Before Ves could even react, the woman had already dashed outside, sword in hand. She moved so fast Ves’s hair fluttered as if in the wind. Curious to see the cause of the commotion, she peeked outside the tent herself. From where she was, she couldn’t quite see what was going on, but she could hear the sounds of clashing swords and the cries of the guards. The question was, who in the world would dare attack them all the way out here? More than that, she could hear shouting, a booming voice that almost hurt her ears, even from afar.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?!” It was the voice of the very woman Ves had just been speaking with.

“Is this really the time?” And the target of her anger was none other than her own bastard of a master.

“Fine, run along and hide until I clean up after your mess.”

Curiosity getting the better of her, Ves snuck closer, just enough to see what was going on. Foolishly so, when every other servant was fleeing to hide. Not that there was anywhere to hide. The forest itself was no safer, populated by packs of dire wolves, great bears, and even the occasional monster. It was a death sentence for anyone on their own, outside the ranks of skilled cultivators.

Thankfully, her master employed a fair many. From her hiding spot, Ves could see her master’s men cutting down the attackers left and right. Waves of strange insect-like beasts, black as pitch, threw themselves at the defenders with abandon. It’s like they didn’t care whether they lived or died. Even if mortally injured, they would continue to attack as long as they could move. Ves had been in this forest on past trips and seen the beasts that inhabit it many a time. Yet, for the life of her, she had never seen or heard of anything like this.

Even still, the defenders held on, if barely. The Senators’ men were skilled, but they were not prepared for a foe like this. Things were quickly escalating to the point where Ves was worried if they could even win. That was until the woman arguing with her master drew her sword. Even from a safe distance, Ves could feel sudden pressure weighing down on her body. Both sides of the fight flinched and took notice as she joined the fray faster than Ves’s eyes could even follow. The beasts that had seemed poised to overrun the defenders just moments ago were now getting cut down like chaff of wheat. Turning the battle into a one-sided slaughter. It was the result of refining one’s soul in order to achieve superhuman feats of strength. Even allowing one to tamper with the laws of reality to perform arcane arts. In other words, cultivation.

Ves was so transfixed watching someone who was likely the strongest cultivator she had ever seen that she failed to notice her master approach.

“Branded, at attention.” With those words, the cold power of the brand clutched her soul so tightly that no amount of willpower could resist. Despite her internal screams of protest, she obeyed.

“Hurry, while the Justicar is busy, I need you to take this and hide.” From under his coat, her master pulled out a sickly looking black leathery egg. As he handed it to Ves, she could feel something squirming inside.

“Until I come for you, keep this hidden from that woman and stay out of sight. Now go.”

As ordered, Ves clutched the egg to her chest and ran deeper into the camp. Crawling into a tent used for storage, she curled up hidden among the various crates. From there, the sounds of battle muffled. Ves was terrified. The thing in her arms already scared her, but now she learned the woman was a Justicar. They were the temple’s most prestigious knights; they were one-man armies unto themselves, near the pinnacle of mortal cultivators. Even emperors and kings would show them deference, and here she was being ordered to hide from one of them. Hide and keep the egg out of one’s grasp. It was an impossible task.

Still, she hid. With the brand, she had no choice. Seeing how strong the woman was, it wouldn’t be long at all before the battle was over. She could only hope the woman would not hold her master’s orders against her.

To her surprise, the sounds of battle only grew. Louder and closer, she could hear even more screams and panic from all around. Somehow, they broke through the defensive line. The battle was now being fought within the camp itself.

“What in the void is that!” a man’s voice shouted, only for a deafening sound to assail Ves. She had heard nothing like it. No roar like an animal, more like an ear-shattering high-pitched hiss. In response, the egg in Ves’s arms squirmed violently. Whatever was inside, it was upset. Ves wanted to do nothing more than throw the thing away and run.

“Master Lysandra, let me help!” This time, the voice of a young woman.

“Stay back, Nora! This beast is too much for an Amber! That goes to everyone else as well. If you’re not at least a quartz, stay back and keep the drones off me!” This time, the voice was the older woman again, the Justicar. Ves had heard the woman was an emerald-rank cultivator. What in the world were they fighting where someone that strong was worried?

‘GIVE IT BACK’

A voice crashed into Ves’s mind like thunder reverberating through her skull. Ves could actually feel the ground shaking as items in the tent toppled. In the back of her mind, she knew she should run before it was too late. Try as she might, she just couldn’t will herself to move. Be that the brand’s influence or her own fear, it was hard to say. Still, to stay here was surely suicide. From the sounds of it, the battle outside was on the scale of something that would be told in story, at least local ones. Without a doubt, not something a normal human like her could survive if she got caught up in it. So, steeling herself, she tried to get up, only to find it truly was the brand forcing her to stay put.

While the orders placed on her through the brand were absolute, they were not inflexible. If she could convince herself that running away was in the best interest of fulfilling her master’s order, she could regain some control. At least enough to adjust to the situation. Her orders were to hide and protect the egg. She couldn’t do that if she wound up caught in a battle. Thankfully, she believed it, so the brand’s hold lessened. Still, it was too late.

Someone shouted, “Master!” was the last sound Ves heard before something crashed into her hiding spot. The large tent pulled down around her in an instant before the crates she was hiding behind toppled over, crushing her.

In a daze, she tried to free herself from the rubble. A task that was especially hard since she still had to hang on to the egg. Her body felt battered and bruised, but she didn’t think anything was broken. As she shoved away the last of the debris, pulling herself free, she could see daylight. The surrounding tent was gone. Before her was the Justicar, who was also freeing herself from the rubble. The woman looked haggard, but held her sword in a death grip before uttering a chant in a language Ves didn’t recognize as a soft blue light enveloped her body.

Though Ves had only noticed this in passing, she was transfixed by the horrifying creature before them. A creature that had presumably just sent the Justicar flying. It appeared somewhat related to the smaller creatures. Similar in onyx color and insect-like features, but much larger. It stood upright on four narrow legs. Its torso had two sets of arms. The upper set was more like swords or the limbs of a mantis. The way they dripped with blood was proof enough of the danger they possessed. For the second set, they looked smaller in comparison, but still larger than humans, ending in a more familiar handlike shape. However, each finger ended in dagger-like points. Its head and face were almost smooth, like a polished gem. Making it hard even to tell where features like a mouth or eyes may be.

Yet somehow, despite its alien appearance, Ves knew in her gut the creature was staring at her, or rather, the egg in her arms. An egg, she now realized, was leaking. A tear in its side as a sickly gray yolk spilled out.

The creature seemed to vibrate as the same voice from before crashed into Ves’s mind. There were no discernible words, but anger, panic, and desperation rattled around in her head as if someone was beating her head like a drum. While these emotions assailed her, she could see it was not just her. All around, Ves could see people stagger and clutch their heads. Even the Justicar winced.

Seemingly unconcerned with anything else, the creature charged. Completely single-minded in its focus, not even seeing Ves herself, just the damaged egg in her arms. Even to the point it failed to notice the Justicar’s attack as the woman’s sword struck true, cleaving one of the thing’s legs clean off. The attack was enough to stagger it, sending it toppling past Ves, crashing like a runaway carriage into some of the few tents still standing. That pulled Ves out of her stupor from what she had mere seconds before assumed would be her death.

Unfortunately for her, the jolt back to reality kicked the brand back in as well. Her orders were to run and hide. Keeping the egg away from the very woman who had just saved her life. The insidious grip of the brand clutched its icy hand around her soul.

She would obey.

Ves scrambled to her feet, one arm still clutching the egg. Based on the way the thing inside sloshed about, she could tell it was as distressed as she was. The Justicar, now noticing Ves, reached her hand out to help Ves up, only to pause as her eyes went wide.

“Why do you have that?”

She was caught. The very person she was ordered to keep the egg away from had now noticed her. Pain raked through her soul as the full weight of the brand forced her to move. Despite the protests of her battered body, Ves was on her feet and running in an instant.

“Girl, stop! That thing is dangerous!”

The Justicar stepped to grab Ves but froze when the sound of rubble being tossed aside drew her attention back to her foe. Despite missing a leg, the thing pulled itself from the ground, tearing itself free from the mess of tent cloth it had become entangled in.

‘STOP!’

The words pierced into her mind. The pain was enough to make her stumble. Barely keeping herself on her feet as she continued to flee. Looking over her shoulder, she could see the creature was now free and, somehow, even injured as it was, it still charged. The Justicar tried to intercept but was bashed away by one of its scythe-like arms. With only three legs, the creature was slower but still more than fast enough to catch up in a mere moment. It was then that a familiar voice sounded out, one of a fool, Owen.

“Ves!” Despite the apparent danger, the boy ran up, sword drawn to protect her. If a swipe from the beast sent even the Justicar flying, there was no doubt in her mind that Owen would turn into a bloody smear with a single swipe. It should have been obvious that there was nothing he could do. His actions would only make him die with her.

Ves couldn’t let that happen. Despite how annoying he was and however much his father was a monster, Owen himself was a good kid. One she couldn’t let die. She knew there was no escape. Add that he was her master’s son, saving him was just enough justification for the brand to release its grip, allowing her to disobey the prior orders. So, as the beast charged at her, she turned and charged at Owen. Just as the beast was about to smack the young man to the side in a smattering of gore, Ves plowed straight into Owen’s back, sending him toppling to the side and out of harm’s way as the scythe-like arm narrowly whisked over them both.

She did it. He was safe. As she tumbled over the top of him, Ves smiled. While she could not speak, she mouthed but one word, idiot. Reflected in Owen’s wide, terror-filled eyes, Ves could see the creature reaching out as it grabbed her. Ves accepted her fate. There were worse ways to go than saving the boy she begrudgingly saw as a brother.

Still, it was not a quick or gentle end. The creature cared only for the egg. Its claws pierced her body as it tightened its grip. As the beast made its escape, Ves herself was being used as a shield to protect the egg still in her arms, as various shrubs and branches pummeled her. Soon enough, be it the pain or the blood loss, she blacked out.