The Path of Ruin

It didn't take long for everything to be over. It took only a little more than two minutes to wipe out an entire village of goblins, and only because of the goblins returning to the village from the forest that it took so long.

It was only five of them who did it.

Though... it wasn't that big of a deal, considering that the creatures being slaughtered were goblins. But it was still a remarkable achievement.

And standing in the middle of all this slaughter, with blood splattered on his body and a large axe that had taken the lives of dozens of goblins, was Laen. In the direction he was facing was a young boy with a dagger in his hand, his chest rising and falling because he was a little tired.

Laen felt his lips curl even higher as he looked at the boy.

Everything he had thought about this boy was wrong... In front of him stood someone far more capable, far more powerful. So much so that he was beginning to think he had a curse or a blessing. To think that a normal child could keep up with them... it was almost scary.

But he was not without doubts about this thought.

First... if that was really the case, why did Kael bother becoming a mercenary? All he had to do was go to a big city and show what he had to be accepted by a guild and start training. Curse and blessing bearers were not so easily found.

Second, no matter how strong Kael was, he was out of breath and struggling.

Laen had seen a few bearers in his lifetime. And he had also heard far more about them than he had seen. Foremost among them was that they were monsters in the truest sense of the word. The stamina and strength of a bearer, even a child, should have been a match for an adult.

But this was not the case here. Not only had Kael quickly exhausted his stamina, but he had also sustained many wounds. He was not even against strong creatures... but goblins.

Laen placed his axe on his shoulder and walked slowly towards Kael. Kael paused for a moment, turned his eyes towards the approaching giant, and raised his eyebrows.

"How many have you killed?"

His answer came quickly.

"Thirty-eight."

The smile on Laen's face widened even more. This boy... he had actually counted every single goblin he had killed. And he had killed far more than he had thought.

"Congratulations, then! As I promised, I'll give you a present when we get back to town. Besides... if you've managed to kill this many, it's unfair to simply remain a recruit. Beginner level would be more appropriate. Though, now that I think about it... I don't think the people at that level are capable of such a thing. Let's make you an apprentice straight away."

Kael had no idea what exactly an apprentice level mercenary could do, what it was like. But he still nodded his head. If he had jumped two ranks at once, what was he going to complain about?

"But... before we leave here, let me ask you one last thing, just to clear any doubts."

Laen asked straightforwardly, his expression unchanged.

"Are you a bearer?"

The answer to that question was really important.

And Kael... simply shook his head from side to side.

"Then... can you give me a little explanation as to how you became so fast and strong? It's not impossible, I know... but I'm still curious."

Kael could have chosen not to answer that question. And... that would have been the logical option, considering his future.

But he didn't.

"I've been trying to survive in this forest for a week now, and I've been in situations like this a few times before, being from a merchant family."

It was not a very... satisfactory answer, actually.

But, for Laen, it was enough.

"I understand."

That was his answer, and then he turned to the rest of the team.

And... no. Even if he found Kael's answer enough, he didn't fully believe or trust him. After all, there was no way to tell if he was lying.

But he didn't really care. Because... he understood one thing. And that was that Kael really needed to be a mercenary. The way he had acted so far, the way he didn't care if he got hurt, the way he had agreed to go with them without fear, even though he was going into a forest with four adults in this cruel world...

He didn't know why, but Kael was really trying hard to become a mercenary.

And Laen had no intention of letting that effort go to waste. Kael... was someone who could bring a lot to the Bahnar Mercenary Corps, or rather to this small branch, or even more so to himself.

And with that, the five of them left the town as slowly as they had come.

*******

"Here you go, these are my gifts for you."

Kael looked with great interest at the things placed on the table in front of him.

There were two daggers, obviously of better quality than the ones he had, a suit of light armor, and two pieces of clothing.

But it didn't take long for his eyes to wander from the 'gifts'. He slowly looked towards Laen, who was sitting comfortably in an armchair.

He had only been back from the goblin village for a few minutes. But... Laen or the others in the group had still never tried anything bad to him.

And as good as that was, it was just as strange for Kael. It was as if... the fact that nothing bad had happened made him feel that something even worse was about to happen.

So, he asked suspiciously.

"Why... are you helping me?"

He didn't find it logical. In fact... he could have sworn that the man in front of him had a purpose he couldn't understand. They were now on the second floor of the usual building, in a room that looked like an office, and Kael remembered the looks of the people on the first floor quite clearly.

This man, Laen, was feared.

And being feared meant not only that he was powerful, but also that he was not afraid to abuse that power. Why else would people be afraid of him?

But from the first time he met this person, all he had seen was kindness and help.

That's why he was even more confused.

Laen clasped his hands together and placed them under his chin to his question. Then, instead of answering, he simply spoke.

"You are asking the wrong question, Kael. You shouldn't ask why I helped you... You're smart, I can see it in your eyes."

Kael was silent for a moment. Then, his eyes narrowed and he spoke fearlessly, despite the size and strength of the man in front of him.

"What do you want to use me for?"

"Heh, that's a good question now."

Laen turned his eyes towards the glassless window in the wall of the office.

"This building is just a small branch of the Bahnar Mercenary Corps. And I work as the manager of this small branch, but... this is a small town. And it's not easy to find such talented people. You, though, are different."

He tore his eyes away from the window and pointed a finger at Kael.

"You're talented, I don't know if you realize it, but... you have a really big potential for a normal person. And I want to exploit that potential. It's as simple as that, really."

This time, he pointed to the 'gifts' he had left on the table a few minutes ago.

"I'm going to give you gifts, I'm going to teach you a few things to make you stronger, I'm going to send you on missions to make you more powerful. I'm going to turn you into someone I can trust, someone I can use on missions that I can't go on because of lack of manpower, or that are difficult. Do you understand better now?"

So... basically, there were very few talented people in this town. So Laen couldn't go on missions that would bring him more money. And he wanted to turn Kael into someone who could go on these missions and help him.

"Will I get my share?"

Laen nodded his head in confirmation.

"Of course. There is no such thing as free work in this world, Kael. If you manage to become someone I can really use, you'll get even more, like the gifts I'm giving you now. I am a generous man, after all. But..."

His eyes narrowed, his expression turning serious for a moment.

"If you go behind my back, if you ignore your potential and disappoint me... I will take back all the gifts I have given you. I am generous as well as vindictive. What I'm doing with you is simply an investment for the future."

Kael nodded, feeling that he had finally figured the man out a little.

He had no problem with anything he said. Because he was going to use him the way he was going to use him.

No, he would do more than use him.

Because he was not someone who would end up as a simple 'mercenary'. His goals were much bigger.

And when that time came... he would be strong enough to leave Laen behind.

He picked up the daggers on the table and strapped them to his waist. He put on the leather armor without a second thought. Finally, when he looked back at the man in front of him, he saw him smiling.

"You made the right decision, you can be sure of that. Now..."

He stood up and went to his desk, where he should have been sitting, and took out a piece of paper. Then, using the pen on the desk, he began to scribble something on the paper.

"With this, you are now an apprentice level mercenary. Levels primarily determine what missions you can accept. You have novice, intermediate, veteran, and master levels ahead of you. But these are not things you need to think about too much... because I will choose the missions you go on, as I want to make you especially strong. Also..."

After making one last dot on the paper, he pulled it aside. He looked back at Kael, not bothering to hide the smile on his face.

"I can't help you much as you are a dagger user, but I will at least teach you the basics so that you can fight properly. The days ahead of you will be... tiring, at least. But I'm guessing you shouldn't have any problems."

Kael nodded in agreement.

"Good! There's a spare room next to my office, you can stay there from now on. Of course, if there's somewhere else in town you can stay, you can go there too. Where you stay is up to you, frankly. But... I want you to come here every day within an hour after sunrise for training."

Kael nodded again. He didn't seem to object to anything, on the contrary... he seemed determined. He was obedient. And that made Laen like him even more.

"Now... go and rest if you want. It will do you good to rest after the goblin village. But, from tomorrow, we will start everything I said."

And that was the last conversation between them for today, with Kael indeed going to rest.