My father waits patiently outside the cabin. He waves when he sees me from a distance.
"Dad..."
"Uhm...Loi, I'm sorry for everything I did yesterday." He says.
"It's fine. I would have done the same. Rather, I'm grateful for the compassion."
My father scratches his hair. "Yeah...uh...I was thinking last night about what to give you as compensation. I couldn't think of one the current you would want...so ask away."
...
"Well, there is something I need right now. Do you remember the blessings I mentioned?" I ask.
"Wait a moment." My father spreads his aura out into a barrier. "Alright, continue."
"The blessings essentially allow me to copy my target's talent, attributes, and innate skills but kill them in the process. I wonder if you know any strong apprehended criminals on death row?"
My father closes his eyes and ponders. "Yes, there are. I can bring you to the prison right now, up for it?"
"Sure."
Travelling north of the capital, one can find rows of dangerous mountains. The Royal Prison, perched on the precipice of a monumental mountain, stands as a formidable fortress constructed from imposing stones. Gargoyles adorn the giant perimeter walls, leering at potential threats or escapees. A single, narrow bridge provides sole access to the prison, suspended over a sheer drop.
Across the bridge opposite the prison is an intricate archway. Floating runes pulsate in a shimmering hue around a mystical crystal above the gate, weaving arcane energy through the structure. That is a warp gate.
The empty archway glows into a bright blue portal before my father and I appear.
Several knights standing guard at the warp gate greet my father politely. "Good afternoon! Sir Jorde Krist!"
My father returns a nod.
I stand in the archway frozen.
...
"What's wrong?" My father turns to me.
"Doesn't the use of warp gates cost a fortune?"
"Eh, it's fine. A commander of the Royal Army can freely use it."
"...Alright."
I step across the bridge, trusting my life with it. Beneath it is an endless fog. How high up are we? It's cold.
We stop at the gate of the towering wall, guarded by vigilant sentinels armed with imperial weapons. My father goes ahead and tells them something.
The guards glanced at me.
"That's my son." He says.
"Ah! Welcome!" They bow at me. I return the courtesy.
We enter the large fortress and only then do I realise a barrier array around the prison.
"Keep your eyes ahead." My father says.
The interior is dark and damp. Dim torchlight flickers across narrow corridors. The deeper we go, the worse the air becomes. The stench and distant echoes of muted whispers amplify. Columns of thick iron bars encase every damp and small cell, leaving only a straw pallet and chamber pot, without an ounce of light from the outside world.
Soon, we encounter a section where every prisoner has a dangerous aura. "Kekeke! Captain, brought your kid to the zoo?" Prisoners ask my father. He ignores them.
When they attempt to taunt me with their glares, my killing intent jolts them away.
"W-Woah, even the captain's kid is..."
YOU ARE READING
A Background Character's Fate
Fantasy"In war, commoners are the victims in victory or defeat." Struck by poverty amidst a long and devastating war, an ordinary mercenary dies among the countless corpses on a snowy battlefield. Yet by a stroke of luck, he regressed to his younger self...
