The ceremony drew near. Soon, Huan/Leon/Juste would be required to enter the palace and submit the Copper Oak Leaves, accomplishing his goal. If the public records are anything to go by then that's exactly what he did.

But someone else knew of his success. And they saw it as an opportunity.

Huan Strongarm: A Bartfort Folktale, by Lufas Maphaahl

Iven led him to his room, which was small but serviceable, and seated him at a modest table while he brewed some tea. They were on the ground floor, so the Warhorse was able to stick his head through the window and intrude on the conversation. "Tell me, then. Did the Great Ragneli give you any trouble?"

"He made me fight a bunch of bandits because he wanted their magic bow," grunted Leon. He wasn't particularly a tea person, but the surprising grace Iven displayed was still quite impressive. "I also royally mindfucked him while I was at it, so now he has a pathological fear of ticking clocks."

"That sounds like you," laughed Iven. He sat in the chair opposite, reaching out to scratch the Warhorse under his chin before Leon could stop him. Instead of biting his hand off he let him get away with it, closing his blissfully with a happy neigh. "I like your friend. He's very nice."

"He is, actually," Leon admitted. "I always thought that Warhorses would be more standoffish, but he's really quite sociable. Honestly I'd trust him with children, and not just other people's."

"Where did you find him, anyway?"

"After I hit up those bandits I picked a fight with some Lord with an attitude problem when he tried to assassinate the Crown Prince. I wouldn't say I cuckolded him, since the horse doesn't acknowledge me as his master, but-"

"Whoa!" The Warhorse must have thought that Iven was talking to him, because he quickly jerked upright. "You met the Crown Prince?"

"Yep." Leon sipped his tea. "And he was just as unbearable as I was expecting him to be. Him and his husband kept following me around until I helped find one of their Leaves. I only just managed to ditch them."

"So they're participating in the Contest too?" Iven stopped to clear his throat. Even after receiving medical attention, his throat remained harsh and raspy. As though he had spent too long screaming and wounded his voice. "What prize are they aiming for?"

"The… Brass prize, I think," frowned Leon, having not paid much attention to any of the prizes but the one he wanted. "It's a sword."

"Is it a legendary sword?"

"It's an okay sword, which I guess makes it a good initial goal." Leon took another sip. "This is really good. Where did you get it?"

"It's just something cheap I got with my rations," shrugged Iven. "The trick is how you brew it."

"Damn. Respect." Leon pulled out the axe and placed it on the table, where it remained perfectly balanced on the tip of its shaft. "Also, here's your friend. Trust me, I'd be riddled with crossbow bolts right now if you hadn't lent them to me. I can't thank you enough."

"Not at all!" As always, Iven was pathetically grateful for a chance to help. It always made Leon feel weirdly guilty, as though he had made the poor man dependent on him in some way. "I'm just glad I could help!"

Leon pushed the uncomfortable feeling aside. "You can have them back now. I doubt I'll be facing any more life threatening situations before the end of the day."

"Actually, I'd rather they stay with you!" The axe hummed plaintively, and he did a quick verbal backspace. "Obviously you're still my friend, but I don't think I'm allowed to keep weapons in here."

Leon thought about it for a moment. "Fine. But don't hesitate to take them back if you decide you miss them." He left the axe where it was, allowing it to be involved in the conversation. "I've got some time before the ceremony. Tell me how you're doing."

The prizes would be awarded late in the day, when the sun was gleaming through the palace windows and creating a suitably melodramatic atmosphere. The streets were painted orange by the descending sun when Leon finally left.

"Would you like to come and watch?" he asked blithely. "These sorts of things usually have a lot of free food."

"No thank you." Iven began to walk with him down the road, presumably planning to turn back once they finished their conversation. "I'm still a fairly well known vagrant. I'd doubt it would end well if anyone recognised me."

"That's fine. My ride home leaves a few hours after it finishes, so if you want to say a last goodbye then we can meet at the docks at about-" Leon was cut off as someone abruptly bumped into him, staggering him and almost sending him tumbling to the ground. "Dude! Watch it!"

The man turned to look at him; he was tall and buff, his skin riddled with scars. "Hey," he said casually. "What's wrong with your friend?"

"What do you mean-" Just as Leon turned around, a skinny man in ragged clothing slipped up behind Iven. He pulled out a knife and pressed it to the old man's face, grinning savagely.

"So," he said conversationally. "Word on the street is that you have a full set of Leaves."

Leon froze, his gauntleted hands slowly balling into fists. "If you dare-"

He was interrupted by the burlier man, who clamped his hand menacingly onto his shoulder. Leon broke his wrist, then grabbed him by the balls and squeezed.

"Let him go or I'll kill your friend."

He said this so calmly that they instantly believed him. The skinny mugger tried bluffing anyway. "You wouldn't dare-"

Leon squeezed and twisted, earning a scream of pure agony. Somebody must have heard, because Leon could hear them in the distance screaming for the guards.

"When they let you into the palace, go to the Carnelian Room on the fourth floor and steal the Amulet of Prince Yon!" babbled the skinny man, trying to say as much as possible before he fled. "It's hung above the mantelpiece! You can't miss it!"

"You're going to regret this," said Leon, in a voice that could freeze rain before it hit the ground. "I know who you are, Drego. I know where you live."

The skinny man gave him a shocked look, an odd, pyramid shaped object now in his spare hand. "How do you know my-"

The pyramid suddenly glowed with arcane light, teleporting both Iven and Drego away just as a group of guards ran up with weapons. Leon stared at the spot where the thief had been standing with murder in his eyes.

"Halt!" one of them shouted, and he could tell from the voice that the guard was a woman. "What are you… Lord Leon?"

"Yes?" Leon turned around, still holding the weeping thugs jewels in a deathgrip. He gave her a penetrating look, but didn't recognise her. Dimly, he remembered Aesik saying that Earis mentioned a female coworker in his letters. "Is your name Deionarra?"

"Yes sir!" She removed her helmet, revealing herself to have dark skin and short black hair. "Is this man bothering you?"

"His associate kidnapped my friend, and he says they're going to kill him if I don't steal from the palace." He yanked violently on the poor man's testicles, pulling his legs out from under him and dropping him on his back. He just lay there sobbing. "I need you to place this man under arrest, report everything I just told you to your superiors and interrogate him for more information." For a moment the soldiers just stared at him, struggling to process the rush of information. "NOW, DEIONARRA!"

"Sir! Yessir!" she blurted, her men running forward to bind his hands. "Will you be coming with us?"

"I'm going to meet with Prince Julius," he snarled, stalking away into the twilight. "I'm going to erase this man so damn hard that Hell itself will be too sacred to take him."

They watched him go, more than a little starstruck. Deionarra turned to one of her men. "Once we have this man in custody, find Griffith and tell him what went down."

"But-"

"Do as I say, Judeau!"

It was at this point that the Warhorse finally navigated its way from behind the hostel. It snorted in greeting, and he rubbed its nose in return. "A thief named Drego just kidnapped Iven," he said quietly. The creature's eyes immediately became hyper focused. Leon pulled out the axe, which hummed anxiously. "He has a base in the Old City with gryphon statues on the roof. Can you find it?" It hummed in affirmative. "Good. Find the base and circle it." He turned back to the Warhorse. "Can you follow it there and make sure no one leaves the building?" He got a snort in response. "Good. You guys go, I've got preparations to make."

He tossed the axe over his shoulder, and it whistled through the air as the Warhorse cantered after it. Leon set off for the palace, his hands twisting into fists.

When Leon walked through the front door there was already a crowd forming. Someone with a fancy waistcoat whisked him away to a waiting room, but when they tried to get him into formal clothes he just glared until they ran away.

The prizes were being handed out in the throne room, which was lined with gaudy statues of gaudy kings. As he had predicted, the setting sun was pouring through the tall windows and illuminating the venue; many people who were nobles and a lucky few who weren't nobles were arrayed along both sides of a red carpet, at the end of which was King Roland with the prizes.

"Welcome!" he declared bombastically. "To the finish line!" The crowd went wild. "Unfortunately, the fierce competition for the Mithril, Platinum, Gold and Silver Oak Leaves meant that we had no champions in those categories." This time the crowd made sounds of dutiful disappointment. "We did, however, have winners for all the rest!"

Leon was standing just outside the entrance, alongside Julius and a guard he didn't recognise. His face was covered by his visor, but he occasionally spotted a pair of electric blue eyes peering out at him.

"Mr Strongarm!" Julius was starting to remind him of a Cocker Spaniel. Adoring and annoying at the same time. "It's good to… Are you okay?"

"Something happened," said Leon shortly.

"First, for collecting the Brass Oak Leaves, my own son: Julius Rafa Holfort!"

"We'll talk later. Get out there." The Prince gave him an uncertain look, but did as he said. The room went nuts as soon as he stepped inside, particularly with the sound of squealing young ladies.

"How do you know the Prince?" asked the guard. His voice was lighter and more carefree than he was expecting. He had a himbo voice. "You don't look like the kind of person who buddies up with royalty."

Leon stopped and considered his question. Why did he know Julius? "I guess some people just love it when you treat them like shit."

The guard laughed, as much from surprise as amusement, while Leon just smiled dryly. The crowd was clapping as Julius received his sword, and soon Leon was called in for his own reward. There were hushed whispers as he walked down the aisle - back straight - before bowing solemnly on one knee.

"For collecting the Copper Oak Leaves, the adventurer: Juste Strongarm!"

Leon went blank as Roland handed him the music box, wondering when his sexy alter ego got a first name. It was definitely Julius who came up with it, and he only told him his name was Strongarm… Just Strongarm. Fuck! That little dick beetle!

"Thank you," he said, as Roland had been standing there for a while waiting for a response. "My mother is going to love this. You've made her day."

There was a ripple of laughter, and after a parting platitude from the King he stepped aside. The last winner was the guard, whose name was apparently Caesar. "So are you really forty nine?" was Jilk's first question when it was over, and everyone was getting drinks. He approached Leon once the general milling about had begun, following close at the Prince's heel.

"Nevermind that!" Julius butted in, although he made a mental note to ask about it later. "What happened? Did something happen to Jarl?"

"Who might Jarl be?" A breathtakingly beautiful woman with long, silvery anime hair walked up to them, swilling a wine glass in one hand. She could not have ticked more of Leon's boxes if she tried. The ideal woman.

"Please marry me."

"What?"

"What?" Everyone stared at him in shock. A huge blush was starting to make its way up Queen Mylene's neck. "Oh, did I say that out loud?"

"Yes!" she squeaked. "Yes you did!"

"Ah," he nodded sagely. "So, like, will you?"

"Dude!"

"Fine, fine." Leon decided to get to the point. "On my way here a man named Drego kidnapped my friend. He told me that he would kill him if I didn't steal something from you."

He immediately had their undivided attention. "What?" Julius said this a bit too loudly, and people began turning to stare. "What?" he whisper-shouted. "What did he ask you to take?"

"The Amulet of Prince Yon," said Leon bluntly. He could tell from how Mylene's expression sharpened that she knew who he was, but the boys just looked confused.

"Who is Prince Yon?"

"He was my brother," said someone else. King Roland walked up to join the conversation, an uncharacteristically dour look on his face. "Which makes him your uncle. And he's been dead for years. Now why would someone want something of Yon's?"

Leon smiled. Everyone was here. "Do you have somewhere we can talk?"

He was brought to a small side room, where Roland and Mylene sat on an uncomfortably fancy couch while Julius and Jilk sat opposite. Leon was left to stand, while the guards were left outside where they couldn't listen in.

"For the benefit of Jules and Green, Yon was Roland's little brother. He died young after falling from a high tower and everyone assumed that he was pushed by one of his siblings."

Roland snorted a little in surprised amusement. "Jules and Green? That's what you call them?"

"Hey!" said Julius indignantly. "I like being called Jules!"

"Can I call you-"

"No!"

"Drego has managed to find a kind who looks just like Yon," explained Leon. "He wants to use the Amulet to give him legitimacy, then blackmail the King by making the kid say that he was the one who pushed him. Yes, the real Yon would be way older by now. No, he isn't smart enough to have thought of that."

Mylene gave him a curious look. "How do you know all this?"

"I know people's secrets," said Leon flatly. "It's what I do."

"Secrets, and hidden places of the earth, and things concealed by deceit," nodded Jilk slowly. "I get it."

It was Julius of all people who asked the obvious question. "So who really killed Prince Yon?"

"Actually, Yon isn't dead."

"What?" blinked Julius.

"What?" repeated Mylene.

"WHAT?" Roland thundered.

"Yon had a hormonal condition that meant he was essentially a girl," he went on. "He was just born in a man's body. He liked to make up for it by wearing women's clothing, and one of his servants found out. That servant was the same age and had the same hobbies, but with a catch: he was totally fucking crazy."

He could tell by their faces that they were getting into it. "Crazy how?" asked Jilk.

"By that point he had already committed murders all over the city in just about every district. He would seduce both men and women while dressed as either a girl or boy. He would castrate them and watch them bleed out, then spend a few days raping the corpse until it started to smell. Then he would move on."

Everyone but Jilk was covering their mouths in horror and disgust. "How did he castrate the women?"

"It's called a clitoridectomy."

Queen Mylene made an unpleasant choking noise, presumably having thrown up in her mouth.

"He became obsessed with Yon after learning about his secret, and on his twelfth birthday he came onto him. When he refused he went nuts and tried to kill him, but one of his siblings - Princess Suzilou - came in and broke it up. The servant was knocked out the window: he was the same height, had the same colour hair and was wearing his clothes. On top of that his body basically exploded on impact with the ground, so when there was no evidence otherwise people just assumed he was Prince Yon."

"What?" croaked Roland. "That isn't… But that's not… What?"

"Then what happened to him?" asked Julius. Now that the serial killer part was over he was back to looking like a kid listening to a bedtime story. "Where is he now?"

"A better question would be: where is Princess Suzilou?" Leon smiled. The Holfort family made a great audience, and he was starting to enjoy himself. "The Princess had a secret of her own: she loved maids and had always wanted to be one. She would sometimes dress as a maid while Yon would dress as girl, and they would have tea parties together. They were actually quite sweet."

"Oh no," whispered Roland, who had just figured it out. "Oh shit!"

"So when they saw that they had a chance to fake Yon's death, they took it. Kings have a lot of concubines. A lot of concubines means a lot of children. A lot of children means it gets harder and harder to keep track of them all, and especially what they look like. Suzilou fired all her servants so that there was no one left who knew her face, then let Yon take her identity. She took the name of her first pet - Rose - and became his maid, protecting him from anyone who might discover the ruse."

"But Suzilou got married!" Roland almost screamed. "To a man!"

"To Mylene's brother, Castor," Leon nodded. "Just like she married King Roland, all to solidify Holfort's alliance with the United Kingdom of Lepart. But the thing is, Castor was in the exact same boat: she was actually a woman masquerading as a man, because it was the only way she could inherit the throne. The two of them are very much in love, as a matter of fact."

"Wait…" frowned Mylene. "So the reason my brother goes into seclusion every time his wife gets pregnant is because…"

"Because the wife isn't pregnant at all," nodded Leon. "The husband is." Poor Roland looked like his whole world had been shaken. "Of course, there's still one more player in the game: the Holy Kingdom of Rachel, who the whole alliance was built to defend against in the first place. Not long ago, they kidnapped one of Yon and Castor's children."

"They captured one of…" Julius took a moment before he got it. Leon dearly wanted to snark at him, but it was probably a bad idea to do so in front of his parents. "Oh! So that means the kid who the thief has…"

"Is that child, yes. The idea was that Rachel would pin the kidnapping on you guys as a power play at Lepart's expense, but they were mugged and killed before they got the chance. They wandered the streets for a while, and then the thieves found him. Drego is old enough that he once saw Yon during a public appearance, so as soon as he saw the child he had the scheme in his head. Which is why I need your help: you need to save the kid and I need to save my friend."

"So that's why you came to us." Mylene's face was now the stern and solemn face of a ruler. It was making giddy little butterflies in Leon's belly. "You need our help to assault their base."

"Please, don't be disappointed," he couldn't resist saying. "I came for the reinforcements, but I'll stay for you."

Mylene flushed bright red, the elegant monarch dissolving into a flustered girl. "T-That's… I don't… Thank you, but…"

"Stop hitting on my Mom!" Julius snapped, briefly forgetting his admiration. "Do you even plan to help at all?"

"I have a secret entrance to their base," said Leon blithely, instantly regaining their full attention. "You see, a century ago, someone from the Royal Family got the bright idea to set up his own intelligence network. The group never really amounted to anything and disbanded when he died, but their base is still standing in the Old City. A few different people have squatted in it, but right now it's occupied by Drego and his crew. They all think it's just a convenient abandoned building, and they have no idea the secret entrance exists."

They just sat staring at him, jaws working uselessly. "Seriously?" Jilk whispered. "See there's just been this massive hole in the palace security this whole time and somehow nobody noticed?"

Leon just laughed. "To be fair, the passage is impossible to open without the key."

"What key?"

"Originally it was a symbol of the founder's station, passed down from generation to generation. Usually a key is made to fit the lock, but when the base was built the lock was made to fit the key."

Clearly, his years of telling bedtime stories to his siblings had paid off. Even Mylene was hooked. "What was his station?"

Leon looked at the person holding the key, and the remaining three people in the room followed his gaze. Jilk slowly raised his right hand, looking at the signet ring on his middle finger. "Holy crap!"

"This is so cool!" gushed Julius. "Where's the entrance?"

"In the Carnelian Room."

A carnelian was a kind of brownish red semi-precious stone, and was the material used in the Carnelian Room's floor. The room was dedicated to princes and princesses who died young, which was why Yon's Amulet was enshrined there. The associated side quest was a part of Jilk's personal storyline, and the secret passage was discovered by accident when he and the protagonist were almost discovered during the theft.

They followed the passage to its end, dealt with Drego, returned the Amulet to its proper place and received the hideout as base. This and his marksmanship abilities made Jilk by far the most useful character in the game, which was ironic considering he was the one Leon liked the least.

"I found the Amulet!" Clearly, Julius was expecting to be praised. "Should I take it?"

"No," said Leon firmly. "We are giving this man absolutely nothing that he wants." He pointed over the Prince's shoulder, indicating a perfectly normal alcove with a large pot standing on a small ornamental pillar. "We need to move those."

Mylene brought in some of her most trusted guards and servants to do as he said, taking a moment to read the plaque. "Who is Prince Garson? I don't think I've heard of him."

"Probably because he's made up," grunted Leon, politely stepping aside as the pot and pillar were carried away. "No one ever comes here except to redo the cleaning sigils, which only happens every ten years or so. The dude who set all this up just left it there to hide the entrance and assumed nobody would notice."

"And we didn't," Roland remarked. "How dastardly." He gave Leon a curious look. "Are you really forty nine?"

Mylene did a massive double take. "You're forty nine?"

Leon smiled and leaned in flirtatiously. "Why? Do you dislike older men?"

This time her blush reached her ears. "I mean I… I'm not not into it…"

Roland squinted at the empty alcove in a way that said he used spectacles to read, displaying a startling lack of fucks as his wife was seduced in front of him. "There's nothing here!" Leon rolled his eyes, reaching over to pull a piece of painted cloth off the wall. It was patterned so as to perfectly blend in with the wall, and behind it was a depression that perfectly matched Jilk's ring. "Awesome!" whispered Roland.

Mylene rolled her eyes, and they could tell she would have punched him in the elbow if she didn't agree with him.

"Go on," said Leon. "Open it up."

Jilk nervously stepped forward, inserting his signet ring into the depression. He turned it a quarter revolution clockwise and pushed; the wall with the display case containing Yon's Amulet swung outward, revealing a dark corridor leading endlessly into the depths. "It worked," croaked Jilk. "It actually worked."

"So I guess you're not full of shit after all," said Roland, a little forlornly. "Yon's really alive, then. I should write."

"Call some people who you can trust to keep this passage a secret, then send them after me." Leon ducked into the passage without further fanfare. "Oh, and you can open both doors without a key from the inside. Just in case any of you feel the need to flee the palace."

"Wait!" blurted Julius. "I'm coming too!"

"You most certainly are not!" Mylene grabbed him by the back of his collar before he could follow, almost making him fall over. "You are staying right here with me, young man!"

"But mo-"

"But nothing!" She confiscated the sword that he had just received as a prize, shoving it into Roland's hands. "Go in after him. I'm not letting the guards find out about this passage."

He gave her a sardonic look. "What? No worrying about my safety?"

Mylene just rolled her eyes. "We both know you're a better swordsman than the Arclights could ever dream of being. Now get in there. And make sure that boy doesn't have to kill anyone. I don't believe for a second that he's really forty nine."

Roland grinned and accepted the sword. "You know what, Mylene? You're okay!"

"Okay?" Leon snorted. "She's a goddess!"

"Just hurry up!" she blushed. Leon and Roland laughed like the assholes they were, disappearing into the depths.

Roland thumbed the hilt of his sword. "You know, if this was all bullshit, then this would be a great place for you to kill me."

"Yep," said Leon blithely. "The passage opens up into the base's jail, so if we stay quiet we can get the prisoners out without alerting Drego's men."

The King looked a little offended. "What? No epic fight scenes?"

"We'll see. Maybe you'll get lucky. Maybe you'll fuck up and they'll find out we're here; then you can get your fight scene while they try to kill us."

The corner of Roland's mouth twitched in mild annoyance. "Or you could fuck up instead."

"Or it could be you."

"Or you."

"Or you."

"Or you."

"Or you."

"Or you."

"Or… Whoa."

They had followed the dark passage for some time, their only light coming from tiny gaps in the walls. They presumably acted as spy holes, as through them they could see and hear the goings on at the castle. This abruptly changed when they arrived at a huge glass wall, light pouring through it from a well lit shower room.

Only two living things were in there. One was a large ginger cat napping lazily on top of the lockers, and the other was a tall, muscular middle-aged man with blue hair who could have only been the Arclight patriarch. He was using the shower and standing right in front of the glass - which must have been a one way mirror - making it alarmingly easy to see that he only had one testicle.

"How?" Roland whispered. "He has so many children!"

"Twice the bullseyes with half the ammunition," nodded Leon respectfully. "I bet he doesn't even use a scope."

The King began to laugh helplessly, and because Arclight abused his children Leon decided it was okay if he laughed too. The blue haired man looked around in growing terror as their cackles bounced off the shower room walls, also disturbing the ginger cat. It sat up and stretched, then noticed a tin can that someone had left nearby.

It must have looked at it wrong, as the cat violently bitchslapped it off the lockers. Arclight shrieked at the sudden clatter, running soaked and nude from the showers into the hall outside. Someone screamed, and the legend of the Ghosts of the Shower Who Laugh at Your Balls was born. Or 'Nut Cacklers' for short.

When that silliness was over they continued on their way, the tunnel dipping below ground for ten minutes before finally ending at a stone wall; the bits of machinery built into it made it clear that it was actually a door, which was presumably operated by the small lever on their right.

Leon placed his ear against the fake wall, but couldn't hear a thing. "I'm going to open it. You should draw your sword."

"Aren't you going to draw yours?"

Leon just grinned, raising his gauntleted hands to where Roland could see. "Why would I do that when I have Lefty and Knuckles?"

"Is Lefty the one on the right?"

"Yep."

"Cool."

The door swung open as Leon pulled the lever, opening up onto a dark, dingy cell with dirty stone walls. A barred metal door at the far end led into an equally dark hallway, and a shivering figure in a familiar white robe sat huddled in the corner.

"Iven!" Leon whisper-shouted. "Are you okay?"

He must have drifted off to sleep, because it took a moment for Iven to focus. "Leon?" Alarmingly quickly, he returned to full coherence. "Leon! What are you doing here?"

"Saving you!"

"I'm not the only one here! Drego has a child in the opposite cell! They're really scared!"

"I know," nodded Leon. "Do you see that guy behind me? He's their uncle."

"S'up," grunted Roland, drawing and then sheathing his sword at such speeds that Leon barely saw him move. With a slight clink the hinges of the cell door fell apart, and Leon was barely able to grab it before it hit the ground. He glared while Roland just smirked, carefully propping it against the wall.

The Prince (or Princess, this was Yon's child after all) was huddled at the back of their cell, staring at them with wide eyes and shivering with fear. "Hey kiddo," murmured Leon, switching seamlessly into his habits as a caring older brother. "Your parents sent us. Are you ready to go home?"

He could see the desperate hope lurking in their eyes, but to their credit they weren't an idiot. "How do I know that you're telling the truth?"

Leon discreetly clenched his fist in rage; the raspiness in the child's voice was easy to identify as dehydration if you knew what to look for. "Do you see that guy behind me? He's your Uncle Roland. Your da- Your mother's brother. He's the one she asked to help."

"That doesn't prove anything!" the child insisted bitterly, their eyes welling up with miserable tears. "Tell me something only they would know!"

The King rolled his eyes. "Your parents are cross dressers, kid."

The child's eyes widened as their jaw dropped. "Wait, so you actually-"

"Move it." Roland shoved him away, cutting the hinges off the cell door. Leon gave him a small glare, then crept to the door at the end of the hall to check for guards. The door had been carelessly left open, and through it Leon could see the burly man from earlier. He was lying face down on a wooden table where he had presumably been standing guard, and Leon would have assumed he was drunk if he hadn't spotted Drego.

He lay dead in the middle of the floor, his face twisted in a final rictus of terror. Someone had torn out his eyes, leaving a pair of hideous gaping wounds in their place. Leon stared for a few seconds of mute horror - ensuring the image would be burned into his nightmares forever - before discreetly closing the door.

"We need to move. Now."

"Why?" Roland was carrying the child in one arm, holding his sword in the other. "Is it the thieves?"

"Worse. I think it's an UnFae. It already got them both."

"What's an UnFae?" Roland asked, starting towards him curiously. "What happened to-"

"Stop!" Leon said this a bit too loudly, but it did the trick. "You don't want the kid seeing what's behind that door. Trust me."

"O-Okay," said Roland nervously. "What do we do?"

"We get Iven and the kid out of here," said Leon firmly. "And soon. They probably heard me when I…"

He trailed off as he turned around. Somehow, without him, Roland, Iven or the child noticing, a creature had opened the door and entered the hall without any of them noticing. It was humanoid, and though it was incredibly thin it was also incredibly tall. Its ragged clothes barely covered its sickly green skin, its distressingly long fingers tipped with hooked talons. Its lank black hair hung around its shoulders, almost covering its elfin ears.

The face was the worst. Its eyes were huge, lidless and yellow, with nauseating slit pupils. Its nostrils too were thin slits, so close to its head that it was like it had no nose at all. Drool hung in long strands from its lipless mouth, fangs poking out like tusks. Its chin wobbled as if in great distress, though at first it made no noise at all. But when it spoke, it only needed one word to tell them why it was here.

"Iven?" Its voice came in sharp, raspy barks, as if every word were dragged out with hooks. "Iven?"

Slowly, Leon gave his friend a look. "Bad taste?"

"Bad taste," nodded Iven. His immaculate white robe made it very obvious that he had pissed himself, and his expression looked almost high with fear.

"Roland," growled Leon. "Get the kid out of here. Now."

"Got it." For once he didn't argue, slinking back into Iven's cell. "What about you?"

"I'll catch up." The child gave him a terrified look. Leon gave them his most reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'm scarier than this thing can ever dream of being."

He turned back to the shivering UnFae, and for a long moment he, it and Iven stared at one another in silence. The sound of Roland closing the secret passage acted as a kind of starting pistol; the creature screamed, its jaws protruding outward like a goblin shark as it leapt straight at him.

Quest: The Amulet of Prince Yon

Summary: This side quest has already been obtained by Flece when she joins the party at the start of Summoner, and involves a lot less kidnapping than it does here. In this version Yon is very much dead, and was in fact murdered by the King's brother Sornehan. Drego meets with him offscreen to collect his ransom and is never seen again, which is probably a much better fate than what happens here. Both Prince Castor and Princess Suzilou (pronounced Suzy-Loo) are original creations, as is the serial killer in their backstory.

I made a joke back in Chapter 2 about what might happen if you got Isekaied into this story: if this happens to you and you somehow end up in the backstory, avoid that person at all costs. Their kill count was far higher than even Leon will ever know.