‘You know, based on the Islamic design of the arches, I’m pretty sure before this building was a monastery, it was-’


    Leta’s train of thought was derailed as she crashed into the courtyard wall, bouncing off the stucco before landing on the hard cobblestones with a groan.


    “Again!”


    Leta hissed out a breath, her chest heaving as sweat dripped off her in rivets and stinging as it soaked into her bloody knuckles. Atreus and Allister’s ‘review’ was taking such a toll on her body that her nanites were in a constant state of repair.


    She’d already cracked a rib again when Hayato roundhouse kicked her in the chest so hard she missed the mat and rolled into the courtyard fountain.


    Koa had given her a beating by way of weapons as his sword cut deep.


    The first time she got tossed out about and nearly dislocated her shoulder in the process, it had given her a surprising reward.


    [Host has unlocked Basic Hand-to-Hand combat skill.]


    Everyone seemed to watch in morbid fascination as the scrapes and bruises from being tossed around quickly healed, remarking that even for an Arisen, it would have taken them a day or two to recover from a broken rib where it only took her a moment.


    Leta took a deep breath, a sweat-covered arm wiping the grim from her face as she returned to the fighting stance Allister showed her.


    Hayato nodded at her before launching another attack, his hand flying at her head. Leta used her enhanced forearms to block the strike with one before throwing a fist with the other. Hayato grabbed her wrist and pulled, causing her to lose her balance as he threw her over his shoulder.


    ‘Yep, those are totally Moorish Arches.’


    Leta could feel her tooth crack as her cheek scraped against the stone floor.


    From above, she could hear “ooh” from the onlookers on the second floor as she rolled over and stared up at the fluffy clouds rolled by, mocking her suffering.


    “Stop. Let’s take a breath.”


    “Oh, thank god.” She sighed, gingerly picking herself up off the cobblestone and limping to the fountain. “Can I just fall into this?”


    “No, lass.” Allister shook his head with a wry smile.


    “Tragic.” She moaned as she cupped her hand to pour water over her head and face, wincing as the freezing water stung her quickly healing cuts.


    “Fifteen minutes. Then we’ll be back to it.”


    Dr. Kudela came down from where she’d been watching on the second floor and knelt beside Leta as she propped herself up against the fountain.


    [Warning! A foreign entity is scanning the Host’s vital signatures and gauging overall health. Malicious intent not detected.]


    “Your healing is remarkable, " she muttered, her eyes fixed on the skin of Leta’s cheek that had been scrapped partially off. Before her eyes, the skin was smoothing out and scabbing over, the swollen redness subsiding until her face was whole once more.


    Leta shrugged, her tongue running over her now-fixed tooth, “It was weird at first, but now I’m getting used to it.”


    “Do you mind if I monitor you for a moment? It’ll just be like someone putting a cuff on you at the hospital to monitor your vitals from a distance. I’ve only met a Crown once before and didn’t get a chance to observe them.”


    “Yeah, sure.” Leta nodded, surprise in her tone as the woman put two fingers on her wrists and looked at her watch. “You met a Crown before? When was that?”This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Dr. Kudela shrugged, “A long, long time ago. I don’t even remember the battle. At that time, there were only three known Kings. Today, when a new king comes or goes, the Crowns meet up and redraw territories, but in the past, it was war. I was, at that time, under the command of the Eastern King. When the Central King suddenly died, I was sent north with a company to confront Timur’s army, which the Western King backed.”


    Leta nearly choked on air at that statement. “Timur as in during the Middle Ages?”


    “We didn’t call it that at the time.” Dr. Kudela gave her a mischievous grin, “But it would have been towards the later end of that era. The Plague was still a thing, but by then, it had mostly run its course, and kingdoms were back to expanding their territories instead of consolidating their power.”


    “I…” Leta opened her mouth as if searching for the words before starting again, “I don’t want to seem rude, but how old are you?”


    Dr. Kudela chuckled, “Old enough not to be bothered by silly questions. Only the nobility took note of dates and years, and it’s not like we celebrated birthdays or anything anyway as peasants. Well…” She paused, her lips pursing as she thought about it. “I was born in Autumn towards the end of the , so best guess I’d say I’m 670-something years old.”


    Leta’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Holy…”


    The woman shrugged, “Healers are much sought after among the Sects, so I have been well protected and cared for. I’ve also been lucky to work with adept soldiers who taught me how to defend myself.”


    She thought back to last night and remembered how skilled the older woman was with her blades, her fearlessness at facing off against literal monsters.


    Lost in thought, Leta barely felt the woman pat her shoulder. “You are doing well. Most of the Arisen were in terrible situations and often labeled monsters and demons after our Rising. I wandered for about five years before I stumbled upon another Arisen. With today’s technology and increased numbers, it’s much easier to find one other after their Rising and protect them.”


    “Are you saying that you guys knew about me?”


    “About you? No. About your circumstances? Not until De Mar realized what you were. De Mar studies the ancient world, that much is true, but he is also tasked with keeping an eye out for Atlantian artifacts.”


    “What kind of artifacts?”


    “Everything. Anything that can give us some insights into how we are what we are. Your dig site was flagged as a confirmed Atlantian sight shortly after your Rising. De Mar told me that several items were brought to the surface that were Atlantian in origin, so steps were taken to shut down the site to outsiders so that our people could go in to remove the artifacts.”


    “And started a bloody war in the process,” Kaviah growled, assisting the young boy Samuel in installing long metal rods at the corners of the courtyard as she eavesdropped on their conversation.


    Dr. Kudela shook her head. “It happens every time, and you know it.”


    “And it could have been avoided, and you know it.” The Indian woman shot back as she steadily placed one long pole on top of the other in the ground. Under her hands, the metal glowed red, and the air filled with the scent of ozone and ash. When she pulled her hands away, the two metal rods welded together under her power.


    Leta blinked, distracted by the seemingly magical welding job, “What war?”


    Dr. Kudela sighed, “While the Chosen may have moved first to close down your dig site, the Blessed weren’t far behind. A marine force stationed with a Sect in Cyprus was sent out to begin going through the ruins and ran into water-based Blessed, who also got wind of the site.”


    “Spies.” Kaviah hissed and spat on the stone floor in disgust.


    “None among us.” Dr. Kudela soothed, “But there’s constantly confrontations between the two. During the day, the Blessed are weakened, so the Chosen can hold the position and do their search, but come night, the Blessed have the advantage. It’s a war of attrition. Neither side is winning, and it only ends when all the artifacts are taken, but that will take a while.”


    “What sort of artifacts are they going after?”


    “Whatever they, and we, can get their hands on. Anything Atlantian is priceless and important to us. Not in monetary value but in function. Take Koa, for example.” She pointed at the Warrior sitting on the stone balcony ledge, munching away on a sandwich as one leg swayed back and forth over the side, “Koa’s weapon is what’s called a Blade. It’s made of god steel and will forever hold its edge, never tarnishing or breaking. Only a Blacksmith like Kaviah can shape god steel-”


    “And it’s a pain in the arse,” Kaviah grumbled as she cleaned her hands in the fountain. “Like no metal I’ve ever . It’s almost as if it’s intelligent, the way it fights to fit a form. And to make things worse,” She paused to wipe her hands on a towel that Samuel offered, “Some of the earth-based Blessed are attracted to it. The scent, the taste, I’ve no earthly idea. Someone finds some god steel, then the next thing we know, an ogre’s chewing on it like a dog with a bone.”


    Leta remembered the disastrous night in Santorini and that the Minotaur hadn’t been interested in the car or Koa but appeared to be looking for his sword.


    “Huh.” She wondered if Blessed might be hungry for Atlanite -or god steel as it was referred to because their corrupted nanites craved it. Perhaps that was also why the Blessed preferred eating Chosen rather than humans. Like cancer cells, maybe their broken systems craved the taste of pure nanites.