Chapter 55
Kirin, the foremost expert on the style of magic used by the Trydans sipped at his tea, emitting an aura of contemplation as he did so. For someone supposedly proficient at the element of lightning, the man was perplexingly slow. Likely because he was nearing 80 years of age. A good enough excuse, Lock supposed.
He also drank from his tea, letting the relaxing atmosphere of the small cottage work its wonder. He''d missed this. Talking to someone his age. It reminded Lock of the fact that he was indeed an old man. It was easy to forget sometimes. The only things he had of his old age, were memories. Memories incompatible with the current situation one could almost say. A young, virile body. An environment that treated him like he was sixteen, for obvious reasons. What he''d been doing ever since he''d killed his Grandfather suddenly seemed very rushed.
A crack resounded throughout the warm room as Lock broke and crushed the clay pot of tea in his hand, the shards digging into his flesh. Tea and blood splashed onto the table, quickly creating a puddle.
Clarity returned to Lock''s mind along with the pain.
¡°An interesting technique.¡± He commented idly as he brought up his hand to see the damage. Hardly any really, Endurance was such a useful stat. Putting down his hand and starting to remove the shards, he met Kirin''s cobalt eyes.
The man seemed slightly less calm now. A sigh escaped his lips. ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you are dangerously perceptive for your age?¡± He asked Lock in a raspy voice.
Lock shrugged and ignored the question. ¡°Bioelectricity in the brain, weakening the activity of the brain regions responsible for aggressive behaviour, threat discernment and healthy scepticism. I don''t know the specific terms for the brain regions but that''s basically the technique in a nutshell, isn''t it?¡± Lock shot back.
¡°And how did you know it was an electricity based technique?¡± Kirin asked. ¡°It could just as well have been something in the tea, or an air-based poison that dulls the mind.¡±
¡°You''ve were referred to me as a master of magic, not as a master of poisons. People are too often afraid of making the most obvious conclusion. A foolish fear.¡± Lock replied.
Kirin held up a finger, it flashed a light electric blue and an annoying tingle that he hadn''t even been aware of disappeared from the back of Lock''s mind.
¡°Perceptive indeed.¡± Kirin muttered before waving his hand, as if trying to disperse all that had occurred previously. ¡°Regarding your understanding of the spell electro-sense, and how it relates to the heart of lightning within every Trydan, you are for the most part correct. The only reason I do not say that you are completely correct is because I genuinely do not know if Kamin''s mana reserves are small enough to feel the electrical charges present in everyday objects such as furniture and walls.¡± The man said, seemingly finished, before he opened his mouth again. ¡°Also you need to work on your metaphors, the one with the sand was truly horrendous.¡± He finished.
Lock made to reply but the old man interrupted him, wispy grey hair whooshing around as he nodded his head. ¡°I have a solution though. Shackles that deplete the mana of the user to the bare minimum, not killing them. It''s termed as an attack, not as training, so the mana capacity will not rise.¡±
¡°Good.¡± Lock replied and calmly stared at the still sitting man. Who was truly not making any move to stand up from his plush yellow armchair. The opposite rather, he seemed to be sinking into it even further.
Lock remained silent and also leaned back, trying to out-comfort his adversary. Eventually the man sighed and rose. ¡°I''m old, I don''t have time to waste unlike you young people. I''ll get the shackles, in return don''t tell anyone about my little mind trick alright?¡± The man stated as he left the room, to presumably retrieve the artefact.
He walked quickly now. Seemed quite spry now that he wasn''t stalling for time so that his mind-altering spell would take effect. Just to be sure that the man had indeed stopped using he pricked his finger. Under the table of course, the man had been capable of deducing that he wasn''t a complete moron from his words. It would be unwise to give away that he was paranoid as well. Deciding that if he was doing this he was going all the way, he stuck one of the ceramic shards into his steel greaves.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
That way he could hurt himself whenever he wanted without anyone noticing.
Kirin eventually came back, dropping one rusty brown shackle onto the table. Lock was hesitant to touch the disgusting thing, slightly afraid of tetanus, but managed to overcome the irrational fear. He had Endurance now. He was a superhuman. Touching the shackles he channelled some mana into them, only for all but the last drop he had in his body to be violently absorbed in naught but a second.
This. Was useful.
He wondered if he could resmelt these things into a dagger, or even better, a barbed needle. He could incapacitate many mages with this.
The mana he''d lost had let him confirm one thing, before it''s unceremonious demise. Enchanted items sent back a sort of ping whenever they were confronted with an individual''s mana. The shackles hadn''t, and were thus not enchanted. Which made sense, making an enchantment that sucked in mana was sort of self-defeating, since it would then eat the mana fuelling it, destroying itself.
¡°What''s the material?¡± Lock asked, causing Kirin to mutter something.
¡°Dimiterium.¡± He eventually grumbled out. ¡°A rare metal used exclusively by elves.¡±
¡°Can''t have been easy developing a technique to insulate oneself from the effects.¡± Lock mumbled as he once again touched the shackles. Abruptly losing the miniscule amount of mana he''d regained since his last attempt.
Kirin threw his hands in the air.
¡°Especially while in prison.¡± Lock finished.
¡°I give up!¡± The old man suddenly shouted and stood up, far too quickly for his blood pressure probably as he quickly sat back down afterwards. Giving out a defeated he feebly shook a fist in Lock''s direction. ¡°Why even come here if you''re so smart.¡± He grumbled.
Lock laughed. ¡°The only winning move, when confronted with an intelligent person who wants something from you, is not to play.¡± He said, words interspersed with chuckles. ¡°You can stop faking your outrage by the way. You mentioning the fact that it was elves exclusively who used this metal, and the fact that what you''ve brought me are shackles, made the entire thing pretty obvious.¡±
¡°You''re such a little piece of shit.¡± The old man said hatefully, glaring at him. ¡°Have to say, it''s refreshing.¡± He finished, a boyish grin suddenly taking up most of his face.
¡°What''s the trick to not having your mana sucked up?¡± Lock asked curiously, only for the man to hold up a hand.
¡°Just a moment, I understand how you deduced that I was in prison. Shackles, elves, that little skirmish fifty years ago. Alright, easy enough, but how the hell did you know that I had a way of avoiding the dimiterium''s effects.¡± The man asked.
¡°Well, you brought me the shackle without insulating your skin against it in any way. You''re the foremost expert on the Trydan family magic, which likely makes you a veteran of several battles. I just can''t imagine that a veteran would be comfortable with confronting someone he doesn''t know that well without a drop of mana in his bod-¡± Lock started, only for Kirin to interject waving his arms in a way mildly reminiscent of some martial art Lock had forgotten the name of.
¡°Maybe I know kung-fu?¡± The old man said jokingly.
¡°Even if you did, at your age you''re more likely to hurt yourself than me.¡± Lock shot back with a smile.
Kirin brought a hand to rub at his beardless chin. ¡°True. Also, yes, true deduction. Spot on, truly, a genius. Or maybe not. Truth is, I care not either way if I die or not. The reason I didn''t let the shackle take my mana is because the process hurts like frick. The bigger your mana reserves, the bigger the pain. Which allows me to deduce, that your mana reserves, are tiny.¡± The man finished with a pleased smile, pointing a shaking and accusatory figure at Lock.
Unwilling to have anybody know too much about his capabilities Lock promptly pulled out one of his daggers and unceremoniously rammed it into the flesh left open between his gauntlets and his chain mail. He kept up a pleasant smile all the while.
Kirin lowered his finger, reminiscent of a chastised puppy. ¡°Or maybe you just have a high pain resistance.¡± He grumbled. ¡°Something that you''ll need if you''re actually planning on having Archie''s precious little angel wear a shackle. It shouldn''t really hurt anyone with her reserves, but oh the symbolism.¡± The old man suddenly said.
¡°He seemed quite emotional when matters regarding here were brought up.¡± Lock said.
¡°Bah.¡± The old man scoffed. ¡°You don''t know the half of it. He would have spoiled her rotten anyway since she was his first daughter, but her mother dying at birth, and the birth defect, only made the situation worse.¡± He seemed to lose himself in his thoughts after those words.
¡°You think I''ll experience actual pushback, or just the hints thereof?¡± Lock inquired, receiving a shrug.
¡°Well considering the measures that he took to get me on board with this entire thing, I hope that there won''t be any obstructions in my path.¡± Lock said, went for a sip of tea, and remember that he''d smashed his pot.
¡°He''s an idiot regarding anything that has to do with his daughter. I wouldn''t set my hopes too high.¡± Kirin replied, before throwing a ring that sparked with electricity onto the table. ¡°Take this while you''re at it. Your plan has potential, I''d hate to see it fail because you lacked the proper equipment.¡±
Lock picked up the ring and curiously channelled whatever mana he had into it. The ring shocked him and he raised an eyebrow at the old man.
¡°While lowering her base mana was a good idea, that''s only thinking in one direction. You also need something that is sufficiently charged so that she will be able to pick up on it at first.¡± Kirin explained.
¡°Thanks. If I may ask however, why aren''t you the one training her?¡± Lock said, at which the man simply replied.
¡°I prefer my students to be motivated, talented and intelligent. The story tells itself really.¡±
Chapter 56
¡°I agreed to you training her, I agreed to you taking her away from here.¡± Archibald said. ¡°I do not remember allowing you to torture her.¡± he finished icily, causing Lock to finally look up at him from his position sitting on the wooden walkway of the main house, from where one could watch the training yard.
¡°Torture?¡± He asked, confused, and quickly looked back to the scene of Kamin clutching the dimiterium shackle tightly in her hands, while trying to avoid Harald''s incredibly slow sword swings. Swings using the wooden practice sword naturally, not a real one.
The torture Archibald was referring to was likely the fact that whenever she failed to dodge, Harald would lightly thwack her with the tip of his stick.
She was doing quite well actually. Likely because he''d only recently charged the ring that was fastened onto the wooden sword and thus she was able to ''see'' it more clearly. Given previous progressions of the same exercise he expected her performance to drop sharply very soon however, as the ring lost its charge.
¡°What else would you call it?¡± Archibald groused and Lock couldn''t help but crack a joke.
¡°Enhanced interrogation tactics?¡±
He received a glare for his efforts. Accompanied by the words. ¡°You will stop this at once and find a more humane training method.¡±
¡°She''s been going at it for almost half an hour without a single complaint. Which I find odd considering everyone I''ve met has commented on her supposedly lacking motivation. Suffice to say, considering she hasn''t said anything, I would feel bad to stop here simply because someone else did.¡± Lock replied and saw Archibald mouth the words ''half-an-hour'' out of the corner of his eye.
The father seemed to swallow whatever emotional instability was ailing him for a moment and phrased an oddly polite question. ¡°What exactly is the method you''re using?¡±
¡°Dimiterium shackles to bring her mana to the lowest possible level, coupled with an electrically charged ring that is meant to shine like a beacon of light in her awareness. The ring slowly loses its charge, making it harder to discern. She will know that she has improved as the time she can dodge the sword for increases.¡± Lock explained succinctly.
¡°Has she improved?¡± Archibald asked.
¡°We''ve gone through four sessions. First real one lasted a minute before I called it off, the second one lasted three minutes, third one lasted seven minutes, and this one has been going on for about fifteen minutes now.¡± Lock said without any sort of pride in the supposed of achievement.
Archibald seemed slightly bitter, but impressed nonetheless. ¡°I will allow this method if she continues to improve.¡± He said.
Lock bit his tongue from replying that there were countless other variables that made the supposed improvement going on much less impressive.
Instead of simply becoming more aware, the biggest factor in the increasing time was that Kamin was becoming better at dodging and anticipating Harald''s simplistic attack patterns.
But Archibald didn''t need to know that, and neither did Kamin. While he had yet to see the girl truly demotivated it would be better for her to assume that she was making steady progress. It would make further participation likelier.
A thought suddenly struck him.
¡°If I may ask.¡± He started. ¡°How were you attempting to help her train beforehand?¡± He asked.
¡°Meditation to concentrate on the skill, while inside the room where we practice our magic.¡± Was the answer.
Lock refrained from cringing. ¡°I imagine a child would find that method slightly boring, I think mine has potential due to the involvement of the body.¡±
Archibald remained dubious. ¡°Well, if it fails she will have still spent some time in the fresh air.¡± He said, before abruptly turning around and leaving.
Lock sighed at the man''s back before turning back to the two clowns he''d reluctantly started to call pupils. They had stopped with the exercise while he''d been talking it seemed, Kamin had let go of the shackle and was bent over, hands on her knees. Harald was standing around awkwardly like a muppet.
¡°Come over here.¡± Lock shouted, both of them immediately perking up and walking in his direction. More stumbling in the case of Kamin. When they came over Harald continued standing while Kamin sat down beside him with some fumbling. Lock gripped her hand roughly to check her pulse and listened to her breathing as she grew redder and redder in the face. She seemed sufficiently exhausted. ¡°Congratulations, you''ve held out for almost twenty minutes, and it wasn''t even your awareness that gave out, but rather your body.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Kamin smiled in his general direction and made to speak but Lock cut her off. ¡°However the only reason you improved so quickly was because your mastery of the skill was low in the first place.¡± He said, and the girl closed her mouth with a click, smile slipping slightly.
¡°I hope you will continue to show the admirable spirit you did right now in future training sessions.¡± Lock finished.
The smile was back.
Lock turned to Harald, who was frowning and moodily staring into space. ¡°Next time go a bit faster. We''ll continue to escalate until the training method becomes unviable due to her physical inability to dodge, rather than an inability of awareness.¡± He said, and Harald nodded shortly.
¡°What will we do afterwards?¡± Kamin suddenly piped up with a question.
To be frank Lock didn''t know yet, he''d come up with something when it was time but at the moment he didn''t feel like bothering. It was the first day. ¡°Telling you would take away attention from the current exercise. So I''ll refrain.¡± He said instead of admitting that however. She nodded. Lock turned to Harald. ¡°Your turn.¡± Harald gripped the sword he was still carrying tighter and glared at him, already applying his killing intent.
He suddenly lost it though, and seemed to have an idea. ¡°What if we stick the ring on your sword and keep it charged? That way she can watch.¡± He said, bringing up a legitimate idea.
Thinking about it for a few seconds he saw no flaws with the idea, but suddenly had one of his own. Making a frowning face he pointed at the oblivious Kamin, at Harald, and made a talking gesture with his mouth.
For all his flaws Harald seemingly picked up on what he wanted perfectly and derisively added. ¡°If the lady feels up to it of course. Wouldn''t want to overburden her.¡±
¡°I can!¡± Kamin said, obviously insulted and Lock took her side.
¡°Of course she can, and should, it¡¯s not like electro sense is a physical skill. It¡¯s a mental one.¡± He said, feigning an insulted tone. ¡°Dickhead.¡± He added for personal emphasis.
Kamin gasped at his crass language and Harald rolled his eyes before handing him the ring that had been attached to his sword.
He mouthed something at Lock as he did so.
Something along the lines of ''unt'', likely starting with a ''c''.
-/-
After beating up Harald into a bruised mess on the ground again Lock turned his attention back towards his fianc¨¦e. She''d watched the entirety of the two hour long mess that was training apparently. There was no real way Lock could check to be honest.
He sat down next to her, saw her twitch her nose, as if smelling something unpleasant, stuck his nose under his armpit, and left to get a bath. ¡°I''ll be back in an hour or so, try to think about what I asked you yesterday.¡± He said as he left.
After some searching around and asking he was directed to a bathhouse, a communal one. Built on top of a hot spring. It was... nice. His ego was fed by the fact that he was by far the most well sculpted male in attendance, although he didn''t try to let anyone notice his thoughts. He was suddenly disturbed by a presence dropping itself into the water next to him.
He opened his eyes from where he''d been previously relaxing them and turned to the man who sat down on the underwater stone bench next to him.
¡°Ino.¡± He greeted with a nod, and received one in return.
¡°Heard you''ve been making progress.¡± his future brother-in-law replied, to which Lock simply nodded.
¡°Despite all efforts against it.¡± He eventually said, and felt more than saw the boy next to him wince.
¡°You''ll forgive my father, Kamin has always been a special sore spot for him.¡±
¡°At least he had enough presence of mind to delegate matters pertaining her to someone more suited for the task. Although his attempted interference speaks of a deep inner struggle.¡±
¡°That''s what I''m here for actually.¡± Ino said, and Lock averted a bit more of his attention from the effect the hot water was having on his muscles to the wizard. He seemed, tired. His brown hair hung limply off of an exhausted face and his eyebrows were drawn together in worry. He seemed like he was on a one-way-street to an early heart attack to be honest.
¡°I see.¡± Was all that he ended up saying instead of commenting on anything that he''d seen.
¡°I watched your little training session today, although you probably didn''t notice. I liked what I saw.¡± Ino started, before pausing. ¡°Kamin, has been, treated way too much like she''d break from the slightest breeze for the longest time. Which is fine, she''s a girl. However, improving one''s self on the path of glory requires a certain amount of sacrifice, which she was never allowed.¡± He sounded weary, and proud. An odd combination.
¡°You sound like you have personal experience.¡± Lock decided to comment, to which Ino nodded.
¡°You know a bit about how our magic works by now. Let''s just say that electricity can be a harsh mistress.¡± He replied.
¡°A fair one however, I hope.¡± Lock said.
¡°Most of the time.¡± The wizard said with a certain amount of bitterness. ¡°I talked with my father.¡± He suddenly said, changing topics. ¡°He realizes that he''s being more obstructive than constructive with his behaviour, but doesn''t want to simply let it go out of his hands. He''s afraid that there will be no one else to stand in Kamin''s corner if he leaves her at your mercy.¡±
¡°Brave of him to admit that, although I feel as if you weren''t supposed to tell me that.¡± Lock interjected with a chuckle.
Ino barked a short laugh. ¡°Perhaps not. Back to the topic at hand however. Well, we were able to reach a compromise. Father doesn''t want to leave the situation entirely, but as it turns out, he is not the only one who loves Kamin. There''s also me.¡±
Lock sighed and sank a bit into the water.
¡°You don''t seem very happy about it.¡± Ino remarked cautiously.
¡°It''s nothing. It just seems to be like I''ve been attracting hangers-on like a piece of shit attracts flies recently. I was honestly planning on having my adventurer career be a lot more solitary.¡± Lock said, submerged, and blew some bubbles out of his mouth.
¡°I don''t know if I should be insulted or not, on the one hand you called me a fly, on the hand, you called yourself a piece of shit.¡± Ino said in an amused tone. ¡°Also, don''t call me a hangers-on, I''ll be winning your admission to the magic academy in the tournament, have some respect.¡± He jokingly added.
Lock snorted. ¡°You being able to actually enter the tournament means that I shouldn''t respect you, you low-level scrub. Also, seeing as Harald is also participating, I''m not sure how wise of an idea that is.¡±
¡°We can make a temporary party, we''ll be set up in different brackets, which means we''ll only meet each other in the finals. If you want I can forfeit at that point.¡± Ino casually said.
¡°Alright. You''ll be accompanying me to the academy afterwards as well?¡± Lock asked, at which he felt the boy sitting next to him shrug.
¡°We''ll see.¡± He said.
¡°Hopefully all of us at the end of it.¡± Lock replied jokingly.
Ino laughed.
Chapter 57
¡°Come to me oh my earthen servant. I beckon thee to come to me.¡± There was something supremely embarrassing about talking to nothing but air. Even if it was in his own dreams in front of a single witness who by all accounts loved him unconditionally.
Lock raised his arms in the air, and bellowed again. ¡°I summon you creature of the earth!¡±
Ankh laughed. Lock however felt a twinge at the back of his mind. Well, more like a slowly rolling pebble pressing against his brain. An odd feeling, he couldn''t quite describe it. As with most senses that weren''t natural. How was one to tell a blind man how a colour looked?
-/-
¡°Why make her wear a blindfold?¡± Ino asked as they leisurely waited in front of the Trydan estate. He was watching Kamin, a red blindfold over her eyes running after Harald, who was holding a stick with the electrically charged ring on it.
They were playing catch, and Kamin seemed to be having the time of her life.
¡°There is an interesting phenomena in the skill trees inherent to every class. Namely that all of them, and I do mean all of them, eventually offer a skill that provides, in simple words, a sixth sense.¡± Lock began explaining. ¡°These skills are notoriously difficult to master, but necessary nonetheless, because no matter how strong you are, if you can''t defend yourself against an Assassin Class, that strength means nothing.¡± He paused to breathe. ¡°Now let me ask you a question. Who would you rather mug? A blind girl, or a girl who has progressed so far along the road of magic that she is already trying to develop a sixth sense at age eleven.¡±
Ino seemed to think on the question for an inordinate amount of time considering how simple it was. He probably thought it was a trick question. Eventually however, he answered. ¡°The blind one.¡±
Lock nodded. ¡°These simple little deceptions are the lifeblood of competent living. Remember, sometimes what people perceive you too be, can be more important than what you actually are.¡± He said.
Ino bowed his head in his direction. ¡°Thank you for your words of wisdom, master.¡± He said reverently.
Lock simply snorted.
¡°You know for someone who says that they don''t like teaching you sure have a lot to teach, and are very good at it.¡± Ino continued on, blowing on Lock''s ego, probably buttering him up for something.
¡°I''m not good at teaching, just intelligent enough that any endeavour I pursue bears marginally sweeter fruits than those of others. It''s called having a brain. You should try it.¡± He retorted.
A faux confused expression took over Ino''s face. ¡°A brain master, where may I purchase such a commodity?¡±
Lock ignored him and turned his attention back to the two children playing. Just in time to see Kamin face-plant on the ground due to a slight unevenness of the earth beneath her feet. His hand instinctively shot up from where it had been resting at his side to grab Ino''s shoulder, who had already pitched forward to help his sister up. He received a glare for his efforts. It disappeared however when Kamin simply picked herself up, and continued chasing Harald.
¡°You''re right, sorry.¡± Ino said and sighed, slumping in on himself.
¡°I think I can finally understand where father was coming from. You are by no means torturing her, but you''re treating her as if she wasn''t even blind.¡± He muttered.
¡°That''s the point, I''ve been training her for a week already, you should know this.¡± Lock shot back.
¡°Acting like you already are who you want to be.¡± Ino said. ¡°It isn''t a very logical approach.¡±
Lock gently turned his head upwards and back, laying it on the obnoxiously yellow wall of the Trydan compound. The sky was almost a ridiculous colour of blue. The laughter of a kid in the background accompanying the scene made him think of the halcyon days of his distant childhood. He breathed out slowly and closed his eyes.¡°Rationality does not provide purpose. Unless one wants to enslave one''s self to the biological human condition. In the end, for all that it has elevated us above other beings, it is but a tool to pursue the irrational.¡±
¡°You come up with that on your own?¡± Ino asked.
¡°Difficult question really. I came to the conclusion on my own very early in life, but later found out that as with all things, there had already been a man who''d come to the same conclusion and had written it down. There were probably countless others before him who simply weren''t remembered.¡± Lock answered.
¡°What was his name?¡±
¡°Hume.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
¡°Never heard of him.¡±
¡°I imagine you wouldn''t have.¡±
¡°I read, you know.¡± Ino said, affronted, making Lock smile.
¡°I never said that you didn''t, but you can hardly read all the books in the world now can you.¡± Lock mocked, at which Ino hmm''ed.
¡°It sounds like an interesting book, though. Do you still have it?¡± Ino queried further.
Lock laughed, finally looking down from the sky and slowly letting himself fall to the ground where he sat down. ¡°No. It didn''t really survive the journey.¡± He said.
¡°A shame. Must have been an arduous journey, although to be fair books are easily destroyed.¡± Ino said.
¡°It was indeed a very hard road, bigger than life, really.¡± Lock said wistfully, feeling himself starting to disassociate from the situation. He rubbed at his temples. What was he doing here? It suddenly seemed so ridiculous that this was how he was spending his immortality. Running around trying to achieve it all over again, but then getting distracted and spending time with a bunch of children at least 70 years younger than him.
¡°Well you''re here now, I guess.¡±
¡°An astute observation.¡±
¡°Are you at least enjoying it?¡± Ino suddenly asked, some concern tingeing his voice.
¡°Fuck if I know, to be honest.¡± Lock answered, running a hand through his hair.
Kamin''s laughter suddenly pierced through the haze that had begun enveloping his mind. The voices of children had a tendency to do that. The clearance of the mental fog also brought another realization, namely that Lemmings was close. Very close.
So it had worked, called on his golem in his dreams and having him come in real life. Risky perhaps, seeing as they were in the middle of the city. But even if he was discovered to be what he was, well, people didn''t care too much about openly used magic, as long as it wasn''t hurting anyone that was.
¡°Our third party member is coming.¡± Lock said. He glanced at the startled seeming Ino and concluded that he''d ripped the boy from his thoughts.
¡°You know you really remind me of my Grandfather for some reason!¡± Ino suddenly exclaimed, putting a fist up to his chin and thoughtfully looking at Lock.
Lock looked down at his arms theatrically. ¡°I don''t seem to have any wrinkles¡± The words elicited a laugh. ¡°Your grandfather though? Can''t remember meeting him.¡± Lock continued, at which he received a confused look.
¡°You''ve been visiting him for every day of the week, almost I think. He really likes you.¡± Ino said, and a lightbulb went off in Lock''s head.
¡°You mean Kirin?¡± He asked curiously.
His brother-in-law nodded, before shaking his head. ¡°Well his name isn''t really Kirin, I''m surprised he introduced himself as such to you though. He hates it when young people call him that. Something about missing the proper gravitas.¡±
¡°Wait, if Kirin isn''t his name, then why did he tell me it was.¡± Lock said, now genuinely confused.
¡°It''s a title.¡± Ino said, exasperated. ¡°He probably said something along the lines of ''People call me.'' I guess.¡± He finished.
Lock thought about it for a moment before standing up. ¡°Sounds pretty stupid.¡± Was all he said before starting to walk towards the slowly approaching form of Lemmings. It was funny how the crowd parted before the earthen giant that was covered so that people only thought him to be just a giant.
Ino chased after him, affronted. ¡°To bear the title is an absolute honour!¡± He huffed aggressively at him.
¡°It''s the name of some dumb animal, I don''t know what''s supposed to be special about that. It''s a bit of a downgrade really, humans are much more intimidating.¡± Lock calmly replied as he finally walked up to Lemmings and hugged the golem, feigning a reunion with an old friend for Ino.
¡°Humans aren''t even close to the top of the food-chain you know.¡± Ino grumbled, at which Lock simply shook his head.
¡°And with that attitude they never will be.¡±
Ino groaned.
¡°Good to see you Lemmings.¡± Lock said to the golem, and returned back to where Harald and Kamin were still playing. He was curious if Kamin would recognize Lemmings for what he was, but by the lack of any reaction as they entered her effective range, her senses were either still too underdeveloped, or she didn''t understand the significance of what she saw.
¡°We''re leaving.¡± Lock said simply, causing Harald to grind to a halt from where he''d been jumping around Kamin. The aforementioned girl would have fallen down from the sudden stop had Lock not caught her with the palms of his gauntlets.
Ino stopped his sulking for a moment and raised an eyebrow at Lock.
Ignoring him Lock turned towards his fianc¨¦e. ¡°Do you want to walk or be carried?¡± He asked, at which the girl blushed.
¡°Carried.¡± She replied almost immediately.
Nodding Lock carefully picked her up, not wanting to stab her with his sharp gauntlets and deposited her into the outstretched arms of Lemmings. Kamin was a small girl, barely four feet and very thin, in comparison to Lemmings she looked almost ridiculous.
¡°I could have carried her.¡± Lock heard Ino mutter, at which he sighed, ignored him, and started walking.
Lemmings started following immediately, unburdened by the girl he was carrying in a princess carry. Her white apparel, pants, sweater and cloak, as dirty as they were, made for a funny contrast against Lemmings'' almost all black appearance. Harald was the second to catch up with their departure, falling in line a few steps behind his master. Ino was the last, wizard''s robe fluttering ungracefully as he ran after them, staff clutched tightly in his hands.
They probably made for a funny sight. Lock looked like a knight, if a slightly scruffy and criminal one, this fit in well with being in a party with a wizard such as Ino. Harald however looked, and was, a jumped up peasant who''d found a sword on the ground, and Lemmings was a giant whose intimidation factor was lessened by the fact that he was carrying a blindfolded young girl on his shoulders.
Lock almost wanted to start walking faster and leave them behind. It was odd walking about with a bunch of kids. Most people would probably think they were his friends, whereas he was actually their teacher.
He hadn''t put on his helmet earlier since he''d just been waiting around, and it was hardly that unsafe right before the Trydan compound. He did so now however. For security purposes of course.
Harald picked this exact moment to strike up a conversation. ¡°This was the longest week of my life.¡± He said without any preamble.
Not knowing what to answer to that, Lock simply nodded. Harald continued unperturbed.
¡°However, it feels like I''ve learned more in this one week than ever before.¡± He said, which felt like a bit of an odd thing to say to be honest.
¡°You learned one skill.¡± Lock cautiously replied.
¡°An active skill, all that I had before that was the swordsmanship one. It''s just. By focusing my mind I can create magic. I feel like an actual adventurer now.¡± He said. ¡°I also earned one point in Endurance and Dexterity, and the sparring that we did has helped me improve my swordsmanship immensely.¡± He paused for a bit seemingly lost in thought. How he did so Lock had no idea, quite honestly the boy didn''t have a lot of them. ¡°I guess what I''m trying to say is, thanks.¡± He eventually forced out.
¡°It says a lot about you as a person, that you''re able to thank me for making you go through a week that most others would refer to as hell.¡± Lock said.
Harald shot him a curious look. ¡°What exactly does that tell you?¡± He asked.
¡°That you might be a masochist.¡± Lock replied. He heard Ino laugh somewhere in the background. Harald seemed mostly confused. ¡°All jokes aside though, it tells me that you''re a good person who is able to discern between sadism and professional conduct that sometimes brings with itself, some pain and suffering.¡± Lock lied through his teeth.
¡°Also, you''re paying me, it was quite literally, no problem.¡± Lock added, and turned his head away from the now blushing Harald.
A few minutes of peaceful walking later he heard Harald softly speaking to Ino.
¡°What''s a masochist?¡±
Chapter 58
There was something oddly cathartic about being on the road again, even if it was one that he''d walked quite often before, and his destination was a place that he knew very intimately. He''d been feeling pent up from staying in one place for so long.
Well, probably not, he''d stayed in one cramped apartment when scouting out the Castouts. The issue was probably that he hadn''t really done much in the past few days. Oh, sure, Lock had taught, however, he didn''t think teaching to be a truly active profession.
One could teach, and quality could differ, but the end result would always rely on the student actually understanding what he was being taught. Lock didn''t like it when the success of a venture relied on someone else. It made him restless. This was the point in a book where some happy-go-lucky idiot would start ranting about the power of friendship and how one should trust someone else to complete their task once one had done one''s own.
However as this was real life what interrupted his thought process instead was Harald''s voice mention a factor that he''d taken in several minutes ago.
¡°There''s almost nobody going to Abrakshana, just people leaving.¡± Was what Harald said and why shouldn''t he? He was absolutely right.
The road was, for all intents and purposes, deserted, and whenever they actually met someone, it would usually be someone going in the direction that they''d just come from.
¡°The city is in unrest, you mentioned this.¡± Lock replied to Harald''s worried tone, waving around a gauntleted hand.
¡°It''s been almost two weeks.¡± Argued Harald.
¡°Look.¡± Lock said, this time more harshly. ¡°We go in for a few days to compete in the tournament, maybe attend the auction. In, out, easy, stop being afraid.¡±
¡°He''s right you know.¡± Ino suddenly piped up. ¡°There''ve been riots and such, it''s not necessarily safe.¡±
This interjection made Lock think for a moment. Ino considered it unsafe, his father was likely keeping an eye out on the situation. Archibald loved his daughter and wanted to protect her. The only reason that he''d allow them to go into the city was if there was little chance of something happening.
Either the situation in the city had been dealt with, something that was not within Archibald''s power, or.
Lock halted, holding up a hand. His party stopped.
¡°You can come out now, you''ve been following us for long enough!¡± He said loud and clear.
There was an awkward silence for a moment, before a chuckle emerged from within the electrically enchanted ring that Harald was carrying on a stick. The ring that he''d used to make sure Kamin could chase his in their game previously.
Suffice to say that Harald flinched violently and threw the stick away in long arc. While the wood was still in the air, lightning flowed from the ring, quickly coalescing into the form of a slightly hunched old man with a circle of scorched earth around him.
¡°Grandfather!¡± Ino exclaimed, seemingly surprised that the man had been present. Which was odd. Shouldn''t he have also had some doubts about taking Kamin to Abrakshana without having an assurance of safety? Maybe Archibald had simply told him that it was safe, and hadn''t explained why.
¡°How''d you know?¡± Kirin asked, ignoring his grandson and piercing Lock with a pair of nostalgically blue eyes. They clashed horribly with the man''s eye-wateringly yellow robes.
Lock shrugged, turned around, and continued walking. ¡°I just sometimes stop when I''m going somewhere and shout that out. Every now and again an idiot actually comes out of hiding!¡± He shouted back to the party he was now slowly leaving behind as his strides ate up the road.
He felt them start following, and heard Kamin gasp, presumably at the disrespect to an elder. Fuck courtesy. He was old as well, nobody treated him any differently because of it.
¡°Really?¡± Kirin asked curiously as he picked up his ring and fell into step with Lemmings, giving the construct a leer from his height two feet beneath it.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Lock considered if he should continue bullshitting but decided against it eventually. It was nice to speak the truth sometimes as well. ¡°No, not really. I know that Abrakshana is unsafe at the moment.¡± Which he damn well should, considering it was partly his fault. ¡°And that Archibald is overprotective of his daughter. He sent me Ino, but no offence, he''s not strong enough to protect us from a riot.¡± Lock reasoned.
¡°None taken.¡± Ino said.
¡°So there are two possibilities why Archibald let us go anyway. One, he solved the issue plaguing our charming capital, or, he has some way of ensuring, if not our, then at least Kamin''s safety.¡± Lock continued and finished his explanation.
¡°And because father isn''t powerful enough to quell an issue the size of the one we have on our hands in Abrakshana, it must have been the second option.¡± Ino concluded with a sigh. ¡°I can''t believe I didn''t see it.¡± He muttered.
¡°Me neither, there''s only one person in this group who has an excuse for not seeing something.¡± Lock said, causing Ino to release another sigh.
¡°You know the blind person jokes were funny in the beginni-¡± He started, but was interrupted by Kamin breaking out into loud laughter, the volume of which was impressive, especially considering that she was holding her hands in front of her mouth while being carried. She was shaking around manically and Lemmings adjusted how he was carrying her to clutch her tighter to his chest.
Lock turned his head back towards Ino, and very slowly, raised an eyebrow. Ino crossed his arms and looked away.
¡°You have to admit, it was pretty funny.¡± Kirin piped up, a smile on his face. The old man was keeping up pretty well now that Lock looked at him. They hadn''t been walking for long and he wasn''t setting a particularly punishing pace but it was still interesting. Seeing someone with a body several years older that what he''d been when he''d been struggling up some stairs, jauntily walking around without a care in the world.
The old man must have at least some points in Endurance. Or he was using a Skill. Maybe he wasn''t even flesh and bones anymore, but simply an amalgamation of lightning taking on a human appearance. But no, that would be ridiculous.
Kirin suddenly perked up, and brought a finger up to his lips to make a quiet gesture. ¡°Someone''s coming. I was never here.¡± He said, before throwing the enchanted ring to Lock, and disappearing within it in a flash of light.
Catching and clutching the ring in his gauntleted fist Lock held it up between two fingers so that he could peer at it, it was a bit difficult considering their pointy nature but he managed. The ring looked like it had always looked, considering how well acquainted he was with the blasted thing, having been charging it for a week now, that was impressive. ¡°Interesting.¡± He muttered, before putting the ring on his finger. Or at least trying to do so. It was a bit hard considering that he had gauntlets.
Sighing he pulled them off, put on the ring, before putting them on again. That was also the moment where he started hearing the hoof beats. Kirin''s sensing range must have been quite impressive. It had been almost a minute since he''d warned them.
The party moved to the side of the road and looked at the approaching horses. It was always better to give way in case the person on the horse was someone who preferred riding people over instead of passing them by.
The riders grew slower the closer they got however, trotting to a halt right before them. Lock didn''t know why, but he immediately disliked both of the men who turned to curiously glance at them. The older blonde one dressed as a priest, or a healer, Lock wasn''t sure, and the other one dressed as a knight.
¡°Hail yee oh travelleirs, what brings ye upon this wretched road on the morrow of discord.¡± The blonde one intoned, putting an arm to his chest and puffing it up.
¡°Excuse me.¡± The words slipped out of Ino, who seemed to be baffled by the situation.
Lock meanwhile was eyeing the behinds of the horses to see if it was feasible to give them a kick, the two animals then taking these two clowns away from here, and more importantly, away from them.
The blonde man frowned. ¡°Do yeeh not speakeths the common tongue peasant?¡± He asked, still using the wrong version of the olden tongue.
¡°Sorry for my friend.¡± Lock interjected, adding a bowing/grovelling posture to the words. ¡°He is but an uneducated buffoon, what he was trying to ask was;¡± he turned up and glared at the blonde. ¡°do you possess the ability to speak like a normal person you fucking degenerate?¡± Lock asked in a friendly voice.
The blonde grew red in the face, and the knight very openly put a hand on the pommel of his sword.
¡°You have a lot of nerve speaking to a proud son of Curador like that!¡± The man said, it was like music to Lock''s ears. Mostly because he was speaking normally now.
He exchanged a look with his party members, Ino looked constipated, Harald bored, Kamin had a blindfold on, and Lemmings was a rock, Lock determined that it was up to him to return to the fresh air around the road to its previous unmolested condition. He pondered for a moment how to transmit to the two riders that they were to leave post-haste, lest they receive a swift kick in the gonads and eventually decided on a sentence that would sufficiently communicate his desire for them to be gone.
Lock turned to the two, face in a deadpan, despite wearing a helmet. ¡°Fuck off.¡± He said.
It honestly seemed to work for a few seconds, the two of them obviously being slightly baffled that their name had failed to impress the group.
Sadly the silence didn''t last, thankfully the message sent was one that heralded a departure.
¡°Going by your wretched clothes, weapons and weak countenance I assume you are going to Abrakshana to participate in the iron rank tournament. I shan''t bother with you now, and shall leave the disciplining that you clearly require to William, who will also be participating.¡± Said the blonde with a red face before beginning to ride off.
The knight, William probably gave them a hard stare, difficult to tell really considering he was wearing a helmet before also skedaddling.
¡°What the fuck was that?¡± Harald said eloquently while Ino simply shook his head slowly.
¡°I genuinely have no idea. I guess sometimes you''re just fated to have encounters like this.¡± Lock answered Harald''s implied question before continuing down the road.
¡°If that was fate I want a refund. I thought it was supposed to lead me on an epic quest to save the world, or to meet the beautiful woman of my dreams.¡± Harald complained.
¡°Fate is overrated.¡± Lock said, and after a minute of walking glanced up and rescinded his opinion. ¡°Or maybe not. The possibility of an epic quest still persists, because if my eyes aren''t playing tricks on me then those are smoke clouds rising over Abrakshana.¡±
They were, a thick billowing grey rising over the treetops depositing soot and ash as they rose.
Chapter 59
¡°I have one question.¡± Ino huffed out from his spot at the back of the group as they were half way to Abrakshana. The boy had little to no Endurance, which was impressive simply due to how hard it was to achieve a low level of it. You got it for simply doing normal human things up until the double-digits. Like walking, and breathing.
Honestly even in his last world Lock had seen overweight chain-smokers manage a four hour hike up a mountain, all while sweating less than Ino was sweating now. Maybe it was time to include him in his morning training routine. Also, now that he thought about it, after Kamin finished with their current training of ''dodge the stick'', it would be better for her to continue doing physical things. Simply for the health benefits. They were still at a stage where they could improve their physical stats easily, unlike him, who¡¯d been training long enough to begin reaching the limits of the human potential.
¡°What''s your question?¡± Harald eventually asked, taking upon him the duty to answer since Lock seemed indisposed in his own mind.
¡°Why are we walking towards the potentially burning city?¡± Ino asked gratefully, while jealously eyeing his sister before looking away with a blush on his face when he noticed Lock looking at him.
¡°The city isn''t on fire, the cloud is too small for that.¡± Lock said. ¡°If anything it''s a small part of it that burnt down, discounting the possibility that they''re simply burning something in front of the gates. To be fair however, I would normally approach much more cautiously just to scout out the situation. However we now have an old man to throw at any problem that we encounter so I''m feeling a bit fool-hardy.¡± Lock finished, the ring on his finger vibrating.
¡°I guess.¡± Ino groaned.
Feeling quite fed up with the boy''s poor stamina and his own worsening mood Lock walked over to Lemmings and unceremoniously ripped Kamin out of the golem''s arms. Gently of course. Pulling her close as if she were a baby, gripping her legs and letting her head rest on his shoulder, he turned to Ino. ¡°Lemmings, grab Ino and carry him.¡± He intoned clearly, and got a first-row seat to Ino''s face blanching and him starting to back-off. To where, Lock did not know. It didn''t end up mattering however, Lemmings simply strode forward, grabbed the boy by the torso, and pressed him into his chest. Then he turned around and started walking towards the city.
Ino tried to say something, but his words were garbled by the close proximity his mouth had to the golem''s chest. It sounded a bit like, ¡°-lp m-¡±.
It was a fitting demand, and Lock was willing to oblige. He would be helping Ino a lot by having Lemmings carry him. The moment would provide enough embarrassment to motivate the boy into beginning an exercise routine.
It was hard being a good man sometimes, but Lock was willing to take up the burden.
-/-
It didn''t take them long after to reach the city and see which part of it was on fire, or had been on fire. The smoke had been lessening over the past few minutes.
¡°Slums.¡± Harald grunted out, looking over the town of tents in front of the capital city, to where the small amount of fires left were still leaving a reflection on the sparse few clouds above.
He seemed like he wanted to start running in. An understandable wish considering that his own family lived near the area that had probably been burned down, if the intensity of the smoke was any indication. However he seemed enough in control of himself to remain here, likely knowing that he would have more luck finding his family in the city of tents that had been erected for the refugees of the fire, than he was to find them in the burning remains of the district.
¡°There should be a list hanging somewhere in the tent city, with the names of everyone who is still missing on it. It''s standard practice for situations like this. If they''re not on it, then start looking for your family in their home, their relatives, or in the tents.¡± Lock said to Harald, who nodded in gratitude before grimacing.
¡°I can''t read.¡± he admitted, at which Lock simply nodded and commanded Lemmings to release Ino.
¡°Go with him.¡± He said to the wizard, who nodded, too busy taking in the situation to be affronted by how he''d been treated.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
¡°Where do we meet up afterwards?¡± Ino asked, at which Lock told him the address of his father. The Trydan''s likely knew that part anyway, they''d investigated him before presenting the betrothal contract.
Watching them leave Lock turned to the girl in his arms, who seemed slightly frightened by everything going on around her. At least she wasn''t asking many questions. ¡°I''ll give you too Lemmings.¡± He told her, at which she whispered, ¡°yes¡±, into his chest. Handing her over he turned to the tent city, and really took it all in.
His job would be to find out exactly what had happened and to decide what to do with the information.
First of all, the tents were uniform, which was considerably odd since usually people couldn''t foresee fires such as this, and therefore couldn''t prepare. The tents were also in good shape, very good shape. Finding the emblem, which was very unobtrusive, explained where they came from at least. The crest of the royal family. Two dragons intertwining and breathing fire to spell out the letter M. Followed by a smaller embossing of two crossed spears. The sigil of the army. These were military tents, likely requisitioned from the base which had been created near the city so as to start training up a proper invasion force.
Now that he''d noticed the first detail others started springing into his vision as he walked through the miserable shithole. There were a lot of soldiers running around, dressed in their stupid red caps, and leather-boiled armour. They didn''t seem to be carrying the standard-issue halberds however, which was weird. He was getting an odd feeling from their entire countenance to be honest.
He realized the reason for that once he walked by one of the soldiers talking in a loud voice to a young man sitting on the ground, eating a bowl of some brown slop. He was saying something about the glory of humanity, the royal family, a barracks to live in, and three meals a day. The eyes of the likely dispossessed young man glimmered at the last two promises.
These weren''t soldiers, these were recruiters. They acted too enthusiastic, they were too clean, too well-spoken and too methodical in their approach to be anything but. Lock found himself sneering as he watched another young man sitting alone being approached by an eager-eyed propagandist.
Deciding that he might as well combine his scouting with some good deeds Lock approached the soldier and cut of his route towards the young man. The slightly overweight man seemed offended by the action. Well, until he took in Lock''s appearance. Seeming impressed. His eyes began shining and his jowls quivered. He was about to open his mouth to start on the probably drilled in tirade before Lock interrupted him.
¡°I''ve been away for a while, imagine my surprise when I came back to find a fifth of the city burned down. What happened?¡± Lock brusquely asked. For which the recruiter seemed, almost, grateful? He was likely sick of his own speech by now.
¡°Blasted elf''s what happened. The tree fucker teleported on top of the city in a bright flash of light before falling into the slums screaming something elfish. That''s when he exploded in a gigantic fireball. Cursed flames, no mage could put them out until his majesty himself came down and completed a ritual which turned them normal. That''s when the other mages started having an effect.¡± The recruiter explained with a scowl on his face. ¡°Naturally we can''t have those buggers attacking our beautiful kingdom and inconveniencing our king without some push-back so we''re gathering up some lads to smack em around real fierce. You interested?¡± He asked with a hopeful look to his eyes. There was likely a commission on every person you successfully recruited.
¡°Why would an elf suicide-bomb us? Don''t they have infinite lifespans?¡± Lock asked, putting on a perplexed tone of voice.
The recruiter waved him off. ¡°Nah, they just live long, but when they get really old, or when they know they''ll die, they try and make their death matter.¡± He explained wisely while nodding his head like a bobble-toy.
Lock had never heard of such a practice, by elves of all races as well. ¡°Why the slums, wouldn''t the palace or the noble quarters been a much nicer target?¡± He asked, causing the recruiter to shrug.
¡°Elves are too stupid to make houses, living in their trees all the time, they probably have no idea on how to aim or on how to tell quarters apart.¡± He said before changing the topic. ¡°So about that army thing? Name''s Horace by the way.¡± He asked and stated.
Lock extended a hand and shook the man''s head, making sure to prick him a bit with the gauntlets. The man barely winced, which was impressive. Maybe he was just fat though. ¡°Well met Horace, my name''s Morris. I need to speak with my family first, but afterwards I''ll likely join up, I''ll remember to mention your name.¡±
Horace took his agreement as an opportunity to jauntily clap him on his right shoulder, smiling all the while. ¡°Good man.¡± He said, before turning around and beginning to survey the area, likely looking for his next victim. ¡°Duty calls however, king''s blessings with you.¡± He finished.
Lock nodded and started walking again, trying not to think on what he''d been told. It would be wise to gather more information first. From different sources preferably, before he tried to understand what happened.
¡°You really want to join the army?¡± Kamin suddenly asked from where Lemmings was carrying her several feet behind him.
Lock scoffed. ¡°Of course not. I didn''t even give him my real name.¡± He said.
¡°Oh. Why lie?¡± She asked.
¡°Convenience, to get him off my back, to have a name I can mention if I ever need to do something in the army camp.¡± Lock rattled of the three reasons he could think of off the top of his head.
¡°You''re smart.¡± Kamin commented, before falling silent and burying her face in Lemming''s chest. She was likely tired from the exciting day. It wasn''t even evening though, so he found it a bit odd. It wasn''t like she had walked here.
¡°Are you feeling okay?¡± He asked with some concern.
¡°This place is new. Lots of impressions. My head hurts a bit.¡± She admitted meekly, at which Lock looked around the chaotic mass of humanity they''d found themselves in. He sniffed. Ashes, burned wood, and pork. The miserable atmosphere probably wasn¡¯t helping matters.
¡°Turn off the skill if it gets too much.¡± Lock told his fianc¨¦e.
¡°Ok.¡± She answered, and yawned before metaphorically closing her eyes and beginning to try to fall asleep.
Lock was, sort of jealous, but mostly because he didn''t want to do the task ahead of him. Information gathering had always been one of the more annoying aspects of good-decision making. Mostly because there were always so many conflicting points of interest involved.
Looking into the writhing mass of refugees, interspersed with the occasional recruiter or volunteer, Lock sighed. ¡°Better get to work I guess.¡±
Chapter 60
Abrakshana was by no means a clean city. While it was certainly the cleanest in the human empire, having many magic users permanently employed to keep it clean, it was still, for all intents and purposes, a medieval capital. Which meant loads of unwashed bodies, bodily fluids, rotting architecture and rotting food. However after spending several hours in the refugee camp... Lock felt like he was entering hygienic heaven. A quite literal breath of fresh air.
¡°Are we in the actual city now?¡± Kamin asked tiredly.
¡°Yeah, how''d you notice?¡± Lock shot back, curious. Had her electro-sense improved and she''d noted the difference in her surroundings?
¡°It smells better.¡± Was her answer, at which he could do nothing but laugh.
¡°Better, yes. Good no.¡± Lock replied, the comparison with the tent city slowly fading from his mind.
¡°Where are we going now?¡± The girl asked.
¡°Visiting an old friend I guess, he''s a paranoid bastard so if he''s still in the city he''ll know what happened.¡±
¡°Don''t we already know what happened?¡± Kamin asked curiously. Lock envied her naivety.
¡°We know the official version of an elf suicide-bombing the slums, because elves apparently hate poor people. I imagine that the unofficial version will be a bit different though.¡± Lock said gently.
¡°How different?¡± Kamin asked.
Sighing Lock contemplated if he should answer or not.
¡°My answer isn''t a nice one, maybe I''ll tell you later.¡± He eventually said.
Kamin pouted, but didn''t query further.
Turning his attention back to the road they were walking on, and the people inhabiting it, Lock was struck by the difference in atmosphere to when he''d been in the city, less than two weeks ago. It wasn''t a surprise by no means. The dungeon fiasco and now the slums firebombing were aft to strike at anyone''s mood. However it was different concluding that it must be so, and actually seeing it. There were less people about, but they made up for their relative scarceness with fearsomely sullen expressions interspersed with bouts of anger. There were more Happy Time addicts lying around. Considering Shink lived in a good neighbourhood this was doubly surprising. Either the Underground had produced a lot of the drug after receiving the recipe, and had managed to get a lot of people jacked on it in the span of two weeks, or people were using the drug to escape mentally from the current situation.
Likely a combination of both really. The atmosphere created by the collective mood and the sparse addicts made for an interesting combination with his walk through a neighbourhood with meticulously kept gardens and the medieval equivalent of white-picket fences.
Ignoring proprietary Lock gave Kamin the ring with the old man inside, and then walked forward to Shink''s door to loudly bang on it. He heard some shuffling from inside, but the door didn''t open. He banged louder and started shouting. ¡°Hey man, I brought you another package of that substance you wanted.¡± He nearly screamed knowing that his voice would be heard.
The door was ripped open by an incensed looking Shink and Lock was pulled inside and unceremoniously shoved to the floor from which he slowly got up to give Shink the stink-eye.
¡°Is that any way to treat an old friend you haven''t seen in a while.¡± Lock asked, affronted, at which Shink simply snorted and pointed towards the living room. Deciding that now wasn''t the time for anymore witticism Lock struck a retreat through the corridor lined with crocheting work and sat down on the homely couch upon arriving in the living room.
Shink joined him a minute or so later, carrying a tray of tea and biscuits. He was also scowling menacingly, the effect of which was offset by his comfortable blue clothing and his pink apron. ''I poisoned the food'', it read.
Giving the biscuits a suspicious look he nevertheless took one and bit into it. It tasted great, but it would go better with some tea. Tea which Shink was kind enough to pour for him.
¡°So what''s with the reception?¡± Lock asked curiously after swallowing the biscuit and taking a sip of tea.
¡°Do you genuinely have no idea what you''ve done?¡± Shink asked as he leaned back tiredly in his arm-chair and sighed. ¡°Or are you just pretending?¡± He asked.
¡°You''ll have to be more specific, I get around a lot.¡± Lock said at which Shink''s hands twitched, as if wanting to go for a ladle, or more likely a knife.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
¡°You barge into the Underground, seduce one of the daughters of the previous chief away from her family, start fucking riots with your actions, addict almost one tenth of the cities younger population to that disgusting crap you call Happy Time and now you bang on my door shouting like a maniac. After all that you have the audacity to act stupid when I ask you what the fuck you did.¡± Shink said silently, before taking a sip of his tea and eating a biscuit.
Lock spread out his arms and leaned back on the couch. ¡°What can I say, expect, you''re welcome.¡± He eventually said.
¡°Your Grandfather is rolling in his grave right now.¡± Shink eventually said..
That was a low blow, but comedy took no mercy on emotions, thus Lock simply answered, ¡°Now that''s a bit hard to imagine considering he doesn''t have one.¡±
Shink froze. ¡°You didn''t bury him?¡± He asked coldly.
At which Lock could do nothing but helplessly shrug his shoulders. ¡°There wasn''t anything left to bury.¡±
¡°Whatever, he probably wouldn''t have wanted one anyway.¡± Shink grudgingly admitted.
¡°If it''s any consolation, he died happy.¡± Lock said softly.
¡°It doesn''t matter, dead is dead. I just wished we''d parted in better circumstances all those years ago.¡± The older Assassin replied, trying to appear unfazed.
¡°You two always did have a weird relationship.¡±
Shink snorted, ¡°brothers-in-gold, until he retired just before our big break to raise your sorry ass.¡±
¡°He do a good job?¡± Lock asked, curious for the grouchy man''s perspective.
Shink twirled the empty teacup in his hand. ¡°Perhaps. You''ve achieved great things at the ripe age of sixteen already. Terrible, but nonetheless great. You''ll surpass him, easily at that, but I imagine he wouldn''t like your methods.¡±
¡°Justice can only be wielded by the strong. Maybe I will right my wrongs in his memory when the time comes.¡± Lock lied.
Shink easily saw through it, and snorted. ¡°You''re hardly a sentimental person,¡± He started, ¡°and considering your skewed moral compass I would hesitate to wish upon the world anything that you would consider justice.¡±
¡°You''re hardly one to talk.¡± Lock grumbled.
Shink took a sip of his tea. ¡°I think the harm you''ve inadvertently, or not, caused with your actions has surpassed the negative impact I have had on the world almost a year ago.¡± Were his words, which ok, might have been true, but Lock couldn''t help but argue against them.
¡°The thing with the dungeon is hardly my fault, a riot would have erupted had I let them succeed anyway!¡± He said affronted, at which Shink raised a single eyebrow.
¡°And the drug?¡± He asked.
That was a more complicated topic, considering that Lock had intended the effect the drug had on the populace. However. ¡°I hardly forcibly addicted anyone, I just identified a potential market and filled it. People should be smart enough themselves to stay away from stuff that literally feels too good to be true. You''re taking away their right to self-determination with your baseless accusations.¡± Lock shot back.
The eyebrow that Shink had already raised climbed higher.
The younger of the two felt the need to continue. ¡°To be perfectly honest I''m doing humanity a favour, everyone stupid enough to start using the drug should not be procreating.¡± He finished.
¡°Well, it''s good to know that me aiding your operation was actually a boon for humanity, however much literally everyone else disagrees.¡± Shink eventually said.
Lock nodded. ¡°I''m glad we could come to an agreement.¡± After which, came silence.
¡°So why are you here?¡± Shink.
¡°Mostly to ask about what the hell is going on in the city, but earlier you said something that interests me as well, namely that the Underground has had a change of leadership.¡± Lock answered, looking at Shink''s facial expression trying to determine any change. The man remained stone cold.
¡°With the introduction of your drug to the organizations profit model the power balance shifted towards the Alchemist faction. Deciding that a change in leadership was necessary to reflect this change a vote was held, and a new head was elected. It was surprisingly democratic and blood-free.¡± Shink said.
¡°Interesting.¡± Lock muttered.
¡°I would advise you to stay away from the Underground for a while however, with the change of leadership came a change of priorities, this means that the people who would be most interested in getting to you suddenly have the power to do so.¡± Shink warned in a serious tone.
Lock blinked in surprise. ¡°What would they even want from me?¡± He asked.
¡°Your legendary Alchemy knowledge of course, idiot.¡±
¡°It was a fluke.¡± Lock insisted.
Shink rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, sometimes when I go to the bathroom I also randomly start shitting out piles of gold.¡±
Lock nodded gratefully. ¡°I''m glad you see it my way.¡±
¡°They don''t however, just be careful, maybe leave the city, okay?¡± Shink said.
¡°Are you worried about me?¡± Lock asked, surprised, at which he received a snort.
¡°More like worried about the city. Considering the effect you''ve had on it I''m afraid it¡¯s going to get wiped off the map soon if you continue staying here.¡±
¡°What''s up with that anyway.¡± Lock changed topics. ¡°An elf suicide-bombed the slums, and the king was kind enough to come down and solve the issue of cursed flames. Flames that the royal family is known to produce. Meanwhile the refugees get to sleep in army tents in return for being harassed by recruiters and taken away to build up a retaliatory force.¡±
¡°I''ll be honest with you.¡± Shink started, then took a moment to think about his answer. ¡°I know my means, and while I suspect something is afoul, dealing with nation-wide intrigue on this level is way beyond my pay-grade.¡±
Grudgingly nodding Lock agreed with the man, this was not something that Shink should be putting his nose in considering who he was. However, he''d given him a hint, there was something foul going on. And considering who benefited and who suffered he would take a bet any day that it was the royal family and aristocrats who set that fire.
He guessed that the elves magical resources were the most interesting to the nobility considering their own proclivity towards the art.
Now the only question remaining was.
What was Lock going to do about this?
¡°It''s also above mine, I was just curious.¡± He lied.
¡°Try to stay out of it, and, oh, while you''re here and asking about it, I should mention that the council and the king have gotten a bit pissy about how many young men are illegible to join the army due to their, uh, substance abuse. You''re already out of the business, and so am I to be perfectly frank with you. But you should still keep that in mind.¡± Shink warned one final time before they both decided that it was enough serious talk for now and that it was time for some small talk.
Chapter 61
Done with his reconnaissance, almost completely sure that the King and the council had concocted a false flag event to jump-start the war-machine that was humanity, and then point them at the elves, Lock decided that it was time to check up on another one of his ventures before returning home.
It was almost starting to turn dark, the talk with Shink having taken longer than expected due to the volume of the things they had to talk about. The man was much more mellow now than he''d been when they had shared an actual business relationship, interestingly enough. Probably some sort of philosophy of not mixing work with pleasure.
The walk to the master tanner that he''d left the golden fleece with in what felt almost a year ago, but weren''t even two months didn''t take long. It was a pleasant walk, Kamin was surprisingly calm considering he''d left her stranded outside with nobody to talk to for several hours. In his experience children her age would protest something like that, loudly. Maybe she''d just been raised differently, or she was happy enough to be travelling to stay put, or she''d talked with her Grandfather-in-a-ring.
He would talk to her about it after he questioned the tanner about the progress of the project. By the man''s paling face as he opened the door at Lock''s knocking however, he was about to receive some bad news.
¡°A-ah, young master Lock, welcome. Come in, come in.¡± The fifty-something-man said in a slightly terrified voice as he beckoned him inside, opening the door wide, the light spilling out onto the high-end street containing mostly craftsmen.
A high-end street containing shops that looked new, too new considering their pedigree and age. A street that had a few more guards than was usual.
Lock sighed and shook his head. The tanner paled even more, and started trembling.
¡°Let me guess, your place, and everyone else''s on the street, were raided by rioters who were unhappy that you mostly cater to nobles. They stole my vest?¡± Lock quickly deduced and asked.
The tanner nodded, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here. He scratched his greying beard, eyes flitting about, before sighing. ¡°Yes.¡± He said and hung his shoulders. ¡°I could have paid back the fee a week ago, but almost all the nobles who''ve lost their projects and materials have since come and taken my money in recompense. I''m bankrupt at the moment.¡± The man finished with a face that indicated that he accepted his fate.
¡°It''s not really your fault, but I''ve still made a great loss.¡± Lock started, the man flinched. This was likely how everyone else had begun their extortion attempts. ¡°So I''ll call it even if you can give me some equipment for a swordsman who''s a bit taller and a bit lankier than me.¡± He finished. He''d been planning on buying some equipment for Harald anyway, it would raise his chances of winning the tournament, but if he could get it for free like this, he might as well. He also felt bad for the man and didn''t want his money.
The tanner hung his head, before the words seemed to register within his mind. He raised it with a confused look in his eyes. Before smiling brightly, stepping back and beckoning them inside. Lock followed this time, ignored the disgusting smell, and followed the tanner who almost skipped his way to a wooden closet, from which he began pulling different pieces of equipment. Lock waited patiently and the man eventually settled on a set of armour made from an intimidatingly black leather, although anyone from Lock''s last world would have maybe had some doubts about the man''s sexuality due to the sheen of the colour.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
¡° One of the things that the bastards didn¡¯t steal. Arm-guards, shin-guards, a leather-skirt, a cuirass with shoulder-plates and a helmet, all enchanted to be adjustable to resize to fit the wearer. Everything made from the leather of the Hounds of Hell. Commissioned by the Shield family, decommissioned due to the death of the intended recipient.¡± The man said professionally, brandishing the different pieces of armour in Lock''s direction as he introduced them.
¡°Looks expensive.¡± Lock noted with a nod, at which the tanner shrugged. ¡°Not as much as you''d think seeing as the family provided the materials. They were also one of the few ones that refused a refund for what was stolen from me. Maybe there''s a string of fate connecting you with them?¡± The man wondered. ¡°I mean you are a Knight, obviously.¡± He stated.
Almost snorting at the man''s comment Lock asked for a burlap sack to transport the leather armour in. Which he happily received, stuffing the good-will gesture inside. The man could have given him much cheaper stuff. But as the saying went. You attract more flies with honey than with vinegar.
Suffice to say he and the tanner parted on amicable terms, but not before Lock asked the man one final question. ¡°Any idea where my vest ended up?¡±
The man grimaced. ¡°Aye, last I''ve heard of it, it was being worn by one of the high-ranked peasant adventurers who were leading the more successful riots. That''s old news though, the riots are done with for now, and the adventurers that participated are to well known due to their occupation to remain free men. There''s a bounty up for the man, probably, as long as he''s still free. But he''s likely fled the city already. Could be all the way up in the Hills for all I know. Name''s Jory, I think.¡±
¡°Thanks.¡± Lock nodded at the man one last time before leaving.
¡°Where are we going now?¡± Kamin once he and Lemmings had started walking again.
¡°To my father''s home. I''m done with all my tasks for the day, I hope Harald is as well and is going there right now. He needs to get used to the armour I just got him, and I also have some last minute tips for him.¡± Lock replied and now that he was actually talking with his fianc¨¦e, popped the question that had been bothering him. ¡°So how are you enjoying travelling?¡± He asked.
Kamin hesitated to speak, stretching out the silence.
¡°You can be truthful, this isn''t a trip for the sake of enjoyment, but one that we''re making to help you regain your sight.¡± He badgered further, interested in what she had to say.
Kamin quickly shook her head after his words, brown hair flying everywhere. ¡°No, no, I like it. Harald and Lemmings are nice. I''m learning. It''s just. The situation going on right now. It feels like I''m in one of the novels I always had my servants read to me.¡± She said, sounding embarrassed about her admission.
¡°Well, most novels, if they''re good, which requires a certain realism, do basically recount an exciting part of a fictional person''s life. It''s not very odd that you feel as if you were in a novel, now that you''re actually getting to see some interesting situations from up close.¡± Lock answered with a chuckle.
¡°So you feel the same?¡± She asked curiously, at which Lock shook his head.
¡°Life ain''t a novel, more like the other way around. Life came before the novel after all.¡± He said.
¡°I guess.¡± Kamin trailed off.
Lock returned to his musings after waiting for a while to see if she would say anything else. One thing that had struck him when he''d been speaking with the Tanner was the information that the leather armour he''d received as recompense had originally been meant for someone else. Someone who had died. Now it was entirely possible that some Shields had died during the riots.
However
It would indeed be a hilarious coincidence if it had been meant for Light, the Shield boy who let himself be executed by Lock in return for him disseminating the documents and books he''d hidden.
Something that he still hadn''t done, but all in due time. He hadn''t finished all the books yet anyway. Maybe he wouldn''t even give them away, they contained useful Vanguard knowledge, knowledge best kept secret. The same could not be said about the documents however.
Interesting secrets, pricey secrets, incriminating secrets.
Secrets that could spark more riots, if not a rebellion.
Maybe a rebellion was what humanity needed in these times of attempted outwards expansion. Rebellions had the habit of creating a slightly nicer ruling class for a few years after the new regime was erected, and if Humanity was too busy with infighting they would be unable to go to war with the elves and therewith bar Lock from meeting not only them, but other sentient species as well.
Nobody liked a rowdy neighbour after all, and a stigma was something very difficult to get rid of once acquired.
Chapter 62
Arcturus, Lock''s father, happily munched on his nutrient potion soup mixed with commissioned bread, somehow managing to ignore the heavy tension around the dinner table, humming some stupid ditty.
Lock exchanged a glance with Inu, and then Harald, both of whom he''d already found sitting on the bench at the kitchen table they were currently occupying when he''d come back from his mission. They''d already finished the tea Arcturus had made for them but made no motion of asking for more. Probably because Arcturus was a horrible cook and managed to spoil even tea.
¡°So, your family is fine. Did you learn anything else?¡± Lock stated, and asked, the duo.
¡°Nothing we didn''t already know.¡± Inu started, but was cut off by Harald.
¡°Almost 1/6 of the city is burned down, bout 4000 dead. Thankfully my family wasn''t amongst them. This shit is fucked.¡± The swordsman cut out.
¡°Language.¡± Arcturus softly reprimanded in the background.
¡°The situation is dire.¡± Harald corrected himself with gritted teeth, hands quivering.
¡°You seem, very emotional about the issue.¡± Lock commented diplomatically, glancing down at his bowl of meat, and not really feeling an appetite.
¡°It''s nobles throwing away the lives of everybody else for their sick desires, of course I''m angry.¡± Harald said softly and buried his face in his hands.
¡°It was the elv-¡± Ino started to say but was interrupted by Harald slamming his hands down on the table and jumping up.
¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± He shouted. ¡°You think we''re fucking retarded? I haven''t seen an elf in my entire fucking life, and then suddenly one kills himself to bomb the slums, creating a situation only good for the nobles?¡± He angrily asked.
Ino remained quiet, crossed his arms, and looked away, a conflicted expression on his face, Harald meanwhile remained standing, heaving.
¡°My family could have died. The families of many people have died. For what, huh?¡± He asked, looking around the table and meeting everyone''s eyes.
Lock raised an eyebrow at him once it was his turn. ¡°Was that a rhetorical question? Because I''m fairly sure you already know the answer.¡± He said bitingly
The words, sarcastic as they were, seemed to do the trick to calm Harald, he sat down again and leaned back, laying his head on the brown spartan wall behind his bench. ¡°Bunch of bastards clinging to positions they no longer deserve.¡± He said, tears starting to slip from his eyes and running down his face.
''Drip, drop'', they fell on the table.
¡°Anyone want some ice cream?¡± Arcturus asked into the round to the incredulous look of Ino and Harald.
¡°I''ll take a one, bring two spoons so Kamin can try as well.¡± Lock simply said.
Arcturus nodded happily as he left for the cellar, nobody else requesting any. ¡°Anything for my future daughter-in-law.¡± He joked, Kamin, who was sitting to the left of Lock, blushed.
¡°Also bring some for Harald!¡± Lock shouted after the man. A spontaneous decision for which he was weakly glared at.
¡°What''s ice cream?¡± He eventually asked.
¡°A dessert made out of flavoured frozen milk, it''s quite good, I think you''ll like it.¡± Lock replied, receiving a nod.
¡°I''m not a child who is easily calmed down by the promises of sweets.¡± Harald felt the need to add while crossing his arms.
¡°Bold of you to assume that it''s only children who become calmer after eating something sweet.¡± Lock muttered, after which the group of people sat in silence. The atmosphere was heavy. The one to eventually lighten it up was Arcturus, who was carrying two bowls of ice cream, and slipped as he was nearing the table. He made a graceful arch with his back, the ice cream bowls slipping from his hands as he crashed face-first into the floor.
Thankfully Lock was quick enough to catch both of the bowls, none of the sweet delicious goodness managing to escape their confinement. The spoons did clatter to the wooden floor however.
No harm done Lock dug in once he retrieved the instruments from the floor. ¡°You okay dad?¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Arcturus shakily raised a hand to give his son a thumbs-up from where he was still face-planting on the floor.
¡°Your ice cream recipe improved again.¡± Lock commented, receiving a weak thanks in return before the man eventually managed to pick himself up and sit down at the table again.
¡°This is pretty good.¡± Harald commented after trying his, looked banana flavoured to Lock, he quickly dug in after his comment.
Giving some of his own to Kamin, Lock watched curiously as Harald devoured the ice cream and then leaned back on the bench he shared with Ino.
He couldn''t believe it. The idiot had actually gotten distracted by sweets.
It didn''t really matter to be honest, Lock didn''t have anything he wanted to discuss with Harald, the boy would win him the admission to the magical academy and that was that. Their relationship would end.
All the goings on that would erupt in the next few years. The war, Lock''s attempt to halt it, the mission for the Ninja who''d pledged him his service in conjunction with his admission to the academy, the situation with the underground and the burning of Abrakshana, the probable rebellion. All of these events would most likely collide into one gigantic clusterfuck somewhere down the road.
A clusterfuck in which Harald, and maybe even the Trydan''s could have no aspirations beyond becoming a piece of collateral damage forgotten by history.
Lock didn''t fault them for that. It was in the nature of mortals to be swept aside when the winds of change came knocking on the door.
-/-
It was later that night, when Lock was preparing himself for sleep that he heard someone knocking on the door. Frowning at the fact that he''d just undressed into a less armoured state, he told the person outside to wait a bit as he dressed back, even putting on his helmet, and disabled the traps surrounding his door.
Nothing much, just tripwires and a few easily breakable floorboards. The more lethal apparatuses were near his bed, which he only ever used for sleeping.
¡°Come in.¡± Lock eventually said as he leaned next to the bookshelf, which along with his bed occupied half of the space in his tiny room right below the roof.
The light offered by the almost full moon, shining through the window, revealing all its splendour in the cloudless sky perfectly illuminated Arcturus as he entered, already dressed in his nightclothes.
For once the man had a serious expression on his face. Quietly closing the door behind him he sat down on the floor staring seriously at Lock, who remained standing.
¡°I got a visit from the Underground recently.¡± He started, which didn''t startle Lock overly much, it had always been a possibility.
Arcturus closed his eyes and sighed. ¡°You''re not surprised.¡± He determined before continuing once again with open eyes. ¡°Then you know what this is about.¡±
The mentally older of the two nodded, feeling slightly sorry for what he''d done.
¡°Happy Time. It''s genius. I must congratulate you on it''s creation, you clearly inherited some of my talent, if not the passion for the subject.¡± His father said.
¡°You''re not mad at me?¡± Lock asked, tilting his head.
¡°As you well know, I am first and foremost an alchemist, you might think looking from the outside at how lawful I am, that I would consider all Alchemy used with the purpose of profit and harm to be sacrilege. However it is not so. For me, all Alchemy is beautiful.¡± He said, looking for once in his life, truly serene. ¡°What I''m a bit mad about is the fact that you used me as a smokescreen for your own illegal activities.¡±
¡°I trusted that no harm would befall you.¡± Lock lied, omitting the fact that not only was his father a smokescreen, being a much older and well-known alchemist, but also a warning canary. One that was taken into mines to check for poisonous gasses, only fulfilling its purpose once it''s been exposed to danger.
¡°I might have never been involved with raising you, but I can still tell when my son is lying to me, even if he is wearing a ridiculous helmet. Me being the most likely suspect for the creation of Happy Time is not only a smokescreen, but also a warning system that would alert you if the tendrils of the law, or the Underground were getting close to discovering your identity for what it truly was. Be it from my arrest, my death, or my kidnapping. Or as the case was, through me informing you I''ve been contacted.¡± Arcturus correctly deduced an intelligence that Lock had thought was only ever applied to Alchemy shining in his eyes.
¡°I''m sorry for underestimating your intelligence.¡± Lock said sincerely.
¡°I''m sorry for considering yours to be even an iota less malicious than it truly is. You always knew it didn''t matter in the end did you, even if I discovered that I''ve been used. You''re still my son, although at the moment, you appear to be more your mother''s son.¡±
Lock tilted his head. ¡°What does she have to do with anything?¡± He asked, and Arcturus snorted.
¡°Who do you think gave me the experience to deal with people like you?¡± He joked.
¡°People like me?¡± Lock asked curiously.
¡°I imagine most people in my situation would say ''villains'', or ''misanthropists'', perhaps even ''bastards'', however I''ve long since know the correct term for your ilk. Players. For it is the individual who truly treats life as nothing but a game, who is the most dangerous in his actions, and the most vague in his intentions.¡± Arcturus said with a low voice. A shiver ran down Lock''s spine and the hair on his arms stood on end.
Consider the game like quality of this world, the term player was truly too coincidental and hit far too close to home. However Lock was nothing if not talented in mental compartmentation, he quickly put the odd feeling out of his mind and asked a question that would lead away from the topic.
¡°So how did you manage to deal with the Underground?¡± He asked.
¡°Quite simply really.¡± Arcturus said with a shrug. ¡°I claimed to be the inventor of Happy Time, and gave them a sample of one of my own attempts at making the drug. Once they offered me to join them I demanded a ridiculous price. A price that they didn''t want to accept without some more proof, therefore they left to determine if the alchemical footprint on the drug was identical to yours. Seeing as they still haven''t contacted me despite it already being three days, they likely determined that while the footprint was similar, which makes sense considering I taught you Alchemy, it likely stems from the fact that I am not the true creator. Simply a patsy left by the original architect of the whole thing to distract them from their trail. Seeing how sensitive alchemists are about the age thing they will consider you to be a false trail as well. No way could a thirteen-year old create something like that.¡± Arcturus explained, stunning Lock once again with his brilliance.
¡°Our whole family is a false trail, obviously, and seeing as we were left unprotected we aren''t important enough to the creator to be used as bargaining chips.¡± Lock snorted out to disguise how impressed he was by his father.
A short silence emerged after his words, before Arcturus piped up once again, this time with a cheeky grin.
¡°So, did I prove myself?¡± He asked.
¡°Prove yourself for what?¡± Lock shot back.
¡°Why to be included in your plans for the future of course. While I don''t necessarily like players, it''s always profitable to align one''s interests with theirs, one stands to gain quite a lot.¡±
¡°I''m not planning on going much further down the road of Alchemy, so having you as a continued support would be quite helpful I guess.¡± Lock begrudgingly admitted. There was a big problem however. Despite all his talk, Lock still wasn''t sure if his father''s morality could hold up with the things that he had planned. ¡°I''m not sure you''ll agree to help me after hearing what my plans actually are though.¡±
¡°Even if I don''t want to join after hearing them, I won''t reveal them to anyone.¡± Arcturus promised solemnly, causing Lock to shrug and give up.
¡°Alright, you asked for it.¡±
Chapter 63
There was something immensely liberating about for once, sharing his plans with someone. Lock hadn''t done so fully, emitting several factors. However what he had told, despite the fact that he probably shouldn''t have, had felt like a burden was being lifted off of his heart. A burden he hadn''t even noticed he''d been carrying.
Oddly enough, he now felt a certain anticipation towards having Mia work for him, after she''d proven herself of course. Would he gain another confidante? Time would tell, as it did with all things.
He needed to be careful with the freeing feeling of releasing his secrets. Some information had to be hidden for a reason after all. Which was why he hadn''t told his father about his immortality, naturally, nor had he told him about his real reasons for wanting to prevent the war. He simply said that that was what he was trying to do.
Arcturus seemed to have a very out of touch moral compass, but even he would likely balk at the idea of quite literally betraying one''s own species for nothing more than a varied travelling experience.
Rather than just the emotional benefits he''d experienced with sharing for once, there were also more tangible ones.
For example the suggestion Arcturus had made in regards to the dirt Lock had on the Shields and their attempts to stir up a war with the beastmen. Which the entire fiasco with the rape Light Shield had committed all those months ago had been a prelude too.
While the rebellion would undoubtedly appreciate the gesture of receiving documents, which to be fair, could have been faked. They were very much considered to be an unreliable source. Anything they claimed about the nobles could be brushed off as propaganda, and nothing would likely change.
If however, the documents found themselves in the hands of the people who would soon find themselves with the power of deciding the outcome of the civil war that would probably occur. Like for example the army. Well, then things would get really interested.
The issue naturally once again being the validity of the information. One would need a high-ranking, well-respected member of the army to show the evidence and to rile up the men. However, no noble would be interested in quite literally stabbing his entire faction in the back, and peasants did not have the habit of rising very high in the military hierarchy. Some would undoubtedly, but those were already bought, and while it would at least be easier to turn those peasant-officers to his side, it would still be risky. Possible, no matter how slim, just as with the nobles, but risky.
This is where an interesting tidbit of information that Arcturus had dug up would come in handy. The prizes for the iron rank tournament had been shuffled around a bit. Now it was the second place who would receive an admission slip to the magic academy. What would the first place get? Lock chuckled. Well naturally, a spot in the newly founded military academy of the human empire.
A place that would take in your spare noble sons, and spit out hardened officers ready to command the glorious army.
The plan for the tournament was probably to turn the winner, who would most likely be a peasant, into a piece of pleasant propaganda. Winning a tournament, graduating from the academy, and being one of the higher-ranked members of the army afterwards to show that the entire structure was meritocratic, and not nepotist.
It was likely one of the many plans, after all the aristocratic faction of the kingdom had countless intelligent schemers all facing the same direction, if not necessarily agreeing on how they were supposed to get there.
However, destroying had always been easier than creating.
Regarding the plans of mice and men, Lock was neither.
His mindless wandering after having completed his morning training and thinking of all the things that could be, had brought him directly to where he needed to be.
Lock knocked on the door, putting on a worried expression, having taken off his helmet for this exact purpose. ¡°Harald, we need to talk.¡±
-/-
Lock very slowly stepped backwards, sword raised in the air to deflect Harald''s slug-like slash. It hadn''t even been an hour and the boy already seemed exhausted. Sweat dripping from his brow, staining the green grass below, and arms quivering.
Stepping back, very conscious of how energized he was in comparison, Lock lowered his practice sword, signalling an end to the slow bout. He thanked himself for his foresight in going down the path of Endurance. Not only was it useful in almost all situations, it also felt incredible having so much vitality inside one''s body.
¡°Give Kamin the ring.¡± Lock reminded his student, who quickly pulled it off of his practice sword, and threw it at Lemmings, who Lock quickly commanded to catch it. The golem gave the ring along to Kamin, who was sitting next to him, bleary eyed. In an odd turn of events Kamin had grown attached to Lemmings, likely due to the fact that he''d been ferrying her around for the entirety of yesterday.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
¡°I can''t believe sparring at the speed of a slug was enough to exhaust you.¡± Lock heard Ino deride Harald in the background. By the thwack that resounded through the backyard the swordsman was feeling particularly eloquent in his responses today.
¡°Now, now, I don''t think you have anything to say in regards to stamina.¡± Lock shouted backwards, scolding the two children. They sullenly parted, and Lock turned back to have his golem hand him a potion from the apothecary bag it was holding.
This, was the second advantage that being directly allied with Arcturus carried with itself. A permanent supply of whatever potions he asked for. While in the past he''d only had access to his father''s stores of potions to be sold, he now had the man''s full attention, being able to order whatever he wished. Only to a certain extent of course, Arcturus couldn''t be overburdened or else he would stop making enough money to buy further ingredients. Regardless, even 50% of the man''s resources were very useful to Lock, who, despite having ten levels in it, didn''t really like Alchemy all that much. Too much time spent bending over a steaming set of instruments, too little time spent outside enjoying the fact that he was despite all odds, living his second life.
Lock gave the potion to his pupil, who swallowed it with a grimace. Thankfully he needed no explanation, as Arcturus had already provided one. Muscle recovery enhancement. While the training had been low intensity, the tournament was tomorrow, and thus it was better to tread on the safe side.
Talking about the tournament... ¡°Ino, have you successfully registered yourself?¡± He asked the boy, who just came back a few minutes ago.
The wizard nodded crisply. ¡°As an iron rank adventurer, as Harald''s party member and as a participant of the tournament. However the bureaucrat responsible for admitting me gave me a bit of an odd look once I told him my last name.¡±
Likely because the nobles from within the city had been discouraged to participate due to this being a set-up for a publicity stunt. However Trydan''s were, as much of an oxymoron as it was, a noble family deeply uninterested in politics.
He simply gave the boy a nod, explaining nothing. The plan was to let Harald win if they met in the finals anyway, so I didn''t matter that much anyway.
¡°Were there many people getting classed in at the adventurers guild today?¡± He asked instead, at which Ino slowly shook his head.
¡°I''ve never been here before, so I''m not quite sure, but I don''t think so. There was only one person in front of me in line to register. Maybe she was a person of interest, she seemed pretty strong to be honest, but came out with an iron pendant just like me.¡± Ino said, pulling an iron dog tag out of his shirt and showing it to Lock. The metal glimmered in the sunlight and he had to hold back a laugh at the identification inscribed upon it. [8DIX24/7].
¡°Can you describe her to me.¡± Lock managed to choke out through some coughs. Ino didn''t seem to notice anything, simply putting on a facial expression that suggested he was trying to remember.
¡°Red hair put up in a ponytail, reminded me of a pineapple actually, dressed like some sort of Rogue. Can''t tell you much to be honest.¡± Ino said honestly, although he was blushing a bit so he''d likely noticed some other attributes but was too embarrassed to share them. Lock furrowed his brows.
Pineapple?
The mention of the fruit tickled something in his memory, but he ignored it. It was probably unimportant.
¡°Her registering during this exact time period isn''t very suspicious. You did the same thing after all. I guess you should keep an eye on her if you really think she''s strong enough to be a bother.¡± He said nonchalantly.
Ino nodded before going to sit by his sister, striking up a conversation.
Lock was a bit bothered that the boy hadn''t gone to put in some last minute training, but considering that he hadn''t even seen him fight yet, this was the smallest of his issues.
He just hoped that his future brother-in-law wasn''t being arrogant in his claim that he could win the tournament if he wanted too. Confidence and arrogance were very hard to distinguish until one saw the person in action after all.
However, he was a magic user, likely the only one who was about to enter the tournament, that should grant him a large enough advantage to emerge victorious.
And, well, considering how stocked up they were on potions, it would be embarrassing if they didn''t win. It was odd that potions weren''t banned, but that was likely because of the assumption that no one of the iron-rank could actually afford anything useful.
-/-
¡°What do you mean potions were banned.¡± Lock said indignantly later that day once Ino had sheepishly approached him with a piece of information he''d forgotten to inform him of, namely that potions were not allowed anymore. The boy expressed the opinion that was likely done due to the heightened value of the prize
Lock agreed, but was still a bit peeved, seeing however as they were eating dinner, a dinner that he had cooked however, he calmed down. One shouldn''t mix anger with a meal.
¡°Oh don''t worry about that, the potions I gave you should be fairly hard to detect.¡± Arcturus suddenly piped up from where he was ravenously devouring his steak, ignoring completely the pickled asparagus and rice.
Sighing Lock determined that the potions were apparently a last resort, used only in the case that they would lose if they didn''t use them.
¡°Whatever, I have other ways to cheat.¡± He grumbled, gently perforating a piece of meat and leading it to his mouth.
¡°You didn''t mention any cheating before.¡± Harald suddenly said accusingly, causing Lock to stare at him as if he were an idiot.
¡°Yeah, because you weren''t going to be involved. I wouldn''t trust you to do it competently anyway.¡± He replied, seeing conflicting emotions emerge on his pupil''s face.
He was as easy to read as a picture book, which would make him the perfect infiltrator into the ranks of the army. Something the boy had agreed to do out of the conviction that he could change the force from within if he rose up high enough in rank. Pragmatic in knowing that one required status and power to change anything, na?ve in thinking that the army was an apparatus that was created with no blocks towards soldiers who got too big for their breeches.
Lock corrected himself mentally, the fact that Harald was na?ve, but not completely was what would make him the perfect infiltrator. Whatever process the army used to weed out people aiming to bring upon unrest from the very beginning, would simply ignore him due to the presence of na?ve idealism, but admit him due to the presence of a certain pragmatism required for the position of officer.
His perceived harmlessness would also be the reason why he would be allowed to rise within the ranks. After all, anybody thinking that a corrupt structure made to corrupt could be changed from within was to stupid to do any damage.
It was like throwing yourself in pit of shit to clean it from within.
Thankfully Lock would be there to help, or Harald would turn into just another old soldier disillusioned with humanity, looking forward to retirement, and in the end, having achieved nothing.
With Lock at his side he would hopefully encompass only the first two traits.
A clinging on the table brought Lock out of his musings, Ino had deposited shot-glasses on the table while he was distracted and was filling them up with what looked like sake, but Lock knew was actually something more resembling Everclear.
He smirked and raised his glass with the others once everyone had one, they met together in the middle of the table, and Lock being the unanimous leader of this whole debacle spoke a toast.
¡°To the arena!¡±
Chapter 64 Harald Interlude
Harald was worried. There was no lying about this fact. For as long as he could remember he''d been a half-bit adventurer scrounging out a living from the beginner dungeon and some odd-quests here and there. Finding cats and such.
Now, standing before the gigantic stone-hewn arena that dominated the bustling market district he couldn''t help but feel that he was out of place. He''d always seen the gigantic triangular structure from afar, when he''d walk past it on his way to this or that, but he''d never entered, let alone registered to compete. Despite logically knowing that it was mostly peasants who actually competed in the arena, he couldn''t help but feel that it was a stage more suited for Ino, with his noble background, or Lock, with his... something.
¡°Don''t tell you''re getting stage-fright.¡± He heard Lock''s distinct echoing voice sneer from in front of him, he turned to see the black slit of his teacher''s helmeted face staring back at him, through him, the serrated teeth design on the armour seemingly mocking him.
The callousness calmed him. If he could survive Lock, he could survive anything. His killing intent subconsciously built up inside of him as it always did when he was talking with his teacher. It mitigated the effects of the same skill being used on oneself. It was also a pleasant reminder that he wasn''t just some random iron-rank anymore. He had a skill now.
It stung that it was something he''d been unable to achieve on his own, just like with his sword, and, he tugged at the tight leather cuirass hugging his chest, his new set of black leather armour. However Harald would rather achieve something with outside help, than be a nobody.
¡°No, I''m fine.¡± He replied to Lock''s unspoken question. He received a grunt in return.
The arena wasn''t very intimidating anymore. It looked sort of stupid really, triangular, why wasn''t it round. He''d never seen a round arena before but he felt as if it should be round. Why was the front door, leading directly onto the fighting field open? Weren''t they afraid of someone throwing a fireball out of it and into the bustling market? Yeah, the structure was pretty stupid. At least that was what he kept telling himself as he entered under its shadow, immediately feeling colder. The fact that it was made entirely out of stone gave it that quality of frost.
Lemmings patted him on the back, having shifted Kamin around a bit to make the gesture possible. He nodded in thanks to the silent giant and squared his shoulders. They were walking through a broad tunnel now. From how teacher, whose eyes he felt on him from the right, had described the structure, they would soon enter back into the light, onto a small grassy clearing.
As he exited the tunnel however, he couldn''t help but gawk, because what Lock had off-handedly referred to as light, was by no means sunlight, but rather a radiance that was emerging from what seemed to be an artificial star floating atcentrepoint, and at the same altitude as the highest stand of the arena.
Wait, no, it wasn''t floating, there were three strings connecting the incredibly yellow ball of light to the spires jutting out from the corners of the triangle.
He stood there frozen for a moment, before gathering himself again and chasing after his party, which was approaching a group of people gathering around a large stone circle divided into two halves with some paint. It looked oddly out of place in the natural looking field. He saw Lock talk to an older man, who was dressed quite fashionably and had an impressive moustache, pointing at him and Ino. The organizer then.
The man looked them over, nodded approvingly at Harald, frowned at Ino, and wrote something a parchment that he pulled out from somewhere.
While he''d been distractedly watching the official Lock made his way back to the party and led them elsewhere, nobody knew exactly where, but they followed.
¡°You''ve been here before?¡± Ino asked Lock, a question that Harald hadn''t even thought of, but now that it had been stated, interested him.
¡°Hmmm, I came by for a few higher-ranking fights. Silly me for thinking I''d actually learn anything useful. It was just a show and even those who were serious about it obviously weren''t fighting at full capacity.¡± Teacher answered as he led them through a door hidden in the tunnel from which they''d entered and up some stairs.
¡°Well, they probably didn''t want to cripple each other so that they could compete beyond just one fight.¡± Ino said.
¡°Yes, as I said, highly non educational.¡±
Ino seemed aghast at the answer, Harald meanwhile simply snorted. Then grew worried and glanced at Kamin who was nodding along.
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Was Lock really someone who should get married to such a sweet girl, even if it wasn''t immediately? He asked himself.
¡°Only through suffering may we reach greater heights.¡± Kamin whispered almost religiously and made a weird cross motion on her chest from where she was riding on Lemmings'' shoulders.
Never mind.
They emerged outside once again, this time onto the stands, which were actually quite full if one considered how unskilled the participants of this tournament would likely be. The entire thing was only set to start in about two hours, they''d left very early, and there were already almost 200 people present. Sure, it didn''t seem much in comparison to the seating possibility of 5000, but 200 was 190 more than he''d ever had watching a fight of his. He tried to determine who those present were by analysing their seating position and clothing.
As always however, Lock was ahead of him. ¡°Fairly spread out, contrary to normal herd behaviour, they''re here early, these are likely the families of the participants. Mostly lower-class, wearing their best clothes however, also some middle-class people. No nobles.¡± He said, turning his head to look at everyone spread out in the three different stands. Harald squinted his eyes to follow his gaze, it was ridiculously bright, the light of the artificial star reflecting strongly off of the white stone steps that made up the seating arrangement. The only area not experiencing this phenomena were three large black boxes, suspended in the air jutting from the three corners of the structure. Instead of reflecting light they seemed to be sucking it in. Not that anyone was inside to appreciate this fact.
Harald wished that they could sit within those boxes, in the shadow, instead of on the steps, it was starting to become unbearably hot, especially with his new and tight-fitting armour. He pulled off his helmet, and sighed, grateful that there was a breeze present. He saw Lock do the same out of the corner of his eye, revealing his stern visage to the world. Assaulting it with the judgement of it not being good enough.
He looked away and down into the arena. There were about ten fighters mingling about the one official, and several others laying down on the grassy field, or leaning on the stone platform. Twenty overall, some were also in the stands however. Probably. The thing that bothered him the most though was the fact of how tiny they seemed due to the distance. They were seated on the lowest step and he already couldn''t distinguish the fighter''s facial expressions.
¡°Will the audience even be able to see the fights?¡± He asked doubtfully into the round.
¡°There will be a pyramid shaped barrier set up around the arena. It will also serve to magnify the goings on.¡± Lock answered his question, turned to him, and then apparently noticed something over his shoulder that caught his attention. Not in a good way.
¡°Of course he''s here.¡± Harald heard him mutter before a voice from almost directly behind him announced its presence.
¡°Lock! Cousin! What are you doing here?¡± It said jovially. Harald turned around to see who had spoken and saw an oddly muscular man about his age, 18-19, dressed like a stereotypical warrior, sharing facial features with Lock, having however short-cropped hair and blue eyes, approaching his teacher. Arms stretched out for a hug. To his surprise Lock reluctantly recuperated, likely to have it over with.
¡°I''m sitting down mostly, although I''m also breathing as always. Hearing your annoying voice is sadly also on my agenda now, apparently.¡± Lock said scathingly, but his cousin simply laughed it off.
¡°Such a jokester!¡± He exclaimed and clapped the aforementioned jokester on the shoulder. The facial expression this elicited almost gave Harald a PTSD flashback. ¡°No but really, you''re here to participate aren''t you?¡± The cousin then asked conspiratorially while glancing around, meeting the eyes of Harald, Ino, Kamin and Lemmings. ¡°These your friends?¡± He asked, seemingly a bit taken aback at something.
¡°I''m not here to participate, I didn''t qualify.¡± Lock grumbled out. His cousin, who''d been putting on an interested expression up to that point seemingly lost all interest, turned around and left. It was ridiculously fast change of expression and intent.
His parting words were. ¡°Well, not really unexpected, we always knew putting in as many resources into you as Grandfather did would be a waste. Senile old fool. To fail at registering as an iron-rank however... Whatever, I''ll leave you to watch your betters fight for now.¡±
Harald watched him leave, noting the ridiculously large sword on the man''s back.
¡°I see that you have more than just one mentally retarded cousin.¡± Ino suddenly said in a dead-pan, causing Lock to crack a smile, making him, for once, seem his young age of 16. He carefully brushed some hair out of his face with his gauntlets.
¡°He''s not nearly as stupid as you probably think he is. He is perpetually blinded by pride however, something to keep in mind if you face him.¡± He remarked.
Harald meanwhile was still boggling over the fact that anybody would assume that Lock of all people would fail the exam. Looking at his teacher he made sure that he hadn''t been swapped out for somebody else while he hadn''t been looking, but no. It was still the same person, steel greaves, chain mail, red gambeson, gauntlets, knives, sword, and alchemy pouch all combining into making him look like a knight. A certain atmosphere of impending doom hung in the air. The feeling one got when one''s pyromaniac friend was playing with explosive fireballs in a thick forest that hadn''t seen rain in a month.
¡°What did he want?¡± He asked, perhaps stupidly.
¡°Scope out the competition.¡± Ino quickly answered. ¡°He immediately left once he came to the assumption that Lock failed the exam however, probably thinking that his associates weren''t worth the time.¡± He turned to Lock. ¡°Is there anything you can tell us about him, while we''re already talking about reconnaissance?¡± He asked.
¡°He trains for explosive strength mostly, from what I know. Kind of like a body-builder. He certainly still looks the part, honestly, he should be ridiculously easy to beat. Just dodge around a bit and he''ll get exhausted within five minutes, after that you just need to punch him a few times and he''ll surrender.¡± Lock explained with a shrug.
¡°Isn''t the entire tournament a horrible format for him then? I mean, it''s basically just a bunch of fights after the other?¡± Ino asked dubiously, while Harald was wondering what a bodybuilder was.
Lock looked at Ino as if he was an idiot. ¡°Of course it¡¯s a horrible format for him, he''s probably just too prideful to let that concern him. To be fair, he most likely knows deep down that he has no chance, but wants to try anyway. It''s a good combat experience either wayt.¡± He said.
Harald was about to ask a question, but that was the moment the well-dressed man from down below decided that it was time to truly start processing the contestants. Holding a hand to his throat his voice boomed out as if it was screaming from right behind him. ¡°Will the participants please make their way into the arena, and all non-participants leave for the stands. We shall now begin checking for magical and alchemical effects and determining your level!¡±
Closing his mouth Harald stood up along with Ino and made his way down.
¡°Break a leg.¡± He heard Lock say from behind them, and his last thought before he started descending the stairs was that he hoped his teacher wasn''t being literal.
Chapter 65
Lock stared at Harald''s back as the boy left downstairs to get himself checked over for competing. There was an odd anticipation building within him, as if, some of his thirst for victory had been ripped from him in a manner most cruel, and had been imparted within his pupil. He wanted Harald to win, and he could not entirely justify the feeling with what he would potentially gain from the victory.
Was this the joy of a teacher? If so, it was highly overrated. Staking one''s feelings on the accomplishments of others. Lock closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He could now see the allure of being a teacher. A master passing down his craft. One could, even in one''s twilight years, bring about glory from one''s actions. However Lock was not in his twilight years, despite his actual age, he was very much in the springtime of his youth.
Neither was he such a failure that his only claim to fame would be the pupils that he raised.
He was starting to get sentimental about the issue. It was a transaction. Nothing more.
That was the moment his other transaction decided to speak up.
¡°You think they''ll be ok?¡± Kamin asked, turning her ears in different directions as the stands around them slowly began to fill up with people. It was quite the crowd now, almost 500. Impressive considering the fact that this was an amateur competition. There was likely more of an interest due to the raised stakes. Admission into the officer fast-track was nothing to sneeze at. Down that road lay many benefits. People were likely flocking here expecting bloodier fights now that there was more on the line.
¡°They better be fine, or I''ll make them anything but.¡± Lock said threateningly.
He seemed to be losing his edge as all that Kamin did in response was giggle. Instead of dwelling on the issue of his intimidation factor. Which he had secured for life anyway with his new skill, Lock turned his attention downwards towards the participants. The official from earlier was going around, laying his palm on people''s faces. Disturbing symbolism, potentially disgusting if the man had sweaty palms. After laying his hands down on the faces he would speak with the participants. Not that Lock heard anything, he just watched the man''s lips move.
Likely checking for either potions or levels. How he did so, Lock had no idea. Which was bad, because if he didn''t know how it worked, then he couldn''t reliably cheat using that method.
However, there was one person who would perhaps know the answer. He huddled closer to Lemmings, and therefore Kamin, who was sitting between his legs. Or more specifically, he huddled closer to the ring that Kamin was wearing.
¡°Any idea how the official is checking the requirements old man?¡± He asked quietly, and after several seconds of silence began to think that he wouldn''t get an answer. Kirin''s job was to protect his granddaughter, not answer his questions after all. However an answer did come.
¡°It''s a Legil, walking lie-detectors, he''s asking the participants what level they are.¡± An old voice.
¡°Not for potions and magical effects?¡± Lock asked.
¡°They''ll have a Curador do it later.¡± The old man replied. Lock nodded and sat up straight again. He watched the participants who had already been verified moving onto one side of the platform, awkwardly standing close to each other. The tournament wasn''t set to start yet, so despite everyone present already being verified in the levels department. Except for two people, who''d been politely asked to leave, the official remained waiting, occasionally verifying anyone that came into the arena. A quarter of an hour before the start however, judging by the position of the sun, the artificial sun spit out three lines, each one connecting to a corner of the arena. A transparent film spread out between the lines, forming an enclosed pyramid around the staging ground. Now that everything appeared magnified Lock could see the facial expressions of his pupils. Ino looked relaxed, standing on the edge of the group, and Harald looked the opposite, standing in the middle, looking like he''d swallowed a lemon.
A bright white flash suddenly overtook the group of participants, the light seemed to harmlessly pass through them, two however, began glowing red. A bang resounded, echoing due to the architecture, and the two red glowing wannabes were violently ejected towards the exit, the barrier flickered for a second to let them through, and they disappeared into the corridor.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
¡°What just happened, has it started?¡± Kamin asked, while Lock was still busy raising an eyebrow at the ridiculousness of literally ejecting two people out of the tournament.
¡°No.¡± He said with a shake of his head. ¡°I think they just checked everyone for potions and magical effects. Two of them seemingly failed the test, the noise you heard was them being violently ejected from the premises. With another two leaving beforehand due to levels there are now,¡± He quickly counted, eyes lingering a few seconds on a girl with red-hair and a completely armoured knight, ¡°Exactly 16 participants left.¡± As Lock began a running commentary, he wondered for a short moment why he''d taken a blind girl to a spectacle such as this. ¡°The official is going around now. He has a box with a hole in it in his hands, likely drawing lots.¡± His guess was confirmed as the first participant who drew, his cousin actually, on virtue that he''d forced his way forward with an insufferable grin on his face, pulled out a piece of paper out of the box. He held it up triumphantly, revealing the number eight.
Contrary to his expectations, nobody seemed to care overly much. A few people in the crowd clapped. Likely out of pity.
It took about two minutes for everyone to have a number in their hands, after which the participants were allowed to disperse back into the edges of the arena, and the official started talking into his hand. A few seconds later a tournament bracket was seared in black text onto the pyramid barrier.
Quickly looking through it for names that he knew Lock continued talking. ¡°William, the knight accompanying the Curador we meet on the road on the way here seems to be the first one who''ll go up on stage. I don''t know his opponent though. Harald drew the number five so he will meet him in the third round, first he''ll have to go through two no-names though. Your brother drew a nine, he''s on the other side. If he meets Harald, it''ll be in the finals.¡± Mia drew a 13, so she would potentially face Ino, he would need to find an opportunity to talk to them and make one of them forfeit. In case Harald lost it would be better if they didn''t waste their energy on each other in the quarter-finals.
He wasn''t given much more time to think however as the first match was quickly announced, another official joining the previous one on stage. This one was dressed in white and red, a Curador most likely. There was something odd about the man¡¯s shadow, but considering that magic was a thing Lock didn¡¯t give it much attention beyond the cursory.
William calmly made his way onto the stage. The only thing he held was a sword, a one-hander. Odd. The man looked like a knight, shouldn''t he also have a shield, especially if he was wielding only a small-sword?
¡°They seem a bit impatient to get this on with.¡± He commented to Kamin. ¡°The first fight is about to start already. William, a knight with a sword, against someone I don''t know. Looks like a city guardsman to be honest, although he seems to be wielding a halberd.¡± He finished as the two adversaries took up positions against each other on opposite sides of the circle drawn on the stone platform.
The guardsman looked a bit old to be participating in an iron-rank tournament, seemed to be about 30. However considering William was wearing a helmet and Lock therefore couldn''t determine his age he didn''t know if he should say anything.
He looked around, furrowing his brow as the countdown began. Where was the adventuring representative? Was it the Legil? Sure, it would be convenient for the lie-detector and the representative were the same person, but weren''t there supposed to be more people around to secure a certain amount of accountability through diversity? The only officials he saw were the two nobles, odd considering the tournament was mostly composed of non-nobles.
The countdown finished. The guardsman, dressed in his stupid red uniform sprang forward immediately, halberd raised for a devastating strike aimed directly at William''s head. William... seemingly developed a death-wish at that very moment, he didn''t even attempt to dodge, simply tilting his head a bit and taking half a step to the right as he swung his sword in an arc that would never hit his opponent due to the difference in reach. The halberd slammed down on the knight''s shoulder with a brutality that made even Lock wince, the metal dented, William was shaken up and fell to the floor with a sickening crack. Not before releasing the sword he''d been swinging however and against all odds, the thing span once, twice while its owner was in the process of falling down, before impacting, tip-first, the exposed neck of the guardsman. Where it stopped floating in mid-air a string from the pyramid barrier stopping the potentially deadly blow. Some drops of blood started trickling down the man''s throat.
The match ended. William won. ¡°What an idiot.¡± Lock heard someone say from behind him. ¡°Sacrificing a shoulder for victory. Is he forgetting that this tournament has more than just one match?¡±
He looked back and saw some men dressed like bureaucrats discussing the match. He tuned them out before turning back around, just in time to see the Curador help the guardsman of the stage, holding a hand glowing green to the guardsman''s throat. The blood disappeared, and the participant left the arena through the entrance, barrier blinking to let him through.
¡°What happened?¡± Kamin asked.
¡°William sacrificed a shoulder, and therewith the whole arm to win the match.¡± Lock said as he watched the knight pick himself up, stagger out of bounds and begin pulling off his dented shoulder plate along with the rest of the armour on that arm. ¡°However, this was likely intentional. Either he only wanted to win one match, or, he has some way to recover. Stupid though, he''d need an incredible amount of Endurance to heal from that wound, and if he had it, he could have just fought normally without feeling tired afterwards. I don''t remember the Knight Class having a healing skills below level 25. Maybe he''s double-classing as a Healer? ¡± He speculated
A thought suddenly came to him. He narrowed his eyes at William, and searched out the noble cur he''d been accompanying in the crowd. It wasn''t hard considering his white-red priestly get-up and the fact that he was sitting far away from every other member of the audience. A Curador needed to be involved in the setting up of any tournament, firstly to diagnose any attempts to cheat, and secondly to stand by and make sure nobody died as the tournament commenced.
The arena, was very much a Curador territory.
He sighe. Of course, why hadn''t he thought of that. If the nobles concocted a plan to get a peasant into the military as a propaganda effort. Then why wouldn''t they attempt to jack the tournament into the favour of a peasant they''d already bought.
At this point he could only hope that the Legil wasn''t involved in this particular scheme and that none of the participants were of an obnoxiously high level.
Chapter 66
¡°The next match is between Harald and Silas. Competitors, please make your way onto the stage.¡± The moustachioed official said in a loud booming voice after the second match of the day ended. Harald mechanically started walking towards the platform, still thinking of the previous fights. Glancing to where William was seated he noted that the man''s shoulder was already starting to look less mangled.
Not an idiot then, only insane for using such a method to achieve victory. Thankfully the second fight had been fairly normal, a guy with an axe who occasionally spat some embers going up against a guy with a spear that had somehow managed to halt the former¡¯s use of the skill. No horrifying gambles, just two men going at each other with weapons to see who was better. It helped calm him to see that not all people in this tournament were crazy enough about winning that they''d sacrifice their bodies for a chance at victory.
He still wasn''t completely calm though, he noted as he suddenly found himself standing in the circle facing Silas. A 20-something man holding of all things, a bow in his hands, his only other weapon being a short-sword strapped to his hip. The man was cockily seizing him up, disregard clearly visible on his face. Why? Did the man know him from way back when he''d still been a nobody, without the sword, without the skill, without the armour? It was possible. Harald didn''t really hear the shout to begin, more like felt it vibrate in his bones as his body went on complete autopilot, thoughts still occupied with identifying his adversary.
Drawing his sword his body sprang forward, his killing intent was unsheathed and pointed directly at Silas who in opposition to his own movement, seemed completely frozen in time. The sword drew a graceful arch aimed at decapitating its foe, but was stopped at the last second before it could have done so by a white string coming from up above. Harald regained control of his body, watched as sweat visibly built up on the loser''s face, how his pupils dilated, how the realization set in.
There were a lot of things that Harald had learned in the past few weeks. However one of his greatest lessons should be more aptly referred to as a disillusionment. A disillusionment regarding the length of battles. As William had shown earlier, some fights finished before they began simply due to a plan that one of the fighters had hatched, or due to a skill that the other had no counter too.
The match was called to an end and Harald sheathed his sword and woodenly walked off the stage. He ignored the shouts of coming from Silas and went to go stand next to the group of fighters who were still in the tournament, and who were now eyeing him warily. An odd bunch really. Now that he truly looked at them, he recognized some of the faces. Like the hateful face of Sylas, stuck onto a warrior''s body, glaring hatefully at him. His brother? Harald dubbed him Silas.
A grudge had formed. What was the man''s number? Harald looked up. He couldn''t believe it, his name was actually Silas. He was also number twelve, and therefore Ino''s problem.
A hand suddenly clapped him on the shoulder causing him to twitch. ¡°Good job.¡± Ino said from his left. Harald gave him a brief nod, but his companion kept talking.
¡°You were all like, stare of death, and dash and schwing. I was almost expecting a head to actually fly once your sword made contact with his neck. Beautiful sword by the way, what skill did you use to freeze him like that? Did Lock teach it to you?¡± Ino said in rapid progression, excitement and something else Harald couldn''t identify on his face.
His thoughts swam and he eventually said the first thing that came to mind. ¡°I didn''t use any skill, I think he was just a pussy.¡± Were his words, seemingly arising from a part of him that had a love for false bravado.
¡°Shut the fuck up you stupid cunt!¡± Somebody suddenly said from behind him, Harald turned around and saw that Silas had apparently gotten close enough to the both of them to listen in on their conversation. He was clenching his fists, rage visible in his squinted eyes and blotchy face. ¡°You think I don''t remember how much of a weakling you are? You must have cheated somehow.¡± He said more quietly as he slowly approached. ¡°Admit it to the proctor and fuck off, if you do I won''t beat you within an inch of your life.¡± He said and grabbed forward with his hands, likely in an attempt to lift Harald up by his cuirass in a threatening manner.
Harald... let him, only for the man to be thrown back the moment his hands so much as brushed his leather armour. He span around, a brown blur, black hair flying, before awkwardly landing on the ground.
¡°No fighting, if you have a problem, settle it in the ring.¡± A bored voice boomed, Harald looked at the origin and saw the Curador, a serious older gentleman dressed in pristine robes looking at them contemptuously. Harald gave the man a nod, and turned to watch the next fight. He was curious how Lock''s actual cousin would hold up.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
¡°This isn''t over, I''ll get you and your gay fucking butt-buddy!¡± He heard Silas shout from behind him. Apparently he knew how to time his aggression however as he left to sulk after his threat.
¡°Did he just call me a poofter?¡± He heard Ino mutter next to him.
¡°Was he wrong?¡± Harald teased, finally feeling as if he was coming to terms with the current situation.
Ino''s hand slapping his butt brought him right back into awkwardness though.
-/-
Lock watched Ino slap Harald''s ass to the jeers of the crowd, who''d been following the little spat between his pupil and some no-name in hopes of seeing some violence. He wondered for a short moment, horrified at the possibility of Ino being gay..
Mostly because if it was indeed true, the responsibility of fathering the next generation of the Trydan''s main family would fall entirely on his shoulders.
Also because he''d shared public baths with Ino.
Had there been ulterior motives involved?
But no, immediately after the cheek clapping, a physical awkwardness developed between the two boys, and they sort of shuffled away from each other, Ino bringing up a hand to rub at the back of his head sheepishly. Then he froze. He''d used the hand which just previously had done something else. He squatted down and started rubbing it off into the grass of the field below. The crowd''s jeers, transformed into laughter.
A hand slowly rose to envelop Lock''s face. It was his own. He used his pointer and thumb to rub at his temples, and his palm to block out the view. This was too embarrassing to watch.
¡°What''s going on?¡± Kamin asked in a confused voice, causing her fianc¨¦e to sigh.
¡°The organizers apparently found two jesters to provide some entertainment between the matches. The crowd is laughing at their shenanigans.¡± Lock explained softly, daring a peek into the arena. His two idiots were just standing around awkwardly now, blushing, and looking away from each other.
His cousin was indignantly standing up on stage, likely mad at having his thunder stolen. He was facing some slip of a girl wielding two daggers who was dressed like a peasant.
An interesting match-up, Lock thought as the two organizers finally turned away from the spectacle provided to start the match. His cousin naturally did the only thing he really knew how to do at the beginning of any fight, he drew his sword, which was almost as tall as him, hefted it upwards, sprang forward, and brought it down onto the girl with a shout.
The girl, a, Melinda, simply side-stepped, giving her enemy a wary look. Likely thinking that there must be some trap involved in slamming your sword into the ground and leaving yourself wide-open. She dodged backwards. Her foe followed, swing after swing, miss after miss, he chased her around the arena in a play that was almost as hilarious as what had happened previously.
Lock commented on the fight with a dead voice as he watched the disaster unfold before his eyes. ¡°He swings, she dodges, doesn''t take the opening, circles around. He shouts something, probably about how she should fight him like a man, then swings again. She dodges. She''s laughing at him now.¡±
¡°That sounds dumb.¡± Kamin commented, and Lock couldn''t help but agree. However... His cousin wasn''t a complete idiot, he''d had the dream of swinging around a big sword since his childhood, he must have devised some tactics against the obvious counter to that particular fighting style.
Looking around the platform he tried to find something, anything that would indicate a greater plan about to unfold. The only thing he found were some drops of blood on the ground, and some chipped pieces of stone that came from his cousin incessantly swinging around his sword.
Something he wouldn''t be able to do much longer if his laboured movements were any indication. His facial expression however, showed none of the bitterness that should have been inherent in the current scenario.
Instead his eyes were roaming the platform as he made some half-hearted swings to keep his opponent on the run. Seemingly liking what he saw, he stopped. Melinda did so as well, breathing harshly, clutching her daggers and examining her adversary. An adversary who raised his sword up high, as if he was about to take a great leap forward that would put all of China to shame, before smirking, and forming a word with his lips. Suddenly every piece of gravel, every stone that had been loosened up on the platform levitated several inches upwards, before, as much as stones could, aggressively turning towards Melinda and shooting towards her.
The girls'' eyes widened. She made to jump backwards. But the stones were too fast. They enveloped her feet and she visibly tried to escape their grasp. But she was stuck, and by the wild shaking of her head, bringing her shoulder-length orange hair into disarray, she knew it. Her enemy did as well. He sprang forward and brought down the sword on the girl''s head.
Only there was no girl, but an orange cat with white spots trying to stand up amidst the gravel. Lock''s cousin tried to raise his sword from where he¡¯d slammed it down, but couldn''t, it seemed stuck. He quickly abandoned it, let it drop to the ground, stepped forward, extended a booted leg backwards, and punted the cat as hard as he could across the arena. Thankfully the feline was enveloped in a white cocoon in the last second, or else it would have likely disintegrated into a shower of blood and guts. Instead it splatted and stuck onto the the barrier right in front of Lock. Who meet the cat''s wide green eyes with his own, before extending a hand and lightly tapping the barrier. Which promptly let go off the cocoon the cat was enveloped in, and dropped it to the ground which was about 20 feet away.
The cocoon dissipated, the cat landed on its feet and ran towards the exit of the arena, yowling for all that it''s lungs were worth. ¡°Mreoooowwwww!!!¡± The orange blur quickly disappeared.
¡°There''s cat here?¡± Kamin suddenly asked.
Lock sighed, hoping that Ino would be able to win his fight.
Chapter 67
The banquet of madness that had been enveloping his surroundings ended once Parjet was called onto the stage. His black cloak swished menacingly behind him as he ascended the platform, revealing what he knew to be an intimidating amount of knives holstered on his doublet, made even more so by the blackness of the rest of his clothes. Surely they glimmered most splendiferously in the harsh sunlight. A harsh sunlight that seemed to have been sent exactly on this day with the intention of blotting out his great darkness under its harsh gaze.
However, the dark slumbering within him would not be so easily quelled. It was a powerful, if harsh mistress. A mistress that would very soon ravage the poor boy sent to battle him. Parjet felt nothing but pity of his enemy. Facing someone as dark as him was assuredly a death-sentence for someone as frail, and homosexual as this... Kamino.
Standing in front of his victim he noted that the boy was indeed dressed entirely in white, he''d been too busy to check earlier, having had an inspiration regarding his poetry that he absolutely had to write down. Tournament or no tournament. He closed his eyes and sighed, a fool who feared the dark so much that he wore only white.
What had the youth of today become? He asked himself, lamenting his fate of being born in this particular generation. They were all unfocused, unwilling and all too by the idea of happy time. Didn''t they know that only adversity bred true strength? That chasing after happiness was a false hope? It was evident, after attaining some happy time they would simply sit there and drool, and then spend the rest of the week nervously glancing around, trying to see if there was an opportunity for more. Wastes of potential. Why Parjet himself hadn''t been happy in what must have been years! This was the secret behind his prowess. This was the reason why all foes looked at him with a deadened expression when facing him.
Parjet closed his eyes and swung his right hand outwards, sending his cloak aflutter, he tastefully lowered his head so that he could only see his enemy through his eyelashes.
¡°Fool, or rather, Kamino, I see that you''ve taken on the same expression as all men who must inevitably face me, the impending shadow of death.¡± He started saying, keeping his intonation sufficiently dark for the subject matter, before reciting the poem that he''d prepared while the others had been fighting.
¡°In this wretched night of dark,
shall ye yield or shall ye hark.
I offer but one fleeting chance
before we shall commence the dance!¡±
He recited, but rather, than grow even paler, his opponent rather suddenly gained some red colouring to his face. Odd, he should have been running for the hills now, faced with his immaculate poetry. Maybe he hadn''t understood?
Parjet coughed a few times and made to recite anew, this time with better pronunciation, but was rather rudely interrupted by his adversary.
With a deathly quiet voice, the boy asked. ¡°What did you just call me?¡±
Raising an eyebrow Parjet made a wild guess at what could have so obviously offended the boy. ¡°Fool?¡± He queried, but received just a shake of the head.
He contemplated the question, the sound of jeers coming from the ungrateful crowd messing with his concentration. Furrowing his brows he made another attempt at answering the question. ¡°Well the only other thing I called you by was your name, but that''s hardly anything to get upset about.¡± He said indignantly, irked that this was what his opponent chose to focus on while he''d done so much different, amazing stuff to catch his attention.
Kamino threateningly, pointed his gnarly wooden staff at him, making Parjet worried at the metaphorical implication of such an act, before snarling out. ¡°Nobody, calls, me, by, that, name.¡± He ground out.
Parjet puffed himself up. This was ridiculous. ¡°Do you have any idea how you sound saying that. Nobody can call you by your name? What sort of rubbish is tha-?¡± He halted his tirade due to an odd feeling enveloping his chest.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
He furrowed his brows and looked down. The knives holstered onto his torso. They were vibrating. Quickly looking up he noticed an almost invisible yellow glow enveloping the tip of the mage''s staff.
The knives suddenly stopped vibrating, and started pushing him backwards. Parjet gaped at his opponent. ¡°Did you seriously start casting while I was in the middle of talking?¡± He asked, incredulous.
Kamino gave him a hateful glance. One usually reserved for insects landing in one''s food. ¡°Did you seriously start talking in the middle of the fight?¡± He asked scornfully, at which Parjet could do nothing but sputter.
He stemmed his body against the force pressing him back, starting to advance on the rapscallion. It was laborious, but worth it to see the surprise in the boys face. He was stronger than his frame suggested, darkness made sure of that. However, to his surprise, instead of retreating, the mage started coming towards him.
The force keeping them apart became stronger the closer they came together. Parjet shouted in effort as he extended his hands towards the throat of the wizard who was only a few feet away, his ribs aching something fierce. ¡°Why you little!¡± He shouted out through wheezing breaths and teary eyes.
He never saw the staff that came to rest on his forehead, and which gently pushed him backwards and off balance. This in conjunction with the forces pushing him away from the boy sent him shooting through the air for several feet before rolling a dozen more. He came to a stop at the edge of the platform, one arm hanging off of it.
Breathing in harshly Parjet quickly got to his feet, feeling quite wobbly, only to be greeted by two feet flying towards his head. These feet were naturally followed the rest of the body, and he quickly tumbled off of the platform. The last thought he had before his head cracked against ground making him lose consciousnesses was. ''Bro, just because you''re wearing robes doesn''t mean you shouldn''t put on some pants!¡¯''
-/-
What was the meaning of life? Or more specifically, his life?
Lock contemplated this question as the wizard who he definitely did not know, and who''d just drop-kicked his enemy off the stage, started wobbling around on the platform where he was now lying. He tried to pull down his robe to cover up his pasty white legs and his underwear. Looking away from the platform Lock continued to think deeply on the topic. Interrupted only by the disgusted sounds that the crowd around him was making.
Eventually coming to a conclusion, he turned his head a bit, just in time to see Ino being led off the stage, huffing and puffing wildly. He looked worse than his knocked out opponent, if one ignored the horrified expression frozen on the man''s frozen face.
The wizard would definitely need some physical training. Also some pants. Couldn''t forget that. Lock glance at Kamin, who seemed confused, likely at the countless comments condemning the wizard on stage for flashing everyone. Lock rubbed her head and messed up her hair, making her pout.
¡°You, blindness might have some advantages, you should savour while you still have it.¡± He said wistfully.
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°Nothing.¡± He said and turned back to the arena to watch the next fight. It was between Silas, a boy who''d went up to Harald and had attempted to threaten him or something, for some reason, and another girl. A girl that, now that he looked at her, was very beautiful. The crowd seemed to agree by their appreciative murmuring. Why hadn''t he noticed her before? Analysing her clothes revealed that she was wearing a coat with the hood thrown down. She''d likely had it on earlier.
Lock wasn''t able to keep looking at her clothes for long, before his gaze was once again drawn to her face. Not in a worshipful way, but in a way that one wanted to look at a beautiful weather phenomena while it lasted. Perfectly plump pink lips, pale skin, high cheekbones, cute nose and a green eyes that glimmered in contrast to her shoulder-length black hair. A vision of beauty. Her body was nothing to sneeze at either, from what he could discern through her brown baggy clothing.
Musing for a second if he could bring himself to fight such a girl seriously, Lock glanced at her opponent. Silas was standing on the platform, a conflicted look on his face, before shaking his head, making his hair fly, and joining the girl in the circle of confrontation.
The countdown to the match began, and once it started, the girl blew a kiss her foes'' direction. In response to this Silas promptly turned around, walked over to the edge of the platform, and hopped off. Once there, he seemed to regain his mental clarity, glared hatefully at Harald, and was made to leave the premises.
His opponent once again put on her hood, to the groans of the crowd, and left the platform to make way for the next match.
Lock thought that he could see the girl''s face start shimmering right before she pulled on the hood, but he didn''t pay it much attention, rather spending his time on dissecting what had just happened.
Eventually he concluded that there had to be some trick involved, be it magical or alchemical. Most likely magical consider how Silas had snapped out of his daze the moment he''d jumped off of the platform. It indicated a continuous involvement from the girl, or at least a time limit. Something most alchemy didn''t have. Well, at least not that short of a one.
He began brainstorming how to help Ino overcome his next opponent, but turned his attention to Mia once she was called on stage.
Chapter 68
¡°Why are all the women in this tournament criminally beautiful?¡± Harald grumbled as he watched the swaying hips of the red-head, who must have been dressed that way intentionally. Really? Low riding leather pants. With that waist-to-hip ratio? Was she trying to give people a heart attack? The rest of the clothing she had on wasn''t any better. Expect for a tight-clinging vest that cut off directly beneath her chest the only thing she wore on her torso was a fishnet shirt. Well if one ignored the sideways hip-pouch, a similar one being strapped to her left leg. ¡°Oh man, her skin, and the red-hair, the contrast. I can''t. It''s too much.¡± Harald groaned and slapped a hand on his face to block off his eyes.
His charade drew a chuckle out of Ino, thankfully. The boy had been feeling understandably down considering the results of his match. ¡°Maybe she''s hoping to charm her enemy into surrendering just like the last one.¡± Ino said before laughing again, the underwear fiasco seemingly forgotten. ¡°Doesn''t seem like it''ll work though, unless we''re dealing with a... homosexual.¡± He said, voice descending down to a whisper. Harald watched the boy bury his face in his hands out of the corner of his eye. He turned around to see the enemy of Mia, and immediately retracted his statement of every girl in the tournament being beautiful.
What stared at him was a woman, in the loosest term of the word. Taller and more muscular than him, dressed in tight-fitting leather. The clothing revealed the fact that she had no breasts, heavy exercise likely having shorn them right off. She also had the most hideous face that Harald had ever seen. Worsened even further by the fact that she was scowling as if someone had shat in her breakfast.
That''s when she started speaking.
It all just went downhill from there.
¡°You cunt, ruining the reputation of women everywhere.¡± Brunhilda, let''s call her Brunhilda, said as she spat to the side, hefting her war-hammer onto her shoulder as she approached the starting circle. ¡°Flaunting you looks around just to get ahead. As if only having one of you whores in this tournament wasn''t enough!¡± She bellowed in a ridiculously deep voice. It sounded like carriage going over a gravelly road. Her eyebrows furrowed as she spoke, two gigantic caterpillars forming a seagull on her face. Lips comically drawn downwards into a frown that reminded one of a bench one would find in a park.
Harald looked to Mia to see what she would answer, only to be confronted with a completely nonplussed expression. ¡°I''m sorry, do I know you?¡± She asked, confusion apparent in her tone. He couldn''t help but wince at her words. If the rogue was trying to win this match through charm, she was failing.
As if to punctuate his statement Brunhilda raised her hammer above her head giving a mighty bellow. ¡°You don''t know me? You slut, you will get to know me when I shove this hammer so far up your ass you''ll be vomiting out all the dicks you''ve sucked to get here!¡± She shouted, but refrained from charging in that very moment.
The moustachioed man who''d announced all the other matches looked dead to the world, as if the tournament up to this point had sucked out all of his life. However he still did his job, beginning the countdown.
Five seconds. That was all it took for Mia to utter something that made her enemy lose her mind. ¡°That''s no way for a man to speak to a lady.¡± She chastised seriously shaking her pointer-finger up and down at her opponent, who at this point, was literally frothing at the mouth.
Harald almost swallowed his tongue trying to suppress his laughter. He heard Ino fail at the very same thing next to him as he stumbled, choking on his giggles.
The words that Brunhilda screamed as the countdown reached zero were so incomprehensible that nobody understood them, what everyone did understand however was the passion behind her hammer as she ran towards Mia.
Afraid of seeing the beautiful woman go splat on the ground, Harald was just about to avert his eyes. That was the moment that Mia, crouched down ever so slightly, put her hand in the pouch on her hip, and sprinted towards the meat-monstrosity rushing her. She was fast, faster than Lock, and right at the mid-way point from where they were about to meet and her right leg met the ground, she flashed forward and behind Brunhilda.
Harald was too busy to see exactly what the now still woman was doing, still baffled at her speed and the fact that Brunhilda hadn''t even noticed that her foe had passed her by and was still running forward. Forward and forward, until she right off the platform and onto the ground not far away from Harald.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Because of this he was able to see the two ridiculously long needles stabbed into Brunhilda''s throat as she convulsed and frothed on the ground. Harald had just enough time to note that they were glowing an ominous purple before the healer pushed his way past him towards the fallen woman cursing all the while.
There was only one thing he could do in a situation like this, Harald concluded. He turned to Ino, who wasn''t laughing anymore, and gently implored him to. ¡°Please at least tire her out before I fight her in the finals.¡±
-/-
Lock contemplated Mia''s fight as the last one of the set commenced, by all accounts it was a banal one, two men with swords going at each other.
The ninja had grown stronger, or faster, perhaps more decisive? He couldn''t quite put his finger on it. All he knew was that the feeling he got from her was noticeably different from back when he''d said his goodbyes. More sharp, more focused.
Wondering how she''d grown to be so different in just a few weeks Lock absent-mindedly compiled the information about the participants in his head. The winner of the current fight would face the aforementioned ninja, and going by the display the both of them were giving... he needn''t worry about the results.
The match between Ino and the beautiful girl was the bigger issue. He had no idea how she''d managed to simply make her opponent walk out of bounds. Magic was a likely suspect, but it was hardly an answer that provided a good counter-strategy. The only tentative solution that he had was that Ino should blindfold himself partially, since the unnatural beauty of his opponent was likely a factor in her manipulation. He nodded, that would be the best solution, now that the girl wasn''t bearing her face to the world, he could quickly determine through a calm mind that her beauty was quite literally otherworldly. It would also be best if Ino blocked off his respiratory organs, in case the issue was alchemical. Surely he could hold his breath for at least a minute. He should be able to win his fight even while holding his breath, and blocking his vision of everything above hip-level. After all he had one staggering advantage.
One that was quite unexpected, and that stemmed from Mia entering the tournament for whatever reason. The advantage was simple. Ino could go all out, waste all of his mana on the beautiful girl. Because in his match against Mia, he would surrender. There was no point in having two of his allies fight and waste resources on each other. It was all quite easy in the end, counter-measures and plans adapted from the information that he had.
The biggest issue stemmed from the other side of the bracket. Lock wasn''t worried about Harald fighting his cousin. Despite his good showing against the cat-girl, Harald had killing intent, he had an amazing sword, and he had experience sparring against Lock, a much more difficult opponent. His cousin didn''t really stand a chance.
No, what he was worried about was William. The contestant likely sponsored by the Curadors. Someone with a freakishly high healing ability, if the fact that he was currently spinning around his arm freely was any indication. An arm which had been mangled not an hour before. The only silver lining was the opponent he would face before Harald. The spear-wielding Kalen, who possessed an interesting ability that Lock had been surprised to see in a place like this. It was a more subtle thing, but its use had been apparent when Kalen''s enemy had suddenly become incapable of spitting fire anymore, something he''d seemed overly fond of.
Silence. Was the name of the effect, not the skill itself. Lock didn''t know which variation Kalen had, but any one of them could be immensely useful. Even the weakest variety of Silence, which only stopped an enemy from using one of their skills or magical abilities, would have to be used on whatever William was using to heal himself since that was the only skill he''d actually shown off.
It all depended on how long the silence would last, something Lock simply did not know. There weren''t really any statements Lock could make about the fight. While Kalen could cancel the healing of his enemy, therefore potentially disabling the fighting style of trading a wound for a kill, William was still armoured, which was a big issue considering Kalen only had a spear. There was one thing he knew however, and that was that it would be better if Kalen won. Therefore he was going to try to cheat.
He''d only seen the barrier halt physical attacks before, so it might just be possible that it didn''t halt killing intent. It was better to try it out now on Harald, so that he could pass it off as a simple joke instead of a serious attempt to mess with the results of a match. He built up the murderous intent, sent it forward, and saw Harald continue on with whatever he was doing, giving no indication he''d felt something. The barrier in front of him, however was gaining a tinge of red colour.
Damn it. The barrier blocked it.
Lock cut of the killing intent and sighed, glancing at William who was leaning on the outer edge of the arena, right beneath his Curador friend who was sitting on the lowest step. The Curador was moving his lips. They appeared to be talking about something. Strategy? Unnecessary considering there was going to be a break in which the associates of the fighters could go downstairs and talk with the competitors.
Perhaps they were afraid of eavesdroppers.
Lock turned his attention back to the fight downstairs, which appeared to be nearing its conclusion,
Chapter 69
Lock made his way downstairs and into the arena after the break was announced. He had some things to say to Harald and Ino, and as he entered the grassy fields surrounding the stone platform he finally nailed down what exactly.
Joining the two, who had been watching him approach while sitting against a wall, while the other fighters mingled with their supporters, he began speaking. ¡°Good job, both of you.¡± He said with a nod, at which the two exchanged a confused look. Rolling his eyes Lock continued. ¡°Harald, it seems to me that killing intent was effective enough for you to easily win the match. However, don''t discount the possibility that your enemy was simply a coward and thus affected more.¡±
Harald nodded. ¡°It might be a family thing. His brother also lost due to a mind-trick, probably.¡± He said, at which Lock tilted his head.
¡°Brother?¡± He queried and nodded after Harald explained the kinship of Sylas and Silas. ¡°Might be a genetic predisposition, but whatever. You''re fighting my cousin next. Any plan?¡± He asked.
¡°Tire him out, as you said. He became exhausted while fighting Melinda already, while I''m fresh, it shouldn''t be hard.¡± His pupil said before pausing. ¡°Wait I can''t do that, if I let him attack for too long he''s just going to trap me.¡± He said with a sigh.
¡°Let me propose a strategy.¡± Lock began, seeing something out of the corner of his eye and quickly ordering his thoughts. ¡°The rubble that was used to entrap the cat-girl is getting cleared off the platform.¡± He said with a nod towards the Legil official who was waving his hands at the rocks, making them fly off. ¡°So he''ll need to create it anew if he wants to use his entrapment skill. I say you let him, and use the lowest level of your intimidation skill during that time. He''s smart enough to suspect something if he feels nothing, considering how you won your first fight, but he''s prideful enough to simply brush off your bare minimum intimidation as your first opponent simply being weak. I noticed earlier that he needs to speak to activate the skill, so, when you hear him say the magic word. Bam, crank it up to the max, his casting will likely be disrupted and he''ll be tired from creating all that rubble. In that moment, go in, and finish it.¡± Lock finished, noting the visible confusion in Harald''s eyes. Likely at the use of intimidation instead of killing intent. There was nothing to be done though, Ino was sitting right there and as they''d discussed, Lock would prefer him not knowing.
¡°You sure he''ll try to use the same strategy?¡± Ino suddenly piped up.
Lock shrugged. ¡°It''s the only thing I''ve seen him do, so it''s the only thing we can prepare for. Do keep in mind that he might have hidden aces up his sleeves of course.¡± He said, at which Ino nodded, and dropped the issue.
¡°I understand.¡± Harald eventually said. ¡°I''m pretty sure I could just beat him in a straight out sword-fight though now that I think about it. Should I really waste my own stamina on him?¡±
Lock stared at him. ¡°You might be right. If you notice it''s not working, you can still fall back on the other strategy.¡± He concluded. Master and student nodded at each other, before the former turned to his brother-in-law.
¡°Okay, your turn. Any idea what that beautiful girl used to make Silas basically surrender?¡± He asked.
Ino nodded at the change of attention and began speaking. ¡°It''s charm, basically. A skill that makes the enemy fall in love with you. Or more like, it amplifies any love that was already there. So for example if you''re a girl, and it''s used on you by a girl, it will only have a slight effect. However if you''re a man who really likes beautiful girls with green eyes and black hair, then you''re in for a bad time. You''ll refuse to fight them, for example, even if you should.¡± He explained succinctly.
Lock nodded. ¡°Any counter-strategies?¡± He asked, at which Ino simply shrugged with a helpless look on his face.
¡°Well, pain, I guess. But I don''t think I''ll remember to hurt myself if I''m under her thrall. It seems very distracting.¡± He eventually said and sighed.
¡°How about covering up your eyes so that you can''t see her face? It''s the main feature considering the clothes that she''s wearing. She''ll hardly strip if she notices that her skill isn''t working due to you only looking below her waistline.¡± Lock suggested.
Ino smiled ruefully. ¡°If I did that she''d just throw a dagger at me, or something else. I don''t know about you, but I can''t dodge or block that without seeing it.¡±
¡°How about using some linen that''s thin enough to see through, but makes everything blurry?¡± Lock asked, at which Ino nodded with a thoughtful expression.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°I''ll have Harald cut some strips of cloth off of my robe later. Any other suggestions?¡± He asked
¡°Yes, block your nose somehow. She might be or using some sort of alchemy product that forces attraction, or lust, through the use of the olfactory senses.¡± Lock said, at which Ino grinned.
¡°Sounds stupid, I''ll do it.¡± He said. ¡°Guess I''ll need a bit more from my robe huh.¡± He muttered.
¡°Also, regarding the pain thing. I would suggest that you just take a dagger and stab yourself somewhere non-lethal.¡± Lock said with a serious expression. Ino looked at him as if he''d seen a ghost, and then shook his head.
¡°No way.¡± He said.
¡°Pussy.¡± Lock replied. ¡°At least stick a stone or something in your shoe then.¡± He said.
¡°Alright...¡± Ino replied and started glancing at the ground around himself in search of stones, obviously going to great lengths to keep Lock in the corner of his eye. Likely afraid of getting stabbed.
Which was a ridiculous fear to be perfectly honest. If Lock just went and stabbed Ino in front of all these witnesses then he''d get arrested.
¡°One last piece of good news. Mia is on my side, so in the next match just use as much mana as you want and forfeit against her.¡± Lock said, at which Ino visibly relaxed and leaned back, stopping his search of a stone.
¡°You should have just started with that.¡± He complained, relief evident on his face. ¡°This will be easy. She''s got no chance.¡±
¡°You won''t tell me to surrender as well will you?¡± Harald asked suspiciously with narrowed eyes. Short brown hair bristling a bit. Unlike Ino he''d been planning to enter the tournament the whole time, and thus naturally wanted to win it.
Lock shook his head and turned to leave. ¡°No, I''ll go talk to her and tell her to surrender if she meets you in the finals.¡± He said before beginning towards Mia, who was leaning against a partly shaded wall of the arena, talking to some guy. The winner of the very last match? The insignificant one.
¡°Come on baby, let''s have a little fun together and I''ll forfeit.¡± The man was saying while standing in front of the ninja in a blustering manner.
¡°No.¡± Mia dead-panned at him.
Deciding that this was a conversation that did not deserve his politeness Lock simply stepped forward and began speaking to his former subordinate, completely disregarding the other male.
¡°Hey, I see that you found me.¡± He as in lieu of a greeting, making fun of the fact that he''d told her to find him all those ¡®years¡¯ ago, but that in the end he''d been the one seeking her out.
¡°Don''t you see that we''re having a conversation here buddy?¡± The harasser asked, puffing up his chest and threateningly laying a hand on Lock''s shoulder.
Turning around to muster the unimpressive and unassuming man, he was just about to tell him to fuck off, perhaps with a bit of killing intent involved, before Mia beat him to the punch.
Suddenly there were two senbon lightly touching the man''s nether regions, and Mia with a sickening smile and murder in her eyes, started counting down from five.
The man scrambled away before she even got to three.
Suffice to say Lock was impressed. Although the effect was slightly ruined by how the girl turned to him afterwards with a beet-red face and barely stuttered out a greeting, before coughing and managing to compose herself.
¡°You said you were participating in the tournament.¡± She pointed out with a smile, at which he could do nothing but sigh. He clearly remembered saying that he would be found at the tournament, not that he would fight in it.
¡°I said I would be present, but not that I would be a competitor. Spectating has its own charm.¡± He said
¡°I see.¡± She muttered. Thoughts clearly firing through her head.
¡°Did you not see me in the stands?¡± He asked with a raised eyebrow.
¡°I did, once I saw that you weren''t in the arena. Although I also considered it possible that you were participating, under a disguise that is.¡± She answered.
¡°Why continue fighting here then?¡± Lock asked curiously. ¡°The entire point of you coming here was to find me.¡± He elaborated.
The girl seemed a bit taken aback at the question, shrinking in on herself a bit. ¡°Well, I thought that I''d show you how strong I am by fighting here...¡± She whispered while tapping her pointer-fingers against each-other and pouting.
¡°Oh, I thought that you''d gleaned the message hidden within the fact that I brought two friends to fight in the tournament and were attempting to help me set everything up.¡± Lock said nonchalantly, enjoying seeing the girl freeze.
¡°What hidden message?¡± She asked before furrowing her brows. ¡°Wait no, bringing people to participate. You obviously want one of the rewards. You don''t need the monetary rewards of place four and three, and the military academy admission isn''t transferable, so you must be after the magical academy.¡± She quickly concluded, impressing Lock.
¡°Yes, the magical academy shall be the staging ground of your test, therefore it would be useful if I could get that admission.¡± He said.
Mia nodded. ¡°I see, I will forfeit if I enter the finals.¡± She said decisively.
¡°With the admission to the military academy also on the line, it would be better if you didn''t forfeit unless you''re fighting one of my friends, Harald.¡± Lock amended, at which Mia nodded before a confused expression passed over her face.
¡°Wait, Harald, isn''t that the man from the dungeon?¡± She asked and looked over to where the aforementioned man was chatting with Ino to check.
¡°Yes, but it isn''t very important, he didn''t seem to recognize you, and who could fault him, it seems like almost 40 chapters ago.¡± Lock answered quickly and beckoned the ninja to return to the previous topic.
¡°So you want me to fight in the finals unless I meet Harald there?¡± Mia asked once to affirm that she''d understood correctly.
Lock shook his head and he brought up a hand to run it through his hair. ¡°No.¡± He said with a sigh. ¡°I don''t want you to fight in the finals, I want you to kill in the finals.¡±
Chapter 70
Mia had been, to a certain extent, disconcerted with the order that he''d given her and thus Lock had left her alone. He hoped for her sake that she was bothered by the difficulty of the venture, rather than the morality. If it was the latter, he sadly did not see them collaborating in the future. Something that she still seemed to want, going by the fact that she''d appeared here.
Originally he hadn''t wanted to spring anything on her, slowly easing her into the mission he''d devised for her. However the admission to the military academy that was now at stake complicated things.
Lock saw great potential in having an inside man inside of the military, and this meant that if Harald lost against William, it would be better for William to die. The way that the situation should develop afterwards, with some prodding, should go along the lines of Ino surrendering to Harald in the fight for third, now second place, and Mia saying she would prefer the admission rather than the military, thusly granting Harald his officer fast-track. The possibility of his student losing against his cousin never entered his mind.
As he was about to leave for the stands however, all matters worthy of discussion being done with, he was accosted by William, who must have remembered him.
¡°You''re one of those peasants we met on the road aren''t you?¡± He asked in lieu of a proper greeting as he blocked his path.
At least he extended a hand, the un-armoured one. Lock shook it and used the opportunity to gauge for strength by gripping as hard as he could. William returned the gesture, and they met somewhere in the middle. The knight was about as strong as him though, or maybe he was holding back.
¡°I wouldn''t dare say that we met, but rather that we were forcibly acquainted with a pair of... impressive... personalities.¡± Lock returned in his best aristocratic drawl while upturning his nose at the slightly taller man and letting the hints of a sneer appear on his face.
Instead of being offended William simply laughed it off. ¡°You a noble or something?¡± He asked, prompting Lock to shrug.
¡°Or something.¡±
¡°Well whatever.¡± The man said unfazed by his words. ¡°I wanted to ask you another question. Am I right in assuming that you want something from this tournament? You talked with three competitors, two of whom I know you''re acquainted with.¡±
¡°I wouldn''t say no to some of the prizes offered.¡± Lock admitted.
William nodded and continued speaking. ¡°But you''re not participating, even while dressed like a fighter. Considering that your friends aren''t too shabby, I''d say that you''re probably too high level, rather than the opposite.¡±
As much as Lock liked getting his ego stroked, there was a limit to his patience. ¡°Get to the point within a minute, or I''m leaving.¡± He said.
¡°We ''Curadors'' always need some strong people to form a symbiosis with our healers. You''ve probably heard of the bond, what you probably don''t know is that it''s a form of marriage really. Legally speaking, you become a quasi-noble, albeit only for one generation. All you gotta do in return is protect the healer, which naturally includes a certain preferential treatment when it comes to getting healed.¡± William quickly explained, probably vexed that he was being forced to get on with it this quickly.
Lock noticed the slip of the tongue. ¡°Preferential treatment when it comes to getting healed. I hardly see why you need such a thing, you seem perfectly capable yourself.¡± He said and nodded at the man''s fully healed and bare arm.
A pause occurred in the conversation before William eventually spoke. ¡°I didn''t say you couldn''t learn a thing or two.¡± He said. ¡°Contact me or the house if you''re willing to consider the offer. You''ll have to pass some tests, but we''re creating a lot of new healers due the possibility of future conflict and that means lots of spots for new defenders. Maybe you''ll even snag a girl.¡± He added saucily at the end, and Lock just imagine the wink even through the helmet.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Giving the man an up and down look Lock made to leave. ¡°I''ll think about it, good luck with your match.¡± He said.
William bid him farewell and let him leave.
The magical academy was a place that Lock needed so that he could finally determine the extent of his magical potential, and if he had any, fully concentrate on learning how to heal. However the Curadors were the leaders of the field for a reason, and might even offer better tutelage...
The only thing they''d ask in return would be servitude and likely a vow, of the unbreakable variety.
Lock shook his head as he ascended the stairs to the stands, chiding himself for even thinking about it. Non serviam. He tried to put the conversation out of his mind as he rejoined Kamin in the stands, glad to see that she''d remained unmolested while he''d been gone. He chatted with her a bit and then turned back towards the arena once the break ended, fully expecting to be capable of concentrating on the fight.
Some of the phrasing that William had used stuck with him however.
He''d clearly said, ''we''re creating a lot of new healers'', which implied that healers were not taught, but made. At least in the Curador sense. The thoughts sprang around in the back of his mind as the beginning of the fight was announced and Kalen dramatically pointed his spear at William.
Now that he was paying attention, and expecting the silence skill to be used, Lock was able to glimpse a small distortion of air travel from the spear-man to the knight, where it dissipated, seemingly harmlessly.
However from the arrogant charge that Kalen initiated immediately after, that was how the skill was supposed to behave and there was nothing to worry about.
The two men entered a fast pace melee. William indeed acting like he did not want to be injured, avoiding all of the spear strikes while only attempting a few dubious retaliations.
The knight had also said that if one entered the Curador household as a defender, then one could learn a thing or two. However Lock had the sense that the man had been lying.
William deflected another strike from the spear, which for most of the fight had been aimed directly at his unarmoured arm. He was getting pushed back and would likely lose soon.
There was another thing that had been said, that had to Lock''s ears, sounded like it was laden with implications. Defenders got preferential treatment when it came to healing. Now either William was a terrible conversationalist. Or there was something else hidden behind that statement. Hadn''t he also mentioned a symbiosis? Hardly a word that was used very often and the very appearance of it made him wonder what that symbiosis entailed.
The crowd gasped and Lock immediately turned his attention back to the field. William upper arm had been stabbed clear through, in a manner that would have been impossible to achieve without the use of some sort of skill. There was bone there. However William''s hand, despite the pain that he was probably in, rose and grasped the spear by its shaft.
He stepped forward, the spear entering him even more deeply, Kalen, foolishly enough choose not to let go, but to instead tug on his weapon. William''s sword flashed up, and was stopped by a white string right before it would have slashed fully into Kalen''s head.
The match was called to an end, but instead of bothering with the gasps from the crowd, the excited chatter, and the naming of the victor, Lock was looking at the Cur-Curador. The healer to William''s defender. The man who he''d, by his own inadvertent admission, formed a symbiosis with. The cur was still moving his lips. He was far away on one of the other sides of the stands, but this much, Lock could tell.
Looking back to the arena Lock saw that the wound William had taken was bleeding a lot less than it should be. It was healing, probably, despite the silence likely still being in effect. It could hardly last less than three minutes could it?
Perhaps William was getting his healing from another source?
There was no harm in testing his hypothesis... Lock turned to the cur in the stands, and sent a sharp spike of killing intent towards him. He felt the willpower travel around the barrier until it reached the boy, who, upon its arrival, jolted and almost feel down.
Not that Lock could see, he was focused entirely on William. William who''d been walking upright and proudly, despite being helped off the platform by the Legil. William who stumbled the second that Lock''s killing intent reached its recipient.
A smile came unbidden to Lock''s face. He continued sending killing intent to the cur. A continuous stream of murderous intentions. Lock hoped the boy choked on them. And by the shaking, it was looking like he would get his wish.
Chapter 71
Harald watched worriedly as William groggily leaned against the edge of the arena, right underneath his Curador friend who wasn''t looking very well either. They were both pale and shaking. The knight was obviously in his condition due to the puncture wound going straight through his upper arm. But Harald could not discern why the Curador was distressed.
Was there some sort of connection between the two, and if one got injured the other felt it?
He didn''t have the time to ruminate on this topic as he was quickly called onto the platform to face Lock''s cousin. He saw the tournament healer talking quietly with the knight, likely asking him if he wanted to forfeit.
Only losers would receive healing before being dismissed. This was a rule.
¡°Looking at your future?¡± Lock''s cousin taunted as Harald joined him in the circle of confrontation.
Sparing the man a glance, still the same, overly muscled, metal arm guards, large sword, Harald off-handedly shot him a reply as he started mentally preparing himself for this fight. ¡°Shut up Lock''s cousin.¡± He said, which visibly enraged the man.
Technically he knew his name, he just didn''t want to use it. Lock''s cousin had a certain ring to it...
Drawing his sword Harald felt the experience of the shades reverberate through it, begging to be unleashed. However his payment of one vitality point a month had recently expired, and he was not interested in refreshing his subscription for now. The lessons of the past had already helped him enough, he didn''t need them right now.
Not here.
The match began and Harald immediately rushed forward, putting forth only the slightest amount of killing intent that still counted as using the skill. Lock''s cousin''s eye twitched and he grinned. Harald went for a diagonal slash across the torso. Only for his enemy to quickly back off, slamming his sword tip down onto the ground before him, halting any further attacks.
A sword big enough to serve as a shield. How ridiculous. Not quite knowing what to do in this particular situation Harald simply stopped where he was, and lowered his sword languidly. Lock''s cousin was using more stamina to simply balance the thing than Harald was by standing there. He could wait.
And wait he did, all he did was circle around and watched his opponent drag his cumbersome hunk of steel around to continue blocking him. Lock''s cousin would receive a warning soon. Too much time spent idle was a reason for disqualification. By the man''s gritted teeth he knew this as well, deciding that he might as well go down in a blaze of glory he lifted up his sword and rushed towards Harald.
There was something deeply disturbing about being charged with a sword that was almost as tall and wide as him, but Harald managed to dodge the wide sweeping slash by rolling underneath it, and the following diagonal one by jumping backwards. It had almost gotten him however, there was a lesson to be learned here. Something about not dodging backwards when faced with a long attack, but to rather dodge sideways. However Harald had other priorities than ruminating on that particular factoid at the moment. Lock''s cousin''s sword impacted the ground harshly with a clang.
Harald jumped forwards, sword extended and stabbed at his foe''s torso. Only for an arm to be raised and the strike to be deflected via arm brace. The same arm then extended forward in an attempt to grab in.
In retaliation Harald simply jumped back again, happy to contend with simply being out of reach. Albeit he was cursing at himself on the inside. Had he used the full power of his killing intent during that attack he would have likely won due to his opponent staggering for a second.
Maybe next time. He''d gotten the last attack in again, which meant Lock''s cousin would be the first warned for idleness.
He began pacing around his opponent again. Lock''s cousin was tiring, he could hear him breathing, even through the noise that the crowd was making.
Lock had mentioned that he was prideful...
Harald locked eyes with his foe, and pointedly looked away from him after he did so. Searching out his teacher in the stands, he found him looking at his knees and laughing at something.
Throwing himself to the side Harald dodged a sword swing that would have bisected him. Well, probably not, considering the defence mechanism.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Glancing at William revealed that the healing process still hadn''t started. Lock''s cousin roared as he charged him again, visibly red in the face, although it might have been from simple anger. The large sword was extended towards the sky in a show of gross miss-positioning. This was what Harald had been waiting for.
He ramped up his killing intent and sprang forward, Lock''s cousin froze and his sword slipped from dead fingers. Compliments to him, he only froze for less than a second. However, that was enough for the situation to become non-salvageable. A white thread stopped Harald''s sword for the second time that day. A clatter resounded as the hunk of metal met the ground. The match was called to an end, and Lock''s cousin took an enraged swing at Harald''s face.
-/-
¡°Idiot.¡± Lock sighed as he watched his cousin angrily attempt to punch Harald in retaliation for losing the match. An attempt was all that it stayed at however, as the punch was halted, and the aggressor violently thrown off the platform by a bunch of white strings working together. His sword followed soon thereafter.
Harald seemed slightly shaken standing on the arena, but he composed himself quickly and left once he did. He was doing quite well, Lock had to admit, in terms of mentality and his progression in the tournament.
It might not have been the most fluent fight, but it had been well-thought out.
¡°What happened?¡± Kamin asked, worry in her voice. ¡°Is Harald okay?¡± She continued.
Lock took a moment to reaffirm that his killing intent was still working, even as he was doing something else. It was, just not as strongly. He turned to answer his fianc¨¦e. ¡°He''s perfectly fine. Did something very smart even. His opponent was wielding a very heavy weapon and he managed to disrupt him mid-swing. This lead to a loss of control over the centrifugal forces inherent in swinging around a large weapon. He was able to win off of that move.¡± He explained.
Kamin nodded, which was an odd gesture in on itself. Did blind people nod? ¡°And the idiot?¡± She asked.
¡°With idiot I meant his opponent, who tried to hit Harald after the match was over. He''s been dealt with.¡± Lock said shortly, feeling a tinge of shame for his relation. Kamin sneered, and wasn''t that an odd facial expression on a girl her age?
¡°Good.¡± She said.
Wondering if he should be afraid that his fianc¨¦e would find love with another man Lock returned his attention to the match, and to sustaining the pressure on the Curador.
With how things were going, Ino only needed to win his match and everything would be set.
-/-
Ino breathed in deeply as he was called onto the platform. Mostly this was an attempt to calm himself, after all he was embarrassing himself for the third time today. First the butt incident, then the underwear one, and now...
Now he was going on stage with a slightly shredded and dirty white robe, wearing a blindfold, and a pair of nose-plugs. He heard some of the audience laughing. It wasn''t much, and only a dozen or so people needed to chuckle slightly for him to hear it. A dozen out of the thousand spectators was good right?
Trying his darndest to see through the blindfold, everything was a blurry mess, he climbed the stairs, and faced his enemy of the day. Lily, in the circle of confrontation.
A circle that he needed some time to find, due to his impaired vision. A few more people joined in on the laughter. Gripping his staff Ino gritted his teeth. He wasn''t used to being ridiculed. He was the heir to a noble family who hadn''t left his home-town often and who was fairly beloved by the people.
He reconciled himself with the thought that soon, nobody was going to be laughing anymore. He''d been given the clear to go all out, to waste all his mana in one attack. He''d been cleared to make a lasting statement about the power of the Trydans. To everybody.
The moment he heard the Legil announce the start of the match Ino started gathering up his electrically based mana in the middle of his body. It went in and in seemingly without pause, until the process was halting by the singing of an angel.
It was beautiful. Why was he trying to use his most powerful spell in the presence of such a being? Didn''t he care that the indiscriminate electrical discharge might hurt it? How dare he? Unconsciously he started funnelling the electricity that he''d gathered until now back into his reserves.
He didn''t need it, did he?
Turning around towards the voice Ino ripped off his blindfold to behold a shimmering woman dressed in a gown of white floating right outside of the platform, she was moving her lips with the accordance of the song being sung. His body started staggering towards her, while his mind was but a hapless spectator ripped between the states of being enchanted, not wanting to be enchanted, and wanting to be enchanted.
There was a prideful part inside of him however, and it was decisively on the side of not wanting to be enchanted however. This prideful part held just enough willpower, that it managed to create a tiny spark with the mana that had not yet been reabsorbed.
Now a tiny spark didn''t sound like much, but this was electricity. If one handled it while not completely there mentally, one was prone to get hurt. This was exactly his goal, pain. The best cure for illusions. His hand twinged and cramped under the assault of electricity that he''d created within his closed fists, and the angel in his vision disappeared.
So did the song.
So did the previously unnoticed mana connection leading not to the opponent that he was supposed to have been facing. But rather the Legil, the officiator of the tournament. Trying to comprehend what exactly was happening Ino was unable to stop himself from falling over the edge of the platform when someone suddenly pushed him from behind.
Tumbling to the ground arms extended he barely managed to avoid breaking his neck.
The call of his defeat followed immediately after the conclusion that he''d reached about the next plan of action.
Talk to Lock.
Chapter 72
Lock sighed as he watched Ino tumble off the platform, revealing his underpants to the audience one last time. At least he''d fought it, if the fact that the girl had had to shove him was any indication.
He also thought that he''d seen something flash in the boy''s right hand, and while it could have been a trick of the light, he wasn''t going to exclude the possibility of it being an attempt. At something.
¡°Ino lost, it seems that even without precautions the mental attack was too strong. He did break out of it in the end though, and had to be pushed off the platform.¡± He said to Kamin, who for once in a show of petulance turned away from him.
¡°No.¡± Was all she had to say to accompany the gesture. Although the clear disbelief and the slight amount of hurt held in the word was enough to tell a story all of its own.
Not knowing how to deal with the situation, he was just about to wing it when he felt someone approaching him from behind. Suffice to say he spun around and put a hand on his sword. A gesture that turned out to be unnecessary, as it was just his future brother-in-law. He was huffing and puffing as if he''d ran a marathon and while he had come here very quickly, one flight of stairs was not supposed to be enough to elicit such a reaction.
Affirming once again that his killing intent was still working its magic, it was, Lock threw an inquisitive glance Ino''s way. The boy sat down next to him and bid him to listen. All through some very deep breaths naturally.
Leaning in close Lock sharpened his hearing, hoping that he would hear some good news. ¡°It wasn''t my opponent committing the mental attack, it was the Legil.¡± Ino whispered into his ear, and thusly destroyed any chances of this tournament going down as easily as Lock had hoped.
There was a need for some rational thinking, but first Lock would use this new information to smooth some rustled feathers. Turning around to Kamin he leaned in close to her ear and considering her sitting position, nearly hugged Lemmings'' torso as he did so. ¡°I''m sorry for doubting your brother, you were right, there was some foul play involved.¡± Was all he said before he returned to his place and delving into his thoughts.
There was perhaps a question of the validity of Ino''s information. However to be perfectly frank, Ino probably knew more about magic than him, and had, to his credit, actually been involved in the fight. The information was to be treated as reliable, since any other possibility would simply lead him down the path of eternal confusion.
It was a bit obvious really. The Curadors had their participant in William, and the Legil''s had theirs in beautiful girl. The only issue now was, that while he''d foiled the Curadors, he didn''t know how he could foil the Legil. Considering it was him that did the level checks, it was perfectly possible that beautiful girl was actually overpowered for this tournament, and was just passing by with mind tricks and with cheating to not bring attention to her falsified levels. Perhaps that was why she was so pretty. An illusion to make her appear younger? Which woman wouldn''t choose to also make herself prettier if she got such an opportunity?
But no, that was too broad a conclusion. If she was a high level experienced adventurer then she would have some way of winning her fights without outside interference. The fact that the Legil had intervened made it more likely that she was just some nobody.
Now the question became. How could he stop the Legil from fucking up his plans. Per-
He was rattled out of his thoughts by Ino shaking him, looking down into the arena revealed that Mia had just won her fight while he hadn''t been paying attention.
Having one possible method at stopping the Legil wasn''t worth shit if he went down there and was therefore unable to put pressure on the Curador though...
Looking over he determined that the cur had managed to right himself up, his killing intent was definitely weaker without all his attention. The cur was moving his lips again. William was starting to look better.
Lock blasted the healer again, sending him back into catatonia. He looked at Ino, who was worriedly looking at the Legil down below.
¡°Ino.¡± He started and pointed towards the Curador in the stands. ¡°I have a job for you. Go to the Curador and distract him as much as you can, he''s been somehow healing his friend. I need to go down and won''t be able to disrupt him for some time.¡± He quickly explained this as he got up and started speed-walking towards the stairs leading down. The pause had been called. This meant Lock had to go down now, while he still had time.
Rushing down the stairs, skipping several at a time he pulled a vial from his pouch and chugged it down. Once he emerged from the stairwell he patted Harald, who had been waiting at the entrance, on the shoulder, before making a beeline directly to Mia. She was standing around on the other side of the field and turned to him curiously once she saw him approach.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Good job on your fight.¡± He greeted her as he started steering the both of them towards the edge of the arena where less people were likely to overhear them.
Mia preened under his compliment, pushing out her chest slightly. Lock was too distracted by the current events to take a look and simply took a hold of the girl once they''d reached the wall and pushed her against it. He rested his head on her shoulder, felt her arms envelop him in a hug and her head doing the same.
¡°The Legil is cheating. He''s the one using mental skills to make people walk off when against beautiful girl.¡± He whispered, and felt Mia freeze for a moment. Likely processing the information. Her hands started roaming over his back, although he was hard-pressed to feel it through his chain-mail.
¡°Do you have a plan?¡± She asked quietly, directly into his ear. He could feel her hot breath wash over the appendage.
¡°Yes, I have potion resting in my stomach at the moment, it lowers the mind''s susceptibility to outside influences.¡± He said back. ¡°Do you have anything?¡± He asked and felt her hesitation.
¡°Foreign influence dampener, it does the same thing. Helps me keep my mind and body my own.¡± She whispered back.
¡°Good, you''re amazing.¡± Lock replied. Her grip on him tighten. ¡°Now kiss me and remember to swallow.¡± He ordered and started drawing back.
They both slowly disentangled themselves from each other, although Lock brought up his hands to gently grip her face. The love-stricken expression on her face was very convincing. He internally complimented her immense acting skills as he closed his eyes and brought their lips together.
It was pleasant, soft, and warm. He shoved his tongue forward to open her mouth and she clumsily replied. Using his new skill stomach storage, along with iron gut, which he''d gained from levelling up Vanguard and which allowed him to safely store potions inside his body, he regurgitated the potion that he''d drank while jumping down the stairs, straight into her mouth.
He felt some of the precious liquid escape and travel down his throat in the first few seconds of his still imperfect usage of the skill, before Mia caught on and drank all of what he had to give. They parted after a while, panting, red-faced and in a mirror image of each other brought up some cloth to wipe the starkly purple potion drops off their mouths.
Lock laid a hand on Mia''s shoulder to stabilize the girl, she seemed a bit wonky and confused. It took a few moments for her eyes to uncloud and her breathing to even out. He nodded at her, leaving her with one last good luck before he turned around and headed towards Harald.
Only to be intercepted by the Legil, who was twirling his moustache like the villain he was.
¡°A word if you please.¡± The main said in a cultured and amicable tone. Sighing Lock stopped and turned to the man.
¡°What''s up.¡± He greeted with an annoyed voice, disregarding decorum for the moment.
The man seemed unbothered and took this as a sign to continue the conversation. ¡°I couldn''t help but notice that you have quite a few candidates in the competition.¡± He began. ¡°Which likely means you want something, may I be as bold as to ask what that is?¡± He finished with a question.
Lock stared into the man''s blue eyes, trying to discern what he was getting at when he suddenly felt something. A tickle, or more like, an uninvited insect crawling and burrowing its way inside his brain and purveying his thoughts with voyeuristic glee.
A Legil, a mind-magician.
Lock did the only thing he could think of in this particular situation. He cleared his mind as if he was meditating and brought up a string of memories of him doing physical exercise as his speech went on auto-pilot.
¡°My friends have always wanted to become famous adventurers, I''m doing my best to help them.¡± His body said blithely as he continued remembering the long hours spent training in the past.
The Legil''s eye twitched and he seemingly lost patience. ¡°I''m sure it has nothing to do with the Trydan''s also wanting to get a man inside the military.¡± He shot back.
¡°Not at all.¡± Lock instinctively answered.
¡°Look kid, this entire thing was our idea, you can''t just come in here expecting to steal the results from us. Especially with only the backing of such an irrelevant family. I''ll give you a choice here, because you got here fair and square, from what I can tell. You can have the second prize and everything beneath it, it doesn''t matter. However the first one is ours, one way or another.¡± The man said, brazenly threatening him in broad daylight.
¡°What''s the other way?¡± Lock couldn''t help but ask, also considering if he should ask for some payment for throwing the tournament.
The man looked at him as if he were a child. ¡°Then the winner disappears, never being heard from again and the first prize falls to second place, if we don''t have second place, then third place, and so on.¡± He said simply.
Lock blinked at the man. Finally brought back into his own mind. Thankfully the mind-probe had retreated by now.
Thinking about it for a bit, he bitterly determined that honestly speaking there wasn''t much he could do in this situation. He had no power, the only leverage he had was that the Legil likely thought he had the Trydan''s fully behind him due to the heir of the family being present. It would be better to fall back now, he could still get the magical academy admission. He hadn''t even heard of the military officer track being offered until two days ago. It had simply been a side-goal. It galled to be beaten like this by somebody who wasn''t even willing to use their brain to solve the issue, but simply utilized brute force in the form of them having power and him having none. The situation also made it infeasible to demand a pay-off for forfeiting. The only ground he had to stand on was fake.
¡°Alright.¡± Lock said with a sigh and some tension bled out of the Legil. ¡°I''ll tell Mia, the girl back there.¡± He said, while pointing backwards towards the ninja. ¡°To surrender if Harald wins his fight, therefore securing second place. I''ll tell the boy to surrender in the break before the finals, or at least to lose convincingly.¡± He said, the Legil nodding, seemingly pleased.
Lock turned back, adapted a confident posture, and started walking towards Mia. He needed to spin this in a way that he would still come out as someone competent and trustable to his future subordinate.
¡°Good news, the plan worked.¡± He said to the ninja, who greeted him with a confused smile.
¡°We''ve put enough pressure on the nobles for now.¡± He said, ¡°So, good job on getting so far, but if Harald wins his fight against William then you need to surrender.¡±
Chapter 73
The rest of the tournament wasn''t nearly as thrilling as the previous parts had been. Although they too had been mildly entertaining at best. Lock knew exactly how this would turn out, and only through sheer willpower was he able to continue watching.
Ino had managed to distract the cur, and thus William was far from his best condition. This made the fight he had against Harald ridiculously one-sided. The knight was clearly suffering the effects of blood loss, wobbling all around as he tried to evade his much faster opponent.
The only issue was the fact that he was almost entirely armoured, a difficult opponent for anyone of such low-level as Harald to truly bring down. However the almost entirely armoured played a part here. His arm was bare, and after a few pokes to the appendage from Harald, William surrendered.
Lock didn''t really understand why he hadn''t done so earlier. Perhaps he''d been holding onto the hope that the healing would arrive until the very end. Probably. A brave attempt at least. He could imagine how agonizing it must have been to have a hole stabbed straight through your upper arm, and then to not treat the wound for half an hour. The man visibly sagged in relief once the official healer started treating him after his surrender.
The second match was, uninspired to say the least. Lock had decided in the last minute that he wanted to cause the Legil a bit of grief as petty revenge for what he''d put him through. The emotional anguish of being so cruelly exploited by people he could do nothing against...
Thus he''d told Mia that instead of surrendering, she should walk on the platform, and then leave it again after the fight started.
The ninja followed his orders, and he enjoyed watching the Legil flinch slightly as she walked on stage instead of surrendering. The crowd booed, and the Legil relaxed, once she walked off immediately after.
Mental magic did not make for very spectacular victories. Lock wondered if the nobles had considered this when they decided to prop up a tin soldier for the masses to gush over. William had had the right idea. Blood was what everyone wanted to see.
The last break was called once Mia left the stage and the arena. Lock half-expected her to come up and join him, but she didn''t.
He stood up to break the news to Harald. The boy would probably be disappointed at having to surrender. But Lock had the feeling he would honour his deal. It had been an exchange of training for admission to the magical academy from the very start.
-/-
¡°No.¡± Harald didn''t quite know what exactly was possessing him and making him utter the word. But the only response he could give to Lock''s request for him to surrender was a resoundingly negative one.
He watched detachedly as his teacher''s expression underwent some quick and subtle changes. Confusion, anger, acceptance.
¡°They will try to kill you if you win.¡± Lock pointed out carefully, the, ''they might try to kill me as well'', went unsaid.
Harald shook his head. ¡°Even if I win, I will demand the admission slip to the magical academy, instead of the military one. A deal''s a deal.¡± It was not a very safe route, but surely if the first place and the second place agreed on it, the prizes could be swapped.
¡°A person who finished second, but got the first-place prize due to pity. It doesn''t make for such a great propaganda effort. They still won''t be very happy.¡± Lock said, but again, all that Harald could do was shake his head.
¡°I need to do this.¡± He said, locking eyes with Lock pleadingly. He wanted to be told to stop being a fool and to surrender. He wanted to be reprimanded into not doing what he was about to do.
However his teacher said nothing, looking at him with a calm face with a bit of envy? Why?
¡°Why?¡± Lock asked and Harald could do nothing but shrug, before the answer suddenly came to him.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
¡°Because it''s time that someone showed these nobles that we aren''t a toy to be played with. Something to be used and disregarded in whichever way their plans demand it. I want to make a statement.¡± He said, and pointed towards the crowd who were sitting at the edge of their seats. ¡°To them, for them.¡±
Lock shook his head ruefully. ¡°They don''t know that pretty girl isn''t just another peasant, that she''s backed by nobles. It doesn''t matter who wins, they''ll be happy that it was one of their own.¡± He said, perhaps truthfully.
¡°We''ll know.¡± Harald replied quietly, watching a small smile appear on his teacher''s face. ¡°The nobles will know.¡± Harald continued, a fire starting to burn within. The smile on Lock''s face turned a smidgen sadistic.
¡°I can''t believe it.¡± Lock said with a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°Where did you suddenly find a purpose?¡± He asked.
¡°It found me.¡± The swordsman answered making his teacher freeze for a moment before he descended into a short but thoughtful silence.
¡°When one searches, one finds, I guess.¡± He said eventually with a clouded look before his gaze sharpened again. ¡°You have no chance of winning you know.¡± He said, but only because he did not know. He couldn''t.
Harald''s grip on his sword''s pommel tightened, the shades were whispering to him. They wished to fill his mind again. A mind that was already filled to the brim. Could it be entered?
They would find out soon enough.
-/-
Lock encountered Mia on the way back to the stands. She was standing near the exit of the arena, in a corner shadowed by the sun which was slowly beginning to dip. Interestingly enough the magic ball of light hovering above the arena was beginning to dim as well. Was it perhaps running out of fuel, whatever that may be?
¡°You haven''t left yet?¡± He asked Mia in lieu of a greeting. She shook her head.
¡°I''m winning a coin-purse or two because I came in third or fourth. Might as well take it.¡± She said.
¡°It would be wasteful if you just ignored it, wouldn''t it?¡± Lock mused before his gaze turned to Harald who was waiting patiently before the platform. He couldn''t see the boy''s face, but he could imagine that it was a sight to behold.
Honestly, what a random time to grow a set of balls. To have such fire in the eyes, such purpose. He sneered at the cheering masses. Purpose, no matter how foolish, was to be envied. He''d felt lost ever since he''d completed his.
¡°What''s your opinion on immortality?¡± He suddenly asked Mia, who paused at the unexpected question and gave him an odd look.
¡°I''ve never thought about it much.¡± She admitted.
Lock shrugged. ¡°Hit me with your best.¡± He said.
She hesitatingly started to speak. ¡°It seems... weird. Are immortal people even human anymore?¡± She asked, before shaking her head. ¡°Not only humans can be immortal of course. Humanity doesn''t have a single one from what I remember. Didn''t the elves have one? Whatever. Living forever, I guess it sounds nice. Eventually you would become powerful enough to be able to treat the world like a playground.¡± She said,
¡°My grandmother, she told me something. ''Absolute power corrupts absolutely because the people holding it never live long enough to realize the logical conclusion. Which is that absolute power bores absolutely.''¡± She said with a frown. ¡°I think it''s something similar.¡±
Lock bored into Mia''s eyes as he considered her words, before waving them off. Some of it rang true. However... ¡°You know most people who I''ve talked about immortality with have had a negative view on it. There was one thing they all had in common, none of them had a chance in hell of achieving it. Living forever, everyone wants it. Nobody can get it. Isn''t all denial of the wish therefore simply the equivalent of a child convincing himself he doesn''t want the sweets that his mother refuses to give to him anyway?¡±
Mia frowned and slowly shook her head with a confused look in her green eyes. ¡°I don''t know. Someone smart enough to gain eternal life, should be smart enough to find a way to not be bored by it afterwards, I guess.¡±
Ouch, that one stung. But nonetheless Lock continued onwards. ¡°What do you think an immortal should do to make the most of it?¡± he was genuinely curious about that question. He was starting to think that he should spend some more time on it.
Mia helplessly shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Do whatever they want? I guess if they find no worthy challenge they can go seek out other immortals.¡±
Lock raised an eyebrow and found himself nodding along. ¡°Yes, yes. Killing other immortals, it represents a worthy challenge, and if one sees life as a playground, it would count as eliminating the other players so that one may have all the toys for one''s self.¡± He explained.
Mia gave him an understanding look. ¡°Well, I was thinking more in the lines of having someone to talk to on equal standing. I understand how someone of your, tastes, might arrive to that conclusion though. Immortals probably deserve death anyway, I can''t imagine it being a bloodless road filled with much innocence.¡± She said.
His tastes?
Oh... right. She still thought he enjoyed killing people.
He patted her on the shoulder. ¡°You''ve given me something to think about. Stick around for the fight, Harald might be getting himself killed out there. Normally there wouldn''t be a fight between third and fourth place since the prizes are the same, but if one of the finalists dies there will have to be a fight to determine second place.¡± He said, watching Mia relax as they changed over to a topic that made contextual sense to her. He began walking away once he heard the break being called to an end behind him.
¡°Well shit. William just got healed as well.¡± He heard Mia sigh before he finally left her sights.
He started walking faster.
Chapter 74
Once Lock sat back down in the stands, next to Ino and Kamin, he turned around to look where the cur had been previously seated. Key-word being previously. The seat was empty.
¡°They left.¡± Ino said.
¡°Good.¡± Lock responded. If they weren''t present and Harald managed to successfully commit suicide, then second place would automatically fall to Mia. Unless the nobles continued on abusing their power and doing what they pleased with the tournament, of course.
However the chance was low. The first-place was unattainable to William, unless the finals turned out to be a double-kill-out. Lock didn''t think the Curador, or William for that matter, were very interested in the magical academy admission.
¡°Anything you have to say about the way that they left?¡± Lock asked, at which Ino shrugged.
¡°They looked shaken up, as if they''d seen a ghost or something. I can commiserate, those are nasty.¡± He said nonchalantly, seemingly having gotten over what had happened with his match.
¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± Lock questioned further while glancing at the boy from the corner of his eyes. He looked, ok enough. His robe was ripped and he had a few scrapes from his little tumble but other than that he was the picture of health.
Well, wizardly health at least, the pallid lanky version.
His future brother-in-law sighed at the question. ¡°What do you want to hear?¡± He said bitterly.
It was a good question. What did Lock want to hear? He spent a few moments thinking about it.
¡°I want to hear that you feel broken. Angry at how the world works. At how it works against you. I want you to realize however, that emotional reaction is a waste of energy. It is like swallowing poison and expecting the other person to die. No, what I want to hear from you, is a vow to create or manipulate these emotions for a specific purpose, instead of simply surrendering to them as they are.¡± Lock said in one breath, and watched Ino sink together next to him.
¡°I won''t lie. I feel like shit. There''s a pressure on my chest, robbing the world of light and kindness. I feel hatred, however I feel as if it won''t solve the issue at hand. As if it is perhaps the problem, the obstacle in my path that is preventing me from returning to normality. I understand why you say I need to let go. But I don''t understand why you want me to create anew, what I would have just discarded.¡± He said, ¡°What''s got you all fired up anyway?¡± He continued, as if in jest, but his eyes betrayed that he was perhaps more interested in the answer than he wanted to let on.
Lock crossed his arms and looked down.
Harald was purposefully walking onto the platform. Outwardly, he was a picture of calm. Relaxed gait, hand on sword, eyes steady. However Lock got the feeling that there was something going on underneath the calm waters that the boy was projecting.
It reminded him of himself, almost two decades ago now. He didn''t know why he hadn''t noticed. But this was what he''d been missing. A life where one prescribed to oneself an arbitrary goal to be reached. Only to die, and to do it all over again.
There would perhaps be a feeling of accomplishment. But it would be deadened by the lack of true emotional connection to the task. He saw this clearly now, and for the first time in this life, instead of wanting to deal with it in a rational manner, he wanted to summon forth emotions like he''d felt them in the past, and channel them so that he could once again surrender to their uplifting power. When had he last loved, truly loved? When had he last hated something with such a burning passion that he''d attempted to exterminate the entirety of it out of existence? Years. Decades almost. Drunken off the swill called success. How typical.
¡°Emotions are power, drive. Some are better than others, one of the more useful ones you mentioned earlier, albeit it in a derisive manner.¡± Lock eventually said.
¡°Which one?¡± Ino asked.
¡°Hatred. Hate seems to be the most reviled emotion we are capable of feeling. But I have to wonder, if it¡¯s so useless and unproductive, why are we still capable of feeling it, and so strongly as well? Useless things do not persist.¡± Lock began. ¡°Hate can give structure to our life, Hate can give us a reason to exist. Something to strive for. Hate is energy, pure energy, provided by mother nature herself. Hate enables us to see through lies and pre-tense. Hate separates humans through animals. Animals do not hate, but humans do. Humans can hate for months, decades, sometimes even their entire lives. Hate can be passed down to our children, can remain for centuries. Hate has no borders, Humans can hate people they have never met, humans can hate concepts and processes. Hate is the greatest equalizer, even the rich can not hate more than the slave he lashes at. Hate is a sign of abstract intelligence. Without hate for slavery there can be no freedom, without hate for injustice, there can be no justice. The greatest achievements of the human race have grown from hate. Hate is one of our most powerful tools, a hidden source of our strength.¡± Lock finished, almost. ¡°An underutilized one.¡±
All was silent between the two of them for a moment, before eventually Ino spoke. ¡°You seem to feel strongly about the subject.¡± He said lightly, as if being to undiplomatic would break Lock.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°I guess my enamoured relationship with hatred is the result of a misspent youth.¡± Lock said as he watched the match down below begin, and Harald spring forward with a thunderous cry. The boy was like a wounded animal.
He sighed as Lily, the beautiful girl, drew two knives and started skilfully deflecting Harald''s frenzied slashes. ¡°Sometimes, I feel as if, with enough hate, one could even kill death.¡±
¡°I don''t think the church of the Siblings will like that statement if you uttered it in their presence.¡± Ino commented, eyes transfixed however, on the fight below. It was indeed a sight to behold.
Harald was growing more skillful by the second. To those who did not know about the properties of his sword it must have looked like he was being guided by the hands of the war god himself. The only reason Lily was able to keep up, was because she too, seemed to be shedding layers of ennui as she fought, growing faster and more adept with her daggers by the second. It didn''t look like it would make much of a difference. The swordsman was too good. Despite being slower, he was obviously cornering and pushing back the girl. She knew it too if the scowl on her face was any indication.
Lock wondered how it felt like to surrender completely to the foreign presence of the shades, as Harald must have done.
He shuddered. A disgusting thought. However, he too, if motivated enough, would spare no indignity to achieve his goal. He knew this from experience.
-/-
Why, wouldn''t, she, die!?
This was the sentence that continued ringing inside Harald''s mind as his body continued throwing itself forward in a masterful display of bladed murder. Were he more clear-headed he might have appreciated the skill being put on display by the shades here. An unrelenting attack with no opportunities for the opponent to strike back. Even with his inferior body he was managing to force back a woman who was clearly using some sort of magic to be that fast. Or, he thought and grew even more angry. They''d cheated even further.
He was no fool. The way Ino had lost despite giving his best, and had then run to talk with Lock in hushed tones. How his teacher had been confronted by the official of the tournament, an event which he now knew had entailed a death threat towards him if he won and accepted the first place prize.
Letting in someone who was clearly too high level for this tournament was mild in comparison to the other tricks that they''d pulled.
And the fact that Lily was higher-levelled was becoming more and more obvious as Harald''s body grew more and more skillful at following the directives of the spirits.
Nobody below level ten could be this fast, her agility must have been at least 40. Still rising.
Harald took a moment to listen to the crowd, something he was allowed to do due to not having full control of the situation. He could let his mind wander. What he heard almost made him give up there and then, despite the so-called conviction and purpose that he''d found previously.
-/-
¡°They''re cheering, the idiots.¡± Ino scoffed and sighed. Lock barely heard him over the noise that the crowd was making. ¡°Don''t they see the obvious fuckery going on? That woman,¡± he spat, ¡°is in no way eligible to join this tournament.¡±
¡°Well, you know what they say. Bread and circus.¡± Lock muttered in reply while trying to determine what exact emotion he was feeling due to the situation at hand.
Nothing that would grant him a purpose that was for sure. It was mostly just a mild sense of exasperation. To be feeling a stronger emotion towards the situation he would have needed to have some expectations towards humanity in the first place. ¡°I had no expectations going in, but yet I still feel disappointed somehow.¡± He muttered out as his eyes strained to track the fight going on in the arena. He could follow the sword, that was easy enough, it wasn''t blindingly fast, although it definitely made up for it in skill.
Lily was a problem. The girl was jumping around like a cheetah on cocaine, and was still being pushed back.
One had to respect the power of Harald''s artefact, if nothing else.
¡°You don''t feel any hatred?¡± Ino asked with a forced chuckle.
Lock rolled his eyes. ¡°At the peasants? Definitely not, one cannot hate them anymore than one can hate an ant. And the nobles? The same applies to them, just that they''re mostly worthless power-addicts instead of conformist comfort-seekers.¡± He said.
Harald started slowing down, and with him Lily. He wondered if the boy was running out of stamina or running out of conviction. ¡°Humans are fickle and not worthy of being a source of motivation. Hatred is most effective when used on something larger than life. It helps it from being extinguished too early.¡±
¡°Does that apply to other emotions as well?¡± Ino asked.
¡°Of course, the only reason I was talking about hatred that much is because everyone seems to, well, hate it. Love is equally powerful, the other side of the coin. Wanting to protect something, an idea, is just as good as hating something, wanting to destroy whatever threatens it. They are best used in unison however. After all, it''s complementary.¡± He replied. Ino turned away from him and back to the fight.
The swordsman had lost his momentum and was now being forced into a duel on equal standing. Something that wouldn''t last considering his waning motivation, or stamina. Or both.
Lock slowly tapped his fingers, one after the other on his helmet. What did he love? And what did he hate? It used to be a hatred of death that guided him, and a love for life. But now? How did one bring up the emotions to destroy something which represented no threat? And how did one bring up the emotions to protect something which was not threatened.
Harald''s sword was struck out of his hand and he had to drop down to avoid a dagger to the temple. He scrambled towards his weapon, which was clattering to the ground not far away from him.
But before he reached it he was kicked aside viciously and made to roll away several feet. A great feat of strength for someone supposedly in the lower levels. The crowd was cheering even louder now. Harald screamed angrily as he scrambled to his feet, but sank to his knees immediately afterwards. He brought his two hands to cover his ears with an agonized expression on his face.
Lily did not approach, seemingly content at simply standing there with a slight tremble and disarrayed hair.
Loving victory and hating defeat was a given.
Emotions were necessary to determine what constituted a victory and what constituted a defeat.
As he heard Harald surrender in the background, Lock decided to spend more time on the topic in the future. Determining a proper motivation before storming after a goal was a necessity that he''d ignored for too long.
Success had made him falter, as was expected really, considering the size of the damn achievement. However proper action needed to be taken to illuminate the way forward. If this was not achieved, then his greatest success might just be turned into a greatest failure. But for now, he had other things to do.
Chapter 75
There was a buzzing in his head and a cold hand clenched around his heart. That was all Harald could think off as he was gently led around by Mia to receive his prize.
He''d completed the deal with his teacher, had gotten stronger in the process and showed everyone that he wasn''t someone you could easily mess with. It left him cold
It felt like he''d returned to the day where his father had been murdered, and his family had to depart towards the city.
He''d fought the injustice this time, but the result was the same. Nothing to show it for, even less if one considered that he''d likely gained a few nobles as enemies.
Handing the slip of glowing paper, the admission to the magical academy, to Lock, who was waiting for him at the exit of the arena, he was just about to leave for the city, when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
He turned around to look at his teacher, who''d put on his helmet and was staring at him out of its depths. A bottle was pressed into his chest and he was ordered to drink. He did so, hesitantly, and immediately felt better once he did.
The same happened to Ino.
¡°How''d it feel like being the hero for a day?¡± The man said hollowly. Harald tried to turn around and leave, not willing to be lectured, but the grip on his shoulder was too strong and his body too weak.
Lock took the silence as a prompt to begin speaking. ¡°Society calls someone who suffers so that another person can benefit a victim. Society calls someone who suffers so that society can benefit a hero. When a robber assaults a helpless victim, injures them, and steals a week''s worth of money, society calls that a terrible crime that should never happen to anyone. When a hero sacrifices everything, bearing a great risk of injury and death to fight for what is right, society says it''s an honour to serve, and promptly demands more. The heroic myth is simply a social construct used by the masses to steal from the virtuous few. You would be well-served to not chase this ephemeral dream. Down it''s path lays only a short life full of regret, or a long one, which ends in the creation of but another bitter old man.¡± He said calmly, and the words rattled something in his head.
¡°So, me and my family are just a part of a larger parasitic mass of humans?¡± He asked angrily.
¡°I am not speaking about you. Because of one very simple reason. Proletarian parasitism depends on an important attribute that you do not possess.¡± Lock replied immediately.
¡°And what would that be?!¡±
¡°Weakness, the parasites depend on it to escape responsibility. Since each peasant is no weaker or needier than the peasants around them, it naturally must not be their fault that they require help. Therefore they must deserve to be helped.¡± Lock replied and continued with a question. ¡°Now I have a question for you. Are you weak?¡±
¡°I''m not strong enough.¡± Harald replied weakly.
¡°You''re plenty strong, stronger than almost everybody. You might not believe it because you haven''t heard it often enough, and are surrounded by strong people. However, show me a man''s friends and I will tell him what kind of man he is.¡± Lock pointed at himself, backwards towards Ino who was standing a bit apart from them, Mia, and to Lemmings. ¡°Are you calling us weak.¡±
Harald shook his head. ¡°If I''m strong, then why haven''t I heard anyone else say it then?¡± He asked stubbornly.
¡°Because praise is only worth anything if it is given sparsely. Consider that society has near-monopolies on praise, respect and approval, and is by far the cheapest supplier. As society is the only supplier of this good, it is clear that society is creating artificial scarcity in order to raise the price that it can demand that people pay to receive its products.¡± Lock said.
¡°I can''t believe I''m listening to this.¡± Ino said before trying to push past them in the slightly narrow exit, made worse by the size of their party. However Lock stopped him.
¡°There''s another reason why I''m talking about this, completely different from my general disdain for heroism. Wait a bit and it shall be revealed.¡± He said mysteriously.
Ino seemed conflicted for a moment, but acquiescenced. ¡°Well, if we''re going to be waiting here and discussing your idiotic views on heroes, I''d like you to tell me more about how my ancestors were morons.¡± He demanded.
¡°Well, originally heroes were a necessity simply for the survival of the human species, and everyone did their part. However in recent years, or centuries however, the entire thing has taken a shift towards the situation that I described.¡± Lock said, before shrugging. ¡°Honestly it can simply be summed up into the claim that once a society is no longer under constant threat of death, virtue is usually degraded to its lowest common denominator and decadence and hedonism spread. You can see the relationship change clearly throughout the ages. A society gets the heroes it deserves. We no longer have heroes, but basic mercenaries in the form of adventurers. The only remnant of the heroes of old are the nobles, but they''re doing a pretty horrible job of upholding the values of their ancestors.¡±
¡°It must be hard being such a bitter shit before even your twenties.¡± An old voice suddenly rang out, turning around the party determined that it was coming from the ring on Kamin''s finger. ¡°However I''ll put a stop to this entire charade right now by telling you that the entirety of the audience has left, albeit not entirely of their own free will. The barrier has also run out of energy for now and is only functioning as an information blocker.¡± It continued.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Lock nodded, ¡°I see.¡±
Ino, Mia and Harald exchanged confused looks, before the ninja stepped forward. ¡°What exactly is going on?¡± She asked.
¡°You didn''t think the nobles would just let us go did you? After the gigantic egg Harald dropped on their faces. The idiotic cheering of the crowd drowned out everything, but I assure you there were some people in the crowd who noticed the obvious cheating going on.¡± Lock said easily, and, well, it made sense didn''t it.
Not everyone could be distracted by bread and circus, just the majority. Which to be fair, was usually enough.
¡°I see.¡± Ino muttered. ¡°What will they do though?¡± He asked.
This was the tricky part, Lock thought to himself. Convincing Ino, Kamin, and Kirin, that he wasn''t a sociopath for what he was about to do next.
¡°Report us to the council, after which we''ll be branded as criminals and hunted down. After all, the only people who could possibly be interested in sneaking someone into the military are the rebels or elven spies.¡± Lock explained casually.
¡°They can''t though, I''m a noble!¡± Ino said, baffled.
¡°A young man led astray, who was accidentally cut down in the operation which was sent forth to arrest his companions. Or maybe they''ll let you go with a slap on the wrist. Sadly the same can not be said for me.¡± Lock replied, noting how Harald clenched his fists at Ino''s exclamation.
¡°So, what are we doing?¡± Mia asked, seemingly taking everything in stride.
Lock pointed at the tunnel opening which lead back into the arena. ¡°Go in and kill them before they can report shit. Usually I''d be worried about the Legil managed to alert someone via telepathy, but the barrier is still functioning on a level that should suffice to block such communications.¡± He said, and waited for the outbursts.
None came. Harald was biting his bottom lip so hard it was bleeding, a look of utter hatred in his eyes. Mia was looking at him calmly, perhaps a bit expectantly. Kamin was still having her ears covered by Lemmings, and Ino. Ino was scowling. But that was about it.
The complaint that eventually came was not one that he expected.
¡°We''ll get caught. It''s not even night, and we''re going to be attempting a triple homicide in the middle of the marketplace.¡± Ino said bitingly.
¡°The arena is isolated, and now that the sun is beginning to set nobody should have a reason to come here. As far as places to commit murder go, this one is probably on the top ten list of Abrakshana.¡± Lock replied calmly.
Left unsaid was that this was to a certain extent, their only chance. Or, at least Harald''s. Ino and Kamin were nobles, Lock was a quasi-noble now, with his betrothal, this offered a certain degree of protection. Protection that would likely end up in him being jailed, instead of simply killed if the nobles were to make a fuss of the entire thing.
However Lock valued his freedom more than he valued his life. And thus action needed to be taken. The nobles might not be planning on doing anything about what had happened today, simply letting them go. They might die innocent, at least in that regard.
However, that was a sacrifice he was willing to make.
¡°That''s another thing that''s been bothering me. Why is the audience gone? People loiter, it''s in their nature.¡± Ino said with suspicion in his voice.
¡°A certain amount of... intimidation was applied.¡± Lock replied loftily, causing Ino to clench his fists in anger.
¡°You sure have a lot of secrets for a man who wants to marry my sister.¡± He hissed and glared at Lock.
Lock simply turned his head downwards to check his fingernails, or more like, the sharpened tips of his gauntlets. He brought out two small vials of poison and carefully inserted them into a small compartment in the gauntlets, before flexing his fingers.
A potent violet liquid dripped out of the sharp fingertips.
¡°Don''t worry too much, your Grandfather knows of the skill I used, and he''s not making a fuss. It''s fine.¡± He said as he started tracing his hand against the other poisons that he had in his little pouch. The assumption that Kirin knew of the skill killing intent, and had detected it was made due to the old man clearly being a powerful mage. It would have been odder had he detected nothing.
Ino turned to glare at the ring on Kamin''s finger. ¡°Is that true?¡±
¡°I know it, and understand why he didn''t reveal it. There is a certain bad connotation associated with it.¡± The ring replied.
Lock almost chuckled. Bad connotation indeed. He held up a finger sized vial with angry red smoke swirling inside.
¡°Mia, is the mind protection potion still working?¡± He asked, at which the girl simply nodded.
Good, Lock opened the vial in his hand, brought up his helmet and drank it.
Mia''s eyes widened and she stared at him aghast.
¡°Did you just drink Red Smoke.¡± She asked.
Lock took a moment to get used to the pain of the poison now stored inside his stomach trying to destroy his intestines, and failing. ¡°Yes.¡± He answered shortly.
¡°You''re a fucking monster.¡± Mia blurted out and he blinked in surprise at her crassness and turned to face her.
¡°Sorry.¡± She said, blushed and looked away.
¡°So we''re really doing this?¡± Ino asked with a pinched face and brought up his staff to lay it against his forehead.
Instead of directly answering Lock addressed the whole group. ¡°Lemmings, drop Kamin, she''ll be staying here. Go for the Legil. Mia, Harald, Ino, go for Lily. Lock.¡± He said jokingly. ¡°Your job is to get the Curador.¡±
He turned towards the exit of the tunnel and started walking, the rest falling in beside him. Ino joined them a few seconds later because he needed to tell his sister that she was to stay here. Which was unnecessary, the girl''s grandfather was right there.
No respect for the old, Lock mused, as they entered the arena. It looked bigger from the inside, and had an ominous air about it with the on-setting night. The three stooges standing beside the platform turned towards them, stopping whichever discussion they''d been having.
¡°Yes, do you still want something?¡± The Legil asked in an annoyed tone of voice. Lily and the Curador simply glared at them.
Lock stepped forward and cleared his throat. ¡°I do indeed have something to say.¡± He began, before raising his voice as if he was about to read forth a royal decree. ¡°Due to crimes committed against my personage, my feelings in particular, and for the general unpleasantness of your existence! I, Lock the first, hereby sentence you to a flashy execution!¡±
Silence reigned in the arena for a short moment, as everyone but Lemmings turned to stare at Lock as if he was a mad man. But it didn''t matter. The one person, or golem needed to jump-start this debacle was already in motion.
And like a chain reaction of violence, everything else started moving too.
Chapter 76
Lock drew out his charge directed at the healer of the trio long enough so that Mia, Ino and Harald could engage Lily. The pretty woman would have likely interjected otherwise. Protecting the healer was after all something that every party prioritised.
However by the fumbling reprisals that started coming from the group of people that Lock had so unceremoniously attacked, this was by no means an adventurer party used to working together.
Probably not even an adventurer party, he mused as he halted his charge, unwilling to run into the gleaming white barrier that the Curador had produced with a wave of his hand.
Drawing a dagger, he hurled it against the magical shield. Only to have it bounce off. Next he tried killing intent, which made the man stagger.
Good, Lock fought just before he had to do an inspired bridge backwards to dodge an amalgamation of black spikes, that would have otherwise turned his upper body into a pin-cushion. Suffice to say the concentration required to use killing intent dissipated. The bridge became a full on back-flip, albeit it an ungraceful one when the spikes split into two, aiming for the legs he''d left behind.
Wary of whatever magic was being used Lock slowly side-stepped around the pool of blackness that the spikes sheathed themselves in after their assault. He was attempting to body-block the healers view on his teammates while identifying what had just attacked him.
As the pool retreated back the Curador, he was able to do exactly that. It wasn''t darkness, but a shadow. The Curador''s shadow to be more exact.
He sighed, throwing another dagger at the healer as the barrier lowered and a rope of green healing was hurled somewhere behind Lock. A shadow rose up and caught the dagger, before letting it fall onto the ground. Free from attack by the shadows however, Lock was able to channel killing intent again, thus interrupting the rope of healing, and therefore turning it into more of an arrow.
The shadow did not come for him this time. An issue of range? Well, whatever it was, Lock and the healer were now in a stalemate. Lock couldn''t do anything but intimidate the man and therefore disrupt his healing unless he wanted to get close and get skewered by shadows.
So this is what it came down to after an engagement that only lasted 20 seconds. A self-deprecating grin spread onto his face as he began considering his options.
-/-
There were a lot of things that Keylen had thought would happen after the little tournament that they''d hosted. A celebration perhaps, they had won after all, albeit it not in a completely perfect manner. Being so brazenly attacked in the middle of the city however had not been something he''d foreseen.
His pondering of the situation, which came in a really inopportune time some would say, was halted in its tracks by the veritable giant rushing at him.
Not that he would be doing so for much longer Keylen assured himself. He''d been an adventurer for quite a few years and knew how to handle himself, thank you very much. Especially against brutes like these.
Once the ruffian was in range, he released his strongest and most potent mind shock with a flick of his hand. The pale green energy, visible only to him travelled quickly from his fingers, to the approaching man''s head, and sailed right through.
''Fuck'', was the second thought that ran through his mind. The first one was a simple activation of telekinesis that picked him up by his clothes and threw him aside like a cheap children¡¯s toy. A fate preferable over having his grey matter splattered all over the arena grounds. Which undoubtedly would have happened had the fist that shook the ground as it impacted it, had gone through his head beforehand.
The giant quickly noticed that it''s target wasn''t where it was supposed to be. Turned his head around to face Keylen, who was scrambling to his feet, and charged again like the mindless beast he obviously was.
Casting a mind sensor ping around himself the mind mage assessed the situation in general. Three minds, the competitors from before, were engaging Lily. One of the minds was almost as blank as that of his enemy, while another was being protected by ghosts. Switching with Lily wouldn''t do anything then, just change the size and the number of the people trying to kill him.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
The knight who''d ran off towards Curador was a tempting target, that was until he started blasting out so much killing intent he could almost taste it despite not being the recipient. No use, while the Curador and his guardian would have been better suited to fight the particular opponent he was now facing, he himself wouldn''t fare very well against someone with so much KI. The sheer intent radiating outwards would basically block out all attempts at tampering with the mind.
A use of telekinesis hurled him out of the way of another punch, and he sighed at his situation while mid-air. He would have to face the situation as it was, with his rather limited range of non-mind-based combat magic.
Reinforcements wouldn''t be coming anytime soon either, considering the fact that nobody seemed to have stayed in the stands to bear witness, and the information channels were blocked.
-/-
There was a certain edge to the fight that had previously not been present. The thought flitted through Harald''s mind as he barely avoided decapitation. Thankfully the shades currently controlling his body were not only good at the offensive side of things, but also at the staying alive part. Being alive was sort of a prerequisite to being able to attack after all.
After the neat dodge his body continued its assault. An assault that was being avoided much more gracefully and swiftly than it had been before. She''d still been holding back...
Thankfully he wasn''t alone now. A fact that reaffirmed itself for the sixth time in this particular fight as Mia appeared from a blind angle and almost managed to stab several needles into Lily''s torso. It would have worked had the woman not shifted into smoke for a split second, letting the ninja pass harmlessly through her. A knife approached Mia''s head from where the girl was trying to reorient herself after having passed face-first through what basically amounted to a smoke-bomb.
The hand holding the knife suddenly halted and began vibrating. Lily scowled and quickly dropped the weapon. It flew out of sight at boggling speed. Seemingly stricken by indecision, should she chop down with an unarmed hand, or draw another dagger, the woman paused.
Which gave Mia just enough time to get out of the way in an impromptu roll. Once that altercation was finished Harald continued attacking.
If he''d thought that he would have an advantage simply because the woman had lost her knife, then he was to be clearly disappointed, as she simply drew another one. From somewhere. Out of her ass for all he knew. The blisteringly fast melee continued. Cuts beginning to gather up on Harald''s arms in the periods where he wasn''t being supported by his teammates.
One thing that was odd about the fight was that Lily wasn''t really using any offensive skills, which might have allowed her to end this entire thing faster. All she did now and again was shift into a cloud of smoke to prevent getting successfully sneak-attacked. One instance that stood out was that she''d once used the ability to dodge a green bolt of energy that had come from somewhere around where Lock should be having his fight. It hadn''t helped. The bolt had struck her, illuminating her smoky form green for a second.
They''d almost jubilated, however the entire display did no damage whatsoever. The opposite rather, she seemed more invigorated afterwards.
There was one thing they''d learned though. Magic could still affect the smoky form, and ever since, Ino had been trying to nail her down with a spark of lightning whenever she was forced to shift.
However now that the woman was on the lookout for it, she managed to dodge everything. Once she''d even deflected the magic with a knife.
They''d reached a stalemate, one that would very likely end in their defeat. After all. Their opponent was higher levelled and likely had a higher stamina than them.
-/-
What a shit-fest, Lock thought to himself as he purveyed the battle-field. A luxury granted to him by the fact that he was outside of the shadow''s effective attack range, and that he could keep emitting killing intent even while doing other things.
Lemmings getting led around like an angry bull, occasionally pelted with whatever rocks the Legil could find on the ground during his incessant fleeing. That fight wouldn''t be ending anytime soon.
Oh, how he wished he could do something as brazen as tell Mia and Lemmings to switch targets. However with the way the three teenagers were barely keeping Lily pinned down, any distraction could lead to elimination. The only thing he could do was leave them to their fight. He''d tried to do something, naturally, however Lily and the Legil both seemed to be immune to his killing intent.
Which made perfect sense of course. A mind mage and an assassin.
The entire battle was in a highly precarious position. The first side that managed to win their individual fight would be able to go help their allies and break those stalemates as well. A chain-reaction so to say.
Something that Lily had apparently not understood yet, seeing as how she was content to simply let her opponents tire themselves out.
Lock needed to do something, before the woman pulled her head out of her arse and started the domino effect that would lead to all their deaths.
Whoever took the initiative here would gain the upper hand. Just like how the person at the dinner table who picked up the first napkin, determined in which order everybody else would take theirs.
He had a plan. A risky one, but at this particular stage a little risk was necessary to achieve victory.
He wasn''t one to shy away from hard choices. Not when it really mattered.
Lock re-engaged the shadows. A flash-bang would have been really nice in this situation, he lamented.
Chapter 76
Lock drew out his charge directed at the healer of the trio long enough so that Mia, Ino and Harald could engage Lily. The pretty woman would have likely interjected otherwise. Protecting the healer was after all something that every party prioritised.
However by the fumbling reprisals that started coming from the group of people that Lock had so unceremoniously attacked, this was by no means an adventurer party used to working together.
Probably not even an adventurer party, he mused as he halted his charge, unwilling to run into the gleaming white barrier that the Curador had produced with a wave of his hand.
Drawing a dagger, he hurled it against the magical shield. Only to have it bounce off. Next he tried killing intent, which made the man stagger.
Good, Lock fought just before he had to do an inspired bridge backwards to dodge an amalgamation of black spikes, that would have otherwise turned his upper body into a pin-cushion. Suffice to say the concentration required to use killing intent dissipated. The bridge became a full on back-flip, albeit it an ungraceful one when the spikes split into two, aiming for the legs he''d left behind.
Wary of whatever magic was being used Lock slowly side-stepped around the pool of blackness that the spikes sheathed themselves in after their assault. He was attempting to body-block the healers view on his teammates while identifying what had just attacked him.
As the pool retreated back the Curador, he was able to do exactly that. It wasn''t darkness, but a shadow. The Curador''s shadow to be more exact.
He sighed, throwing another dagger at the healer as the barrier lowered and a rope of green healing was hurled somewhere behind Lock. A shadow rose up and caught the dagger, before letting it fall onto the ground. Free from attack by the shadows however, Lock was able to channel killing intent again, thus interrupting the rope of healing, and therefore turning it into more of an arrow.
The shadow did not come for him this time. An issue of range? Well, whatever it was, Lock and the healer were now in a stalemate. Lock couldn''t do anything but intimidate the man and therefore disrupt his healing unless he wanted to get close and get skewered by shadows.
So this is what it came down to after an engagement that only lasted 20 seconds. A self-deprecating grin spread onto his face as he began considering his options.
-/-
There were a lot of things that Keylen had thought would happen after the little tournament that they''d hosted. A celebration perhaps, they had won after all, albeit it not in a completely perfect manner. Being so brazenly attacked in the middle of the city however had not been something he''d foreseen.
His pondering of the situation, which came in a really inopportune time some would say, was halted in its tracks by the veritable giant rushing at him.
Not that he would be doing so for much longer Keylen assured himself. He''d been an adventurer for quite a few years and knew how to handle himself, thank you very much. Especially against brutes like these.
Once the ruffian was in range, he released his strongest and most potent mind shock with a flick of his hand. The pale green energy, visible only to him travelled quickly from his fingers, to the approaching man''s head, and sailed right through.
''Fuck'', was the second thought that ran through his mind. The first one was a simple activation of telekinesis that picked him up by his clothes and threw him aside like a cheap children¡¯s toy. A fate preferable over having his grey matter splattered all over the arena grounds. Which undoubtedly would have happened had the fist that shook the ground as it impacted it, had gone through his head beforehand.
The giant quickly noticed that it''s target wasn''t where it was supposed to be. Turned his head around to face Keylen, who was scrambling to his feet, and charged again like the mindless beast he obviously was.
Casting a mind sensor ping around himself the mind mage assessed the situation in general. Three minds, the competitors from before, were engaging Lily. One of the minds was almost as blank as that of his enemy, while another was being protected by ghosts. Switching with Lily wouldn''t do anything then, just change the size and the number of the people trying to kill him.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
The knight who''d ran off towards Curador was a tempting target, that was until he started blasting out so much killing intent he could almost taste it despite not being the recipient. No use, while the Curador and his guardian would have been better suited to fight the particular opponent he was now facing, he himself wouldn''t fare very well against someone with so much KI. The sheer intent radiating outwards would basically block out all attempts at tampering with the mind.
A use of telekinesis hurled him out of the way of another punch, and he sighed at his situation while mid-air. He would have to face the situation as it was, with his rather limited range of non-mind-based combat magic.
Reinforcements wouldn''t be coming anytime soon either, considering the fact that nobody seemed to have stayed in the stands to bear witness, and the information channels were blocked.
-/-
There was a certain edge to the fight that had previously not been present. The thought flitted through Harald''s mind as he barely avoided decapitation. Thankfully the shades currently controlling his body were not only good at the offensive side of things, but also at the staying alive part. Being alive was sort of a prerequisite to being able to attack after all.
After the neat dodge his body continued its assault. An assault that was being avoided much more gracefully and swiftly than it had been before. She''d still been holding back...
Thankfully he wasn''t alone now. A fact that reaffirmed itself for the sixth time in this particular fight as Mia appeared from a blind angle and almost managed to stab several needles into Lily''s torso. It would have worked had the woman not shifted into smoke for a split second, letting the ninja pass harmlessly through her. A knife approached Mia''s head from where the girl was trying to reorient herself after having passed face-first through what basically amounted to a smoke-bomb.
The hand holding the knife suddenly halted and began vibrating. Lily scowled and quickly dropped the weapon. It flew out of sight at boggling speed. Seemingly stricken by indecision, should she chop down with an unarmed hand, or draw another dagger, the woman paused.
Which gave Mia just enough time to get out of the way in an impromptu roll. Once that altercation was finished Harald continued attacking.
If he''d thought that he would have an advantage simply because the woman had lost her knife, then he was to be clearly disappointed, as she simply drew another one. From somewhere. Out of her ass for all he knew. The blisteringly fast melee continued. Cuts beginning to gather up on Harald''s arms in the periods where he wasn''t being supported by his teammates.
One thing that was odd about the fight was that Lily wasn''t really using any offensive skills, which might have allowed her to end this entire thing faster. All she did now and again was shift into a cloud of smoke to prevent getting successfully sneak-attacked. One instance that stood out was that she''d once used the ability to dodge a green bolt of energy that had come from somewhere around where Lock should be having his fight. It hadn''t helped. The bolt had struck her, illuminating her smoky form green for a second.
They''d almost jubilated, however the entire display did no damage whatsoever. The opposite rather, she seemed more invigorated afterwards.
There was one thing they''d learned though. Magic could still affect the smoky form, and ever since, Ino had been trying to nail her down with a spark of lightning whenever she was forced to shift.
However now that the woman was on the lookout for it, she managed to dodge everything. Once she''d even deflected the magic with a knife.
They''d reached a stalemate, one that would very likely end in their defeat. After all. Their opponent was higher levelled and likely had a higher stamina than them.
-/-
What a shit-fest, Lock thought to himself as he purveyed the battle-field. A luxury granted to him by the fact that he was outside of the shadow''s effective attack range, and that he could keep emitting killing intent even while doing other things.
Lemmings getting led around like an angry bull, occasionally pelted with whatever rocks the Legil could find on the ground during his incessant fleeing. That fight wouldn''t be ending anytime soon.
Oh, how he wished he could do something as brazen as tell Mia and Lemmings to switch targets. However with the way the three teenagers were barely keeping Lily pinned down, any distraction could lead to elimination. The only thing he could do was leave them to their fight. He''d tried to do something, naturally, however Lily and the Legil both seemed to be immune to his killing intent.
Which made perfect sense of course. A mind mage and an assassin.
The entire battle was in a highly precarious position. The first side that managed to win their individual fight would be able to go help their allies and break those stalemates as well. A chain-reaction so to say.
Something that Lily had apparently not understood yet, seeing as how she was content to simply let her opponents tire themselves out.
Lock needed to do something, before the woman pulled her head out of her arse and started the domino effect that would lead to all their deaths.
Whoever took the initiative here would gain the upper hand. Just like how the person at the dinner table who picked up the first napkin, determined in which order everybody else would take theirs.
He had a plan. A risky one, but at this particular stage a little risk was necessary to achieve victory.
He wasn''t one to shy away from hard choices. Not when it really mattered.
Lock re-engaged the shadows. A flash-bang would have been really nice in this situation, he lamented.
Chapter 77
There was a certain comical effect inherent in attempting to dodge shadows while being unable to fly. As Lock began getting closer to the Curador, he noticed this humorous effect. He was rather preoccupied however and therefore unable to fully appreciate it.
Preoccupied with what one may ask? Well to Lock himself it was clear that the preoccupation concerned his attempt at getting closer to the healer, and having to pull of leg breaking stunts to avoid stepping onto a part of the stretching shadow, and occasionally to avoid the veritable hail of spikes that came after him, and remembering to breathe through that entire mess, you get the idea.
To an outside observer it likely looked as if he was trying to pull off a folk dance. The entire thing was made doubly difficult by the fact that he was still forcing himself to emit killing intent. Thankfully his endurance was high enough that he managed to bear with the bruises and cuts that his multi-tasking got him.
The healer was fearfully sneering at him, once again holding up the white barrier that would prevent him from physically attacking the man if he did actually get close enough. Not that it mattered.
Lock had gotten as close as he was going to get, and thus he halted his use of killing intent, dodged backwards to avoid a spike penetrating his neck. It only ripped off his helmet, which he''d intentionally loosened. Then sprang forward in a heroic leap that was not all too impressive, but still enough to let him clear the ten or so feet of distance between himself and the healer.
Naturally, instead of doing anything, the leap simply meant that he was unable to dodge, and even added to the penetrating power of the shadow spikes that awaited him upon his landing.
To anyone looking at the scene from behind Lock, they would suddenly find themselves searching for the very man, as he had seemingly been replaced with a hedgehog, blood dripping from its spikes.
Numbly watching the healer sigh in relief before promptly dropping the white barrier and turn to his teammates, Lock smiled a bloody grin and forced himself to throw up violently. A red smoke was forcibly ejected from his stomach at such a velocity that he saw the healer''s hair get blown back before he disappeared in the cloud of poison.
The spikes that were holding his body up about a foot above ground started vibrating, bringing the pain that he''d been successfully ignoring to a truly agonizing level. Then the spikes suddenly froze and retracted with a sickening squelch.
Lock fell onto the floor face first, barely being able to gather enough power to lift his head. Thankfully his neck muscles were still intact. To a certain extent at least. He saw the shadows retreat into the slowly dissipating into the cloud of red smoke, which thankfully enough, was not coming towards him.
Several more moments were spent lying in wait, knowing that while his body probably looked like a piece of minced meat, his Endurance assured him his survival for at least another minute. Then, when the red smoke truly started disappearing, revealing within it a skeletal frame encompassed by a luminescent green cocoon, Lock activated the skill granted to him by Kruto.
Rebirth.
His awareness suddenly shifted, a new body being created within the stomach of his old one. Lock tried not to think about the implications of being able to fit inside his own body, and what he was now about to do. Extending two hands outwards from his former mouth, he grabbed at his upper and bottom palate respectively and stretched out the now elastic material that his former body and equipment had transitioned into.
The old ''skin'' was quickly shimmied downwards his reborn form. All thanks to the birthing fluid inherent in the skill. He''d need to wash all of his armour afterwards, but the skill was well worth the price. Lock took a moment to marvel, just like he''d done when he recieved the skill, before taking a step towards the healer, and slashing at the green cocoon with his sword.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
It easily parted and he unceremoniously stabbed the emaciated form which had been hiding inside through the heart. Then in the throat, and in the heart again, just for good measure.
Then he was forced to jump backwards to avoid standing inside a perfectly round circle of writhing shadows. They overlapped around the healer''s corpse, tentacles of black greed swallowing it up until there was nothing left.
Lock watched warily as the black tentacles solidified around the now lying corpse, the edges marking them as separate entities smoothing out until there was nothing but an indistinct human shaped blob on the ground. The head of the blob suddenly stretched open revealing an ear-to-ear grin full of perfectly white teeth.
Not that Lock was there to see it. He was already running away.
-/-
Harald was beginning to flag, there was no mistaking it. His body was failing him, just like earlier in the tournament. It simply couldn''t keep up with the fight. Sacrificing another vitality point to gain access to the spirits probably hadn''t helped his stamina, although to be fair, he certainly wouldn''t be alive right now if he hadn''t done so.
If he got out of this alive he was going to train his ass off, this he swore as Lily once again turned into smoke to avoid what would have otherwise been a perfectly executed stab in the kidneys from Mia.
This wasn''t working. But there was nothing else they could do.
Lily shifted back into human form, just in time to duck under a lightning bolt.
They simply didn''t have the variety of skills necessary to counter the blasted intangibility.
Harald was just about to suggest a retreat, likely being the only one in their party clear-headed enough to do so. Not being in control of your own body had certain advantages. When he saw something horrifying happen out of the corner of his eye.
It seemed almost in slow motion that the veritable forest of black spikes extended from the ground to halt Lock mid-leap. One might have suspected that they were benign, only there to catch him in his fall. That was if they didn''t, after collision, suddenly extend out of the man''s back.
The fight they were currently having remained completely unaffected by the scene, after all, he wasn''t in control of his body. And he was the only one capable of taking his attention off Lily due to this privilege.
What he was in control however, was his killing intent. He hadn''t bothered using it until now, it hadn''t done anything in the tournament after all. Now however... Things were different. He could feel it.
Instead of the metaphor of an unsheathed sword appearing in his mind. Harald just really, really, wanted to kill the woman in front of him. It was for the first time perhaps, a genuine use of the skill.
It still wasn''t enough, however strong Harald imagined the effect must have been in that moment. Lily simply shrugged it off after halting for less than a second.
They didn''t even get anything out of it as she hadn''t been getting attacked in that particular instance.
That was when the killing intent grew heavier, thicker, more experienced. Harald developed a splitting headache as he felt his usage of the skill beginning to vibrate for some reason. With every vibration, it grew larger, and larger.
It wasn''t vibrating he realized, once he turned his attention inwards to the phenomena.
It was resonating.
A certain awareness of the shades he was lugging around had always been present. A cold feeling in the hand which held them. A whisper, here and there. An impression of the past coming to life. He felt more now. He heard more now. The shades, they were singing.
And with every note coming out of their metaphorical throats. The killing intent grew, and Lily, became slower. He could see her eyes widening in fear, her movements becoming clumsy. Whatever this was! It would allow them to win! Harald jubilated as he helped concentrate his intent into an even sharper edge.
First Lily, and then vengeance!
That''s when the enemy they were facing suddenly pointed her knife at Harald in a position that made it look like nothing but a small line to his eyes, muttered something, and had the thing extend rapidly by at least a dozen-fold to pierce Harald''s head. Or at least that''s what would have happened if his body hadn''t instinctively leaned back. Hot pain assailed his eye and, a disgusting feeling of steel impacting bone resounded through his head as the blade scraped past his eye-socket and cut into his fore-head.
Harald lost the concentration required to keep up the killing intent and he stumbled backwards, instinctively ripping control of his body back from the shades to clutch at his bleeding face.
He would have likely died in the following charge had not another lightning bolt passed over his shoulder to ward off the murderous woman.
As he retreated, trying to give over control back to the shades, he gleefully noted that Mia had been able to use the opening of Lily attacking him to stick several needles into her side.
The ninja was retreating now, forming her hands into the position that had brought doom unto her first opponent in the tournament today.
Only for nothing to happen.
That''s when Lily fell down like a puppet with its strings cut, revealing a sword lodged in her spine, and a miraculously alive Lock standing behind her.