A Royal "Request"

After they set out on the long journey across the world, they end up passing by some of the more crazy Clans Haalfrin remembers had tried to kill him a few years back. So, when they pass through this time, Haalfrin is surprised when those clans leave their group alone.

As for the journey itself, Haalfrin is pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable it is. His last experience camping out with people was when he was in the Alastan army, and he doesn't remember it being a pleasant experience.

This time, among the Threshold soldiers, everybody pulls their own weight. They all help around camp, and nobody has to argue about who is going to stay up for evening watch.

Even better, they prove to be so efficient with their tasks that they make amazing time on their journey.

It was... relaxing…, especially compared with his last experience in an army.

After several days of traveling through the thick jungle, they stop at a tavern-looking place in the middle of the Fox clan territory. Why sleep on the ground when Commander Fisco is paying for their trip?

That night, after Haalfrin finally shuffles his body on his bed, Faylin catches him staring into space again while one of them is telling a story.

"What's up, Haalfrin?" the freckled girl asks.

"Just lost in thought," he grunts back at her.

Faylin smiles and lightly kicks on his bedpost. "... Wutcha thinking about?"

"Just thinking about the last army I was in. It was so disorganized and the soldiers were so unprofessional that... well..." Haalfrin sighs just thinking about it. "I'm just happy the people here aren't like that. It's refreshing."

"What was wrong with them – your last army, I mean?"

"Ugh," Haalfrin sits up and makes a disgusted face. "I showed up the first day, and it was a month before battle. The battalion I was with were all stuck inside their tents gambling and brawling, and the officers were all absent - off wh*ring and drinking. The officers had spent no time at all training them."

Resburn is listening in, and he scrunches up his face. "Ugh. That sounds disgusting. How could it ever turn out like that?"

Haalfrin opened his mouth and goes on to tell the tale of Prince Tallus, the disgraced prince.

After hearing this entire story arc – up until Tallus dies, Jay points a fork at Haalfrin and says matter of factly, "See? This is why we should just keep politics out of the army. It's a disgrace!"

Myra gives a soft (subtly sarcastic) smile and replies, "But Jay, you know war wouldn't even exist without politics."

"Nah! People'll fight over anything!"

Faylin wrinkles her nose at the boring direction this conversation had taken, and she says to the dragon slayer, "Haalfirn! Why don't you tell us about the dragon? How did you kill it?"

"... I fought him."

"Well, what about the details?"

Haalfrin thinks for a moment before replying, "Well, it's partly because I'm proficient in using Death Aura-"

"Like the commander?" Faylin interjects excitedly.

"Ya... but I can use it to strengthen my body too," Haalfrin corrects her. "Anyway, after Dakka came crashing through and massacred the entire Pit, there was a huge abundance in Death Aura – what with all the people dying. I used the Death Aura to make my body as strong as a dragon's. We fought, and I won."

Dakka hears this, and he roars in Haalfrin's head, 'What!? So If I hadn't shot my way through the prison and killed everyone, I'd have beaten you?'

Haalfrin doesn't answer.

'That's so frustrating bro!' Dakka continues ranting. 'When I saw you at the beginning, you looked like you were on your last legs! I LET you win, bro! Remember that!'

After talking with these people for a little bit, Haalfrin loosens up and becomes more comfortable around them. Once he's marginally interested in them, he finally makes room in his brain to remember their names.

The freckled assassin is named Faylin, and the others are Jay, Resburn, and Myra.

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A few minutes further into the night, they all hush up and lay down on their beds to go to sleep.

As Haalfrin dreams, he sees a hazy image of the Brancotte emperor sitting before him on a throne. The illusory emperor in his dream seems larger than life – so oversized he is that he looms over the ant-sized Haalfrin like a god overlooking the world.

Haalfrin looks up and makes a swatting motion. "Ugh... what's with this dramatic, cringy, and theatrical version of the emperor? What a strange dream."

The emperor looks down at Haalfrin and says in a booming, powerful voice, "You bear my collar, so it's time for you to receive your first order! When you reach the interracial clan meeting, you'll find a Felkin there. She's a pheonix -"

"Yeah I know that 'Felkin' is the proper name for phoenix," Haalfrin impatiently interrupts. "You don't have to explain it to me."

Almost without skipping a beat, the emperor frowns with displeasure, then continues, "When you find her at the meeting, you'll need to find a way to bring her to me. You have permission to use force if necessary."

"You mean kidnap?" Haalfrin scoffs, "Isn't that a crime?"

The emperor looks disinterested as he pulls out a copy of Haalfrin's slave collar and starts to tighten it slowly.

The collar around Haalfrin's neck begins to tighten in sync with the one in the emperor's hands, and Haalfrin feels a very real pain around his throat. Only now does he realize that this isn't a dream; the emperor is literally sending him a vision.

Once Haalfrin's vision is getting blurry, and his dream self is warping in pain inside this mental realm, the emperor finally loosens the collar again, and Haalfrin gasps for breath.

"Give up," the monarch says while looking down from atop his throne. "Your life is in my hands now."

Haalfrin puts a wide grin on his face, and he starts coughing out a laugh. A powerful black Aura bursts forth from his body, and his laughter elevates into a cackle, "That tickled! Besides, only one who's embraced death already can wield this Aura. Did you really think you could control me with something I'm not even afraid of? Death sounds pretty interesting!"

The emperor leans back on his throne and strokes his long white beard. Finally, he says, "I didn't believe it before, but what they say is true. You ARE a bit suicidal…"

Brancotte's emperor seems to be unafraid of Haalfrin now (unlike last time) – probably because he's in a different world, and thus feels safe.

Haalfrin just shrugs at the emperor's remark. It's not like his true nature is something he's ashamed of.

The emperor then props his left ankle over his right knee and a relaxed position with a level of dexterity unbefitting of an old man, and he offers, "How about this? I'll tell you something you don't know yet. There's a 5 horned dragon deep in that mountain in the meet. I hear that the dragon is keeping the Felkin there. The dragon will be furious at you for stealing away the Felkin…

But Haalfrin already knows all of this… The Felkin he's talking about is Lord Fheldin's wife... Of course, Fheldin would crunch Haalfrin flat if he tried kidnapping her. In fact, he'd probably crunch the entire human race flat.

"So," the emperor continues prattling, "if you're looking for death, then do as I say. Besides, I doubt you want to die so ignobly to a stupid collar. You want to die like a hero! If you obey me, then you can die fighting a 5-horned dragon! You won't have to feel embarrassed in the afterlife if you fall to a creature this powerful; nobody will blame you for losing!"

Haalfrin grips his slave collar and frowns. 'This old bugger's got me figured out…,' he thinks to himself. 'Well, he doesn't know about how I already have an appointment with Fheldin anyway, so none of this means anything to me. I'm getting a duel with Fheldin either way.'

'Besides,' Haalfrin thinks, 'I've foolishly obeyed an unworthy master before, and it brought me endless regret and self-hatred. However… the emperor clearly wants me to die at the 5-horned dragon's hands – er – jaws. It's what I ultimately want."

He then thinks of Das and Freyya. 'Das is a slimy hypocrite who wasted 800 years of my life in a dark hell. Freyya though… I would like her to be the one to take my soul.'

He nods his head and makes up his mind, 'If Fheldin finds another excuse to avoid our duel, I'll consider PRETENDING to kidnap his wife. Yes, backup plans are important.' He looks up and remembers how Fheldin completely treasures that woman. 'Yeah… he'd definitely kill me then.'

He then looks down at his arms and thinks, 'I've gotten very powerful, and there are very few opponents left who can kill me. This might be one of my last opportunities to be slain on the job.'

The emperor looks at Haalfrin as the gears turn in the warrior's head. The old monarch certainly has the time to wait.

Haalfrin finally looks up and says, "I'll see when I get there. I'll make up my mind later."

The emperor's fists curl, but he forces a smile, "I'll be waiting for your results."

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Meanwhile, we see the emperor sitting on his throne with a mirror in front of him. The image of Haalfrin that was in it completely shatters, and the already frail emperor coughs up blood.

One of the guards run up to him. "Your majesty!" he urgently calls.

The emperor clearly doesn't hear the call. Instead, he just leans back on his throne with a crazed - fearful look in his eyes. Sweat drenches him, and he lets out the long breath he was holding in.

After Haalfrin had released his death Aura in the dreamscape, the emperor did everything he could to keep his composure, despite the Aura's influence being filtered through the Dreamscape mirror in front of him.

The guards see this, and the captain shouts to his men, "Carry him to his room! And call the doctor!"

The emperor almost waves them off, but he keeps still and lets them fetch the imperial doctor. The old emperor knows he is old; he doesn't want to risk dying over his own pride by straining his heart or getting too excited.