TwoKinds: flip of a coin (explicit) (Chapter 4 is complete) )

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TwoKinds: flip of a coin (explicit) (Chapter 4 is complete) )

#1 Post by a_somebody_2322 »

the following is a fan AU story based on altered events after chapter 21

Warning, there is explicit language, themes, and moments throughout the story, so that might not be for you.

Symbol guide

( Thoughts )

{ Sounds }

< Keidran >

[ Basitin ]

Chapter 1 "What did I expect"
Spoiler!
It was about 8:15 PM, and Igor, who everyone just called "Boss", was closing up the bar for the night.

Luke was outside, guarding the exit, as he did many times before, watching the bartenders leave in the same order that they usually did.

"Ok, everyone is gone, do you want me to come in and help clean up boss"

"No, keep standing guard, and tell me if you see anybody coming this way".

"I get to watch the sunset now, so I'm not complaining",

Luke could hear a little bit of worried anticipation in Igor's speech, which was unusual for him.

He always had that cool-headed, gentle giant personality, but Luke knew he had good reason.

They had been giving a family of wolf Keidran refuge for the past month, and tonight was the weekly TTC ( Templar Traitor Check ).

Which normally would have been fine, Igor had been doing this ever since that first initial war and knew how to keep it on the down-low.

But that very week John, one of the bartenders, had stumbled across the family on accident and now gets "indefinite paid leave" as he put it.

"Ok, Luke you can come in now, and lock that door behind you".

"You got it".

As Luke finished locking the door, he noticed that Igor was wearing his travel gear, "are you going somewhere, sir?"

Igor responded, "Yes, I'm going to take the family to the drop-off point, I managed to contact the fine folks that have been helping me and convinced them to come early, even if it is TTC day".

"Do you want me to come with you"

"No, I need you to look after the place while I'm gone tonight, normally I'd pay you extra, but because of what John did I don't have the funds."

"Eh, it's fine, I live here anyway so I'm just doing what I normally do "

"Thank you for understanding"

"You know, sometimes you're too trusting of people in my kind of work"

"Well we all have our biases, your's just happens to-".

There were three knocks at the door.

"TTC, open up this door Igor," said the man on the other side.

"The hell, it's not even nine yet?" Luke whispered.

Igor whispered back "I got this, just go into my bedroom and protect that family with your life".

"That's what I do best".

"And if things go south you have my blessing to grab whatever valuables you can and get that family to the drop-off point, ok".

"You got it, boss".

Three knocks again, louder this time "Hurry it up, Old man!" the man yelled.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" yelled Igor, trying to make it seem like he had just been woken up.

"What do you wa- oh, Hello officers, what can I help you with".

Two men were standing outside, one under the signature templar cloak, and a tall muscle mass of a man.

"Hello Igor, we have received info from a source that you have been hiding a family of Keidran, and we have been sent here to investigate".

"What, of course, I don't have Keidran here, the punishment for that is execution, I might be a crazy old man, but I'm not that crazy".

"(Of course he talked!)" Luke thought to himself "(Well now let's just hope the old man can talk his way out of this one)".

Luke walked over to the big dress closet that the family had been living in and opened the door, their daughter was crying and both parents were trying to comfort her.

Luke was never good with the emotion thing, but he was fluent in all three languages, so he figured he might as well try

He walked over and told her "<don't worry, as long as I'm still breathing, I won't let anybody touch you, ok>".

Then all four of them heard the commotion coming from outside.

Luke shot straight back up and told the two parents "lock this door and do not open it unless you know for a fact it's me, Ok" both parents nodded to confirm.

Luke went to the bedroom door and listened outside.

Igor stumbled backward as the two men approached him "Listen, it's like I said, John was mad that I fired him, so he came up with this crazy story about how I was keeping Keidran here.

"Just drop the act, old man, we have suspected for a long time that you were helping Keidran travel through the city, and your friend just gave us all the confirmation we need." the cloaked figure raised his hand towards Igor and formed a fireball in his hand.

"Officer, that kind of force isn't necessary"

"Oh, but it is"

LU-

The blast killed Igor on contact, along with setting the bar a-blaze, and the shockwave blew the door off its hinges and sent Luke flying into the wall and behind Igor's bed

...

"Well, now that done, I have other business to take care of, I assume you can handle finding the Keidran, Alex"

"Of course Adrien"

"Oh, and if you find anybody still alive take care of them, make sure to double-tap them by doing what you do best".

"Beating people into a bloody paste?"

"Yes, quite."

"With pleasure"

...

"Ok, Luke, one step at a time" Luke staggered up, his head still ringing from the blast

"(So,)" Luke thought to himself "(to recap, Igor's dead, and to save some people from being beaten to death, I need to go and fight that behemoth of a man with no magic whatsoever)".

"(Well, if that isn't an accurate description of my job, I don't know what is)".
End of Chapter 1

Chapter 2 "Square one"
Spoiler!

"Hey, Big Man!"

Alex turned around

"There he is, I was worried that I was going to have to repeat myself at least 10 more times before I got into that thick skull of yours".

"Kid, look, I'm feeling pretty good today, and I don't feel like tearing this place apart with the whole burning down aspect, so if you tell me where the Keidran Igor was stowing are, I'll let you go scot-free, and nobody will have to know that you were apart of, this".

"Are you still on about that"

"Yes." the tone of his voice now sharper, angrier.

"Look it's like he said, John made this crazy story to get revenge and you believed him, so as far as I'm aware, you just waltzed in here like you own the place, killed a man, my friend in cold-blood and are now burning down his property just for s***s and giggles".

"Watch your tone, boy!, we are part of the Templar order, and we have the right to do anything under the guide of treason and insubordination, now I will give you one last chance, tell me where they are or face the consequences of your crimes".

The whole room fell silent, with the only ambiance being the sound of burning wood.

...

"F**k you".

Alex immediately rushed towards Luke and grabbed him by the arm.

"For the crime of keeping Keidran in your possession illegally, you are hereby sentenced to death via any means deemed necessary!"

Alex then threw Luke across the room behind the bartender station, knocking some of the bottles of alcohol down with him.

Luke recovered swiftly, grabbing one of the fallen that hadn't broken bottles, hopped onto the counter and lunged towards the behemoth, catching him off-guard and smashing the bottle in his face

Now blinded, Luke moved in for a full-on assault, dealing blow after blow until Alex was against the wall.

"Come on Big Man, where did all that vigor go!"

Eventually, Alex regained control, dodging a well-placed punch and tackled Luke into the public restrooms wall, causing the wall tile to break apart into sharp pieces

"Get up, I'm not done with you yet"

Luke immediately went back on the offense, thinking that he can be caught off guard again, but this time Alex was ready, blocking until he saw on opening in Luke's poor excuse for a guard

Alex kneed Luke in his ribcage before he could make any further contact , knocking the wind out of him.

"Come on kid, now where's all your vigor"

Before Luke could react, Alex started to beat Luke mercilessly, each blow coming with the sounds of anguish and bones cracking.

Alex eventually got cocky, raising both his arms high above his head,

Seizing the opportunity, Luke managed to roll out of the way and handstand kicked Alex straight in his jaw, knocking him to the ground

"(I have to end this now)", Luke thought to himself, "(the fire could reach that back closet any minute now if the smoke already hasn't)"

Then he saw it, a sharp piece of tile on the ground.

Alex was starting to get up, panicking, Luke went for the offense again.

But before being able to touch him, Alex grabbed Luke's head and repeatedly slammed it into the sink top until eventually breaking it, at which point he threw Luke against the broken wall, motionless.

Exhausted, Alex steadied himself and went to leave, but then remembered what his brother said before.

"I need to make sure, or else Adrien is going to kill me"

Alex walked over to Luke, getting ready to crush his skull in with a single blow to the head.

"Sorry kid, but you should have taken the offer when you had the chance"

Before his fist could make contact, Luke managed to regain consciousness, dodging Alex's attack, and grabbed the sharp tile off of the ground.

"Wha-", but before he could finish saying the word, his throat was slit open, and both men collapsed onto the ground.

Has Luke laid on the ground, flames and smoke filling the air, he saw Igor's burnt body.

Blanking in and out of a lucid state, Luke thought about him.

"(He was a brave man, standing up for what he believed in, no matter who it was.)"

"(He was a smart man, hell, he tricked the grand templar who knows how many times for how long)"

"(He was a kind man, helping so many people that he barely even knew just because he knew what was happening was wrong)"

"(He was kind to me, even with my past)"

"(He was my friend, and now I'm going to let him down, just like everyone before him)"

...

"Hey, I know this looks bad, but you got to get up"

"you've got promises to keep "

Suddenly, Luke regained consciousness, already standing somehow, and all the pain throughout his body subsided

"How?" Luke started to walk out of the restroom and towards the family, chalking the sudden recovery to his adrenaline coming in late.

Luckily, the fire hadn't gotten to the bedroom and the family was safe.

"<Hello, It's me, Luke, you can unlock the door>"

Soon after saying this, the door unlocked and Luke came inside.

"<Sir, you're injured.>" said the male Keidran.

"<Look, that doesn't matter, I'll be fine, but what does matter is that of getting you and your family to the drop-off point>"

The female Keidran asked, "<Sir, where is Mr. Igor>".

Luke stopped in his tracks and thought about what to say

"<Mr. Igor is no longer with us, and I'm sorry to be frank but we will be joining him soon if we don't hurry>"
"<now, let's get going before any more unwanted visitors come by to say hello.>"

So Luke grabbed what he could, and they walked away from the burning bar.

They walked towards their freedom, for the family, with the best possible meaning, and for Luke, the worst.

He was back to square one, with only about 100 gold worth of currency and the deed to the bar, which could be heard collapsing in the distance.

After walking for a while, they eventually made it to the drop-off point somewhere in between Lake Mead and Wolfwatch Tower, or what's left of it anyway

A man was sitting by a fire cooking what smelled to be rabbit stew with a horse-drawn wagon stationed nearby for transporting refugees in secret.

The man shot up, clearly scared out of his mind "Y-y-you there, what do you what" he raised a small hatchet that he had for self-defense.

"Relax, I'm not templar, even if I was, that hatchet isn't going to do much"

He lowered the hatchet but still kept a tight grip on it "Ok, well that still doesn't answer my question"

"I'm with Igor, and I brought a family" apparently he hadn't noticed them until Luke brought it up.

"Well why didn't you just lead with that?" he then turned his attention to the family "<Come, sit, eat, your safe now>"

After he situated the family, he continued to talk to Luke "so you said that you were with Igor, where is he"

" {sigh}... I guess I should have said I was with Igor"

"Oh, o-oh my ..." The shock on his face was unprecedented.

Luke left him to his thoughts and went to sit by the fire, and about 2 minutes later he followed.

He had composed himself, but he still seemed pretty torn up about it "What happened?"

One explanation later

"And that's basically the plot synopsis"

"T-those basterds, mind my language"

"Don't worry, I don't mind"

"Well there's nothing we can do about it now, I suppose, at least he died for a good cause"

"Yeah, his last request was for me to get them to safety, so we're doing right by him"

"your injuries look pretty bad, are you sure you'll be ok"

"I'll be fine, I've been through way worse than this"

Suddenly, they were blinded by the sunrise

"Man, it's already morning"

"Still, I think you should get some rest, you've been going non-stop for 24 hours, give or take"

"Are you sure?"

"I insist, you've done enough, I can take care of getting us on the road"

"Ok, thank you."

As soon as Luke laid down, he started to lose consciousness.

Before he completely conked out, he looked at the sunrise and thought about Igor one last time

"Thanks for everything, Boss."
End of Chapter 2

A major inspiration for the fight in this chapter https://youtu.be/vJGvSbHmeco

Chapter 3 "Can't catch a break"
Spoiler!
Luke awoke to the blinding light of the sun and the sound of glass bottles of wine clanking together.

after his eyes adjusted, he stared blankly in front of him, unable to move or say anything.

but it wasn't like he was being restrained, rather it was a conscious choice.

Because he knew a world of pain was knocking on his front door, and doing anything would mean letting it in.

But Pain had different plans, instead of waiting for Luke to answer, He let himself in with a mind-splitting headache.

The pain from the headache caused Luke to move, and with that, everything else started to hurt too.

"By The GODS!" his voice was strained and weak.

The man next to him wasted no time, digging through his backpack and pulling out a bottle with a dark red liquid inside.

"Drink this, It should help quell the pain"

Luke grabbed the bottle and downed it, barely being able to keep it down.

within seconds of swallowing, the pain didn't disappear, but Luke could think straight now.

He managed to spit out a weak "Thank you" through heavy breathing.

"There's also plenty of wine in the back, you're welcome to take some".

"I don't drink, But thanks for the offer".

"I'm surprised you weren't like this last night".

"That's adrenaline for you"
Luke inspected the bottle to see what brand of pain killer it was, but to his surprise, it was just a bottle, no name or anything
"This stuff is strong, where did you get it?".

"Actually I made it myself"
"{sigh} I may not be good at much, but I've always had a knack for making potions and medicine."

"Do you run a shop?"

"No."

"Well you should, you could make such a killing off of stuff like this."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, if you could get it off the ground you'd be set for life."

"Hmm, maybe it's worth a shot, got any ideas for a name?"

"Not yet, but I can think of something."
a few seconds of silence before something dawned on Luke
"I just realized I never asked you your name."

The man chuckled "Mac" reaching out his hand for a handshake.

The two shook hands "Luke."
"Anyways, where are we"

To the right of them was a vast forest and to the left was a cliff-side and the seemingly infinite blue sea.

"Nowhere at the moment, but we should be arriving in Wreath-wood any minute now."

"Wreath-wood? Isn't that where the Festival of the Beasts takes place."

"Yep, the very same."

"I've heard rumors that they still run it every year, even with the Relationship between the Keidran and the Templar."

"Yeah, they bribe the border guards to let them through and have any weapons confiscated, though it's hasn't really been necessary "
"Everybody who comes to the event is peaceful."
"Well not everyone, there was one aggressor last year, but he was Dealt with Accordingly."

"Sheesh."

"Tell me about it"
"they're planning on doing it again this year, In just a few days now that I think about it."

A voice came from up ahead "HEY, Stop the wagon."

Two Templar approached.

One in a robe, armed with a crossbow and a weird looking metal device on his right arm, the other in an Armored soldier uniform, armed with a sword

Luke whispered to Mac "It's safe to assume that they are dressed accordingly, Just stay calm and we'll be okay."

"Hello officers, What can we do for you today." Mac called out to the Templar, already shaking.

"(We are so screwed)"

the robed man walked towards them.

"Good Afternoon Gentlemen, I'm Mason and this is my partner Jeremy"
"We are just doing a check-in, state your business here in Wreath-wood and let us check your cargo, and you'll be on your way"

"Were just making a delivery to the Local Bar, restocking the wine."

Mason jotted something down in his journal and walked behind the wagon, the sound of wine bottles being moved around could be heard, signifying that he was checking the cargo.

He then came back around to the front to speak.

"Okay, everything looks to be in order, Good day gentleman"

"Achoo!" a sneeze came from the back of the wagon

"Now hold on a second"
Jeremy spoke up "None of us sneezed just now, and that sounded like that came from the back".

"Jeremy, your overreacting" Mason Pointed at Luke "I saw him sneeze."

"I'm not crazy, I heard something coming from the back."

"I know, just-{sigh} "
Mason turned his attention back to the wagon
"Ignore him, You two are free to go."

Jeremy drew his sword "You aren't going anywhere!"

Mason moved In front of Jeremy "Jeremy, Drop it!"

"NO, I'm not letting you get in trouble again!"

Luke stood up "Chill out hothead, I will show you that there is nothing back there"

He climbed down onto the ground and started to walk towards the back of the wagon.

Time seemed to slow as he tried to think of a plan.

"(Ok, let's see here.)"
"(If I try anything against the soldier, I get blown to bits.)"
"(Vise versa with the mage but instead of being blown to bits, I'm sliced to ribbons.)"
"(Ugh!, It's just two guys, if it weren't for this damned collar this would be easy.)"
"(I need some kind of leverage.)"
"(Wait, why would a mage need a crossbow, He's a Mage?)"
"(Unless, what if he's only in training or hell, he might not even be a mage.)"
"(I need to get that crossbow, use it to hold him hostage and pray his buddy isn't crazy enough to try anything.)"

As Luke rounded the corner, Jeremy was already standing there, sword pointed directly at him.

"Start moving the crates."

"Ok, chill."

the reason why Mason didn't see the Keidran when he checked the back was because of the way the wagon was built.
all the way in the back of the wagon, there was a wooden slab that Keidran would lay under.
the wagon is then filled up, and the Keidran are safe from detection.


Having no choice, Luke started moving the stacks of crates.

One stack

Two stacks

Three stacks

"(Come on, I need some kind of opening.)"

Jeremy pressed the sword into Luke's back 'Faster!"

"These things are heavy, I'm going as fast as I can!"

"No backtalk!"

Jeremy turned his sword around and hit Luke in the back with the hilt.

The force caused Luke to fall forward, hitting his chest on the wagon.

" {gahhk} Oh, Gods"
Luke started to cough up blood

Mason pushed Jeremy away from Luke with his foot, causing him to fall over

'Mason, the hell?!"

"I could ask you the same thing, I already checked back here"
"You can't just go around acting like this over some hunch that you have!"

"Mason It's not a hunch, I know I heard something You have to trust me on thi-"
"MASON LOOK OUT!"

Before Mason had time to comprehend what was happening, he already had an arm around his throat and a loaded crossbow to his head

"Take another step and I {cough} I kill him where he stands"

"Ok let's not do anything drastic here, we weren't going to tell anybody, I swear"
"Let's calm down and try to talk this out"

"Do you think I believe a WORD that comes out of your mouth"
'"Now hands in the air, or I will send this bolt straight through your friend's skull"

"OK man, Ok."
"T-there's no need for anyone to get hurt."

"We agree on that front"
"So if you both cooperate with me, no one will"
"Now, do me a favor and throw that sword to the side"

The sword went air-borne for a couple of seconds before hitting the soft dirt road

"Good, now keep those hands in the air, or" Luke rotated the crossbow side to side
"Now" Luke let go of Mason but still kept the crossbow trained on his head "follow me"

The two of them started to walk back towards the wagon and sat down where crates of wine once stood

"Where are you taking him?!"

"Don't worry, me and Mason are just going to have a little chat."
"Now then" Luke hit the wagon twice to tell Mac to start moving "You have a good day' sir."

After about a minute of riding, Mac yelled back to Luke "Luke, You ok back there."

"Yeah I'm fine, but I had to leave some of the crates behind."

Soon after this, the wagon stopped again at the edge of the town.

Luke grabbed Mason by the hood of his robe "Come on."

"Yeah yeah, I get the idea."

The both of them walked to the front of the wagon.

"Well this Is where we part ways, I wish you the best of luck."

"Same here."

"Hopefully we will see each other again."
Mac started down the road before Luke stopped him
"Wait, I just thought of a name."

"Ok, let's hear it."

"What about 'Mac's Miracle Medicine'."



"ehhhhhhhhhhhh, I don't know."

"Why, what's wrong with it?"

"It's just... it's pretty cheesy."

Soon after finishing that sentence, Mac had a grim look on his face and Mason burst out laughing.

"Wait, was that on purpo-"

"Welp It was nice knowing you bye HYEA."

Dust clouds picked up behind Mac as he fled the scene of the crime.

Luke practically dragged Mason, who was still dying laughing, to a nearby alleyway.

"( {sigh} At least I get to die with that image in my head.)"

"(The coast looks clear.)"

"Ok, I know you're probably going to torture me to death by slowly ripping out my insides and feeding them back to me, or something along those lines, but could you just please not."

"What?!?!"
"NO!!!"

"No about the not torturing me or no, I'm not going to torture you?"

"The second one!"

"phew, that's a relief."

"First of all, that was dark."
"And second, I'm not going to hurt or kill you, if you and your friend promise not to tell anybody about the wagon and the man driving it."

"Relax, we weren't planning to anybody in the first place."
"Jeremy has this weird thing where he feels like he NEEDS to see the refugees, I'm sure it has something to do with his ego."

"So wait, are you guys not loyal."

"No, neither is Jeremy, even if he doesn't act like it a lot of the time."
"I must apologize on his behalf, He normally acts like most soldiers, but that was out of character even for him."

"It's (cough) (cough) It's fine."

"You're coughing up a lot of blood there, you should probably go see a healer or medic about that,"

" { sigh } Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."
"Anyway, as long as you keep your promise, you're free to go."

"Thank you."

"Oh yeah, here catch."
Luke removed the bolt from the crossbow and tossed it back to Mason.
"Also, sorry for kidnapping you."

"Sorry my friend had to go be a pompous a**hole."

"I just assumed you were all like that."

"Well, you've got some good intuition, I'll give you that."

...

Luke spent the rest of that day going around shopping for supplies.

A backpack, a tent, a flint lighter set, and an enchanted fire disk, removing the need for firewood.

He also convinced the local baker to sell him all the fresh bread from the previous day, so even if he couldn't hunt anything down, he would have something to eat.

by the time he was done the sun was getting close to setting and he only had 5 gold worth of currency to his name.

"( Ok, all set on supplies, know I just need a plan {stomach growl}, though I should probably eat something first.)"

After wandering from place to place, he found a seafood place where he could afford something.

"Hello sir, what can I get you today."

"Hi, it says outside that you a 5 gold deal that rotates every day?"

"Yes sir, today's meal is here let me check Oh yes, tuna mac."


As Luke sat outside, eating the only decent meal that he would probably be eating for a while, he tried to formulate a plan going forward.

"( Ok, option 1, I stay in the forest for a while and wait for this whole killing a templar officer thing to die down.)"
"( Option 2, I try to make it into Keidran territory, see if I can find some work in there.)"
"( Or option 3, I go into the woods until the festival happens, and see if I can find some kind of work there.)"
"( Whatever I do next, the one thing I need to do IS not bring attention to myself.)"

{BOOM}

" ( Oh, what now!) "

Luke turned around to find smoke rising from where the explosion was heard from and a hooded figure sprinting around the corner down the street.

Soon after, a flurry of arrows came chasing after it, none of them hitting their target.

Though it seemed like that wasn't the attention, as most of them landed ahead of the hooded figure causing it to trip.

Now that figure had stopped moving, the crossbow and the metal device were a dead giveaway that it was Mason.

"Stop resisting this Stonewall." the voice came from the lead templar officer, which sounded familiar to Luke.

12 archers with 1 swordsman joined him.

"This isn't how this works, You have no evidence to accuse me of such crimes, let alone arrest me!"

"The fact of what you did stands as evidence enough, you willingly let a dangerous criminal and Murderer, into the proximity of Wreath-wood."

"Nobody had told me until after we were done with our rounds"

"LIES, YOU HAVE ALREADY COMMITTED COUNTLESS OTHER ACTS OF TREASON AND INSUBORDINATION AND SO NOW YOUR DEBT WILL BE PAID IN KIND!"

A new voice entered the conversation, coming from right next to the unhinged leader

"No sir, it's true." it was Jeremy
'He didn't know until we were done with our daily rounds."

"How do you know?"

"B-because {sigh} I didn't tell him."

"You WHAT?!"

"I never informed Officer Mason that we were looking for that dangerous individual detailed in the report."
"Please spare him any punishment, and punish me for keeping important info from an officer and failing to keep the peace."

there was a deafening silence for what felt like minutes.

"So, it was you."

"Yes, Si-"

"YOU LET HIM GET AWAY FROM THE PUNISHMENT HE DESERVES!"

{BOOM}

"JEREMY!"

The lead officer fired another fireball at Mason.

Luke lunged towards Mason and threw him out of the way with his hood.

"what are you do-"

"RUN!"

the two of them Sprinted Northeast into the woods outside of town.

"Bring me both of their bodies, or else you'll all be joining Jeremy."

...

" { Heavy breathing } Are you ok?"

"T-th-they killed him"
Tears started to appear, and Mason held them back the best he could
"He killed him, and I just stood there and did nothing."

"Mason, not to be disrespectful but you can mourn later, we need to keep moving."

An arrow flew past Luke's head and stuck itself into a nearby tree.

"GO GO!"

they dashed through the trees, arrows rained down upon them like a heavy thunderstorm.

the pressure from the arrows stopped any attempt to escape from the two of them.

Eventually, they leaped out into a clearing where a small pond with a peer stood.

the arrows followed suit, blocking any escape route and forced the duo onto the peer'

all the archers emerged from the forest all from different angles surrounding the peer'

" (So this is it, I'm about to be turned into a human pin cushion along with a guy that I had just held hostage not but some hours ago.)"
" ( well, at least it's a pretty unique way to die. )"

"Men, on my mark."

Luke tried to find a way out of this predicament, but couldn't.

without mana, he was just an ordinary man.

he thought about making a shield to protect Mason even if it killed him, but at that point, it just is delaying the inevitable.

Then Luke had an Idea if Mason was an officer, then.

It was a long shot but-.

"Mason, what's your clearance level?"

"Wh-what?"

"What is your clearance level?!"

"Level 5, Why."

"Ready!"

"I can save us, but you need to get this Collar off of me right now"

"AIM!"

"Mason!"

"FIRE!"

" DIMITTERE NECESSITATE! "

Time slowed for a moment has a surge of mana raced back to Luke.

Then waves of lightning shot out of Luke's body seemingly by themselves, disintegrating some of the arrows and blowing the rest away from them into the water below.

Luke started to walk forward, his body engulfed in lightning and electricity.

The very air that surrounded them seemed to change.

" We don't get paid enough for this for this s**t, RETREAT!"

All the archers fled back into the woods and Luke stopped moving, the electricity ceasing.

Then the pain in his chest returned, much stronger this time.

Blood pooled in his mouth as he tried to keep himself conscious.

Then everything went dark

Luke fell to the ground, motionless, leaving Mason by himself.
Chapter 4* "Apologies to a dead man"
Spoiler!

Prologue

Mason was still, paralyzed even, has he tried to make sense of what just happened

"( What was that? )"
"Luke?"

No response
"( Just who the hell is this kid. )"

Mason walked to Luke
"Luke, you there?"
Soon after getting close, he noticed the blood coming out of his mouth

"( That isn't good )"

Mason knelt down to check his pulse, it was there but it was weak and slow

"( At this rate he could die if he doesn't get some kind of medical attention )"

Mason looked away from Luke and stared at the sky as twilight consumed what was left of the sun, taking in the full weight of the current situation

"( Sigh he did save me least I could do is try to do the same in return )"

Mason took the backpack off of Luke and lifted him up, throwing his arm over his shoulder
"Come on, you lucky [censored]"
"( Plus, it gives me an excuse to use his stuff for shelter tonight )"

the two of them got off the peer and ventured into the surrounding woods

As Mason walked, sounds of explosion rang out just beyond his hearing range

after a little bit, Mason finally found a clearing where he could set up a camp, which was easy enough

( "Why does he have so much bread" )

after he set up the fire disk he turned his attention back to Luke, who he could see clearly now

"( Ok, let's see the damage )"

Mason lifted Luke's shirt up and over him, revealing red and purple lines running all across his chest,
And in some areas, pieces of bone rubbed against his skin

( "Well it doesn't take a genius to see that his ribs have been smashed to bits" )
( " which makes sense, Alex was one of the strongest people in the templar ")

Then Mason noticed the brown rings around his wrists

( "Huh, what's that" )

Upon closer inspection of one of Luke's arms, he realized that the ring was under his skin

( "Body mods?" )

the rings, which seemed to be made of some kind of wood, had lines connected to them

These lines of wood ran across the side of his arm, across the elbow, and disappeared behind his back

Mason gently tilted Luke forward so he could follow the line of wood to their origin

The line continued past his shoulder blade and meet up with a thicker piece of wood, lining where his spinal cord was

Along with that discovery, Mason found three other lines branching from the big piece along his back, one for his other arm and two others lower down, presumingly for his legs

( "it's almost like his spinal cord and nervous system have fused with this wood " )

( "Whoever did this is extremely talented and must have access to some advanced tech" )

( "I need to ask him about it when he wakes up " )

Mason picked Luke up carried him into the tent that he had set up earlier

( "IF he wakes up" )

He then walked back over to the fire and sat down

Now alone and safe, he took out a picture of him and Jeremy from when they were kids

" {scoff} sorry, the one time I needed to save you most "

all the emotions that he had been holding came flooding back and Mason sobbed in the oblivion of the night

" I'm so sorry, Jeremy "

...

No, we are not going to release him!"
The sun was on the brink of rising when the Templar messenger walked into the jailhouse
"for the crimes that he has committed, he should count himself lucky that I haven't already put an end to his miserable existence"

"Well, what did he do?"

"He murdered 16 innocent people, 4 of which were civilians, and burned two buildings to the ground"
"We lost 3 different guild members trying to restrain him."

"O-one man did all that?"
worry and dread now seeped from his voice

"Man, there really don't tell you guys anything, do they?"

"I'm sorry, but it's not like you have much of a choice"
"This is from the top, here read it for yourself"

Sure enough, the paper was the real thing, seal and all

Hello, Guild Master Lawrence

I hope this letter finds you well
According to your reports, you have captured an incredibly dangerous rogue templar member
To that, we send our deepest regards
Both to the town as a whole, but also to the families that have experienced losses, especially to those losses were civilians
We wish them only the best in their times of hardship
Now back to the matter at hand
The man that you have captured, Adrien Allison, has committed terrible acts, and we understand that the people of Wreath-wood want retribution
Sadly, this request cannot be fulfilled at this time
while you are a part of the templar order, Adrien was and still is a templar officer
therefore, he is the templars responsibility, and our responsibility alone
Along with that, Adrien's actions may have had some merit to them
You see, It was suspected that the two templar officers situation in Wreath-wood were traitors and were helping the wolf keidran cause
because of this, we do not know if Adrien had acted in self-defense or not
that is why we have sent you this message, the messenger that gave you this is to take Adrien to Morlin Hall where his trial will be held to see if he truly is guilty

Thank you for your patience
The grand templar order

( "Are they really trying to say that he's innocent?" )
" { sigh }, follow me "
Lawernce walked out of the jailhouse and started down the road

"Um, not to be pushy but I should take the prisoner and get going as soon as possible"

"We are going to get the prisoner, he's clearly dangerous and unpredictable"
"Only a fool would keep someone like that in the heart of town."

"Yeah, I guess you're right"

"I'm going to assume that you didn't come here on foot"

"No, I came here with a carriage to transport the prisoner"

"Ok, go get it and take the road that goes north and keep riding, we'll be there"

Now alone, the sun rising skimming across the water of Wreath pond and making his shadow mimic the fast pace in which he moved, his instincts screamed at him that something was wrong

A little while later, he reached where they had been keeping Adrien

"Daniel!, Jack!, Are you there!?"

"Sir!, over here!"

"How did go last night, did he try anything?

"No, but he did have to knock him unconscious because he wouldn't shut up"
"But ever since he woke up, he's been quiet"

"Pfft, knocking him out is generous, you practically tortured him"

"You say that like you didn't ask me to"

"Look it doesn't matter what you did with him, just untie him from the tree and link with his cuffs, someone is here to take him to Morlin Hall for a trial"

"Well that was fast"
"Hear that buddy, looks like someone's getting prosecuted"

" Wait, what do you mean trial? What is there to have a trial over"

"They're trying to twist it into he acted in self-defense and that Mason, Jeremy, and ALL the archers were traitors"

"I still can't believe that he killed them all except Benjamin, and hell he lost his arm so we don't know if he's going to make it"

"They still haven't found Mason's body or that dude who saved him, maybe they escaped?"

"I doubt it, but you never know"
"they're also saying that he's the templar's responsibility, and that's why we can't have the trial here in Wreath-wood"

"Well, it's good to know that we agree on one thing, they never considered us full templars"
"or at least they haven't ever since Tarron decided to walk himself to death"
"I'd bet that it's the latter because that's when they cut off our funding"

"Yeah, what pisses me off is the fact that it wasn't our fault"
"you never saw when we recovered him the first time Dan, it was like he was a zombie, like the only thing he could do mentally WAS walk till he died"
"you saw him, right Lawrence?"

"It looked to me like he was under some kind of hypnosis or mind control"
"But what was weird about it is that it didn't look like any mana was involved otherwise I would have picked up on the sound."
"And regular hypnosis is extremely weak, especially for veteran magic users like he was."

"I don't know he pissed off while he was drunk, but nobody deserves a death like that, even if he was a huge piece of s##t"

"Yeah"
"The only reason that he got elected to lead the guild was that he agreed with Trace's ideals"
"Although, in hindsight, it's probably a good thing the templars stopped caring about us, otherwise you might have never been elected to run the guild, Mr. Lawrence."

"{sigh} I suppose so."
"Also, Daniel, please don't say his name"
"I was there to see first hand to see the things he did, brings back bad memories"

"You got it, Mr. Rence"

"Will you please stop calling me that"

"That's the one that I can never promise."

by the time the conversation was finished, the four of them made it back to the road

"Lawrence!"

"That's your man I'm guessing"

"did they really send a Messenger to take the prisoner?"

"Daniel, will you be quiet?"
"Sorry about him, teenagers"

"it's fine, I'm used to it by now"
"Daniel, Jack, get him in the carriage"
"These two will be going with you to make sure you, and the prisoner make it to Morlin Hall"
"they should be more than capable in that regard"

as soon as Jack and Daniels unlinked the cuffs to load up Adrien, he started to resist the two's grasp

"Hoho, we've got a live one!"

"Daniel shut up and help me get him the damned carriage!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, I'm positive"
"Plus you won't have to worry about Adrien, not only does he have an MCC on, those cuffs are specially designed to keep people like him restrained."
"Using mana, they link to whoever is wearing the corresponding bracelets"
"Once linked, Adrien can only mimic Jack's left arm and leg, and Daniel's right"
"The only way something bad happens is if you stop, and the only reason you should stop is if they threaten to kill you or if they do kill you"
"Otherwise, don't stop, understood?"

"U-understood"

"Ok, sorry about that, I don't really like having to put on the superior act"
"Let me talk to those two before you go"
This was followed by footsteps and the opening of the carriage door
"did you two hear what I said to I said to the messenger"

"Yes, sir"

"Ok, If that event does come to pass, you kill him without hesitation"

"But if we kill him, we'd be disobeying a direct order"
"Who knows what they'll do to us if we-"

"I will take the fall for whatever happened to him"
"Besides, if Benjamin survives we'll have a first-hand account of what happened and that should be enough for execution or life"
'And trust me, I'm going to everything in my power to make sure that happens"
"Good luck to the both of you"

"We look forward to seeing you again soon, sir"

"Goodbye Mr. Lawrence"

Lawrence watched the carriage ride off into the distance and started to walk back towards wreath-wood

Still in the back of his mind, they still screamed at him, and this sense of overwhelming dread overcame him

...

The carriage had been going down the road for about 10 minutes straight

"Hey so Dan, you know how your 18 birthday is tomorrow "

" Of course I do, it's my birthday."
"what's with the exposition talk all of a sudden"

Jack ignored Daniel's comment and continued

"Well I was thinking that once we drop off the prisoner, we could stay in Edinmire till midnight, and then me and you could go drinking to celebrate"

"Really, Mr. scary ex-integration man with a tragic childhood and backstory, wants to go birthday drinking with me?"
the thought alone made Daniel giggle

"Yeah, haha laugh it up"
but soon after Jack's sarcastic laughter turned into a quiet, genuine laughter

"But are you like, actually being serious?"

"100 percent, I'll even pay to seal the deal"

"Of course, I'm just surprised to hear this coming from you"
"I thought that if we ever went birthday drinking, I'd be the one asking you"
"scratch that, I'd be the one begging you to go"

"again, haha very funny"

"Any reason why?"

"Does there need to be?"
"you're a good friend, if a bit much at times"

"that's part of my charm"

"plus we work well together as a team, so if you need a reason, there you go"

"Thanks man, yeah let's do it"

Then Jack noticed that the was slowing down

"messenger! why are we stopping"

"one of the wheels is about to fall off, you three need to get out so I can repair it"

"That's a Bad Idea"

"Ok, well if the wheel breaks, we won't be going anywhere for a while"
"with your combined weight, the chances of that happening increase"

"He's got a point Jack"

"Hmmmmm"

Jack thought about the options.

They didn't need to give any threats any chances but at the same time, It was day and they were still within running distance away from Wreath-wood so the chances of any outside help coming to get Adrien...

"Come on Dan, let's go"

in one swift motion, Daniel and Jack unlinked from the cuffs and hopped out of the carriage, pulling Adrien along by the MCC around his neck, and then linked back

"Ok, we're out, let's try and make it quick"

"hm, it seems that I have made a mistake"
"but then again"

all of a sudden, dozen upon dozens of spots all around Jack's body sprang with pain

"Don't we all?"

the pain was like pins and needles but amplified to be 10 times worse

his whole body was numb, but not limp, it was like something was supporting it

he couldn't move a single inch of his body, the only thing he could move was is eyes

out of the corner of them, he saw clear, almost invisible, thread-like wires jetting out of where the main points of pain originated

one look and he could tell that they were mana constructs

"well, you two seem to be in a predicament"

Jack looked back over to the messenger, whose hands were covered in the wires that held him and daniel in place

"But I won't say it isn't one of your own makings"

The "messenger" stood up from his kneeling position

"looks like I won't be needing this anymore"

He took off a mana crystal from around his neck that he had been keeping under is uniform
strange thing was that instead of the normal blue, it was gray as if used but still glowed nevertheless
the messenger dropped the crystal and crushed it with his foot
it was like the moment he blinked the messenger had disappeared and was replaced with someone else entirety
instead of a short, blonde man with a messengers garb and bag, a tall and lanky man with jet black hair and a suit
the only thing that seemed to carry over was the full moon glasses he wore

"When I have to wear one of those things for a long period of time, it hurts my ears"
"well, I'm sure you are smart enough to figure out where this is going"
"so just unlink your cuff things and hand him over, and I'll let you go"
"Sound good?"

Jack stared back, unmoving and unconvinced at his bluff
He knew this tactic, and probably any others he was going to try

"Hmm, makes sense that you're unconvinced, according to what the boy said"
"I am not lying though, just comply and I will let you live"

still unmoved, in fact, the only thing that he was convinced of now was his assessment was right
If he was able to, a smug grin would have come across his face
he radiated the energy though, and the messenger picked up on that

" ( sigh, figures ) "
" ( if verbal tactics won't work, then ) "
" ok, you got me "
"You can't trust a thing I say"
"and if I'm being honest, I can't trust a thing I say either"
"thought, I do try to abide by a mandate whenever speaking to someone"
"If a promise something, I always keep that promise"
The messenger walked to Jack and got right in his face
"Now here's what I promise"
Just the way he looked at Jack made him break out into a cold sweat
"Have you ever heard of the phrase " human pretzels" ? "
"Well, if you or your friend give me a reason to, just imagine that in a literal sense"
He then walked back over to where he once stood to gain some distance
"I'm going to release some threads now so you can talk"
"I suggest you chose your next words wisely"

the muscles in Jack's face and head relaxed
his head hung down like a bag of rocks from the pain and the strain of staying in place for so long
though heavy breathing, Jack tried to think of a plan
" (this is bad, all he has to do is kill us and Adrien is his for the taking) "
" (I need to bluff something) "
"We're not going to tell you anything"

" {sigh} bad choice "

"But you can't kill us either"

" hmmm, why is that?"

" These cuffs are linked to our mana, and by extension, our life force"
"If you kill us, you kill the prisoner as well"

an air of confusion came across the messenger's face
"(yes, he bought it!) "
the air of confusion disappeared

" Would you mind if I test that theory? "
the messenger raise his right hand and started moving his fingers as if puppeting a marionette, resulting in putting Jack's arm behind his back
Adrien's arm followed suit, the two only unsynchronized by a few fractions of a second

"So the movement part holds up"

The messenger then started to twist his arm and hand clockwise until he felt resistance

while doing that, Jack's twisted till it was almost at its breaking point, his face wincing in pain

Adrien stayed stoic, but some signs of discomfort seeped out

Once the messenger noticed this, he stopped and returned his hand to its original position

"{sigh} I apologize in advance for this next test, especially to you, Jack"

The messenger tightly closed his pointer finger and thumb together, making wires wrap around and squeeze Jack's hand

The force of which severely broke his arm in multiple places, causing him to yell and curse in pain

Adrien stood unaffected

"well, that settles that"
"if Adrien

He looked at Jack, who had nothing but hatred in his eyes towards him

then over to Daniels, who he had been purposefully ignoring this whole time

He had the same kind of hatred, but it was overshadowed by the fear and worry for his friend's condition

" ( I hate this ) "
"This clearly isn't going anywhere"

Jack started back with unwavering determination

" I'm not leaving without Adrien "

"..."

" Come on, don't you want to live!? "

"....."

" (sigh) "
" Don't you want Daniels to live "

Jack had blocked out the fact that Daniels was even there

the Messenger released the wires around the two of them

It took Daniels a moment to recover from the strain

" { huff } { huff } Jack, we shoudn't-"

" Just come on Daniels "

The two of them unlinked from and uncuffed Adrien

" Pleasure doing business with you "

as he walked past the two of them, the messenger looked at their face

Jack's anger and determination were gone, replaced with defeat

Daniel's once-dormant anger was now there in full force

" ( I truly am sorry you two, But a job is a jo- ) "

"[censored]"

A Sharp pain shot up his left shoulder

"Daniel!"

The messenger turned around and restrained both Jack and Daniel, who was about to stick a bloody knife into his head

" Tch, y-you got me goo-"

he had his hand right in front of Daniel's face, and he had recognized the signet ring with the number 2 etched into it

" {sigh}, you recognize this ring huh "
"........"
"Sadly, that's a reason, you could find us very easily now"
"I hope where ever you end up, you can forgive me"
" and if you can't "
"Well I encourage you to curse me down to hell"





Talbot kept his promise


Prologue

Mason stonewall's Log

if I'm being honest, I don't even why I'm writing these anymore
a force of habit I guess

today, nothing of importance happened
mostly just sat inside studying and tending to Luke's wounds
as I assumed, his ribcage was crushed all to hell, so I made some ice wrapped in towels to help with that
I also discover that his left arm had a hairline fraction due to some bruising that I noticed
so I use one of my bolts infused with ice mana to help support and cool it
good job me
thanks, me
somethings that I noticed while taking care of him caught my interest
first off, his spinal implants
I might have figured out what wood they're made out of, and if I'm right, It gives reason to how he put on that display at the pond
speaking of which, I went back over there to get some fish to eat and the MCC that Luke was wearing was still there, so I picked it up, Might come in handy.
some other things I noticed were his jewelry
the earrings are gold, so not cheap, and have etchings and markings unique to some tiger tribe, which implies a connection
also the ring and chain
the chain is fine on its own, but this ring
something nagging me about it
it's made of black steel and has the number 11 etched into it
I feel like of seen it somewhere before but I can't put my finger on it
finally, he has some weird birthmarks, but I don't even know if they are birthmarks
they resemble 4-pointed stars, but they way look, it seems like their scars, like they were branded on to him
the man truly is an enigma
well, he's stabilized, so he should recover soon
I'd give it a week or two
let's just hope that nothing happens in that time

End log

I was about to go sleep when I noticed that lightning bugs have gathered all around Luke's tent
truly an enigma
Advocater for the touching of grass

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a_somebody_2322
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Character Files

#2 Post by a_somebody_2322 »

Character File: Luke Magnolia
Spoiler!
Species: Human

Gender: Male

Age: 25

Status: Alive

Description: Hair is a copper brown. eyes are pale gold. Has a summer cloak tied around his waist seemingly at all times. Two gold earrings on both ears. The earrings have etchings and markings unique to tiger culture. Has a signet ring on a metal chain around his neck. the ring is made of black steel and the number 11 is etched into it. has birthmarks along the right side of the face comparable to four-pointed stars, hard to see from a distance, and easily mistaken for freckles. Very slim build.

Character briefing: Not much is known about Luke Magnolia, the only info currently available is that he was Igor Taverndatter and the Moss man Bar's personal bodyguard for one year.


Character File: Igor Taverndatter
Spoiler!
Species: Human

Gender: Male

Skill Set: making the best cocktails this side of South Leighton

Occupation: bar owner

Age: 77 (as of death)

Status: Deceased (Cause of death: Fireblast from Adrien Allison)

Alignment: Against the grand templar order

Description: Hair is a moss green, though it's kind of hard to tell due to most of it being white, piercing teal/periwinkle eyes, mostly seen wearing a dark green trench coat and black undergarments, slightly hunchbacked, wrinkled face

Character briefing: Igor Taverndatter (better known as "boss") was a proud activist for peace among all races, a stark contrast to his parents. He would eventually be kicked out of his homestead at the age of 26, due to his and his parents differing ideas ( although it is theorized that the true reason was due to his possible involvement in major city attacks against The grand templar order across the land, but these were never confirmed ). After wandering around the world for about 10 years, helping anyone he could, he soon realized that one man could not bring about world peace. Running low on money, and knowing there wouldn't be much for him to do without a steady source for income, he gambled it all on a run-down tavern that he got via a favor from an old friend he made during his is activism days and transformed it into a bar (yet another jab at his parents, who strictly only built and run taverns). And thus the Moss man bar was formed, a haven for all species. That's how life was for the majority for the rest of the old man's life, that was until the wolf/human war broke out. seeing the long-standing peace crumble right before his eyes, the fire to help people was suddenly reignited, as he started helping wolf Keidran pass through the city, but that soon turned from just wolf Keidran to all species of Keidran as the Grand templar had distanced themselves from the original grand templar leader, Trace Legacy, and went full lockdown on all controlled territories. Any possible resistance that couldn't be acquired or dissolved, where made wanted for high prices, including the group run by Trace Legacy himself, though their current location has yet to be found. Igor continued to help those in need, eventually befriending and hiring Luke Magnolia to be his and the bar's bodyguard. Unfortunately, whilst helping a family of Keidran, one of his employees found and told Templer forces set up in that area, leading to his untimely demise (see above for details.)

It is stated that he has/had a sister who has had children of her own, but their whereabouts are currently unknown.
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Extra files

#3 Post by a_somebody_2322 »

Files about Items, aspects of the mana system, groups, etc

Item file: M.M.C (Mana control collars)
Spoiler!
Description: Enchanted collars made by the grand templar order using slave collars as a base

Purpose and Uses: M.M.C's are used by the grand templar order to control mana usage in their citizens. the collars are designed to stop the flow and contain mana. As mana is stored inside of the collar, it is converted into heat and tightens around the wearer's neck, causing immense pain. if the wearer continues to use Mana, the collar continues to tighten, burning and cauterizing the wearer's flesh and sending them into shock. If the wearer does not go into shock and continues to use mana till the collar is at its breaking point, the individual in question will be decapitated by the collar. It's a gruesome sight to watch, so it does its job as a deterrent from any possible resistance. All citizens in templar-controlled territories are required to have an M.M.C on at all times, and any that are seen without one is to be arrested or killed, though only the most dedicated of templar soldiers and mages will confront them. the only way for a collar to be removed is for it to be deactivated by a templar official with level 4 clearance or above.
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Re: TwoKinds: flip of a coin (explicit) (Chapter 4 part 1 is here)

#4 Post by Tokamak »

Good work. You came out swinging with the action and pretty quickly established a conflict here, with poor Igor biting the dust. Something I probably need to pay attention to in my writing! You did a good job at developing the plot from that point.

Some constructive feedback - it is best to avoid the use of brackets in fiction prose. If something requires exposition, just write it out =). For example, first part of chapter 1, all you need to write is:

. . .blah blah blah. Everyone just called him boss. Blah blah blah. . .

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