"We've been losing a lot of men lately." Baron Tribel said, worried about the state of their forces.
"That is to be expected. We have been fighting the Faceless cult every day and night for the past two weeks. Isn't it normal that they lose some and we lose some too?" A rival Baron said as a matter of fact.
"I know what necessary sacrifice means, Corfa, but this is getting beyond that."
"Oh, now you're getting scared?" Corfa paused and looked at the rest seated around. "Perhaps we should send Baron Tribel back home. He has developed cold feet."
"Enough of your jokes. Tribel isn't wrong. We came with a limited number of fighters, and even though we have killed hundreds of those mad cultists, the death toll on our side seems to match theirs." An older man, dressed in armor, said.
"Then… should we request support from the Inspectorate Corps in the Imperial Capital?" Zach said.
"Young master Zach, wouldn't this affect the assignment given to you students to complete?" A knight in the room asked.
"It would, but this situation has obviously gone beyond the scale of what we assumed it was. The innocent lives at stake are far more important than whatever result we were hoping to get."
The gaze of many veterans here softened when they heard Zach say this.
"It is good to know that the academy we take pride in is properly raising the leaders of tomorrow. What a fine young man!" An elderly knight said.
A flush of red appeared over Zach's cheeks as he scratched the back of his head. "Sir, please, it is only proper. Moreover, if we continue this way, it will only be a matter of time before we are whipped out. Many of us here are sore and fatigued from the constant battles."
He glanced at Eddy who was seated beside him, scratching his already bleeding palm.
Eddy's eyes were sunken, patched with a dark patch underneath each eyeball.
His hair was rough, as though he hadn't freshened up in a long while.
Noticing the gaze on him, Eddy glared at Zach.
Why are you looking at me, fucker!? Eddy thought, only for his thoughts to be interrupted by the whispers that had been plaguing him for days.
"See, we told you that these bastards don't see anything in you. Just like your parents, they treat you like nothing but a nuisance."
Shut up.
"Now–now Eddy boy. Don't speak to us that way. Be a little bit more grateful. Hahaha!"
"Haven't we been of help to you over the years? What if we are hurt by your words and refuse to help anymore?"
Hearing this, Eddy unconsciously tore another wound on his palm, causing him enough pain to subdue the whispers a bit.
But unlike before, it didn't work as much.
"What a mess you'll be."
"Just let us take control. Give us your heart, and mind. And we shall bestow upon you, great power that will make you unstoppable!"
Leave me alone!
Just then, Eddy received a light nudge from Zach, snapping him out of his thoughts.
The room was almost empty, with most of the head figures already gone, leaving him and the other students remaining in the room.
"Are you okay, buddy?" Zach asked, looking concerned.
"I'm fine."
"You don't look or sound fine to me. Maybe you should take a break from the battle today."
"No, I'm going to fight. I need the merit." Eddy strongly refused.
"This case is already going out of control, the merit points aren't what we should be worried about at this time."
Eddy looked around, noticing the gaze he was receiving from his fellow students.
In his eyes, they all had contempt written all over their faces.
"Hypocrites!" He said as he got up and left the room.
Zach was speechless, unaware of why his friend said this.
"What is his problem?" He muttered.
"Don't know, don't care. I won't be joining tonight's battle." Ron… or Veronica, said as she took to her feet.
"You've been avoiding most battles, out of all four of us assigned to this assignment, your merit points should be the lowest. I advise you to fight tonight."
Veronica didn't even pause as Zach spoke, it was as if she didn't hear a word he said.
Looking at the only other person in the room; Sam shrugged his shoulders.
Zach shook his head and sighed.
***
Eddy moved sneakily through the silent and empty streets of Agard.
He constantly checked if he was being watched or followed, and when he was certain that the coast was clear, he ran for his destination.
Under a walk-over bridge.
Eddy stood, tapping his feet on the ground as he waited.
"Where the fuck is he?" He grumbled.
"You don't look too good." A voice came from above, following a masculine figure, draped in a cloak, falling from the top of the bridge. "I told you before that this wouldn't pan out well for you. Will the merit points be worth it?"
Eddy glared at this cloaked figure. "Mind your fucking business. Don't start feigning concern for my well-being now."
"Eddy, the side effects are already showing all over. You have become excessively aggressive over the last few days. I don't think we should continue."
"How is your business!?" Eddy grabbed the man by the collar and shook his body.
"As a business person, I can't have my clients losing their shit over overindulgence." The man grabbed Eddy's hands and forced them off his cloak. Then he began walking away.
"Wait! I'll pay triple,"
The man in the cloak paused, clearly torn and hesitant.
"Do you truly have to do this, Eddy?" His voice softened.
"I have to… I have to do all it takes for them to recognize me. Please."
"How dare you!? You're begging him for what we can give to you for free? You ungrateful bastard?" These whispers came in full force again, but Eddy was too conflicted to pay attention to them.
"Fine. This will be the last batch in a long while. I can also get penalized for doing this." The man reached into his cloak and retrieved a small silk pouch.
He handed it over to Eddy, and in turn, Eddy gave him a folded paper.
"Don't look for me for a while… And take care of yourself." With that being said, the cloaked man left.
Eddy opened the pouch and stared at its contents for a while before a mocking smile slowly found its way to his face.
"I wonder what's making you smile."
"Shut up." He replied, thinking it was the whispers. It took him a few seconds to realize that it wasn't.
Eddy jumped back and looked to his side, only to see Marcus and two knights with him.
"You! What are you doing here?"
"Irrelevant. The relevant question is, what are you doing here, and who is that person that you have been meeting up with since you arrived in Agard?"
Eddy didn't wait to hear the question completely. His first instinct was to run when he realized that he had been caught.
"Shit!"