The Runic Alchemist

Within a few hours, the ship had left Eldoris waters and entered the deep sea. Like the ship Damian had traveled on before, this one also carried mercenaries prepared to defend against any threats from the sea or sky. The sun had finally risen, and most passengers were enjoying the morning light, basking in its warmth.

Among the notable figures on board were one second-ranker mercenary leader, two of Princess Evrin's Enlightened-ranked guards—seemingly leaving their first-rank counterparts behind—and two mysterious knights. The ship hosted an impressive number of second-rankers: five in total, or seven if Sam and Einar were included. This made the vessel arguably the safest—or the most dangerous—passenger ship on the sea.

Damian stepped out of his small room, Toph perched comfortably on his shoulder, and headed to the deck. The others remained in their quarters, but the two knights had stayed on deck the entire time. As Damian's eyes adjusted to the brightness, he noticed the knights looking directly at him. Upon closer inspection, he realized that although one was male, the other—a tall, broad-shouldered figure—was a woman. Her bulky armor and short hair made the distinction difficult at first glance. The man appeared to be in his mid-40s or early 50s, while the woman seemed slightly younger, perhaps in her early 40s.

Without hesitation, Damian approached the two Eldoris second-rankers, who were dressed casually, attempting to blend in. He motioned for them to come closer. Though they exchanged glances, they complied without protest—clearly briefed on his scouting abilities beforehand.

Damian then turned his attention to the two armored knights, walking straight toward them. The Eldoris guards, sensing tension, immediately became alert. Damian stopped a short distance from the knights, locking eyes with them. For a moment, no one spoke, until the female knight finally broke the silence. Find more chapters on empire

"Is there something we can do for you?" she asked, acting as if seeing him for the first time.

"You certainly can," Damian replied calmly, his voice steady despite the waves crashing against the ship's hull, making too much sound. "It would be really helpful if you told me who you guys are."

The male knight chuckled, his smile failing to reach his eyes. "You must be mistaken, kid. We're just mercenaries."

"Yeah?" Damian asked, leaning in, smiling through his gritted teeth. "Then why did you run yesterday?"

The man's smile widened unnervingly, a faint aura leaking from him as he leaned closer. "Can't a man run? That was just... exercise."

"Bullshit," Damian snapped.

Before the ridiculous exchange escalated further, the female knight grabbed her companion's head with a sigh, pulling him back. At the same time, the Eldoris guards pulled Damian back, who quickly regained his composure.

"We apologize if our presence was a hindrance," the female knight said, her voice measured. "We've been ordered to ensure your safe arrival at the Obsidian Bastion."

"Highsword members?" one of the Eldoris guards asked, surprise and a hint of admiration in his voice.

"Yes, we are knights of the Highsword," the male knight began proudly, but his partner cut him off.

"Squires of the High Table," she clarified, shooting him a pointed look.

Damian nodded, then turned back to the man, who seemed visibly deflated. "Don't sneak around then..," Damian said, feigning suspicion. "And don't stare at me. I'm shy."

The guards behind him stifled laughter, while the female knight looked awkwardly away. The man's expression twisted from anger to disgust.

"We'll keep that in mind," the woman replied awkwardly as Damian and the guards walked off.

As a precaution, Damian had discreetly applied a faintly scented tracking solution to the knight's shiny armor. The scent wasn't detectable to humans but would allow him to track their movements using his scent tracking potion. He could track them with it and their travelled location for kilometers. It was just a precaution, he just felt like they already knew about his ability to sense people by mana. Just in case they had some weird way to mask their mana signatures, which should be normally impossible, Damian performed this fail safe. This will also inform him where they were staying and what part of the ship they constantly visited when he was asleep. It was borderline paranoid, but that's just how he lived. Especially out in the open.

The journey to the Obsidian Bastion was expected to take six or seven days. Their ship was far superior to the average vessel and wasn't scheduled to make any stops, particularly not in Ashenvale. The region's volatile political climate had made it hostile to Eldoris travelers in recent years. After their entire army was decimated, the king had not lasted long and had died at last suffering from his prolonged illness. The prince wanted to become the new king but after the humiliating defeat, not a single lord assisted him. All staying away from the man as if he had plague. Many other powerful houses started amassing mercenaries and levies, and a brutal yet mostly political war started in the whole of leaderless Ashenvale. There were still many powerful individuals there, their neighboring countries were not making their life any easier, some defended their country, some just stayed away from everything, some collected everything and eloped all together to other countries with promises of wealth and power in exchange of information and betrayal. Overall it was a bad time to live in Ashenvale.

The voyage continued smoothly. The knights kept their distance, though the man often glared at Damian, who returned the favor in equal intensity. Damian didn't inform the others about the knights, as it would only cause unnecessary worry. He spent most of his time reading when the day was nice and the weather was pleasant, the other time he either slept or played around with Toph, trying to teach him new skills but nothing was sticking. The main problem Damian suspected was the fact that the little elephant was just thinking it as playing, instead of learning new things. He suspected that combat or emotional stress might be needed to trigger skill development. He even tried teaching Toph to read, only resulting in the creature curling up and napping on his chest as Damian read aloud. That guy was lazy for sure.

The others also spent much of their time on deck doing various things, Sam and Einar only watched the mercenaries work, while the princess read some books once in a while, but mostly she just stared at the sea as if she could communicate with the vast ocean of water somehow.

After a week of peaceful, refreshing sailing, the towering peak of the Obsidian Bastion, the seat of the Highsword organization, finally came into view.