adding +5 across the board. That wasn't ideal, but it wouldn't be for long. He would complete the oath. It was also good to see that despite the damage, his armor was still providing its full bonuses.

The endurance boost carried most of the weight, with additional strength layered on top. His sword added a little more, pushing his total strength even higher. Leah was already walking back, so he dismissed the screen and focused on her. He could feel his patience thinning. Every second they weren't moving was another second they fell behind.

"How did it go?" he asked, a little more eager than he intended. Nivia and Thane stepped in beside him.

"She'll help," Leah said, easing some of the tension.

"But she wants something in return." Ethan exhaled.

"What?"

"She wants a promise that she and the rest of the Valkyries will be pardoned. And she wants the Broken Dawns to work with her to figure out who's behind all of this." Ethan considered it. It sounded reasonable. More than that, it aligned with what they needed.

"That seems fair," he said. Leah smirked.

"She also wants a personal apology from you for messing things up. Her words, not mine."

"Oh piss off—""I'm kidding," Leah cut in, giving him a wink.

"Hardly the time," he said, rolling his eyes.

"So what do you lot say? I vouch for her. She helped me a lot when I arrived," Leah continued, ignoring him. Nivia looked to Thane, who seemed to be weighing it up before shifting his attention back to Ethan.

"What do you think?" she asked when it became clear Thane wasn't going to speak first.

"I think we don't have better options," Ethan said.

"And it's not like we're leaving them free to do whatever they want. We keep guards on them until this is sorted." Thane finally gave a firm nod.

"Then we go with it. We'll leave a hundred fighters behind, along with the non-combatants who can still pick up a weapon if needed. Once things are stable, we send people back." Ethan rolled his shoulders again, his impatience setting into his bones.

"Sounds good," he said.

"Now let's move." —~~— Alex sat on a plain wooden chair, the timber creaking softly as he shifted his weight. His fingers kept brushing against his trousers, fidgeting despite his attempts to stop. It was a useless habit, one that only got worse the longer he sat there doing nothing. He couldn't stop thinking about them. About everyone he had sent out. The image of them marching away kept replaying in his mind, over and over.

They were out there now, fighting his fight, risking their lives under his command while he sat hidden away in the mountains. It made him feel sick. He should have been there. Leading from the front. Instead, he had been stuck here ever since they had fed the heart of the colossus to the guildmaster. Waiting, watching, doing absolutely nothing. It was infuriating.

"Oh don't be so nervous." The voice cut cleanly through his thoughts. Alex exhaled through his nose, not even needing to turn to know she was watching him.

"I'm trying," he muttered.

"Why couldn't we have gone?" he asked.

"It would have put an end to this far faster." Mia let out a soft tsk.

"Don't be so hasty. It's not like you," she said.

"Do you not trust the little group you've assembled?" Alex turned his head, finally looking at her. She sat across from him. Her blonde hair was tied back neatly, her posture relaxed, her skin carrying a vitality that hadn't been there before. There was no sign of weakness left in her. No trace of the woman who had been bedridden for weeks on end. She just smiled at him, waiting for him to respond.

"I trust them," Alex said.

"But I don't feel good about hiding things from them." Mia didn't respond immediately. Instead, she lifted her feet and crossed them, planting her boots directly onto his lap. The pressure dug into his legs at an awkward angle, but he didn't say anything. He just let out a quiet breath.

"The boy at least will be able to handle it," she said, ignoring, or uncaring to the fact she was dirtying his trousers. Alex frowned slightly.

"What makes you say that?" Ethan was still an enigma to him. Strong, yes. Capable, definitely. But there was something else there, something Alex hadn't quite been able to pin down. Mia raised a brow at him.

"Can't you tell?" When he didn't answer, she shook her head, clicking her tongue.

"He's strong. Even from what you've gathered, that much should be obvious. Level twenty-two, rare class, both cultivations awakened. You really should buddy up to him." Alex snorted. When Donovan had told him Ethan's level, he hadn't believed it at first. Even back when they had fought the colossus, Alex had assumed the boy was further along. Mid-twenties at least. Apparently not.

"I know they'll be alright," Alex said.

"If it comes down to it, Thane can level the entire battlefield. I just…" He paused, jaw tightening slightly.

"Surely there was a better way." Mia dropped her feet from his lap and stood, the pressure disappearing instantly. Alex resisted the urge to wipe his pants. She turned and began walking along the room, slow and unbothered. Then she spun back to face him.

"Haven't I already told you this?" she said.

"We need to be here for when the mice come snooping." Alex frowned.

"If the mice come snooping," he corrected.

"They will come, with the reports of me dead, they will want to finish you off, so there's no leadership." she said, her tone flat with certainty.

"And when they do arrive…" Her expression shifted, something colder settling behind her eyes.

"That fucker will pay." Alex rubbed the back of his head, the heat in the room suddenly feeling heavier than before, if that was even possible. A knock cut through the moment, before he could respond. Mia moved immediately, crossing the room and pulling the door open. Ari stood on the other side, flanked by two guards.

"They have arrived," she said. Alex pushed himself to his feet, his palms suddenly clammy.

"Who?" he asked. Mia turned back toward him, a devilish smile spread across her face.

"The mice."