It had required quite a few more stops than Calbern had expected to finally catch up to his former mentor.

The primary challenge was that he hadn’t been able to book a ship to pursue them directly. This was compounded by the fact that his mentor didn’t seem to have a single destination in mind.

Quite inconsiderate.

As the evening spray caught his face, Calbern inclined his head in the direction of the latest captain he’d booked passage with before leaping to the dock directly through a low hanging back of steam, then made his way up through the latest small coastal port. The noises he’d grown accustomed to along the way were a tad unusual here.

It was the high occurrence of Forgeborn and their devices, he suspected. Everywhere one looked, they would see clear signs they’d entered the Forgelands. Such as the steam powered lift whose attendant Calbern paid to take him from the lower levels to the town that sat nestled between the mirrored cliffs.

Or the attendant themselves.

The attendant was a smaller Forgeborn, shorter than Calbern and resembling a burrowing mammal of some sort he didn’t recognize, despite his extensive studies. The Forgeborn often chose forms that didn’t have corresponding forms in the natural world, so that wasn’t too unusual.

There was no translator for the attendant, who’d simply pointed to a printed sign when he boarded. Most of the Forgeborn went without translators from what he’d observed.

Despite his desire to find his mentor sooner than later, Calbern found himself studying the Forgeborn as he passed. They were different from most other species he’d interacted with.

It didn’t take him long to comprehend that most were hesitant to interact with him. Even here, in their community on the edge of the Forgelands, they weren’t used to dealing with strangers.

Excepting the lift attendant, that was.

His stride never faltered as he studied the Forgeborn, each step carrying him deeper into the settlement. The density of Forgeborn grew, as did the number of residents with more monstrous features.

It was a rather short time later that he was the only outwardly human person present. Which seemed to make the residents even more nervous, considering the radius they were maintaining about him. Undisturbed, Calbern arrived before his destination, a building that rather resembled a blend between a restaurant and Inertia’s workshop.

Stepping inside, Calbern took note of the ripple of quiet that washed through the establishment as the guests within took note of him.

Spotting the being he was there for, Calbern strode across the room towards a Forgeborn who reminded him a tad of Conflict, except instead of chains it bore organic seeming metallic tentacles, and instead of a wide grinning skull, its head was narrow and sleek, not unlike a fox’s.

The gentle-being also only came up to his chin instead of towering over him.

However, Calbern had no doubt about the danger the being in front of him represented. Even with his recent transition into the 4th tier, he wasn’t certain he’d win a fight with the Collector.

“So the Knight Exemplar has come. As promised,” the Collector said, surprisingly eloquent for a Forgeborn.

Calbern had discovered in his last port that was because the Collector only played at being a Forgeborn. Underneath the armor was a man not so different from himself. “You have seen Sebastian.”

“I have. Word’s reached me you’ve been searching up and down the Storm coast trying to pin him down. Might be I could help you with that,” the Collector said, tapping the table he was sitting at with one clawed finger. “What did the famed Knight Exemplar bring that might entice this humble Collector into revealing the location of his mentor.”

Calbern inclined his head a degree, drawing forth an item he’d gained during his service with master Percival, one of the recovered devices from the Golden Halls. Given with permission, though he was aware master Percival had intended for Calbern to use it himself.

“It assists in Ascension,” Calbern said, sliding it across the table, hoping the being would accept such a prize. Its reputation was that it was eccentric but fair.

“Truly? That is… interesting,” the Collector said, leaning forward, one of his tentacles opening to display a highly enchanted magnifying lens. Behind them, Calbern heard several of the other patrons shuffle, no longer sitting in quiet silence.

“Is it sufficient?” Calbern asked, raising his eyebrow a degree.

“It is. Your fellow Knight just made his way inland. Word is he’s hitting up the old ruins, south of the city. You’re gonna want equipment, if you wanna follow. Gets nasty out there,” the Collector said, holding up the device. “This here’s worth a bit of gear.”

“That… would be appreciated,” Calbern said, noting how several of the ‘patrons’ nearby sat back in their chairs.

“Truth is, I’d been planning to keep you for myself. Always wanted an Examplar to complete the collection,” the Collector admitted plainly while waving a clawed hand at one of the monstrous patrons. “Yet, I didn’t get to my place in life by shoving my hand in a dust grinder. And, you, my friend, look like the nastiest dust grinder that’s passed through in the last ten years. Your little friend included.”

Calbern inclined his head in the Collector’s direction, noting another Forgeborn approaching the table. Each step was slightly uneven, bursts of steam pushing it to the side, forcing it to take longer steps with its left foot.

It got to the table from behind him, setting a loose cloth sack down.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Go on. It’ll keep the worst of it at bay. Don’t say the Collector never did nothing for you,” the man said, waving Calbern away.

With a final inclination of his head, Calbern collected the package, making his way towards the exit. Deciding not to tarry, he gave the four patrons who attempted to follow him the slip before making his way to the upper city, pulling the mask and heavy cloak on.

With them in place, he set off into the perpetual dust storm of the Howling Wastes.

Following the map the Collector had provided, Calbern soon stood at the edge of the ruins.

Finding Sebastian’s crew hadn’t been hard. They’d hired a Forgeborn desert crawler, and the large tracked machine towered above the dunes and half-buried buildings alike.

It was no more challenge to remove the several criminals Sebastian had left on guard. There was no hesitation. None of these men deserved life, and Calbern had no regrets delivering their final sentences.

By the time he reached the stairs leading down, the sun had long set. With a single shake of his sword, ensuring it was pristine once more, he descended into the darkness.

There were pools of light, where enchanted lanterns had been left. He slipped past these, remaining as little more than a whisper in the shadows.

Several more men and women met their end, though one was merely incapacitated and secured, when Calbern didn’t recognize them. He only gave the ruins themselves a cursory glance. He was certain that if master Percival was there, he would find them endlessly fascinating. As would young lady Bevel.

Shaking his head, Calbern focused on his task. He’d already done significant damage to Sebastian’s efforts, all that remained was to find his former mentor and ensure that his madness was put to an end.

Further and further, he moved into the ruins, only hesitating when he found the gates. For a moment, Calbern paused, giving further consideration towards his surroundings. They did remind him somewhat of the ruins of Aeternia. The devices assembled in the center of the room were quite unique however.

“-if we are gonna be able to ride it in. Not a thing I’m volunteering for, mind. You might own me, but both of us know you can’t afford to be throwin’ me away,” a middle aged elf male said, speaking to a figure leaning on their cane.

Not a pleasant man, the middle aged elf. Slaver. Wasn’t on any official lists. Too clever for that. But Tamarah had known of him.

Calbern took a second to inspect his old mentor. It had been nearly a century since they’d last met. The years hadn’t been kind to his former mentor. Where he’d once been the very pinnacle of the Knights Exemplar, age hardly able to touch him, now his face was wracked with wrinkles and his once black hair was nearly white.

“I’m afraid we do not have many options,” Sebastian said, voice carrying notes of exhaustion, though Calbern suspected few would pick up on them other than himself. “My old apprentice has found us. Most of your compatriots have paid the final price.”

“What final price? Thought you said this was a way to redeem ourselves?”

“I said that you would have a chance to offset the evil you have brought to the world,” Sebastian said, turning, his eyes sweeping around the chamber, not stopping on where Calbern stood within the shadows, his own eyes slitted to prevent reflection. “I suppose I should not be surprised you misinterpreted my words.”

“Hey now, what’re you trying to- urk,” the elf was cut off as Sebastian swung the cane and caught him in the gut.

“You should be grateful, Asitov. My former apprentice’s actions will give you a chance at freedom, however small,” Sebastian said even as he hooked behind the elf’s ankle, causing him to stumble backward.

Calbern started circling to the side, attempting to get in position to catch his mentor in a moment of distraction. It was not particularly honorable but stopping Sebastian would require every advantage he could get.

As he was moving, the elf stumbled up against the gate that was attached to the device. A second later, it seemed to spark to life. It looked like no Waygate activation Calbern had seen before, red and black energy shooting out.

He was not particularly surprised when the man was bisected by the energy. On the other hand, Calbern wasn’t prepared to see the red hands reach out to grasp the separated body parts, drawing them into the gate with a dark laugh.

“Unfortunate,” Sebastian said, stepping towards the device next to the Waygate. “Too close to Chaos. I warned him the lower bands were dangerous.”

Calbern paused for a second. It almost seemed like his mentor might be preparing to use the device himself. If it failed it would solve Calbern’s problem for him. Yet if he succeeded, Calbern might lose him for another century.

“Well, I suppose I’ve little choice,” Sebastian said after making a few adjustments on the device. A second later, a thrumming filled the chamber.

Forced as his hand was, Calbern approached with what caution he could, leaping forward to attack.

“Ever predictable,” Sebastian said, cane deflecting Calbern’s blade with the same ease that Calbern would fell a tree. “I had thought you had perhaps learned discretion. You did a remarkable job at disposing of my assets. Not a word from them, only the end of their pact.”

Another quick exchange, where each of Calbern’s precise strikes was met with an equally precise deflection from the cane. Wanting a moment to assess, Calbern stepped back, eyes flicking over their surroundings.

“You know, I’ve dealt with Dragon-souled who were less troublesome. And yet you are barely in the 4th tier,” Sebastian said, hefting his cane, stepping forward and sending it out just enough to force Calbern to take a half step back.

As he did, he realized that the black was leaking back into Sebastian’s hair. The wrinkles were smoothing out. Every second that passed, Sebastian seemed to regain his youth.

And with it, his speed and strength. Bothersome.

“You did me a favor, in a way. I could never bring myself to simply cut them down,” Sebastian said as he stepped forward, cane probing, testing, pushing Calbern to his limit. “Their suffering was too important. A quick end, too merciful.”

It quickly dawned on Calbern that if he stayed, he would lose this fight. And quite likely his life.

Two decades ago he would’ve gladly accepted such a price to fulfill his oath. But two faces flashed through his mind. One freckled with messy brown hair, the other dark with piercing eyes.

“I see now that binding them was a mistake. The work would be done had I simply accepted that no matter how hard I try, life is never fair,” Sebastian said, shaking his head even as he continued to push Calbern back. Nearly to the Waygate and the device connected to it.

Despite not being terribly familiar with enchanting, he’d seen master Percival working on the Waygates enough to understand the device’s function.

And how to use it to potentially escape. After another thrust from Sebastian, Calbern allowed his blade to be dragged ever so slightly across the console. If he understood, it should at least cause it to overload.

Equally importantly, it had set the Waygate to a set of familiar coordinates. They’d nearly had them right, only off by a single degree.

But, as every Knight Exemplar knew, a single degree made all the difference.

His success didn’t come without cost. With Sebastian’s next strike, Calbern failed to shift in time, catching a glancing blow on his shoulder.

Quickly, a fight where he’d been barely holding proceeded to crumble.

“A shame, Calbern. After all this time, I had hoped for more from you. Yet you remain the same disappointing failure you’ve been since-”

Sebastian stopped when Calbern flashed him an unrestrained grin. He’d been pushed back against the Waygate, Sebastian a dozen feet away, the limp seeming to be the one thing that hadn’t healed.

“You know, you’re right about one thing, old friend,” Calbern said, earning himself a moment’s respite as his mentor stared at his unabashed grin. “Life isn’t fair. But as my friend has proven to me. If you try, sometimes, it can be…”

Calbern winked as his hand made contact, his other holding up the Spellkey Percival had made for him. The familiar energy stretched out, pulling him into the rough fabric, a single phrase echoing in the chamber as the device exploded behind him.

“Fair enough.”