" Brat!"

No sooner did Serafim leave the Path of Lycres, than he was caught in a strangling embrace. A fist crashed into his skull, before starting to rub it.

"Maylis! Move your fist of there!" Serafim shouted, trying to get out of the hold.

"You lost in strength or what?!" Exclaimed the woman with a loud laugh.

With a grunt, Serafim elbowed the woman in the ribs, who released him. Immediately, she gave a circular kick, which he avoided by throwing himself back. Both straightened up at the same time, Maylis drew a sword whereas Serafim took one of the guard. Without hesitation, both threw themselves on each other, their swords clashing violently.

"But what are you doing?! Can't you see there's a stone from the Path of Lycres right next to you?!"

Chains of stones sprang up from the ground and imprisoned the two fighters, as Aslan stood between them. 

"It was Maylis who started it! Again!" Serafim exclaimed.

"I was only checking if he was in shape!" Defended the captain.

"And you couldn't wait until he was out to do that? You had to do it right next to a stone of the Path at all costs?!"

Aslan was not a hot-blooded man, but he wasn't cold-blooded either. If on a battlefield he could be thoughtful and calm, controlling the actions of the opposing side without a problem, he could snap easily out of it in everyday life. The first thing that could irritate him was the unchaste language of some of his comrades. But what could send him into a rage in less than two seconds was the endangerment of objects marked with Sacred Words.

Since the dismissal of the priests from the Empire, the use of these marked objects was forbidden. Thus, the use of the bags and the Paths of Lycres were considered a crime against the Empire and both items fell into disuse.

The Paths of Lycres were stones marked with Sacred Words, acting in pairs. One stone was placed in one place and the second in another. By placing one's hand on one of the stones and visualizing the location of the second, one was immediately transported to the latter. This is why, despite the dismissal of the priests and the prohibition of the use of the marked objects, the nobles had hidden them by placing them in the hands of their personal magicians. 

The Duchy of Dralyon was no exception to this rule and had officially destroyed them. But in fact, the bags and the Path of Lycres were under the protection of their Magic Tower. And Aslan, the Vice-Director, was very protective of these objects that no magician or mage could reproduce.

"Captain! A wave of deezarke approaching!" Cried a guard, panicked. 

"And? This is isn't your first rodeo. You know exactly what to do in this kind of situation," Maylis replied, arching an eyebrow.

"Sorry captain! This guy is new," explained a soldier who had just arrived, his walk quiet unlike the first one who was paler than death. "The mechanical artillery unit has opened fire and is supported by the magic artillery unit. The foot units of swordsmen, knights and magicians are ready to come out as soon as the cezants are routed. Basically, all is well in the best of worlds!" Finished the soldier with a burst of laughter while giving a big pat on the back of the poor guard.

The hand gloved by an armor crushed with force on the one of the rookie, who toppled forward under the force of the slap while releasing a yelp of surprise.

"Where are you from, Kid?" Maylis questioned as she watched the young guard try to right himself.

"F-from Lirdiff... ca-captain..." Replied the latter, struggling to catch his breath.

"Hummm... How many new ones did we get?" Maylis asked, turning to Aslan.

"About fifteen from Lirdiff, three from Drafir, and a mage from Hul. I've already taken care of the kid."

Silence reigned in the room as the sound of artillery machinery echoed in the background. 

"Aslan... the mage is..."

"An eight year old kid I found at the Black Market."

Serafim felt the fury grip his throat, ready to burst forth at a simple command. Slavery had been forbidden since the creation of the Empire and the Nobles had a duty to suppress all forms of it. However, since the Emperor's coma, auction houses had flourished throughout the Empire, especially in the regions of Gradliff and Limrhos. These two regions were the closest to the City-State of Ulsh, the Democracy of Maltrev and the Kingdom of Cytroz. These three countries, along with the Kingdom of Nidsim and the Theocracy of Nulvon, acted as a barrier between the Empire and the Kingdom of Fabel, the two powers of the Draeshura continent.

The City-State was surrounded by the other countries and therefore lived mainly from trade. However, Ulsh had no mines or huge plains to cultivate. The only thing it could trade without limit was People.

Only Serafim heard the sound of a whip and crying.