Chapter Twenty-Five


    First, Ambrose appeared beneath the tree of Avalon. Every time he came here, he was struck by its beauty. Its canopy spread outward like an ocean of crystalline color. His noose hung from a branch, swaying slightly in the breeze that carried forth from the lake that lapped gently against the shore.


    It was a place of peace as much as it was a place of justice. Vivienne appeared moments later, head bowed. Vivienne was the mythical Lady of the Lake. She was the island’s spirit made manifest.


    Her hair was the setting sun on the water, her face as ethereal as the moon’s pale light on a starless night.


    “You have returned, sir Knight. With a new weapon, an axe of great power I see. Ah, it was once a dragon. You have had an interesting adventure.”


    Akaroth rumbled within his mind.


    This spirit is dangerous.


    She’s a friend, be nice he thought at her.


    “I have one for the tree, but then I need to take him to the bounty hunters guild.”


    Ambrose dropped Zane’s unconscious form to the ground. Vivienne’s eyes glittered, matching the tree’s leaves.


    “This one is barely alive, sir Knight.”


    Ambrose shrugged. Retributions gaze might have killed him had he not cut off the skill’s power in time.


    “What protocol shall he suffer?”


    Ambrose rubbed his nose. He had already endured the pain he had inflicted on everyone else. Yet the tree demanded a punishment as it drained the ones contained within it.


    He perused the options in his mind before selecting the quickest one.


    “Protocol five, Vivienne.”


    “As you wish, sir Knight, it shall be so.”


    She held up a single hand, and crystal encased the wanted man. He did not turn away as it sank into the ground moments later. He did not allow himself to feel any empathy or sympathy for the man, he was a rapist and worse.


    What is protocol five? Akaroth questioned.


    Pain. Was all he said in reply.


    “Shall we discuss Icons while we wait, sir Knight? You have been putting the discussion off.”


    He had been. Not because he wanted to but rather because he had been moving non-stop. From managing the town’s needs to fighting or dealing with the other Forerunners, he hadn’t had much of a break. When he had been training, he had been focused on the spirit part of it.


    Icons are important, hatchling. One should not ignore sharpening their claws.


    “Alright. What are Icons, Vivienne? Let’s start there.”


    “They are embodiments of a concept, sir Knight. These embodiments manifest when a being’s spirit has enough connection to that concept.” Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Vivienne laid a hand on the tree,


    “Take this tree as an example. Were it living in the same way you were, it would likely be able to manifest the Tree Icon.”


    He crossed his arms,


    “I thought you need a spiritual skill to access your spirit?”


    Vivienne nodded,


    “Indeed you do,”


    “So in order to manifest your Icon, you first have to have a spiritual skill?”


    Vivienne simply nodded.


    He allowed his expression to turn thoughtful,


    “What do these Icons do for you? What is the point?”


    Vivienne smiled,


    “Manifesting an Icon would grant you a new class, a special Unique class known as a Sage.”


    Ambrose frowned, gesturing for her to continue.


    “Arthur was the Knight Sage. His Icon embodied strength, honor, justice, and more besides.”


    “This still doesn’t tell me what the benefits actually are. What would this new class give me?”


    Vivienne did not react to his rushing of her. Akaroth did,


    Rushing out of the nest leads to disaster, hatchling. Give her time to answer.


    “Other than a powerful evolution of your class, it would grant you Authority related to your Icon. Authority… it is hard to explain, hmm.”


    Vivienne tapped her cheek with a finger, cocking her head. Ambrose crushed his impatience.


    “Authority is a measure of control over reality. That is the best way to put it. In another way, you might better understand that it gives weight to your attacks, to your presence. Think of it as existing beyond a mortal level. Should you wish to advance to C-Grade, properly, you will need to manifest an Icon. That is the first step of the process.”


    He leaned his head back, looking at the canopy, and took a deep breath. He already had so much he needed to do. First, the Incursions needed to be dealt with. That meant the fire giants, the dwarves, and Leshi Tina talked about.


    His fists clenched because, of course, there was Eric he would pursue.


    Calm your storm, hatchling. Or it will overcome you.


    He didn’t need the dragon’s advice; he had perfect control over his anger.


    “I don’t have time to do all of that, Vivienne. How would I even begin? What Icon would I even manifest?”


    She made a thoughtful sound,


    “Mm. Icons are deeply personal things, dear Knight. Like your spirit, it comes from knowing yourself and what symbol you feel most represents you. Some take years, decades even, to manifest an Icon. It is careful meditation and deep reflection. Even so, I think I know the Icon that fits you.”


    He arched a brow at her,


    “Well?”


    Vivienne laughed,


    “Oh., I will not be telling you, dear Knight. Understanding yourself and your connection to a symbol is a part of the process of manifesting an Icon. I suggest taking some time out of every day and considering it. Like now, perhaps. The tree needs at least another hour before you may retrieve the evil-doer below.”


    Ambrose sat down, muttering to himself.


    “Evil-doer. You sound like a caricature.”


    Vivienne gave no answer. She just turned and walked onto the waters of the lake. Briefly, he wondered what she did when not talking to him. Vivienne was Avalon’s spirit, but she had a mind of her own. Did that come with goals and desires? He made a note to ask her one day.


    He sat cross-legged and considered Icons. The first problem was that he wasn’t sure where to even start. In his spiritual training, he needed to know himself. Now, it sounded as if he needed to connect himself to a symbol—an Icon that he closely embodied.


    Admittedly, he wasn’t great at self-reflection. He had used memories, trying to study them like an outside observer, almost like a character discussion you might have in an English class. Sighing, he closed his single eye and started there.


    What first came to him was the idea of a phoenix. After all, Ambrose certainly rose from the ashes enough time in his life. I’m powerful, too, and I do a lot with fire, he mused. Both are true things.


    Except it didn’t fit. He didn’t feel reborn; he wasn’t a new person. He wasn’t all that changed of a man when you got down to it. He had done terrible things, but he wasn’t trying to be a champion of good. If he were, he would abandon his quest for revenge and focus solely on the people who counted on him.


    He wouldn’t do that. His knuckles popped.


    No, that wasn’t an option.


    That symbol was discarded, and he moved through more of them. With each option, he tried to make it fit within himself like a puzzle piece. Was he a sword? A shield? A dragon?


    Akaroth snorted in his mind, and even Noelle sent an image of her swishing her tail in amusement.


    Sometime later, after a dozen or more symbols had been thrown in the mental trash, Vivienne reappeared before him.


    “The tree is done, sir Knight. You may retrieve your captive should you wish it.”


    He stood up, running a hand through his hair,


    “Good. Time to collect that bounty.”


    One step closer to Eric.