Hero Of Broken History

The slums had opinions about lightning wolves.

"Is that thing tame?" "Mommy, the doggy is sparking!" "Sweet fucking hells, that's a spirit beast—"

Avian sighed as another cluster of people scrambled away from Lux, who was trotting beside him with her tongue lolling out like the world's most dangerous puppy. The wolf seemed delighted by the attention, tail wagging harder with each terrified gasp.

Right. Five hundred years of social development, and people still shit themselves at the sight of spirits. Some things never change.

"Lux," he murmured after the dozenth person nearly fell into a drainage ditch avoiding them. "Ring form. You're causing a scene."

The wolf looked up at him with ancient eyes full of mischief, then huffed dramatically. Lightning crackled as she dissolved, condensing into a band of silver-blue energy that wrapped around his finger. Her contentment hummed through their connection - five centuries of waiting had ended, and she was exactly where she belonged.

Much better. Now I'm just another noble with enchanted jewelry instead of a madman walking a lightning god.

The slums released their victims reluctantly, clinging with poverty's particular desperation. Avian moved through streets that remembered blood better than rain, adjusting to Lux's weight in her new form. Different than her physical presence, but no less comforting.

Should have known it was too easy. Nothing in my life is ever fucking easy.

The first assassin dropped from a rooftop with all the grace of a sack of potatoes trying to be stealthy. Avian sidestepped, letting momentum carry the would-be killer face-first into a wall that had seen better centuries.

"Seriously?" he asked the groaning figure. "That's your opening move?"

Three more emerged from alleys and doorways, surrounding him with the confidence of people who'd never fought someone actually dangerous. Their weapons were good quality - too good for random street thugs. Their stance was trained but soft, like they'd learned from manuals instead of survival.

Merchant's boys. Of course. Because Goldus Merchantius can't take 'fuck off' for an answer.

"Hand over the sword," the apparent leader demanded, pointing a crossbow that probably cost more than most people's houses. "Lord Merchantius will pay well for your cooperation."

"Counter-offer," Avian said pleasantly. "You walk away, I don't embarrass you, everyone keeps their teeth."

"Four against one. You're hardly in a position to—"

Avian moved.

Not with killing intent - that would have painted the alley red in seconds. Just enough speed to make a point. The crossbow went flying. The leader hit the ground gasping. Two others found themselves tangled in their own feet. The last one, smarter than his friends, actually managed to swing his sword.

Avian caught it between two fingers, channeling just enough aura to stop the blade cold.

"This is robbery, not assassination," he noted, studying their faces. Young. Stupid. Probably told this would be easy money. "You're not trying to kill me, just take my property. That's... almost adorable."

"Please," the leader wheezed from the ground. "We have orders—"

"I'm sure you do." Avian released the sword, its wielder stumbling backward. "And I have a reputation to maintain. So here's what happens. You're going to attack me properly - make it look good - and then I'm going to drag your unconscious asses to the guard. Everyone wins."

"What?"

"Option two is I kill you all and let Brick's family deal with the corpses. They don't deserve that." His voice dropped, ice creeping in. "Choose."

They chose wisely, attacking with the desperation of men who'd realized they'd kicked the wrong hornet's nest. Avian made it look difficult, taking a few theatrical hits while systematically dismantling them. Nothing permanent - broken bones healed, bruised egos recovered. Eventually.

When all four were thoroughly unconscious, he bound them with their own belts and started dragging them toward the nearest guard post.

This is beneath me. I've killed demon generals, and I'm playing with merchant thugs like a cat with especially stupid mice.

But Brick's descendants didn't need bodies on their doorstep. They'd kept faith for five centuries; the least he could do was keep the blood away from their shop.

The guard post was a squat building trying to look important, all official paint over structural incompetence. Avian dragged his collection of idiots through the door, letting them thump against the desk with satisfying sounds.

"Attempted robbery," he announced to the startled guards. "Armed assault in the Copper District."

The guards looked at each other, then at him, then at the money purse one of them was definitely hiding under the desk.

"These are honest merchants," the sergeant said with the confidence of someone who'd practiced the lie. "You must be mistaken."

Oh for fuck's sake. They're not even trying to be subtle about the bribes.

"Honest merchants who jumped me with swords?" Avian kept his voice level. "Interesting definition of honest."

"You're under arrest," the sergeant decided, hand moving to his sword. "For assault on upstanding citizens."

"I'm what now?"

"You heard me. Hands where we can see them."

The other guards moved to surround him, confidence bolstered by numbers and gold. Avian considered his options. He could kill them all in about three seconds. He could disappear into the shadows before they blinked. He could—

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE EMPEROR'S HOLY BALLS IS GOING ON HERE?"

The voice hit like a trebuchet shot, making windows rattle. Through the door stormed a man who looked like authority had been distilled into human form and given a bad attitude. Commander's insignia, scars that suggested real combat experience, and the kind of presence that made guilty people confess to crimes they hadn't committed.

"Commander Reeves!" The sergeant snapped to attention so fast he probably sprained something. "We were just—"

"Just what? I could hear you idiots from the street." Reeves' eyes swept the scene - unconscious thugs, nervous guards, Avian standing there with the patience of a saint or a serial killer. "You. Name."

"Avian Veritas," he said calmly.

The commander went very, very still.

"Say that again."

"Avian Veritas. Recognized son of Patriarch Aedric Veritas. Current potential heir to the dukedom."

The silence that followed could have been bottled and sold as concentrated dread.

"Sergeant," Reeves said with deadly calm, "did you just try to arrest a Veritas heir?"

"I... he... they said..."

"They said." The commander stepped closer, and the sergeant shrank back. "They. Said. And you didn't think to check? To verify? To use the brain the gods allegedly gave you?"

"Sir, I—"

"You took bribes to arrest a duke's son." Each word dropped like a hammer on glass. "Do you have any idea what Lord Aedric does to people who threaten his children? Any concept of how thoroughly fucked you are?"

Finally, someone with functioning brain cells.

The sergeant had gone pale enough to pass for undead. The other guards were edging toward the door, probably calculating whether they could reach the border before the Veritas family's response arrived.

"Lord Avian," Reeves turned to him, bowing precisely. "On behalf of the capital guard, I offer our deepest, most abject apologies. These men will be disciplined. Harshly. Possibly terminally."

"That seems excessive," Avian said mildly. "They're just idiots, not traitors."

"You're more merciful than your father would be."

That's a low fucking bar. Father would use them as training dummies. For real weapons.

"The attempted thieves should still be prosecuted," Avian pointed out. "They did attack me, regardless of who paid them."

"Of course. We'll get full confessions. Find out exactly who hired them." Reeves smiled, and it promised nothing good for Goldus Merchantius. "Attempted robbery of a noble heir carries significant penalties. Their employer will regret this."

"I'm sure he will."

Avian left them to sort out the mess, walking back through streets that seemed less hostile now. He'd made it about half a block when the shouting started.

"YOU TOOK A BRIBE TO ARREST A DUKE'S SON? ARE YOUR BRAINS MADE OF SHIT?"

Ah, there we go. Reeves found his rhythm.

The sound of furniture splintering echoed from the guard post, followed by what might have been someone being thrown into a wall. Or through it.

"I SHOULD FEED YOU TO LORD AEDRIC MYSELF! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE DID TO THE LAST PERSON WHO THREATENED HIS FAMILY? THEY NEVER FOUND ALL THE PIECES!"

More crashes. Definitely someone going through furniture this time. The sergeant, probably, based on the pitch of the screaming.

"CORRUPT, IDIOTIC, WASTE OF THE EMPEROR'S GOLD! I'VE SEEN SMARTER TACTICS FROM DRUNK GOBLINS!"

Man has a way with words. And furniture. Mostly furniture.

The weight of his name had solved the problem, but it left a sour taste. Using noble privilege felt like betraying everything Dex had stood for.

But Dex is dead. And Avian Veritas has different tools.

The Silver Swan was busy when he returned, evening crowd settling in for serious drinking. He found Kai in their room, surrounded by papers and looking entirely too pleased with himself.

"Productive day?" Avian asked, settling into a chair.

"You could say that. Goldus Merchantius is even more of an ass than we thought. Turns out he's been—" Kai stopped, staring. "Why do you have spirit energy clinging to you like smoke?"

Observant bastard. Should have known he'd notice.

"About that." Avian held up his hand, concentrating. Lux materialized from the ring, taking her wolf form in a crackle of controlled lightning.

"Holy shit," Kai breathed. "Is that—"

Lux apparently decided introductions were for other people. She bounded forward, knocking Kai onto his back and proceeding to lick his face with enthusiasm that sparked with electricity.

"Ack! It tingles! Get off—"

"Lux, manners," Avian chided, though he couldn't help smiling. The spirit wolf looked at him with 'who, me?' innocence before padding back to his side.

"You have a lightning wolf," Kai managed, sitting up and wiping his face. "A spirit lightning wolf. How?"

"Long story." Avian scratched behind Lux's ears, feeling her lean into the touch with a contentment that vibrated through their connection. "Short version - she's the Lightning Spirit King's daughter. Powerful enough to manifest without a contract, though it takes most of her energy."

"The Lightning Spirit King who disappeared five centuries ago?"

"The same. Lux was... in storage when that happened. A friend kept her safe for me."

Five hundred years of safe. Brick, you magnificent bastard.

Kai stared at the wolf, then at Avian, then back at the wolf. His expression went through several complicated calculations.

"You know what? I should probably be deeply suspicious about how you have a spirit that's been in storage for five centuries. About what kind of 'friend' keeps something safe for that long. About all of this, really." He paused, meeting Avian's eyes. "But I think it's better if I don't ask."

Smart kid. Knows when curiosity becomes dangerous.

"Can I...?" Kai gestured at Lux, clearly deciding that petting the ancient lightning wolf was more important than interrogating timeline impossibilities.

"Go ahead."

Kai reached out tentatively. Lux sniffed his hand, then pushed her head into it, demanding scratches. Lightning danced between her fur and his fingers, but harmlessly - like static on a dry day.

"She's warm," Kai said wonderingly. "And she acts like—"

"A dog, yeah. Always has. Thousands of years old, daughter of a god, acts like she wants belly rubs." Avian shook his head. "Lux, back to ring form. We're trying to be subtle."

The wolf gave him a look that suggested subtlety was overrated, but dissolved back into lightning that condensed around his finger.

"That's incredible," Kai said. "Also terrifying. Also explains why you smell like ozone."

"Speaking of terrifying, I had an interesting afternoon." Avian launched into the story of the attempted robbery and corrupt guards.

By the end, Kai was torn between laughing and groaning. "You got arrested for defending yourself?"

"Briefly. Commander Reeves had opinions about that."

"I bet he did. Your father's reputation..." Kai shuddered. "Those guards are probably halfway to the border by now."

"Probably." Avian leaned back, exhaustion hitting. Between mental training, traveling, retrieving Lux, and dealing with idiots, it had been a very long day. "What did you find about our merchant friend?"

"Oh, that." Kai's grin turned sharp. "Goldus Merchantius is in debt up to his eyeballs. His collection obsession has him borrowing from people who break legs for late payments. That sword of yours? He probably sees it as his ticket out of poverty."

"So he's desperate."

"Desperate and connected. He's got half the merchant guild in his pocket through favors and blackmail." Kai shuffled through his papers. "But here's the interesting part - he's not from here originally. Showed up about ten years ago with money and started building his network. Nobody knows where he came from."

Ten years ago. When certain people might have started looking for certain artifacts. Interesting.

"Think he's working for someone?"

"Almost certainly. Question is who."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment. Outside, the capital's nightlife was warming up - shouts, laughter, the occasional crash of violence being relocated.

"So," Kai said eventually. "Lightning wolf spirit. Corrupt guards. Mysterious merchants. Just another day in your life?"

"Apparently."

"Good thing I'm getting paid for this."

Avian looked at him sharply. Kai's expression was pure innocence.

"What? You think I didn't know your father would want reports? I'm not an idiot." He stretched out on his bed. "Don't worry, I'm very selective about what I share. 'Young master went to library, was boring' makes for better reports than 'Young master has legendary spirit companion.'"

Honest about his dishonesty. I can work with that.

"Fair enough," Avian said.

"Besides," Kai added, closing his eyes, "anyone who gets their face licked by a lightning god's daughter can't be all bad. Even if you do attract trouble like honey attracts ants."

Avian snorted, settling into his own bed. Tomorrow they'd dig deeper into the merchant's connections, explore more of the changed capital, maybe find some actual answers.

But tonight, he had Fargrim humming contentedly at his side and Lux warm around his finger. Two pieces of his past reclaimed.

It was a start.