"And Stork didn't get involved in the fighting?" Ali asked calmly as he ascended the stone staircase, his steps echoing softly along the upper hall of the fortress. His voice was level, but there was a sharpness in his gaze—measured, observant.
Behind him, Sarina followed a step behind, wringing her hands nervously as her mind tried to keep up with the overwhelming pace of change in her life. Behind her, a tall, broad-shouldered figure cloaked in black moved in silence. The heavy hood shadowed the mechanical glint of its inhuman face—Miles's servant, a combat-grade AI housed in a humanoid shell.
"No… We're very small and weak," Sarina admitted hesitantly, her voice tinged with helplessness. "The other lords were more concerned with the richer lands—more prosperous villages and towns. And now with the war spreading across the dukedom, bandits have started to flood the roads. They're attacking trade routes, carriages, even supply lines. It's becoming… worthless for any merchant to travel this far south."
Her breath caught in her throat as a low mechanical hum rumbled behind her. She turned her head—and her scream broke through the silence.
"AAAAAH!"
She stumbled back when she saw the tall hooded figure standing directly behind her—soundless, still, imposing.
"Calm down." Ali didn't even flinch. "He's Miles's servant. He's not here to harm you. You'll be working with him from now on—and following his commands. Go with him."
Sarina swallowed, nodded quickly, and gave a nervous glance at the towering hooded figure.
"Study or library. Which do we have?" the robot asked, its synthetic voice so well-tuned it sounded nearly human. It lacked all tone or emotion—calculated and cold.
"Ahm… both!" she replied quickly. "The study's right here. The library's at the other end of the hall—it's small, but we've preserved most of the older texts."
"Library. Now."
Without another word, the robot followed her silently, the sound of its footsteps swallowed by the old stone walls as they moved out of view.
Ali turned to the heavy wooden door before him—the study. This was the room where he had crushed the life of the former lord, forcing the man to surrender not only his estate, but his name, his blood, and his life. A fortress lost. A legacy erased.
He stepped inside.
The room was dark, but well-kept. Dust hovered in the air, disturbed only by the breeze from the cracked window. Ali walked over to the oak desk and pushed it aside with one arm, revealing a small iron-lined chest hidden beneath it.
With a flick of his hand and a whisper of will, he used the Force to unseal the lock.
Click.
The lid creaked open. Inside, he found a small, worn pouch tied with a frayed leather string. Ali opened it and emptied the contents into his palm.
'Ten copper… ten silver… no gold.' He frowned slightly and picked up one of the silver coins. The emblem of a crown was etched into the face, worn with use.
'So this is their currency...'
He held it up, examining the weight, the mint, the feel of the metal. Then, with a shrug, he reached into his inventory and summoned a large reinforced metal chest, a heavy object easily weighing over a hundred kilograms.
With a metallic thud, the chest landed on the floor. Ali opened the lid and revealed a glowing pile of gold coins, neatly stacked in dense rows. Without hesitation, he tossed the pouch inside and closed the chest.
'I bought more back in Paradise, Gold will always have value. No matter the world.'
His interface pinged. Two messages.
[I'm in the capital. Do not come here. This place is crawling with monsters. I'm keeping a low profile.]
Attached was Jacob's current location on the map—far north, deep in the heart of the kingdom.
[Ali, I've sent you two Signal Amplifiers. I need them installed—one on each of the twin mountain peaks down the valley.]
Two cylindrical metal beacons appeared in Ali's inventory, sleek and futuristic, their surfaces engraved with intricate magnetic nodes.
'No rest for the wicked, huh?' Ali sighed as he closed the window, climbed onto the ledge, and—without hesitation—jumped.
Twenty meters down.
He landed soundlessly on the ground below, knees bending to absorb the impact, coat fluttering behind him. Three wide-eyed guards watched from the gate.
They looked stunned—staring at the man who just casually dropped from the sky.
"I thought you were a mage, my lord…" Tel murmured, eyes wide.
"Who told you to think?" Ali snapped without breaking stride.
The man's blood drained from his face. "Forgive me, my lord!"
Ali nodded toward them. "I'm leaving the fortress for a while. Tel—guard the gate. Tol—head to the edge of the village and keep watch on the Forest. Tal—watch the valley between the mountains. If anything moves, run back to the fortress. Find the man in the hood. He'll know what to do."
"Yes, my lord!" the three brothers said in unison, standing to attention as he passed.
They watched as Ali left the gate and suddenly disappeared from their sight leaving them bewildered.
Ali was already at full sprint, his body gliding over the soft terrain as he charged toward the twin mountains rising like titanic walls from the floor.
Ali,looked at the valley between the two mountains, 'A natural stronghold. If anyone tried to invade me, they'd have to pass through that canyon. Perfect.'
'My Spirit will fill up in about an hour,' Ali calculated. 'Once it's full, I'll test the Summoner's Set for real. Two dragons, Actual dragons…'
The thought alone sent a tingle of anticipation through his blood.
'First time summoning a real dragon. I wonder… what element should I start with?'
He didn't have the answer yet. But what he did have was time—and momentum.
Ali dismissed his coat into his inventory, revealing the tight black shirt underneath, his muscular build flexing with every bounding step. Wind rushed against his face as he reached the foot of the right mountain and launched himself skyward, bending his knees before exploding upward with pure leg strength.
His body flew up through the cold night air, and he snagged a sharp edge of rock with one hand, arresting his momentum instantly.
He didn't even pause to rest.
His fingers dug into cracks and ridges with practiced ease, and he began scaling the cliff face like it was second nature—like he'd done it a hundred times before. His arms pulled with steady power, his legs pushed off ledges with smooth control, and his breath stayed calm despite the steep incline.
Each meter climbed revealed more of the rugged terrain. There was no life here. No greenery. No animals. Just jagged stone stacked high with strong winds…
No birds. No moss.
Only silence—and the weight of gravity trying to pull him back down.
Halfway up the mountain, Ali paused. He narrowed his eyes.
'There. Forty meters above. I can feel something, something alive for sure.'
He craned his head upward, carefully. The night sky stretched above him like an endless sheet of ink, but his enhanced senses caught subtle vibrations—subtle shifts in air pressure. Something massive was nearby.
He resumed climbing, but slower this time. Deliberate. Silent. His fingertips dug into cold stone and pulled him upward one breath at a time.
And then—
KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
The shriek tore through the mountain air like a sonic blade.
Ali's entire body froze in place. The screech was so sharp, so high-pitched, it felt like needles stabbing straight into his brain. His hands gripped the nearest outcrop with white-knuckled force as he pressed his body against the stone wall to stay hidden.
Eardrums throbbing.
He leaned his head out slowly and looked up.
'Was that a bird? A bird made that sound?'
But it hadn't sounded like any bird he'd ever heard on Earth. This was something else. Something ancient. Something that didn't belong in the same sentence as the word "bird."
'It had to be massive… That kind of sound doesn't come from a hawk. Could be an eagle. Makes sense, especially in mountains like these.'
And as if to confirm his suspicions—
[Personal Mission Unlocked: Steal a Storm Eagle's Egg (0/1)]
Ali blinked as the interface notification appeared in his vision, floating clearly against the night.
He chuckled softly.
'So I was right. It is an eagle. And of course, Paradise wants me to do something insane. What else is new?'
He looked up again, this time with renewed clarity. The objective wasn't to kill the beast.
It was to steal from it.
'Paradise really has me doing some stupid shit… The Ali, is now climbing mountains with his bare hands in the dead of night to swipe an egg out of some giant bird's nest. Unbelievable.'
He couldn't help but grin beneath his breath.
'My old self would never have believed this. Hell, he'd probably laugh me out of the room.'
Ali took a breath, adjusted his footing, and continued climbing.
—————-
I just wrote a 3000+ word chapter, can't wait for u guys to read it, it's on my Patreon now.
Please donate some of your power stones, it would help my ff massively.
If you want to support my work and get Five chapters ahead of webnovel : patreon.com/Rondo312