Deté 11th, 1015 A.D.

By the time a month or so had passed since their arrival to Nathan's homestead, Dustin and Jude found they had done the unthinkable. They'd adapted to life in the wildlands.

The process had been somewhat more difficult for Dustin, him being forced to give up an array of royal comforts and luxuries he'd been entitled to since birth, but he seldom complained. After all, with a beautifully crafted sword of Nathan's design now in his possession, Dustin felt more in his element than ever. Any protest on his part would be painfully immature.

Though that didn't mean the young prince was finding his lessons at all easy. Encouraging and amiable as Nathan showed himself to be, Dustin found his meticulousness irksome. He would force Dustin to repeat one specific sword stroke over and over again, often what felt like hundreds of times. He would never let up until Dustin met his stringent standards.

"My opponent isn't going to step back and berate me for not slashing at his throat the exact way you want me to, will he?" Dustin shouted during one particular lesson, eyes aflame with fury, "All this pedantic repetition misses the point!"

Nathan maintained a disarming smile. "If you perform the maneuver correctly, your opponent won't be steppin' back to begin with."

"There's still another problem with your method, Sir Korynn."

"And what might that be?"

Dustin huffed. "Men are of differing heights! I can perfect this attack just the way you want me to fine enough, but if I simply fight a man taller or shorter than myself, then it becomes useless."

"Do you really think that I, a man who fought in some of the most grueling stages of Innutuk's attack on Monterayne years ago, would teach with such a loose grip on practicality?"

"I would not normally imagine it, but I can't conclude otherwise at this time."

"The reason I have you performing this technique the exact same way time after time isn't because you'll only perform it at that angle. It's to improve your accuracy." Nathan carefully stepped closer and laid a hand on Dustin's shoulder. "I want your sword strokes to become so accurate that wherever you swing that blade is exactly where you intended."

Dustin paused. "Well, I do appreciate that, but can't we do something else after a while? You barely let me spar!"

"I know sparring is enjoyable, but there's a reason I've limited how much we indulge at this time."

"Why?"

"Because right now, we need to focus on building your basic skills. If I were to send you out to fight a random swordsman at this instant, it'd be as foolish as sending out an archer without arrows. You improvise well, Dustin, but if your mind faltered for a moment, all would be over for you, since you have nothing reliable to fall back on."

"I suppose you have a point...but I'd much rather practice a greater variety of techniques."

Nathan nodded. "That'll come with time. Now please, return to your stance, and let's return to the matter at hand. Five more correct repetitions, and we'll spar."

Dustin sighed and wiped his forehead. "I'm too hot; can we pick it up again tomorrow?"

Nathan narrowed his eyes momentarily, and Dustin feared he'd seen through his excuse-making, but then the elder man shrugged and dipped his head. "As you wish. We'll be back here at the same time tomorrow."

"Understood."

With that, Dustin slid his sword into its scabbard and scampered out of the sparring room. He headed down the hall to his living quarters to enwrap his exposed skin in cloth—which he'd now learned how to do without assistance—and headed outside shortly after. Jude and Kyle had spoken of heading down to a place called the "watering hole" just before Dustin's lesson, so he made his way there to check if they were still there.

This watering hole was really the oasis town's sole tavern, located in a conveniently central spot, almost equally distant from each individual home. It served as a reliable backup if anybody's well ran dry, not to mention the establishment's limited selection of stronger drinks.

As Dustin approached the circular building, constructed of stone blocks intentionally placed to be full of gaps for ventilation, he spotted something strange. A group of about ten men in flowing white garments covering all but their eyes worked to tie up an equal number of strange creatures outside. Then they headed for the watering hole's door.

The animals sported short, sandy fur, and their long, muscular necks, contrasted the slender legs that held up their bulky bodies. Oddest of all, each of the beasts had a large hump located more or less in the middle of their back, coated in slightly longer and darker fur.

Fully intrigued, Dustin hurried to follow the white-garbed men into the watering hole. By the time he'd scampered past the humped beasts of burden and toward the wooden double doors, a great hubbub ignited within. Naturally, Dustin's curiosity only grew.

He flung the double doors open to see a throng of the watering hole's patrons surrounding the newcomers. The men had uncovered their faces by that point, and by all appearances, they resembled any member of the Pikalanite tribe. Only two marked differences stood out to Dustin—the newcomers were noticeably more well-fed, and by the earrings, nose rings, and necklaces they wore, it seemed they possessed more wealth than most.

Dustin squeezed past the crowd and peered at the bar counter against the back wall. Sure enough, Kyle and Jude lounged there and watched the stir at the front door with interest. Michelle also sat with them. Upon spotting Dustin, the three grinned and vigorously motioned for him to join them.

"That was a short lesson." Kyle remarked with a smirk once Dustin stepped into earshot, "I hope my father isn't going easy on you?"

Dustin glanced up sharply as he took up a seat beside Jude. "Far from it; it was I who called an end to his boundless pedantry."

Kyle chuckled. "My father can be quite meticulous if he wants to be."

"Indeed...now, what's all this fuss about?" Dustin asked, motioning to the men at the front, who now slowly made their way to the bar counter themselves, "Those men are receiving a royal's welcome."

"Ah, those are the gatherers."

"That explains little."

Kyle shifted his weight so he leaned even heavier against the counter. "Well, if you haven't noticed, even this oasis isn't exactly a paradise. We have enough to eat to survive, sure, but no extras. And lots of materials just can't be found here. The gatherers go out and bring stuff back here to make everyone else's lives just a bit better."

"In that case," Jude said, "their popularity seems very much warranted."

"Of course. They also bring back word of what's goin' on in the nations around us. Not too much happens here, so their stories entertain the tribe for weeks. Speaking of which, I should go see what they've learned this visit."

Dustin smiled and nodded, silently watching as Kyle slipped away. He stepped up to one of the gatherers in particular, who charmingly kissed the hand of a young lady he'd just given a silver pendant to. The man appeared momentarily bothered when Kyle poked his shoulder and began speaking with him, but soon fell into animated conversation in a language Dustin couldn't understand. He tried for a moment to strain his ears and piece it together, but ultimately failed and returned his attention to Jude and Michelle sitting nearer to him.

"Kyle hasn't gotten you into any trouble in my absence, has he?" Dustin asked Jude with a smirk.

"I'm afraid you're a greater troublemaker than he, my friend. Kyle was only educating Michelle and I on a bit of Pikalanite history."

"Oh? That sounds absolutely fascinating."

Jude glanced up with a chuckle. "I don't fail to notice your sarcasm. But I found it intriguing how this settlement bears some similarities to Monterayne in a few ways."

"Now, how could that be?"

"Well, just as the mountain ring protects Monterayne from all but the most determined of invaders, the harsh desert all about this oasis ensures none would be willing or able to make spoil of the people here. One must follow very specific trails to safely traverse the wilderness and not perish in the heat of the sun."

Dustin nodded, casting a glance at a contemplative Michelle before replying. "I can see the commonalities. Of course, one must ask what resources here are worth spoiling to begin with. If one could feed an army on sand alone, perhaps I could see the merit of a conquest."

"Of course. The similarities only go so far."

After a moment's silence, Dustin peeked around Jude to address Michelle directly. "You seem to have a churning mind; what are you thinking?"

"I think of similarities between your kingdom and this settlement as well." she said slowly, "And I see a strategic advantage they both share."

"Intriguing...go on."

"If your father orders an attack on another nation—"

"Pure fantasy, but go ahead."

Michelle glanced sharply at Dustin, but quickly recovered. "A Monteraynian attack on another nation is difficult to predict, not to mention sheerly unexpected due to defense being the most advantageous strategy. The same advantage lies in the laps of the people here."

"I believe I understand what you mean, but I'm left with some confusion nonetheless. Monterayne is a nation, Michelle. This is one settlement for one tribe. Even with the element of surprise, their lesser numbers would spell disaster from the outset, were they foolish enough to attack anyone."

Jude turned back to Michelle momentarily. "Not to mention, why would the Pikalanites attack anyone?"

"My people fight for freedom from Innutuk." Michelle stated simply, "A swift and strategic surprise attack on the soldiers in a border town can suddenly give the resistance a stronghold in that place. But it's all idle thought; nothing to fixate the mind upon long."

Dustin and Jude exchanged a glance, then looked up to see Kyle returning. His face bore a certain heaviness, as if he regretted what he'd inevitably have to report back to the others.

"What's wrong, Kyle?" Michelle asked with concern when Kyle reclaimed his old spot.

"The gatherers brought back a disturbing report." he muttered, "It's...really harrowing to hear."

"All the same, we must know." Jude said, cautiously placing a hand on Kyle's shoulder.

"Well, basically, the Forbacheans recently unearthed an ancient relic of the Alcontean religion. Some object used to summon the power of their god of war and peace. It was stored in the capital city's vault for a brief period, but shortly afterward was stolen by insurgents. Meanwhile, Innutuk's been closing its fist around the place, and the entire population of the capital was rounded up for questioning. When the new Overseer didn't get the answers he wanted, he killed them."

Michelle's eyes exploded open. "All of them?"

"Every last one. Rumor has it there's nobody in the capital but the new Overseer and his occupation forces."

Dustin's brow furrowed. "I...Innutuk is far more barbaric than I had imagined. They spared no one? Not infirm, women, children?"

"Aside from an unlucky few who got to escape and tell the tale, it sounds like they got them all. I heard they even killed the children first in an attempt to break their parents' resolve. Even still, nobody exposed the insurgents."

"The Empire is presumptuous to believe anybody has anything to tell!" Michelle exclaimed, eyes moistening with tears.

Kyle nodded gravely. "Agreed. Since that event, they've been attempting to hunt down the insurgents and that relic without success, at least from what the gatherers heard. Still, such a massacre's terrible. I don't know whether to fume or weep first."

"I do both. Such innocent blood cries out for the Lord's vengeance to swoop down quickly and claim an eye for an eye."

Dustin abruptly rose to his feet, hand leaping to the hilt of his sword. "I would very much like to seek some vengeance of my own. For the sake of the children of Forbache, I must make my sore displeasure known."

With those few words, Dustin hustled out of the watering hole, mind ablaze with sheer rage at the disturbing report. Clearly, he hadn't heard the full extent of Innutuk's depravity back in Monterayne. Innutuk wasn't merely a hungry lion as his tutors had taught him; it was a ravenous devil. And suddenly, Dustin felt like a young lion with a taste for devil's flesh.

**** 

A/N: Uh-oh. Innutuk done screwed up, if you ask me. They've awakened a beast in Dustin, and that's bound not to look pretty. 

(You know what else is bound not to look pretty? You if you don't give me the votes and comments that are my rightful due. 🤣)

Talk about being entitled, sheesh. 😂😂

Anyways, I don't have anything more to really add there, so have a great week, and I'll see you in the next update!