Commander Fisco (3/3)

As their escorting officer is taking them on a little tour around the Threshold, Haalfrin notices another key feature he didn't notice before (as he was flying the last time he was here). It's the strange layout of the buildings between the layers of the fortress walls.

"Sir," one of the newbies asks for him, "Why are the houses so close together? It feels too cramped." The streets between the buildings are only a few feet wide – just enough for 2 men to walk side by side. Considering the high population and the heavy traffic in this place, this design seems nonsensical.

"Oh, that's because the Drakin, as well as a few of the Rehkin clans, have wings," the officer answers patiently. "They can't fly onto the streets and attack us from above if the streets are too narrow for their wings. You see how all the buildings are lined with spikes? They can't land on the sides either."

Haalfrin chuckles at that and says aloud. "You put giant pigeon spikes on all the buildings!?"

The officer up front laughs, "Haha! That's right! We can't have those little birdies sh*tting all over us!"

As they walk further, the officer continues speaking, "Oh, and you all are free to use your magic however you like here. Every building, wall, and tower here was enchanted with time-locking spells, so they can't physically move in time at all. You can punch them, hit them, or burn them for all we care, and nothing's going to break."

Haalfrin doesn't bother asking about this technology. He'd never properly learned how it works, but it still sounds impressive. The secrets of such technology must be very closely guarded.

If such technology had been used in his prison, then he never would've escaped. They could've just time-locked the boulder on top of him, and he'd never get out.

Other than the walls and interesting fortifications, they're also shown where the sleeping quarters are, as well as the cafeterias and armories… but that's less interesting to talk about.

After their VERY surface-level introduction to the Threshold, the 2 recruits are shown to a cramped bunkroom, while Haalfrin is led back to his old room – this time with a pack of soldier gear to keep by his bedside.

Just before Haalfrin gets settled in again, the officer up front pulls out a sheet of paper and says, "The commander told me to give you this. It's your orders."

Haalfrin takes it and closes his door. Plopping on his cot, he reads yet another note from Commander Fisco:

"I'm the only person in this fortress who knows your real background - that you're a criminal. The emperor told me that your alias is going to be Bazrim... but I think such silly measures are pointless out here, so we won't be using that. Having an alias means that your background is something to hide.

"Out here, where you come from or what you've done before mean nothing. If you're a soldier here, then you'll bleed for the Threshold.

"Anyway, Belri – a medical staff officer – will be visiting you tomorrow morning to show you to the medical bay. You'll report there every morning just after breakfast and stay as long as she tells you to stay.

"Signed, Commander Fisco."

Haalfrin feels something heavy in the envelope. He reaches in and finds a black token in the shape of a Crow…

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After Haalfrin is finally left alone again, he lays down and thinks of the impressive defenses; they're even more ridiculous than he thought.

He rolls over on his cot and says aloud to Dakka, "This place is a thousand times larger and more impressive than the Pit. How in the world did you get through here as a 2 horned dragon when you barely survived the Pit as a 4 horned dragon?" He pauses. "…Are the Drakin strong enough to actually break these walls, despite all the boasting I've heard about them the last couple of days?"

"Oh no no no!" Dakka quickly sputters out, "My people have learned through sad experience. It doesn't actually matter how hard the walls are struck. If they can't move in time, then they can't break at all."

"So… how did you make it through then?"

Dakka's spirit slumps and begins the strange tale of how he broke through.

It all started when he brought 3 other uncles from Freyya's Death cult. He was the smallest of the 4 dragons assaulting the Threshold, yet he was ironically the only one to succeed.

"Ha...," Dakka chuckles nervously, "I hate to admit it... but yeah... It's a bit of a fluke how I made it through. I did one of the classic dragon maneuvers where we charge in our large forms, transform into our humanoid forms mid-trajectory, then shoot past WAY faster. Your walls here are time locked, so I shouldn't have been able to break through."

"By all rights," the dragon spirit continues, "I should've gone *splat* and become another bloodstain on the walls... However, I managed to actually land right on a blind spot in the fortress about half a foot wide; it was a turret hole where you keep one of the mana cannons.

"My body was too big to squeeze through the turret hole, so I broke my skull and several bones on the way through. Lucky dragons heal super quickly.

"Anyway, after I went through the turret hole, my momentum carried me straight through a doorway, through a couple of windows, then straight through another turret hole... right next to the world gate room. It was a 1 in a million shot, but I just got up, shook my head, and charged straight through the portal before they could shut the portal down."

"...Oh..." Haalfrin gives an unenthusiastic reply. He DOES remember Freyya mentioning that the powerful Yiir (fate) between them is what allowed Dakka to be lucky enough to break through... He just underestimated just how lucky Dakka really was.

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In the foreseeable future, Haalfrin has been told to keep quiet about his status as a dragon slayer. He then starts to notice that this whole time, he's been kept locked away like some sort of secret.

It probably wouldn't do for rumors to get out that the dragon slayer isn't in peak condition right now... At least... that's what Haalfrin assumes. Nobody ever tells him anything, and he never asks.

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One day, we see Haalfrin laying down on a cot in the doctor's clinic. The doctor has gotten so sick of Haalfrin trying to run about the fortress (when he's supposed to be resting) that she'd convinced the commander to have Haalfrin sleep at the clinic.

As soon as medical officer makes this request to the commander, Haalfrin's things are immediately moved to the medical bay – regardless of how loudly he protests.

Haalfrin liked having a private space Frey could appear in without worry. Without that (coupled with her skittish, shy nature), he thinks he won't be seeing much of her for a while.

…And he's pleasantly surprised when she randomly pops up by his bedside while everyone else is sleeping and quietly shares some cake with him. They don't talk much, but words aren't necessary between them.

One thing that makes Haalfrin chuckle is that he starts hearing rumors of a mysterious ghost stalking its way into the kitchens and stealing food.

Of course, this is little Frey. Haalfrin doesn't have to be worried about her since she's gotten so used to hiding in Aura that she only needs to eat in order to sustain her constant immersion in her ethereal form. Even more, she completely melds into the ambient Aura when she uses her Yiir name, which means there are no security measures in the Threshold that can catch her.

She's a free spirit anyway, and Haalfrin thinks it would be a little cruel to either chase her away or convince her to join the Threshold the legal way.

Thus, the only option left is to leave her be and trust she won't get caught.

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One day (or rather, most days), Haalfrin lifelessly stares at the clinic's ceiling.

This... is boring.

Haalfrin usually fills up this empty time when the doctors aren't here by visiting his soul realm and getting the new horde of Wills trained up and absorbing his Death Aura.

However, with so many Wills (around 200,000), they eat up his Death Aura reserve like it was nothing. Sure, about half of those who dared to enter the Death Aura just wilt away after not being able to withstand it; the rest, however, begin growing in strength.

Realizing that there isn't enough Death Aura in his soul to grow his Wills anymore, he looks to the fortress around him. This place had stood for over a thousand years, and it had seen constant battle. As a place where death has congregated, there is a lot of Death Aura in the soil and permeating the trapped air of the fortress.

Slowly but surely, he starts absorbing all this aura into his soul…

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Meanwhile, we see Commander Fisco drinking a cup of water from a bottle while looking over the fortress from up atop the innermost wall. He closes his eyes and feels the ambient Aura in the fortress congregating towards the medical clinic.

'Hm...,' he thinks solemnly, 'I wasn't wrong. The dragon slayer knows how to manipulate Death Aura too. Has... he seen it?' Fisco shakes his head to get that terrifying experience out of his head.

'No, he might have seen more. His ability is stronger. I can only move the aura around, but Haalfrin can absorb it into his soul - make it a part of him.' He looks around and writes a message, folds it up, then casts a quick enchantment.

The note then lifts itself into the air and flies over in Haalfrin's direction.

Once it arrives, Haalfrin opens it up, and the note says, "Stop absorbing the fortress' Death Aura. It's vital to the Threshold's defense. Signed, Commander Fisco."

Haalfrin looks around, shrugs his shoulders, and says, "Fine!" before burning the note to ash in his palm.