CHAPTER 305: KILLING CHANGES YOU

The mountain air bit through Grim’s torn clothing like daggers of ice. Each breath formed clouds of vapor that hung in the thin atmosphere before dissipating into the star-filled darkness.

Willem’s grave was a mound of carefully stacked stones, already dusted with frost that made it look ancient and forgotten.

"We need to move," Captain Wei said quietly, his breath was visible in the frigid air. "Morvain won’t stay scattered forever. He’ll regroup and come looking for us."

"Let him come," Grim replied coldly. "I still owe him for Willem."

Lianna struggled to her feet, her legs trembling from exhaustion. The torn fabric of her dress clung to her body, stained with mud, blood, and worse things from the cave. Dark circles ringed her eyes, making her face appear gaunt in the moonlight.

"How far to Yanyu territory?" she asked, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth.

"Three days if we push hard," Sergeant Liu replied. "Four if we take time to rest properly."

"We push hard," Grim decided. "Rest is a luxury we can’t afford until we’re back at the castle."

Morris knelt beside Willem’s grave one final time. His fingers traced the crude letters they’d carved into the makeshift headstone with elven daggers. It had been difficult to work, leaving jagged scratches that barely resembled words.

"Willem Ashford," he read aloud. "Died free among friends."

"He would have liked that," Zhang said, adjusting the pack of stolen elven supplies across his shoulders. The leather straps cut into the raw welts left by his whipping, but he showed no sign of discomfort.

The descent from the mountain pass was treacherous in darkness.

Loose stones shifted under their feet with every step, threatening to send them tumbling into the black void.

The path was barely wide enough for single file, forcing them to move in a vulnerable column.

Grim took point. Behind him, the others followed in careful measured steps, each person maintaining contact with the one ahead to avoid becoming separated in the darkness.

"Watch the loose rocks here," Grim called back softly. "The path narrows for about twenty yards."

The warning came just in time. Lianna’s foot struck a stone that rolled away into nothingness, the sound of its fall echoing from the depths below. She pressed herself against the cliff, her heart hammering against her ribs.

"Steady," Huangyan whispered, placing a reassuring hand on Lianna’s shoulder. "Just one step at a time."

Hours passed. The mountain gradually released its grip on them as they descended toward the tree line. Pine forests replaced bare rock, providing both cover and the comforting smell of trees.

But the trees also brought new dangers.

"Movement ahead," Captain Wei reported from his position behind Grim. "Could be animals."

"Could be elves," Sergeant Liu added grimly.

Grim raised his hand, bringing the line to a halt. He strained his senses, listening for sounds that didn’t belong to the forest’s natural rhythm.

There were soft whisper of steel against leather. Someone ahead was drawing a weapon.

"Ambush," Grim said quietly. "At least four, maybe more. They’re positioned on both sides of the trail."

"Orders?" Captain Wei asked.

"Kill them all."

The attack came swift and silent. Grim activated his Celestial Mist technique, vanishing from sight as he moved to flank the ambush positions. The darkness that had hindered their travel now became his ally.

The first elf died without knowing death had found him. Echo’s blade opened his throat in a cut so precise it barely made a sound. Grim was already moving to the next target before the body hit the ground.

An elven crossbow bolt whistled through the space where he’d been standing. The shooter tried to reload, but Grim materialized behind him like a nightmare given form. Another elf hit the floor.

"Contact on the left!" Captain Wei called out as more elves revealed their positions.

The ambush dissolved into chaos as the imperial soldiers responded with lethal efficiency. Zhang’s blade found an elf trying to circle behind their formation. Huangyan’s stolen elven dagger punched through leather armor to find the heart beneath.

But not all the attackers were elves.

"Humans!" Sergeant Liu shouted in warning. "Yanyu deserters!"

Three men in tattered Yanyu uniforms emerged from the tree line with weapons drawn. Their faces were gaunt with hunger, their eyes wild with desperation. Bandits who had turned to ambushing travelers when military discipline collapsed.

"Your supplies!" one of them demanded. "Everything you’re carrying!"

"You picked the wrong targets," Grim replied, his voice carrying death’s own certainty.

The fight was brief and brutal. The deserters had numbers but no coordination. Hunger had weakened them, while desperation made them reckless. Grim’s group moved like a military unit, each member covering the others in practiced synchronization.

When the violence ended, seven bodies lay scattered among the pine needles. Four elves and three human deserters, all united in death if nothing else.

"Search them," Grim ordered. "Take anything useful."

The dead yielded little of value. Some dried meat, a few coins, weapons in poor condition. But among the elven corpses, Huangyan found something that made her blood run cold.

"Grim," she called urgently. "You need to see this."

She held up a piece of parchment, its edges still crisp despite the mountain weather. The writing was in elven script, but the seal at the bottom was unmistakable, the mountain stronghold’s official mark.

"Orders," Grim said, taking the document. His knowledge of elven script was limited, but he could make out enough words to understand the general meaning. "They’re organizing patrols. Looking for us specifically."

"How many?" Captain Wei asked.

"According to this, at least three companies. Maybe more." Grim’s jaw tightened as he read further. "They’re offering a bounty. Five hundred gold pieces for our capture. A thousand for mine, specifically."

"That’s a fortune," Morris observed. "Every bandit and deserter in these mountains will be hunting us."

"Good," Grim said with cold satisfaction. "I was running low on elven ears anyway."

The document also contained map coordinates marking patrol routes and rendezvous points. Information that could be valuable if used correctly.

"There," Grim pointed to a position marked on the crude map. "Supply depot. If we hit it, we can resupply and deny them resources at the same time."

"That’s going deeper into the mountains," Sergeant Liu protested. "The opposite direction from safety."

"Sometimes you have to go backward to go forward," Grim replied. "Besides, I’m tired of running from these bastards."

The supply depot was marked as being lightly guarded. Only a dozen elves and a handful of human collaborators. Easy pickings for a group that had just destroyed an entire military camp.

"What about the prisoners?" Captain Wei asked, glancing at Lianna and Morris. "They’re not soldiers."

"I can fight," Lianna said firmly. "After what they did to us, I want to fight."

"I’m with her," Morris added. "Willem deserves justice."

Grim studied their faces in the moonlight. Both showed the kind of determination that came from surviving hell and emerging harder for the experience.

"Then we all fight," he decided. "One more battle before we go home."

The supply depot lay two hours deeper into the mountains, nestled in a valley that provided natural protection from the elements. Smoke rose from multiple chimneys.

From their position on the overlooking ridge, Grim could see the depot’s layout clearly. Stone buildings arranged around a central courtyard. Guards walking predictable patrol routes. Horses in a corral near the main entrance.

"Twelve guards visible," he reported quietly. "Probably more inside the buildings."

"Standard assault?" Captain Wei asked.

"No," Grim said, a cold smile spreading across his face. "I have a better idea."

The attack began with fire.

Flaming arrows, crafted from torn clothing and elven oil, arced through the darkness to land on the depot’s wooden roofs. Within minutes, three buildings were blazing like funeral pyres.

Elves poured from the burning structures in confusion and panic. Some tried to organize fire brigades. Others attempted to form defensive positions. Most simply ran.

That’s when Grim struck.

"Aurora Flash: Sundering Slash," he called out, unleashing a technique that painted the night sky with deadly brilliance.

Multiple waves of energy erupted from his sword. The waves cut through the depot like scythes through wheat, dropping elves and collaborators with surgical precision.

The few survivors tried to flee toward the horses, but Captain Wei and his sergeants were waiting. Steel flashed in the firelight as the imperial soldiers cut down anyone who tried to escape.

Within twenty minutes, the depot was silent except for the crackling of flames and the screaming of terrified horses.

"I’m starting to lose count. There are so many ears here."

The depot’s supply rooms yielded a treasure trove of useful materials. Military rations that would last for weeks. Medical supplies to treat their various wounds. Warm clothing to replace their torn and bloodied garments.

Most importantly, they found detailed maps of the entire mountain region, complete with elven patrol schedules and supply routes.

"With this information, we can avoid their patrols entirely," Huangyan observed, studying the documents by lamplight.

"Or hunt them," Grim replied. "Turn their own intelligence against them."

Lianna looked up from where she was treating a cut on Morris’s arm with stolen medical supplies. "I’m not just angry," she said quietly. "I’m furious. They tortured me for a week. They killed Willem. They would have killed all of us if you hadn’t come."

She stood and walked to where Grim was organizing the captured weapons. "Teach me to fight properly. Show me how to kill elves efficiently."

"You already know how to fight," Grim replied. "Fire magic, remember?"

"My magic doesn’t work in the rain. I need skills that work in any weather."

Grim studied her face, seeing the same cold determination that had carried him through his own transformation from noble’s son to professional killer.

"All right," he said finally. "But understand what you’re asking for. Once you start down this path, there’s no going back. Killing changes you."

"Good," Lianna replied without hesitation. "I want to change. The woman who went into that cave was weak."

As dawn broke over the burning depot, Grim began planning their next move. The maps showed seventeen more supply points within a three-day march. Seventeen more opportunities to collect elven ears and disrupt their operations.

The rescue mission was complete, but the war was just beginning.

And before that war ended, every elf in these mountains would learn to fear the sound of his name.