《Runes - A Tale Of The Abyss》 -4 Ranking System For Adventurers G- G G+ F- F F+ E- E E+ D- D D+ C- C C+ B- B B+ A- A A+ S SS SSS SSS+ G class: New Adventurers F class: Novice Adventurers E: Improving Adventurers D: Experienced Adventurers C: Semi-Professional Adventurers B: Professional Adventurers A: Elite Adventurers S: Saint Class Adventurers SS: World Class Adventurers SSS: Catastrophe Class Adventurers SSS+: Apocalypse Class Adventurers Parties are classified as being one rank higher than the group members. A S class party with 4 members, for example, is an SS class party in the 4 group category. Parties are categorized so that groups of 2 are not equivalent to the manpower that groups of 10 are capable of. Group categories are: 2 3 4 6 8 10 -3 About The World The entire story revolves in the world of Runes, a separate planet than earth. There are numerous races that inhabit this place. I will not be giving any spoilers in this chapter. 1.Humans 2.Elves 3.Dwarves 4.Lizardmen 5.Vampires 6.Gigantians - 2 to 3 meter tall humanoids 7.Taurus - Minatour People 8.Dragonoids - Dragon Humans, mixed blood of human and dragons 9.Dragons - can shapeshift to a human form 10.Nyan People - Cat folk 11. Rabbit People 12.Bear People -The nation of Kulva''s demographics: 74% Human 20% Elf 5% Dwarf 0.2%Dragons 0.8% Dragonoids -2 Major Magic Attributes - Will Be Constantly Updated Magic is what adventurers in the higher ranks mostly rely on. There are many uses to it. Even swordsmen use boosting magic. Attributes do not necessarily mean a magic type. Magic types will later be revealed as they are too complicated. I will release magic types as fast as possible. No spoilers here THERE ARE ALSO LOST MAGIC TYPES MAJOR MAGICAL AFFINITIES OF THE WORLD OF RUNES: 1. Water Magic 2. Fire Magic 3. Earth Magic 4. Air Magic 5. Meteorological (Weather) Magic 6. Strength Magic 7. Visionary Magic 8. Healing Magic 9. Dark Magic 10. Light Magic 11. Void Magic (teleportation and such) 12. Speed Magic 13. Summoner Magic 14. Acid Magic 15. Lightning Magic HARDEST MASTERABLE MAGICS 1. Time Magic 2. Heavenly Magic 3. Clairvoyance Magic 4. Creation Magic 5. Projectile Magic 6. Sound Magic 7. Shapeshifting Magic LOST MAGIC / EXTINCT MAGIC 1. Blizzard Magic 2. Cursed Magic 3. Illusion Magic 4. Necromantic Magic 5. Techno-Magic 6. Hell Magic -1 Magic Tiers - May Be Consistently Updated Sorry, content is lost, You ¡¯re reading Novel on Novelhall.COM, we will fix it as soon as possible, thank you 1 Chapter 1 - Alive... Griff had just opened his eyes as he kept hearing shouting and screaming. What was all this noise? Could they at the least try to keep their voices down? What was all this fuss about?! Griff still had a hazy head as he was trying to remember what just happened. He sort of woke up after a nightmare. Well, that was his guess because he could not remember anything and why he felt fear. His vision was blurry. He tried to move his hand but felt nothing.Suddenly he felt immense pain on his chest. Ouch! Hurts! It hurts so bad! F**k! What the f... AH! It felt like someone was playing with his rib cage, like someone had stick in a large rod and was spinning his insides like it was soup. Griff was about to faint because of this pain. Suddenly he heard a voice, it was shouting something. Even though he could not understand what the other people were shouting, he understood this one. "ALIVE! This lad! He... he''s alive! A miracle blessed by The Gods!" That was the last thing Griff heard before fainting finally due to feeling very very cold. He was back to being unconscious. He felt like he was drifting in eternity. He saw only the black void and nothing else around him. A faint light could be seen near the end of his vision. He did not know if that was his eyes playing tricks on him or if it was real. He chose to ignore it and kept drifting in the void, wondering what had happened till now. He heard a whisper again, but he did not make out any meaningful words of it. He decided to ignore that as well. His name was Griff. He had no surname, not one that he could remember at least. He felt tired, he just wanted to sleep now. But was that really what he wanted to do? Griff was puzzled on what was going on really. He only knew his name and nothing else. His memory? Well he remembered bits and parts but it made no sense. His last memory was that of closing his eyes. It was really not something you could call a memory. He only knew that he had laid down to sleep. He did not, however, know what kind of room he was in when he laid down to supposedly sleep. Other than that and his name, Griff knew nothing. He felt lost, like he was in an abyss drifting apart. Perhaps what he was seeing now, this black, pitch void was his consciousness. He wondered what kind of a person was he? He did not know his own personality. It was actually a pretty sad taught. Oh, the light, its growing. Griff taught that it was time to wake up. The light slowly engulfed his body that was floating in the pitch void. Blinding his eyes. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Griff''s eyes scanned the room he was in. He saw a small sofa in front of him and a rusty door to the left. There was a window to his right, opened wide. Sunlight was shining on his face and he could see the blue sky. To the left of the bed he was lying on was a small table. It had nothing particularly interesting on it. He focused his attention on the walls. The walls were painted white but had withered over time. Wherever he was, it was obviously an old place. He was now focusing his attention on himself, his body. He was bandaged all over his torso. His arms and legs appeared to be fine but he had minor burn marks. He touched his face, it had nothing on it. In fact, it felt totally normal. He tried standing up by boosting himself up, using the bed. His legs felt numb but they would work. He casually approached the doorknob and turned it. The door was open, but as soon as he opened the door, a red light shone. The doorknob which had been glowing faintly green had turned red after he opened the door. He may not remember anything but this was obviously some kind of alarm. He started to move fast towards the left end of the medieval looking corridor. As he walked he saw a mirror attached to the left of the wall. He stood in front of it. He saw what he looked like for the first time. His hair was pitch black on his left side and snow white on his right side. His eyes were black, like one was looking in an abyss. His facial features were remarkably intriguing. His face looked young, he guessed that he was probably either 16 or 17 years of age. His body was not bulky or muscular looking but it did not look weak. He was thin, probably of hunger. "Halt!" Griff turned around to see a man clad in guards armor run towards him. "Wait, boy! Your not allowed to leave your room yet. Let me escort you back so you can wait for the doctor." Griff nodded as he had nothing else to do. The guard walked him back fo his room and told him to stay put. The guy then darted back with his armor making loud noises. Griff sat on his bed and looked at the ceiling, waiting for this supposed doctor to arrive. Griff did not know how much time had passed but there was a knock on the door and it slowly opened. A man in white, linen clothing came inside. "So, I see that our patient is awake. They had said that you had no chances of surviving and here you are." "So, your the doctor?" "Indeed, you can call me Dr. Jonas. Now tell me, do you feel any pain or anything at all? Any memories?" Griff lifted his head and spoke: "Yes, but I only remember my name, Griff." "I see, we do not have any means of curing your memory loss young man but we will do our best to help you. Do you remember anything of how you got injured even if you don''t know anything?" "No, It''s all hazy to me. I only remember lying to sleep and suddenly I awoke here." "Griff, well, how should I say this. Last night there was a great fire in the forest of Ulthir to our east. The towns hunting squad was passing by the forest when the flames engulfed them and they suddenly came across you. As they were running they came across you. You had an iron rod sticking out of your chest that were crushing your rib cage. Your arms had burn marks and you were screaming with pain. Does any of this seem familiar?" "No, doctor. I do, however, have a question for you. What is this place?" "Here? This is the medical treatment center for Ange Town. A hunting town situated near the mountains. We are a town of the nation of Kulva." "Thank you doctor." "Does it ring a bell? The name Kulva?" "I don''t know but I feel it may or may not." "Alright then Griff, I''ll be taking my leave. I''ll visit you in a couple hours to check if your fine. Your health has stabilized and we can send you out but with your memory loss it seems dangerous. Stay here for a while longer." Griff nodded as the doctor left the room. The doctor had brought a clean set of clothes. Griff quickly changed to them and looked outside the window. Wait here? Stay? Oh hell no. He was not going to listen to that doctor. If he was stable and healed, he had no reason to stay here. He looked outside to see he was on the ground floor. He jumped and started to sprint. He would not stay here, not to rot as some mad man with memory loss. Hell, perhaps he was crazy but screw it! He wondered, what is this place and where it will lead him to. He ran and ran across the woods and made it to the edge of a tiny cliff. Below, he could see a town. This was probably Ange town. Griff heard a noise and turned real quick, fearing it was the doctor or a guard that had chased him down. He saw a small caravan approaching from the left on the muddy road. The driver shouting "Lad, what are ya doin out in these woods? You from Ange?" Griff thought this was his best chance and nodded slowly. "Need a lift?" Said the old man sitting on the horse in the front. Griff replied "Yes" and got on the horse behind the old man. Together with the rest of the small caravan, they traveled downwards the cliff and to the entrance of the town. Griff got off and thanked the kind commoner. From now on, the world was his. He was going to explore this mysterious land. A shout from the guard waiting in front of the town woke him up from his daydreaming. "Lad! Are you new here? Cmon, Ange''s a border town you don''t need any documents of sort to enter just come in." Griff walked towards the entrance and thanked the guard, walking towards the small village. He first needed information and this was the best place to learn more about this nation of Kulva. 2 Chapter 2 - Ange Guild Hall Griff started walking through the muddy roads of the so called town of Ange. It looked rather calm near the mountains. He kind of wanted to find a place to lay down and rest for a long, long time. However, he couldn''t. Perhaps he was still being tailed by those people from the medical institution due to them diagnosing him as someone with memory loss. He had to be on the run for now to ensure his safety. As he kept on walking, Griff encountered a small pub to his left. He stopped to check the pub out. The town seemed pretty isolated and quiet. Perhaps, he could find someone who would explain where he should go as a newcomer. He walked towards the entrance and pushed the small door. What Griff saw first was a very much empty pub. A bartender was wiping some glasses and organizing his drinks and beverages. He raised his head to look towards Griff''s direction and then looked down once more, continuing to clean the glass in his hand. "Look kid, If you have enough cash for a drink, you can stay. Otherwise get out. I can''t waste my timeon you." Griff looked puzzled. What was this old fart trying to say? He had only just entered and this man was already speaking as though he was some orphan who came here to beg. Okay, perhaps he was an orphan, and perhaps he was very poor that he did not even know what the currency was at all. He shrugged those thoughts and decided to only focus on gathering information for now. "Um, hello there sir. I am not here to bother your business or cause trouble. I would only like to ask for some information regarding where newcomers could find out about the surrounding area of Ange and the nation of Kulva?" "Ah, good so you understand. As for your question, you could just head to the Town Guild Hall and ask the receptionist there to provide you with publicly available information. Just walk towards the end of this road and you''ll find yourself in the Guild district." Griff nodded and thanked the man. He was pretty rude but perhaps that was expected, in a far out town like this all sorts of trouble could happen in pubs. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Griff kept walking just as the old bartender had said and arrived in front of a sign with the carving: "Guild District" embedded on it. He looked in front of him to see a building made of stone which looked as big as the medical center he had ran away from. Griff entered the building and looked around him. There were all kinds of people in this Guild Hall. Muscular men with daring looks, to young and nervous teenagers. However, they were all pretty silent, reading several scrolls to the left. Griff looked to his right to see a reception desk and proceeded to approach it. The receptionist was a man in his forties, he looked tall and muscular. "Hello there my friend and welcome to the Ange Guild Hall. My name is Koen and I am at your service." Griff was pretty surprised seeing a full grown man speak so kindly with a warm smile. Unconsciously he smiled as well and replied. "Hello Mr. Koen, I am new to Ange as well as Kulva so I was wondering If I could access your publicly available guild information regarding the surroundings of Ange?" "Indeed you may eh...?" "Griff, sir." "Right, Indeed you may Griff, you just have to fill out this form issuing that you will take responsability to any harm on the scrolls inside the library." Griff quickly scribbled a random signature as he didn''t even had one. Griff then followed Koen into the library that was just across the reception desk. Koen locked the doors from behind, telling him that it was a means to ensure that none of the information or scrolls inside were stolen. He explained that every visitor could access the library for 2 hours each day. It wasn''t a lot of time to learn about the entire of Kulva, but it was surely enough time to learn about the surroundings of Ange. Griff started walking, looking at the shelves when he heard a soft voice ask: "May I know what this visitor is looking for as I wish to be of assistance?" Griff turned around to see the source of the voice but he saw nothing. The voice continued: "Sir, I am an embodiment of magic, I do not have a physical form and can only exist in this library. I am a Library Spirit. Now, If I have satisfied your curiosity may I know what you are looking for?" Griff was pretty puzzled once more. Magic? Spirit? Okay, wherever he was it was pretty much a weird place. "I''m searching for information about Ange as well as, hmm, magic!" The voice was silent for a while before two scrolls started to float towards Griff. "These two scrolls contain most of the information you are looking for, dear visitor. If you wish for other sources, please indicate. These are the two top sources everyone that has searched for the same type of information here as you were the most satisfied with." Griff thanked the soft, magical voice and found a man closing his book and leaving an empty table and chair. He approached the chair and sat, laying his scroll and textbook on magic on the table. He first decided to quickly look at Ange''s surroundings. If he could find a nearby village or town, he would quickly travel there since he did not want to be caught by the doctor. Apparently, beyond the mountains of Ange, the north, there was a city state known as ''Europa''. He discarded the idea of travelling there as it was far and the mountains were a dangerous road, described to be filled with goblins and orcs. It was their natural habitat. The king of the mountain, ''Truck The Troll King'' was also residing in the mountains. It was suicide for Griff as he did not have a means to defend himself currently. To the east, there was a seaside large port known as ''Alfrum.'' It was a large trading hub and apparently one of the bigger cities of Kulva. It was pretty far, though. Griff had to bear a two week journey to get there and he didn''t think he had the means to go there alone. To the west, sadly there was nothing other than the grasslands. It said that there was a city called ''Grindor'' but it was farther than Alfrum. To the south, the Orthos River was blocking his access to anywhere. Apparently the river was not a calm one and many people would avoid passing it. The nearest bridge was closer than Alfrum was, however. Approximately it was five days a ride away. However, the true issue was what to do when he reached the other side of Orthos, there were several small settlements there as well as several large cities. Griff thought of going to the other side of Orthos but discarded that idea as well. First of all, the bridge alone was three days away from Ange and it would take him a longer period of time to reach a settlement or city on the other side. The north and west were also not an option. As a result, Griff could only travel east, towards Alfrum. He closed the geographical scroll and proceeded to open the small textbook that was on magic and what it was in this world. The book had no title but it did not matter, as long as he could find out about magic it was fine. The first page of the small textbook was very intriguing to Griff and he kept on reading and reading it till his time was over. Koen approached him asking him to finish his business as his reading time was over. Griff nodded and closed the small book, he had already skimmed throughout most of it. It was a very short book of less than 50 pages only explaining what magic was perceived as and that there were many ways to start ones interaction with the magical world. Either joining a magical school or being tutored by a mage of skill in a particular area. There were sorcerers, rune masters, enchanters, and so on. There was also a way to classify if someone was a better magic user than the other. Ranks were assigned to each magician according to their perception of magic, talent, knowledge and application of spells and enchantments. The short textbook did not explain much about the ranking system, only explaining that it was measured similarly to the way that The Adventurer Guild assigned ranks for top ranking adventurers. Griff didn''t know what an Adventurer Guild was so he used this opportunity to ask Koen before he left the Guild Hall to search for a means of transportation. Perhaps Koen could even give him tips on how to travel. "Mr. Koen, before I leave I have some questions." "Yes, lad? Be quick because I need to go back on duty. The substitute receptionist will leave soon." "Can you tell me what an Adventurer Guild is?" "Ah, The Adventurer Guild is a large organization focused on gathering people of all kinds of talent and skill. Fighters to mages; healers to leaders, everyone goes to the Adventurer Guild. Here, since Ange is a very isolated village, The Adventurer Guild did not open a branch and instead assigned us, the local Guild Hall for town affairs to be in charge of local adventurers. Adventurers are composed of all types of people from all kinds of professions. The Guild provides them with business opportunities and fame, according to their ranks and success and difficulty of the task they completed, which they later use to build their careers. In Ange, I assign passing adventurers or local adventurers with missions which are completed for payment. Some adventurers go out to be heroes while some are only free lancers, looking for a quick pay." "Well, Mr. Koen, I would also like to become an adventurer if I will be able to gain some money. Right now I don''t have much money and I am trying to travel to Alfrum." "Hmm, I suppose you do not have any experience in fighting or anything lad. How about you start small? Anyone can be an adventurer but it takes time to improve yourself. If you are currently lacking money for your travels you can also try your luck with local adventurer groups that are on escort missions or the like towards the east. There was a group that had formed yesterday. They may lend you a hand." "Thank you for the tip Mr. Koen, what do I have to do to sign up as an adventurer?" "As you do not have fighting experience, I''ll just prepare you a member card which shows you as a simple worker. You do know how to use mathematics as well as write, right?" Griff''s face was suddenly white. He just realized he probably didn''t know how to write. Suddenly he thought that if he couldn''t write, how did he manage to understand the locals as well as read the sign ''Guild District?'' He probably knew how to write since he knew how to speak in this tongue as well as read. He decided to lie for now, he had been lucky till now and perhaps he already knew how to write. He''d try writing something as soon as he left the Guild. "Yes, I do." "Then I will assign your profession as a logistics worker for now. Later on you can change your profession when you manage to learn some skills." "Thank you Mr. Koen! I''m sorry for holding you out till now." "It''s alright kid. Look, Jeff, my substitute, is calling me, I have to go." "One last thing Mr. Koen." "What is it kid? You''ve asked too many questions!" "Sorry, I''m not a native. Where can I find that traveling group that can take me in?" "Last I checked, a team of young adventurers had formed yesterday saying that they would travel to the east. Their job is escorting a merchant to his mansion on the outskirts of Alfrum. I''ll ask Jeff if their still here and you can ask them to join. However, If I were you, I would not ask for a part in their payment. They must have already agreed on how to split the reward. Just join them and help them with logistics and hunting till you can get to your destination." Griff thanked Koen and followed him to the receptionists desk. Koen asked Jeff to hand him a small card and scribbled ''Logistics Worker - Griff'' on it. It was a membership card. Apparently, Griff was also supposed to drip a part of his blood on the card for it to analyze if he had any natural affinity to magic or anything of the sort. Koen added that his card was not an official card. It was only a replica of the original one provided by the Adventurer Guild branches in large cities and towns. Local Guild Hall''s only had so much authority in adventurer matters. This subsidiary card would permit him to act as an adventurer for two weeks till he could register somewhere. Koen then asked Jeff to find out if the three young adventurers were still on the top floor, where adventurers rested. Koen bid Griff farewell and turned around to greet the next visitor, seeking to enter the library. "Hey Griff, right? Come one, let''s check If those guys are still here or if they left yet." Said Jeff. Griff and Jeff proceeded towards the stairs and went upstairs. The top floor of the Guild Hall was bustling with activity unlike the lower floor which only contained several chairs for waiting your turn to go up to the reception desk, and the library, which covered most of the lower floor. As Jeff opened the door to the top floor, Griff was stunned. He had not seen a lively atmosphere since he had awoken. He grinned, he felt happy for seeing bustling activity. As he stepped in with Jeff through the door, a shout was heard. "LOOK OUT BOY!" Griff turned his head towards the voice to see something getting closer and closer. Suddenly, a beer bottle hit Griff right between his head and he lost his balance. He thought to himself. ''Just as I was getting happy for seeing such an atmosphere? Really? For f**k sake man!" He was still conscious as the bottle didn''t have enough force behind it. He got up and looked at the supposed culprit. A young man near his age, wearing a red bandana with spiky, brown hair. He was wearing leather armor and leggings. He had a very entertained smile on his face. A sword was strapped on his belt. "AHAHAHAHAH! Sorry lad! You just walked in front of it. Didn''t mean it, I swear!" The entire crowd of people were laughing together while drinking. It was a pretty funny scene. A boy had just entered the room and got hit by a beer bottle by a drunk adventurer. "WHY YOU!" Griff was about to get angry when Jeff, from behind him spoke. "James, this guy here, Griff is a new adventurer who can help you and your team in logistics during your two week escort mission." The young man smirked and came up to Griff, patting him on the back. "Hey ya Griff, so you with us, eh? Let''s be good friends for these two weeks! Want a beer?" Hearing that this man was his travel companion, Griff started to feel very awkward. This drunk f**k was his companion? If so he did not even want to know what the other two were like. Alas, It was fate, he had no other chance to get away from Ange. This, was going to be the longest two weeks he would ever experience in life apparently... 3 Chapter 3 - Companions... Griff shrugged off the drunk James off his shoulder. He looked kind of hopeless to be honest. "The name''s Griff, bud. Call in the other members, I want to meet ''em." "Sure! Sure! Seriously though, take a sip bro! Relax... You''re all tensed up man. Just look at you, your muscles are tensed up." Griff''s eyes widened upon hearing James''s statement. He was tensed? How the hell did this drunk fuck understand he''s anxious. Certainly, looks can be deceiving. Perhaps... he should relax? What can go wrong? The medical institution looks like it''s not chasing him anymore anyways. "Sure, pass that bottle bud." Said Griff with a poker face that looked kind of forced. Griff gulped the beer bottle, and as soon as he took a sip, he spitted everything back up. "This! This is alcohol? It tastes more like piss juice! Water! For the love of God, somebody give me water." James started laughing maniacally while holding his stomach, trying not to spill over the remaining beer he had in his hand. He didn''t want to vomit all of his precious beer out from laughing now, did he. James looked very comical as tears streamed from his face as he laughed. "Hey green boy! Let that be a lesson to you. Don''t go calling your elders ''bud'' when you can''t even drink some beer with low alcohol. Hahahahahahah you''re killing me! It''s just normal beer! Not fire-wine." James''s eyes were wide open as he continued to laugh like an immature child. It looked like he was having the time of his life. "Water! Please! Damn it, I''m sorry! Please just give me some water or I''ll vomit!" "Hahahahahahaha, sorry kiddo, no water here. We only got manly drinks like beer." "Cut the kid some slack James..." Someone that was in the crowd behind Griff stated. The voice seemed to be soft and tender, possibly belonging to a woman or girl. The source of the voice stepped forward from behind Griff, who was still holding his stomach in pain, and patted on his back. Griff''s savior presented him with a mug of water. Without uttering a word or thinking, Griff snatched the mug and started drinking the water like his life depended on it. "Thank you! Thank you so mu-...eh?" Griff looked baffled as he saw a young woman entering her twenties. She had hazel brown hair hanging from her shoulders. She was smiling, which shocked Griff who hadn''t yet come across someone who could be considered beautiful in this world after he had woken up. "No worries seedling! The name''s Ann. I''m this man-child James''s baby-sitter. Well, party member, but you get the point, right?" She turned to James as she shouted at him "Retard! Show some kindness to new members!" James was nonchalantly scratching the back of his head, trying to look embarrassed but was holding his laughter. "O-oh. My name, uh, is Gri-ff." Griff was stuttering. This was expected as he hadn''t spoken to a young woman ever since waking up. He didn''t know how to react to the opposite sex. "Ah, Ann. Call Oi'' Harry out as well. He should meet the new lad." "I''m here bottle head." A calm and composed voice was heard, and a man wearing hunter''s clothing with a bow strapped to his chest and sleeveless shirt walked from the crowd and in to the open. He had a couple of bottles strapped to his utensil belt, which appeared to be elixirs. A hunting knife was also strapped to his leather belt. He seemed very young, even with his serious face. Jet black hair and sharp eyes, those of a hunter''s, looked at Griff and the group. Harry approached Griff and nodded, acknowledging him. Griff, in return, nodded back. Feeling an aura from this man that told him to not act disrespectful. All of this serious atmosphere was, however, ruined by James. "Okay ladies! Better get your belongings. We''re setting off in about an hour. That''s what that fat merchant told me at least. Griff, come with me. You''ll help me carry our provisions for the trip." Griff was shocked to see the very loose James become serious for a second there. Wasn''t he drunk a while ago? Well, kind of serious. Griff smirked and thought inwardly ''Looks like I''m with an alerted group, should be safe enough." He bowed after hearing that James finished talking. "Thank you, seniors. I am grateful for you allowing me to traverse with your aide to Alfrum, Mr. James!" James, trying not to go in to a laughing fit again, patted Griff on the shoulder. "Jeez Griff, lose those damn colorful words. Speak like a normal guy! You''re, literally, like a sheltered prince who hasn''t seen civilization." Uh, that may be partly true. Griff shyly smiled after hearing James''s remark. Having just regained consciousness and having no clue about his personality, Griff still couldn''t act ''normally.'' He sometimes felt like a robot, and sometimes he felt too emotional. ''Oh well, it''ll all come in to place eventually... I feel empty and this is bothering me...'' he thought. Harry and Ann started walking towards the stairs. They were going to bring the merchant and his cart here to load the merchandise and set forth to the outskirts of Alfrum. James and Griff walked to the other side, climbing the stairs to the adventurer lodgings upstairs. They walked through the dusty corridors, stopping in front of a room. James unlocked the door and they both entered. "Griff, grab that sack. It has provisions for 5, which we got just in case, that will easily last a week. Be careful though, it''s kind of heavy. I''ll carry these weapons as well as the firewood. Easy now!" Two young men came down the stairs carrying those large sacks filled with all kinds of materials and food. Truly, adventurers were well prepared. "So, uhm, James. How strong are you exactly with your skills? You have so much food! You should be very rich to buy so much food." James smirked hearing that he was being praised. "Well, exactly! I''m pretty strong lad! I''m an E class adventurer and our party''s classed E+!" "E? What does that stand for?" "You just became an adventurer and you don''t even know the ranks?! Talk about living under a rock." "You can say that again." "Well, so, ranks are given according to guild exams. Everyone normally starts from G-, but you can start from G, G+ or even F- if you prove exceptionally in the entrance exam. I started from G, heh. Proves my worth, right?" "I am speechless at your narcissism." "But you''re not speechless. You spoke." "Uh huh..." "Never mind, so ranks are divided by letters. These are: G, F, E, D, C, B, and A. All of these also have a lower and upper quartile such as G-, G+ and so on till A+. After A+ comes S, SS, SSS, and the most terrifying of all: SSS+. The dudes at the top of the rankings are so powerful that they can take on whole national militaries. Fuckers are richer than most kings. Hell, most above S have their own kingdoms. Pretty badass, eh?" Griff was very intrigued. His eyes were sparkling with curiosity. "Yeah!" "Well, group rankings are different though. A party can consist of groups of 2, 3, 4, 6, or 10 people. We''re an E+ group in the 3 category. This is because all our members are E class. We can easily overpower D- and D solo adventurers. Can''t speak about those D+ dudes though. Well, that''s that Griff. Oi! Watch your head!" James turned to his left as the duo approached the exit. "Hey, old man Koen, see you around." As the duo exited, the receptionist Koen waved his hand at them. "See you around Griff, James! Be careful out there now." "Thanks for everything Mr. Koen. I hope I can repay you back one day." "Don''t mention it kid. Woah! Watch out with that sack!" Griff held on to the sack he was carrying, but it was already too late. He tripped on a nearby rock and started falling over. "Ah! You little brat, why are you so freaking clumsy." remarked James. As Griff fell, he cursed inwardly ''Seriously my luck sucks. First, I get a freaking bottle in the head. Next I''m about to kiss the dirt.'' Griff closed his eyes and braced himself as time seemed to slow down for a second. Just then, he realized something. He still hadn''t fallen. He opened his eyes to see... that he was floating above ground. 4 Chapter 4 - The Road To Alfrum "Ai ai ai, up you go kid." Griff raised his head to see a fat man with a beard, which looked like one that belonged to a dwarf, pointing his finger at him. Griff was slowly raised with the sack, and found himself standing up like he hadn''t even fallen in the first place. The faint glow on the man''s finger faded and he lowered his arm. He smiled cheerfully. He was a short man with a round beer belly. His beard was ginger red and he had almost no hair left on his head, excluding a couple of lucky strands. Before Griff could even utter a word, the man pointed his finger at his and James''s sacks, raising them once more. He moved them through the air to a nearby cart and placed them in the back. "You the rest of the lads I hired, right? Those two that came to fetch me mentioned a rookie starting today to gain some experience. I presume you''re him, right young man?" The short, fat man was indicating Griff, who nodded obediently. "Ah ah ah, youth these days. You all seem to get more embarrassed and clumsier than your predecessors. Your tall friend here isn''t as embarrassed or clumsy as you now, is he? Ah, never mind me. We better bring in the crates as well." James and Griff followed the dwarf-like-man to the back of the Town Guild Hall. There, next to a couple of old items, 4 crates were stacked next to each other. "I can only levitate two objects at a time, you two youths take the other two." The trio started walking back to the front of the Town Hall. Upon arriving next to the cart, Griff saw that Ann and Harry were already there. They were sitting in the back of the cart. They''d tidied the cart up when the trio were at the back. "Place them right there, right in front of where you adventurers will be sleeping. Yes, right there." After completely loading the cart up, and leaving enough space for the four adventurers to sleep and sit, the dwarf-like-man called them to talk about the road. "Hello to all of you who accepted my request in a protection convoy while traveling to Alfrum. My name is Bargun. As you can see, I''m a dwarf. Well, I''m a merchant unlike most of my race which focuses on metal forging." He took out a dusty map from his pocket and laid it on the small table inside the cart that was meant to be used as a dinner table. "We are currently right here." The fat dwarf circled the area named ''Ange Plains'' "And we will be going here." The man circled the outskirts of Alfrum. "That is where my client resides and I''ll trade with him. Later on, I''ll ask for you all to escort me to Alfrum which is about 30 minutes far from his mansion in the outskirts. Seeing that you bunch are experienced in the area of Ange; what kind of threats are there throughout the plains here and the mud road that connects to the port of Alfrum?" James spoke up "Well, Mr. Bargun, what I can say is that we have encountered a lot of wild wolves during all of our escort missions up to today. That is why we suggest taking an alternative route from the main mud road, and go through the plains to the north where we will connect to the rocky road leading to the town of Briskar, a small rural town 5 days away from Alfrum. We haven''t used that route a lot, but our experience tells us that there are less dangerous conditions to the northern roads. This is, according to me, due to the recent emergence of the disturbance in the northern mountains which has driven most wild animals, beasts, creatures and monsters, as well as petty organizations, southwards. From Briskar we can stock up on supplies and re-connect to the mud road to Alfrum, which gets safer as we near Alfrum." "Understandable, I had searched on the roads and couldn''t think of another alternative. However, if your experience as an adventurer states that the northern path is safer, I shall comply as your employer. I am in your hands." James put up a very friendly smile and patted the dwarf "Mr. Borgel, we shall do our best." Seeing that the adventurer and merchant had finished their serious conversation of picking a route, Griff spoke up "Excuse me, Mr. Borgel. When you stopped me from falling and made those crates float, were you using magic?" "Ah, you''re the rookie. Well, yes that was a very simple magic. I know some simple magic that help me in daily situations such as lifting objects and such. I don''t know a lot of spells, however. That spell was a wind spell: Levitation. It gets stronger as the user studies it, but I''m kind of lazy." The merchant scratched the back of his head as he said the last part, smiling embarrassingly. "So, I didn''t study it at all." "Well, you''re awfully frank..." "Anyways, do any of you have anything left? I''d like to set forth as soon as possible now." "No, we are all ready" stated Harry. "Then off we go!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It had been several hours since the group had exited the town of Ange and had begun heading towards the crossroad of the rocky and mud road. Griff was very interested in what he was seeing as the cart strode forward. The sky was crystal blue and plants such as bushes and grass were growing all across the Ange Plains. The wind was a little rough and was messing up Griff''s hair. "Hey Borgel! There are several trees ahead of us. It seems like a good spot to eat our lunch" said James. "Griff! stick your head back inside, you''re going to fall off!" Ignoring Ann''s show of concern, Griff continued to look around at the wildlife and enjoyed the sight. Such beauty was truly beautiful to see. A chop to his head brought Griff from the lands of imagination "Jeez Griff, wake up already. It''s time for dinner." "Fine." Griff responded to James with a very annoyed tone. "I''m pulling over. While you all eat your dinner, I''ll feed the horses." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Oh boy! A feast to my belly..." "Is James always like that after eating food?" "I''m afraid he is, Griff." James was lying on the ground, holding his stomach that seemed it could burst any moment now. Ann and Griff were just standing next to him, laughing. It created a friendly atmosphere, one that Griff wasn''t familiar to. "Oi brat! Keep laughing and *burp* I''ll hand you your *burp* ass in a spar! *burp*" Borgel, Griff, and Ann, hearing James''s funny response, started laughing even more than usual. Even Harry, who seemed very bored, joined in the fun, teasing poor James as he tried to get up but continued to fall because of his big belly. "Borgel, we better rest here for a while or who knows what would happen to us without our stupid, but capable, swordsman here." "You''re right Harry. We better stay here for a while." Harry and Ann were talking with Borgel, speaking about a serious matter but looking like they were about to burst laughing. "You youngsters are right! The horses need some rest as well anyways." Borgel looked over at James and smiled at him. "You''re in for it old man *burp*." "Hahahahahahah" Everybody was laughing together, enjoying the funny scenery of James''s attempts to grab his sword. "Might as well rest then..." Aaaand, James fell asleep just like that. "How can he do that in the middle of the wilderness?" "James has a lot of talents you don''t know yet Griff. He''s a funny guy." Griff was pretty shocked seeing that James had fallen asleep in mere seconds. "Ann, I''ll be sleeping too, you help Borgel with the horses." "I guess... I''ll rest too." Harry and Griff laid on the grass, closing their eyes and folding their arms, listening to the voices of nature. 5 Chapter 5 - The Mana Surge "Hey Griff, wake up!" Griff woke up to the shocking sensation he felt. Somebody was shacking him. He was pretty sure that it was pitch black... well he did feel some sort of light, but it was definitely not morning. "You have to see this Griff! Trust me." James''s voice was more excited than the usual. Even though he was kind of pissed off that his blissful dream was ruined, Griff opened his eyes. "James what''s more important than rest..." "The quarterly mana surge of the Ange Plains! That''s what." Griff, raising his head, was bewitched by the scene he saw. The air looked like it was dancing with blue orbs of condensed energy, lightly glowing and floating. The energy seemed to originate from everything, living or inanimate. Griff looked down at his hand to see a portion of blue energy pass through it as it came from the soil beneath him. The balls of mana were slowly rising above, creating a magnificent spectacle. Griff stretched out his arm and touched one of the floating orbs. His hands passed through it like it was not even there. Griff could feel all of this energy, like it was connected to him. It was a warm sensation. Not only him but also the rest of his companions seemed to feel the same connection he felt towards the energy around him. James sat next to him, looking at the scene together. "You couldn''t miss this Griff, you''re leaving Ange as far as I know and I thought you''d at least want to see a specialty of the Ange Plains. James smirked as he continued looking at the beautiful scenery. The night sky was illuminated by the surging mana. Griff was dazed, he was always dazed apparently as he kept being surprised at whatever he saw. He felt someone smack him on the shoulders. "Oi Griff, this isn''t the only reason I woke you up. C''mon get up." "Eh?" Griff got up, looking at James with his same blank expression. "You see, I know that you want to become an adventurer. I think I can help you learn some sword skills for that! We have a spare short-sword that we use to spar. It''s in the cargo. It''s kind of rusty, but I think it will fit you just right with your posture. I want to test your talent now, in fact!" "Wait, James are you serious? You''ll teach me how to use a sword? I don''t want to be a burden if it really is bothering you. I''m coming on this trip with your party, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and all." James karate chopped Griff''s head. "You''re not a burden you idiot. We took you in because we liked you." Griff''s eyes lit up hearing that last part and he hugged James like a spoiled little kid. "Thank you master! I''ll do my best!" "Calm down you clumsy brat! You''re making a scene here! I''m like 25 years old! Too young to be called a master. Heck no, I don''t want a white beard. And I''m not dying as a virgin sword saint, thank you very much. Secondly! Aren''t you 17 or something? Why did you suddenly start acting like a 12-year-old?! Snap out of it! This is too awkward for even me to laugh." James was trying to push Griff from the head as he was annoyed by this gesture of affection by the lone youngster. "Let go of me you grizzly bear!" Looking at the weird due that seemed like a father and son having fun, Ann started giggling. "That''s very bro~mantic James." She said seductively. Harry was holding a tree to support himself as he was about to collapse from laughing. "Master? James a master? Over my dead body!" "Shut your trap old hag! And you cool boy! Don''t make me come over there." James waved his fist angrily, grinding his teeth. "You first got to get rid of him though." Ann remarked, pointing at the seemingly happy Griff. "Oi Griff, enough! You''re causing problems for me here! Do I have to teach you common sense too?!" James pushed Griff off. Griff was laughing, he hadn''t laughed ever since waking up. "Kind of felt like teasing you old man!" "I''m 25 damn it! 25!" Griff reminisced about the time he woke up, several hours ago. He was really scared at the time.He was alone and that feeling didn''t fit with him. He sometimes acted too mature, and sometimes he felt like acting immature. "Catch you brat!" As Griff dozed off, thinking about what had happened up till now, James had already gone to take the rusty short-sword. "I''ll see if you have talent and teach you a little over the two weeks, you''re with us. If you do good, I''ll even give you a tip on the adventurer exam." Griff, with a determined face, grabbed the blade from James''s hand. James walked back about several feet and turned to Griff, bringing out his blade. "Let''s dance Griff." "Dance? What does th-" Before Griff could even finish his sentence, James had appeared in front of him, pointing his blade towards his neck. James raised an eyebrow at Griff''s unresponsiveness. "You let your guard down Griff. That could be fatal in an adventure... Again." "Hahaha that was fast! Let me get re-" "In a real battle, there is no such thing as getting ready Griff. You need to integrate this to your soul to survive. This world isn''t as beautiful as the Mana Surge you just saw." Griff gulped. He hadn''t seen James, who was a very laid-back guy, become so serious. It was frightening. "Okay." "James stepped back to his starting position and raised his blade once more. A blue light could be seen surging through his blade. Without saying anything, or warning that the spar had begun, he rushed towards Griff. This time, being a bit readier, Griff rolled to the side, evading James''s fast maneuvers. "Good, better in fact." He then poked Griff on the back, who was looking away, touching his spine. "But you''re still an open book. Goblins and such can use that opening to kill you. You wouldn''t even know what hit you." Griff felt a chill once more, adrenaline was pumping through his veins. "Again." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The duo had been sparring for over an hour now, and Griff was drenched in sweat. James stood over him as he panted due to running out of air. "Jeez Griff, we better get you a solid base for endurance. Whether you''ll use magic or become a close combat expert in the future, you''ll need a high endurance. Even a slime could catch you if you tried running away right now!" James picked up Griff up as he was still panting, and walked towards the carriage. The sun was rising from the east slowly. He placed Griff on the carriage. "Borgel! We''re all set. We can leave anytime. The kid''s tired but that won''t be a problem." "Aye James, let me finish picking up my tent then." James''s muttering could be heard by Griff, even though he was tired. "You have a tent... lucky bastard." James turned to Griff. "And you!" Griff raised his head, still tired from the spar, looking at James who had finished wiping his somewhat sweaty face with his bandana. "Get some rest, drink some water for all I care. Then go check on that bag over there. Sort out the food and tell me what we have and how much. I''m training you, but hey, this isn''t free you know. You''ll be helping with logistics." James patted Griff on the shoulder and gave a smile, a warm one instead of his usual playful grin. "As for training, you got some talent in you. Not much but, I''ll help as much as I can." James walked towards the front of the carriage and sat beside Borgel and Harry. Ann was sleeping again in the back, a little further from Griff. The carriage started moving as the team set forth towards the rocky road... 6 Chapter 6 - The Forest... It had been a week since the team had departed from Ange. They''d already connected with the rocky road. They were now approaching Brundel, only a few days away from their destination. They''d run out of food a while ago, and started hunting the local animals. The carriage slowed down as it approached a slight opening in the forest they were passing through. It was already night. "Let''s camp here Borgel. The place is a good opening for us." said James. "Indeed. Ann and Harry, can you two help me set up the tents?" Harry and Ann had gotten off the carriage, helping Borgel carry the several tents they had to set up camp. "Hey Griff! Come on. I''m going to test your new skills!" "Eh! Coming!" Griff grabbed his short-sword. James had given it as a gift to him. The duo started running in to the forest. "You two are on cooking duty when you get back! You rascals!" screeched Borgel, seeing that the two were ditching the rest again. Ann started laughing as she saw the two rush towards the forest, ignoring Borgel''s cry. "Ann, a little help?" Ann turned to see Harry getting crushed under everything Borgel was giving him to carry. She laughed and moved towards him to help. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Sheesh Griff, you''ve really improved." "You really think so?" "Yeah!" James then pointed at Griff''s legs with his blade. "However, you still need to get faster. Like I said, you''re low on endurance. Perhaps try changing that to an advantage? Make the enemy think your fast. Like someone who looks strong but is weak. Use intimidation." He then sheathed his sword, and hung his arm around Griff who was tired from the spar. The duo started walking back towards their camp. James turned to Griff and smiled. "You''ll make a great adventurer!" Griff''s eyes sparkled. The duo continued walking, but suddenly James put his hand on Griff''s mouth, whispering in his ear. "Don''t. Make. A. Sound." He pulled out his blade, but something was different. He did so with killer intent. Danger... Griff slowly followed as James gestured him to move forward. They kept moving towards the large tree that they had marked before in order to remember the road back. James slowly turned right with Griff right behind him. Griff couldn''t see his surroundings as it was dark. He tripped over something which he presumed to be a rock, and fell. "Griff, psst, are you ''kay?" "Yea. Fell over, that''s it." Griff got up, and was about to walk away. However, just then the moon light illuminated their surroundings. Griff opened his mouth but James covered it just in time. "Sorry little bro, just¡­ bear with it for now." Griff nodded. His legs felt weak from what he had seen. They slowly started walking towards the carriage that wasn''t too far away. As they walked, thunder struck from behind them. Burning a couple of trees. The fire, as a result, illuminated the ground once more. Showing an unmoving body of a once cheerful and helpful man¡­ Borgel''s head was severed and one could see the fear in his eyes, which were wide open with his tongue sticking out. His body looked marauded. Blood gushing out of what was presumed to be fresh wounds¡­ A burning tree fell over his body¡­ sending him up above. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Griff, sit there. Be. Quiet." James was gesturing towards the tent that was set up. James continued to walk towards the carriage to see where his companions were. "J¡­ames" James turned around, looking at a bloodied Harry lying on the ground, holding his chest. He had stab wounds¡­ bite marks and much more. James kneeled near him. "Brother¡­ who did this?" "Ban¡­.dits. Took¡­Ann. Killed Bor¡­gel." Harry started coughing. In response, James gave him some water from his bag. "Had wol..ves. Cloaked¡­" "How many." "Too many¡­ counted 10¡­ more probably." James gestured Griff to come near him. He turned to Harry one last time. "Rest. I''ll get Ann." James glanced one more time, seeing that Griff had knelt next to Harry, trying to treat him. James''s eyes were filled with hatred. He shed his blade and moved towards the dark forest. --------------------------------------------------------- "Big bro¡­ does this hurt?" Griff was patching up Harry, and he had to apply some pressure on the gushing wounds. James had taught him a lot, and first aid was one of those things he learnt. Hearing no answer, Griff continued trying his best, but he felt pain in the back of his head. He felt dizzy. He tried getting up, but he collapsed¡­. ----------------------------------------------------------------- James moved swiftly through the forest, cutting through the vines that obstructed his path. He was fast, but not running. He was using ''Silent March,'' a spell that halted all sound around the user for a radius of a meter. It was a weak spell, but one that could save the user. It was a beginner class strengthening class spell. James came to a stop in front of a bush, which if he passed, he would reach an opening. He crouched as he heard several men talking. "Will he come?" "Of course, he''s too kind." "That''s from our intel." "Our intel can be trusted." "That is good." "He is strong." "He will entertain them." "That is pleasant to hear." James was baffled at what he though was ''nonsense'' that he was hearing. He then noticed a new figure step in. He had a different cloak color than the rest, presumably the leader. His cloak was black while the others were brown. "We have captured the final one." "Splendid." "Shall we depart now?" "Let''s see their faces¡­ they do not want broken goods." The brown cloaked man turned around, revealing three people who had sacks over their head. The man pulled off the sacks, looking at the unconscious faces of Harry, Ann, and Griff. Seeing this, James gritted his teeth as he thought to himself ''What now¡­'' James was thinking of methods to rescue the trio, but his mind went blank. He couldn''t think straightly. He could only feel his rage. ''Screw it¡­'' He knew he was an idiot for doing this, but the men had their guards down. He could reach Griff or Ann and save one of them at the least. Then, they''d pursue these bandits. James got out of the bush, rushing and stabbing a cloaked figure. The man fell down without a word. He continued to cut through the several men. All of them fell without making a sound. James slowly began to s=think rationally. He had cut so many, but it was easy? They hadn''t even screamed¡­ Something was wrong. James stopped his slashing spree, and looked back at the men he presumed to be dead. *clap clap clap* James heard slow clapping and turned forward to face the source. "You did it, congratulations." The man from before, the black cloaked man, was smiling at James. He lowered his cloak, revealing many scars on his face. He had one eye, his other eye hole was empty. He didn''t even bother covering it with an eye patch or such. "You killed a couple of shadows! Are you proud?" All the fallen figures turned to purple goo, storming towards the man. They entered his body. "Material Magic: Clonification." James raged, seeing that he was fighting nothing up to now. There was only one enemy to begin with. His stamina was drained. "You bastard¡­" "Now now, James. It is James, right? I learnt your name from that beauty there. We don''t want to see your ''companions'' suffer, do we?" The man laughed like a lunatic. James turned back to look if his friends were okay. He was scared if one of those clones snuck up on them. However, he was shocked from what he saw. Fear struck him. Terror¡­ true terror. His face paled all over. He felt weak, no strength in his arms as his blade fell. His eyes were wide open, looking with fear, horror, hopelessness¡­regret." James didn''t have the chance to respond to the attack by the cloaked man as he had been distracted. He was hit from behind his back. The pain was surreal, he had begun to lose consciousness as he fell down. "Sleep tight." The man smirked at his own remark, his tone deep and horrifying. The last thing James heard was someone drawing out a blade. "We better mark our property now, eh?" 7 Chapter 7 - Wake Up Call... Griff woke up to cold water being splashed on his face. He could not see anything because something was placed over his eyes. "This one''s in good condition, he woke up fast." Griff''s head was fuzzy. Last thing he remembered was loosing consciousness. Another voice spoke up. "Wake the other one up as well. Hopefully you didn''t hurt our merchandise more than needed. I need to make sure they have potential to entertain our guests properly." Another water bucket splashed over someone next to Griff. He couldn''t see what was happening, but the man started to swear after waking up. He sounded like James... The other men were whispering. Somebody pulled Griff up and pushed him. "Move." He didn''t know where he was being taken to, but he decided to not act rashly. One small mistake could end his life. He had been walking for a while now... he still couldn''t see a thing. As Griff walked, he heard the sound of cheering, getting closer. He heard something, an iron door? "Out." The person who was walking behind Griff kicked him in the back. He fell on the floor. The man who kicked him then cut off his ropes that were binding his arms, and tore off the blindfold. The buzzy noises Griff was hearing started to become clearer. His eyes were adjusting to the sudden change of light. He could make out what he was seeing now. A sandstone floor? Floating orbs of light, probably light magic... An audience as well? They all wore creepy masks, shouting. Most of them seemed to wear noble attire. As Griff scanned his surroundings, he saw another iron door right in front of him raising. Someone else was kicked out of the dorr. He, too, had a blindfold. The guard tore off his restraints and blindfold, setting the new youth free. The skinny youth in ragged clothing stood up. He had auburn hair and blue eyes. The boy could be called handsome, but his skinny body ruined his looks. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Tonight, at the Carnage Arena we have two rookies!" The crowd went wild. "Tonight, these two shall have a battle... to the death!" Griff was baffled. He could see that the other kid was as well. "As tonights host I promise you allll a bloodyyy and bruutalll fight!" The man''s high pitched tone was freaking Griff out.A guard came from behind the announcer. He threw a large bag from the top of the floating platform to the ground. Weapons of all kinds scattered across the center of the arena. Griff and the kid did not move, looking around confused. "Why aren''t they fighting!" The crowd''s cries died down as a single noble shouted with distain. The announcer''s eyes turned angry from his joyous gaze. He raised his hand, pointing at the weapons. "You see those weapons, boys? Use them to kill each other now! Or we will kill both of you painfully." The auburn haired kid''s face turned pale and he started running towards the middle of the arena, grabbing a longsword. Griff understood that if he did not act now, he''d die. He rushed towards a short-sword and also grabbed a knife. He raised his head after strapping the knife to his belt to see the auburn haired kid run towards him with eyes of hate and fear. A moment ago the kid looked harmless with an innocent look, but now he was desperate to live! Griff dodged his slash by stepping aside, but he felt pain on his left shoulder. The kid had actually bit him! He was fighting like an animal. "Get off me!" Griff kneed the guys stomach, causing him to loosen his grip. Griff then used his right elbow to strike the kid''s face. He quickly opened up distance to look at his injury. It was bleeding, and it was deep. The auburn haired kid''s face was messed up, and he was vomiting. He stopped vomiting and turned to look at Griff murderously. If his opponent hadn''t been weak, Griff would have died a hundred times over already. The auburn haired kid raised his longsword, charging at Griff. Their blades clashed, both flying from their hands. Griff lost his balance due to this. Taking advantage, the auburn haired boy knocked Griff down. The kid started to punch Griff all over his face with tears in his eyes. Griff wasn''t able to block a single attack. Even though his opponent was weaker, he was more agile. Griff''s nose was broken and his left eye was swollen. Finally, Griff managed to catch the kid''s hand. The crowd was going crazy over the fight. "Bloody indeed! Our new contestants are giving us one hell of a show aren''t they!" The host shouted. Griff ignored him and looked at the kid who was a mess. Now that he saw him up close, he realized that the kid was definitely younger than him. His eyes were empty... Griff whispered so that no one would hear him. "Listen buddy, we don''t have to do this! Calm down. We can try working together to bust out of this sick place." The kid started to laugh, hearing Griff. "Are you stupid? Retarded? You have no brain I guess. We''re fighting for our lives and we''re surrounded by armed guards! Just shut up and DIE!" The kid headbutted Griff. "You''re so na?ve!" The kid grabbed Griff by the collar and punched his face once more. "The strong survive and the weak die. There''s no room for trash like you." The kid was about to punch Griff again, but received a head-butt from him. The kid fell over. Griff kicked him in the stomach, causing him to vomit. Seeing this as an opportunity, the kid grabbed Griff''s leg before he pulled it back and bit in to his Achilles Heel. "GRAAAH!" "Cheh." The kid spat out the piece of meat he had bitten from Griff as the latter screamed in pain. The kid smirked psychopathically. "Weak! Weak, weak, weak, weak, weak!" He jumped on Griff, planning to punch him to death, but Griff had pulled out his knife. The kid had jumped on the knife. Griff used this opportunity to cut the kid''s stomach. The kid held his stomach as blood gushed out. His eyes were white and full of fear. "Weak... me?" Were his last words as he died right then and there.Griff kept laying there, panting. Tears came down his face. He was a bloody mess. The psychopathic crowd erupted in cheers. "Rookie! Rookie!..." Griff couldn''t take it anymore. What kind of sick entertainment was this? He looked at his bloodied hands, and started to vomit. His head was dizzy. The masked announcer jumped off his platform, forcing Griff to stand. He raised his arm to the crowd. "Tonight''s champion! Ladies and Gentlemen!" Griff was still panting and trying not to cry due to this near-death-experience. The announcer smacked him across the face, seeing bis depressed mood. "Do not think of crying you slave. We want blood, not tears." He turned towards the crowd. "Does this rookie need some discipline?" The crowd screeched, agreeing with the announcer. They were like animals. The announcer turned to Griff once more. His expression couldn''t be seen because of his mask, but his words brought terror to Griff''s heart. "Then I''ll make sure to give you a special lesson. All animals should be tamed..." The man called the guards to carry Griff. They walked towards the metal door to the left, waiting for the door to rise. They then entered to the dark, abyssal corridor... 8 Chapter 8 - Do People Change? IMPORTANT NOTE: "..." Speech ''...'' Griff''s inner thoughts unless stated otherwise. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You see this kid?" The announcer still wearing a mask asked Griff, pointing at a door at the end of the corridor. "It''s a mana chamber. It will suck your life force while consistently replenishing it. The pain you will feel... let''s just say that it is otherworldly. Losing consciousness, but consistently regaining your stamina! That better teach you how to treat our esteemed guests..." Griff was struggling as the thought of being inflicted pain and feeling it consistently horrified him. "That''s the look I like! Show fear!" The announcer laughed. "I like despair, despair little friend. More!" He kicked Griff through the large black door that was the entrance to the mana chamber. "Somebody will bring you food. You''ll stay there for a week." The door was closed from behind Griff as nothing could be seen. He was alone in the pitch-black dark. In the abyss. "Why..." Griff clenched his fists as he looked at what he presumed to be the ground. "Why is this happening. I... I only wanted to... what did I even want in the first place." Griff could feel the chamber suck his mana, his life-force. "IT HURTS. IT HURTS." The pain Griff felt was surreal... ''Maybe... maybe James escaped? But he doesn''t even know where I am in the first place... I''m really hopeless.'' Griff crawled towards the wall and sat there. "No, I''m... weak... even worse." What had happened in the death match lingered in his mind. He felt weak. He really did. The power he felt from being alive was being sucked away. His body was shriveling up. He felt something in his mouth. He touched his mouth to see blood. His nose was bleeding as well. Small cuts were on his arms. He felt fuzzy, losing consciousness slowly. ''Damn it...'' The healing factor of the chamber kicked in and started to heal Griff''s stamina. He was just about to lose consciousness... The door started to open slowly. ''Food?'' A woman wrapped in a black cloak entered the room and placed a tray with a little piece of burnt bread and a small cup of water. The figure got up and was about to leave. However, she turned to Griff and lowered her hood. From the small amount of light coming through the corridor, Griff could see her face. "Hello Griff... Those are some nasty wounds you got there." "This... I''m dreaming right? T-This isn''t real!" "Oh, little kid." The woman looked down on Griff whose cuts had healed finally. Ann grinned devilishly. "This is no dream... It''s a nightmare." She turned to leave but stopped when Griff grabbed her ankle. His eyes were shadowed by his hair due to the darkness. "Why..." "Why? Because I work for them. Because they give me food, money, clothing! Because they let me do what I like! What else is there little boy?" "... You know what Ann? I never liked you anyway. Looking at us with a smile all the time. You like seeing me like this don''t you?" "*Sigh* Little Griff, your still so much of an idiot. Don''t you get it? I''m a slave trader. One who kidnaps adventurers. And most of all, I''m a master of deception." She stepped on Griff''s hand holding her ankle. "Gr..aah!" "But most importantly. I like seeing the fear in my enemy''s eyes... The trust break... Their soul breaks!" She started giggling like a maniac as Griff managed to pull his hand back. "Your... the nastiest thing I have seen. Nastier than monsters. No, you are a monster. Your insides reek of waste." Ann kicked Griff across his face. "Shut your trap worm... no food for you today." She kicked over the tray and exited the door, closing it while laughing. Griff crouched over to the bread that Ann had stepped on, and he... ate it. He drank what little water remained in the cup and went back to his corner. "Survive..." He muttered to himself. "I must survive... and I''ll pay you all back for your... generosity." Griff wiped off the small amount of blood on his head from the kick. The chamber started again, draining his mana once more. He gritted his teeth... He had to take this in and survive. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The door opened once more. A man in leather armor stepped inside and grabbed Griff by the arm. "Your time is up, boy. Tomorrow you''ve got a match. The audience wants you back." ''Survive...'' "You hear me boy? No excuses. The chamber healed you one final time." ''Live...'' "He''s a lost cause, just take him to his cell. He''ll fight anyhow." Another guard spoke to the one holding Griff. "I suppose your right..." The duo brought Griff over to a cell not too far from the mana chamber, tossing him inside. As soon as Griff entered, he said nothing and went towards the rock bed in the corner and sat on it, looking at his fists. ''Survive... no matter the cost.'' He looked up at the ceiling. He was determined. Griff hadn''t shown a proper expression since he had woken up, but tonight... his eyes blazed with determination. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Get up." Hearing the guards call out to him, Griff got up from his bed obediently and exited his cell. It was the same guard pair. They started to escort Griff towards the end of the corridor. The one that led to the arena. The place where he had killed someone. ''It still makes me feel... dizzy.'' The iron door raised, and the guard pair pushed Griff towards the arena. As he entered, he turned around once more to see the dark corridor before it vanished behind the steel door. ''The darkness...'' He looked upwards to see a dome covering the entire arena. He hadn''t noticed it before. Without those floating orbs of light, this arena would be pitch black too. ''Just like there...'' Meanwhile the crowd was cheering. ''Animals...'' The opposite door raised, and out came a man in tattered clothes. He looked like a peasant. Griff could tell that he was not a new comer from the way he stared at Griff. Not in confusion, but with a murderous intent. The sound of the crowd cheering slowly vanished as Griff couldn''t hear them. even though they had started shouting louder. All he did was stare in front of him, towards his enemy. ''I said I''ll survive...'' The bag full of weapons had just contacted the floor, scattering several weapons across the middle of the arena. Griff and the man dashed at the same time. Griff quickly grabbed a short knife and looked up at the man who was just about to pick up a spear. He started to run towards the man as fast as he could. ''And I shall...'' The man raised his spear to try to stab Griff when he got close, but what happened next was shocking. Griff threw the knife in his hand after he had closed the gap by a decent amount, allowing him to be positioned in a way that he couldn''t miss. The knife stabbed right in the middle of the man''s chest. Ending his life right there and there... It all happened so fast that the crowd was shocked. They were growing fond of this new rookie. The maniacal cheering started once more, but Griff paid no attention. He walked towards the iron door, waiting for it to open. Waiting... for his opportunity. 9 Chapter 9 - Title At End Spoiler It had been a month since Griff had been captured... The fights in the pit he had been in now numbered up to 7 in total. He had fought an ex-knight, a thief and a lunatic called ''The Wicker'' that had volunteered to fight in the pit for the heck of it. He had been there for over a year until Griff defeated him by pure luck. He had used the sand on the floor of the arena to blind the berserker after he was beaten to a pulp and used that chance to stab the bastard right in the eye, killing him in the process. The crowd had went wild upon witnessing his comeback. He had been dubbed a veteran and moved to better living quarters. ''I just can''t take it anymore... I need to get out of here fast.'' There was an event nearing by. A death-match tournament involving bets on which favored veteran would win and Griff was being forced to participate because some slimy fat masked noble wanted to bet especially on him. It was today, the tournament opening ceremony. It had been dubbed the Bloody Knighthood Tourney. The victor that survived this carnage would hold the title of Battle-Master and be given freedom on the condition to work for the nobles. Only one person would escape... the rest would face the cruel death of the arena. Griff had been preparing himself, steeling himself to do whatever it takes to survive the coming ordeal. "Orten, open his cage, the ceremony for the tourney opening is ''bout to begin and the big boss wants to see his new baby veteran." Griff moved along the dark and moist cage and exited. The two guards flanking him. He walked through the dark and horrid corridors that made him always think ''Is this the time I die?'' These two guards had been assigned to him since his first day in this hellhole as cell guards and they were oddly jovial. It was clear that they were very laid back. ''These gates...'' The gates rose and Griff met the poorly illuminated arena with the masked freaks called nobles watching his every move once more. However, there was an oddity. They were too silent, being bloodthirsty sadists. The reason for all this stood in the front row. A new mask had joined the crowd and stood at the middle. He had a dragon mask on. His gender was clearly male due to his posture. Griff moved his head right and looked at the center of the arena. There stood 7 more people, all presumably veterans of the arena. Each bore their own scars clearly as they had unreadable expressions on their faces. Most of them looked the same, muscular males with shaved heads to keep the hair out of the dirty fights they went in to. From small to large they were mostly the same. The only oddity was a man clad in robes near the right end of the line and a man with piercings all over his body. "All stand to pay respects to the master of the arena!" The speaker brought Griff out of his daydream and he witnessed a pretty odd sight. The cruel nobles were paying their respects to the master of the arena. Those sadists that only care about themselves went out of their way to show loyalty to the owner of the arena. This man was truly dangerous if he had the capacity to do this... "Thank you everyone! Now we will be assigning the fighters for the first round! The preliminaries which will begin tomorrow!" The speaker waited for the crowd to settle and continued speaking. "Our first match up is between a fan favorite! The Cracker!!!" The oddly large man between the fighters with piercings roared, he was presumably the cracker. It was believable with that getup. "His opponent shall be the only mage in the arena! It was very hard to get our hands on one of them! He still hasn''t given us his fool name so we have dubbed him as Mana!!!" The crowd eyed the man, or presumably young boy, in the robe quietly. That''s it folks! This match is the only match you will be witnessing tomorrow, and the other preliminaries will be announced after each match-up! To make things more interesting we will place all of these fighters in a large cage together to live until the tourney ends and only one remains!" The crowd cheered for the drama that was being displayed by the arena. The guards standing at the doors approached the fighters and rounded them up just like cattle, poking spears at them, directing them towards the only gate Griff had never been through... The corridor was darker than expected, darker than the usual corridor Griff went through to arrive a this so called home in this hell hole. They arrived at the end of the corridor where a dimly lit barracks had been set beforehand. Inside were necessary utensils, nothing much nothing less. But something sparked in Griff, it spoke to him. This place was critical. He had a gut feeling. "This is y''er home for the week fighters, well most of you won''t see this place longer than 2 or 3 days before you die. Make the best of it." The group was escorted inside and the huge door to the barracks sealed. There were 8 rooms with softer beds than the usual and a toilet. Each room had a lock, for each fighter to keep their privacy probably. However, the guards most likely had the keys to every room. It was a false sense of security to make them lower their guard. There was also a common room with a furnace which was dimly lit. That was all to the barracks. "Hey lads! I say we party and celebrate our big boss''s victory for tomorrow!" A man exclaimed. The boss, The Cracker, grinned widely and eyed the mage and turned his thumb down. He looked like a ruler giving a death sentence. Most saw this as represented. Griff didn''t want to indulge in the affairs of the blood soaked psychopaths and decided to try talking to Mana. Maybe he could learn a trick or two that would help keep him alive longer. Plus, he was the other odd one of the fighters. He hadn''t cut his hair and he was pretty athletic instead of muscular. The fighters presumably saw him as weak. He moved across the room and approached Mana who was sitting alone in a corner, his head looking upwards like he was in deep thought. He couldn''t be older than 25 years old give or take, he was definitely older than Griff but he still had his youth. Griff said nothing and sat next to him. Mana had bluish short hair and blue eyes. He seemed like royalty to Griff, the way he walked, the way he spoke. He was diligent. Perhaps not for long though as this hell hole may be his grave. "So why did you sit next to me?" Mana broke the silence. "Well, we both are the odd ones in this group, don''t you think so?" Mana eyed him for a bit before looking forward again. "I guess you can say that. So what do you need from me? They all have a request if they come next to me, they hate my guts. You, even though you seem different, still are the same. Human nature is just greedy. Isn''t friendship based on that?" Griff taught for a few minutes before replying. Mana did have some truth behind his philosophy but perhaps being locked in this arena for an extended period of time may have forced him to only see the bad side of life? "Well, I do agree to some points of what you said, but I''m not here to ask anything, nope. Not yet atleast. I just wanted to talk to the other odd person in the room. I may learn more of the outside if I stick by you. You seem more... diligent than the rest." "Well... I am a mage after all. Magic changes people. Plus, these guys are all the same. Old villagers that had their villages sacked and have no chance but to fight to survive. I have a broader world." Griff nodded in silence and smirked slightly. Even if he died, he could at least learn something about to outside. "Hey kid." Griff turned to Mana. "Why are you crying?" Griff touched his face and realized it was wet. ''I guess I''m lying to myself... I really really really want to live...'' "And also... why are your tears black..." Griff raised his hand to have a better look at his tears... it was black. ''What the hell... What is this? Am I sick? I... I cry black? What does that make me..." "Nevermind kid, people have their own special traits. Even if most are the same race they have their differences. I haven''t seen black tears, but it may be related to an affinity you have. Some people demonstrate their affinity by some actions. People with potential to fire usually do not feel the heat and can suddenly have their arms or legs on fire when their affinity first surfaces. Sorry for making you worry." Griff shook his head nervously and wiped his tears. He had cried before in the mana chamber but he hadn''t cried black... "Hell, I haven''t seen this kind of affinity..." Mana nodded to himself and then slowly he smirked and leaned towards Griff and whispered to his ear. Each word that he spoke was spoken as loud as only Griff could hear. It was a silent sentence but it changed everything for Griff... "I would like to see you grow kid, so I will take you to the outside..." TITLE: Words of Hope 10 Chapter 10 - The Plan It was shocking for Griff. The idea that he had the chance to escape without going through further atrocities. It was... enticing. Certainly he would take the chance. Shouldn''t he? Yes, he had been betrayed before... But James hadn''t backstabbed him, right? So he can trust Mana right? He wanted to trust him... ''Then a test of trust...'' "Well... I want to accept this. But I can''t trust as easily as before..." "Ah, I know how harsh it is here, you only know treachery." "Well, can you give your real name to me?" Mana closed his eyes and smirked. "Yeah, you''ve kind of grown up. You see, as a high ranked fighter I have the right to watch you green boys fight. You were entirely green, country bumpkins were smarter than you and wearier." Saying Griff was shocked would be an understatement. Yeah he expected to kind of stick out to some people as he was a young and new veteran but Mana knew him pretty much... "Yeah, I''ll tell you my name. The reason why I also chose to tell you my plan is well, you''re pretty much a kid. And you are innocent enough to be trusted. My real name is Humbert. That''s all you need to know for now..." "I see..." ''Well, being kind of naive helped me. I don''t know should I laugh or cry.'' "So, you''re not even going to ask my plan? Kid, open your eyes and ask me shit or you won''t make it out of here alive." ''Shit, he''s right. Grow some spine me...'' "Sorry... So what is the plan anyway?" "This barracks is also where the highest tier veterans normally live. Me and Cracker there have been living here for over a month. He restrooms here and right now where we are sitting is a blindspot for detection magic. The mana lay lines are the weakest there." Griff nodded his head. "There is a small window for air conditioning the restrooms made of strengthened steel bars. They don''t have magic infused in them because the engineers here are lazy. I have been using rusting magic on the bars for a month now and the bars are weakened enough to be cracked open." "But how will we escape after getting through the window?" "It opens to a tea garden like area which I presume is the noble tea party meeting area. Tomorrow, before the first preliminary match they will gather there for a minor celebration. After that they will vacate the area. We will use that chance to escape through the window opening together." "Got it, is there anything I can do to help?" "We need the guards as far from us as possible. I have an idea but it is definitely not pretty. We will incite a fight between the brutes here and the guards. However, those oafs are smarter than they look and won''t fight with the guards unless offended." "So I''m presuming I''ll be the one to initiate it?" "Bingo!" "What do I got to do to start it?" "Simple, walk up to a random oaf and kick him right there." "Right where?" "The forbidden zone." "Oof... that has to hurt." "And it will draw everyones attention." "Okay, I''m up for it. But how will I run away to the toilet?" "Make sure to get punched in the nose. It will bleedeasily and you can use that excuse to ask the guards to go to the restroom to clean yourself. The oafs will be against that and ask to fight you which the guards will interfere with and the tension will rise." "Won''t the guards question my acts of randomly starting a fight?" "Since the guy will be in pain he won''t be able to refute any of your claims. Just say he stole your lunch or he offended you." "Alright... what will you do in the meantime?" "I''ll ask a leave from my guards for the reason of a bowel problem. Works like a charm. They will send me to the restroom before ''escorting'' me to the fight." "It seems smooth..." "It is smooth. I already planned on inviting you lad. I can''t handle despair. Been there done there and I don''t want you to feel that." "Maybe that''s a little late..." "At least you won''t fall to despair." Seeing as the two had dwelled in to their talk too much one of the oafs approached them. "Hey you pieces of shit. What are you two whispering? Talkin'' how scared you are I see. Don''t worry. I, Don the Mighty will only crush your spirit, it won''t be as harsh as Cracker crushing your skull." Griff felt anger, an emotion that had driven him to where he is. It was his instinct. He got up and prepared a right hook with his hot blooded teenage mind in control but realized he couldn''t move. "Lad, It ain''t worth it." Humbert had been using magic on him to keep him from acting rash apparently. "If the kid wants a fight let''s give him a fight? What are you doing holding him back coward?" "You there! Don''t start a commotion now. You''ll have plenty of time to kill each other in the tourney!" A guard remarked. Griff realized it was one of the guards that constantly helped him and were his cell keepers. They had been warm to Griff and this act was pretty heart warming for him. Even if they had no requirement to help him they did... Yeah, he could be a little more trusting now. "Lights out all of you! Tomorrow is your time to shine. The boss wants blood and the first match is just for that. Mana and Cracker, put up a good fight." Another guard remarked and the magically illuminated barracks suddenly became pitch-black. The oafs started to scramble and someone pulled Griff towards him and whispered to his ear. "Steel your heart lad and have no regrets or hesitations for tomorrow." Humbert than started to walk away, leaving Griff alone in the dark... 11 Chapter 11 - *Title At End - Spoiler* It was finally the day. The day that both the tournament started and Griff escaped from this wretched place. He had one thing to do. Just one thing. And he wasn''t willing to screw it up... The oafs had gathered around and were talking with the Cracker, not forgetting to praise him. Looks like there was a hierarchy even among gladiators. Griff spotted the guy that ha dpicked on him and Humbert last night, and thought that a brawl with him could be easily justified. He approached the man and headbutted him in the nose without giving him time to process the situation. The man stumbled and became enraged. "I see you have grown a couple of balls since yesterday bastard. Have a taste of y''er own medicine." The man headbutted Griff right in the nose, causing blood to gush out. Griff wanted to let loose and just fight, but he had to compose himself and strike where it hurt most. He had fallen on the ground and had a great angle. He kicked the man with his entire strength... right on spot. (A/N: It was very painful writing this chapter...) The man immediately fainted from the pain and the guards stormed in the area keeping the brutes away from Griff and the fallen bastard. The Cracker didn''t seem to be amused by anything that had happened up till then and proceeded to walk towards the arena without even scoffing at the scene that he just saw. The bickering between the guards and gladiators slowly turned in to shouting. The guards were too overwhelmed with the constant pressure the gladiators presented that they failed to check on Griff and question him of his motives. ''This is my chance... If I can get out of here without being questioned as well we will have saved a lot of time...'' Griff bolted as the brutes started shoving the guards and the guards were using their spears to keep the brutes in check. He held his bleeding nose with one hand and slithered away from the ongoing fight and arrived at the restroom gates. Griff had to slam the door with his arm as he couldn''t stop in time. Humbert was already there, waiting for Griff. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting. "Well... that could have gone better I guess... and whoah that is one nasty nose." He remarked and placed his hand over Griff. "Water Magic: Minor Heal" The bleeding stopped as Griff felt more refreshed. Suddenly Humbert kneeled next to him and without warning him, snapped his nose right back in to place as it was broken. The action was so instantaneous that Griff didn''t have the time to retract himself. "What the fuck was that for you old senile bastard?" "Hold your horses brat, the healing spell only stopped the bleeding. I had to do something so you kept that pretty face." "Tsk... damn old bastard." "Shut y''er trap brat I ain''t old yet." The duo took a moment to grin at eachother before proceeding towards the barred window where Humbert had already stacked some wooden boxes to reach to. Humbert pulled the bars of the window and broke them easily. He turned to Griff and squeezed the once strong iron bars to show they had crumbled to dust. "And that my friend, is corrosion magic. Works like a charm." Humbert hauled himself up and looked down at Griff from the small opening. Light shone down from the opening and Griff''s eyes saw only white for a few seconds before adjusting himself. Humbert stretched his arm to pull Griff up and Griff looked at his hand. ''Damn... I waited for this.'' He jumped towards his hand and was brought up... to the outside. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was bright at first. When his vision cleared Griff looked around quickly. They were in a flat area where various pastries were laying around on tables. A well designed building was behind them. It was painted white and seemed like a palace of luxury. ''Well, the pompous bastards have a taste at least.'''' Humbert pulled Griff by the arm, snapping him out from his usual trance of analyzing his surroundings. It had become a habit to him, he saw everything as a tool to be used for survival after his experience. "Look kid, snap the fuck out of it we have to fucking run!" Humbert gestured towards the right side of where they had come out. There was a forest to the right and the left side was completely covered by the white building. There was only one path to take. Just then... a bell was rung across the building. It was repeatedly being striked. What could it be at this time? The nobles were already inside unless... ''Unless it was an alarm...'' "We got to run! That is probably the alarm signaling we escaped!" The duo started to rush through the thick pine forest. There was snow around. They were either up in the mountains or were in cold place. An arrow pierced the tree right next to them... the guards were in hot pursuit after them. ''Damn it. Not now! Not again! I can''t get captured again! Not when I''m this close!'' Griff gritted his teeth as tears streamed down his face. He was running with all he got. Sure he could put up a fight but he was scared. ''I never want to feel that despair again. Never again.... never again.... not again...'' The duo continued running as fast as they could. They had arrived at a cliffside... a dead end. The guards caught up and surround the duo. Griff was close to losing it. He was traumatized by the events that led up to where he is now. His hope was being crushed... "Don''t give up yet kid. Calm yourself. Breathe deeply..." Griff was about to object on how close to despair they were but when he saw the eyes of Humbert which were steeled with determination and a warm encouraging smile on his lips, he started to relax. "Capture both of them dead or alive! No one must know of the existence of our trades!" The guardsmen charged at the two from all sides. Humbert stood in front of Griff between the oncoming guards. He raised his hand and chanted a spell. "Water Magic! Sea Serpent''s Awakening!" The air started to become less moist and the snow in the surrounding area melted in to water, encasing The duo in a shield of water. "Now Griff, I want you to know nothing is impossible with magic. Anything can be done. And magic is what will save us form this predicament..." The water shield shot out towards the coming guards and took the shape of a water snake, attacking the group of guards and mortally injuring them by biting off their arms, legs or knocking them in to unconsciousness. The water cleared as it became moisture once more and mixed in to the air. Humbert sighed and got on one knee, panting. "That is my strongest spell... drains all my mana and sucks me dry. Damn it. Griff, get out of here now. I''ll be behind you." "What bullshit are you spewing old bastard? I know you won''t be able to move and wish to draw the reinforcements attention." "Listen for once you brat! I don''t have time to recover and if you carry me we both are doomed!" Humbert got up and slapped Griff in the face. "You still haven''t grown up Griff! Grow a damn spine! There is no happy ending, have you still not understood that after all that?!" Griff touched his reddened cheek and a tear fell from his eye. Humbert noticed it was black again... He decided to keep his mouth shut. "Look Griff... I''m sorry. Just. I can''t They are coming. When you get to Alfrum, show this to the adventurer''s guild." Humbert pulled out a letter from his jacket and handed it over to Griff "Keep it safe. You will need it." Griff looked like he wanted to say something, to reject his offer and say that everything would be fine if he carried him but he had come to the realization that he had to properly wake up from all this. Humbert was starting to look annoyed as he yelled. Now Go... GO! And Griff, don''t look back..." Griff started running towards the right side of the cliff, further away from the arena, further away from his pursuiters... abandoning Humbert. ''I feel like a piece of shit... Old man, don''t die on me!'' As Griff ran, he heard the ruffling of leaves and the breaking of twigs behind him. Someone was screaming behind him... he shouldn''t look back. Humbert told so. He would be alright, right? RIGHT? Griff peeked behind himself as he ran to see someone he hadn''t expected there. Guards had surrounded Humbert but that wasn''t the thing. The Cracker held Humbert up by his head and started squeezing his head. He had a slave neck piece on him to prevent him from attacking the guards, but it looked like he wasn''t working for them he was working with them. "YOU POMPOUS MAGICAL BASTARD! YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD JUST UP AND RUN AND PLAY THE HERO? YOU AREN''T GOING ANYWHERE BEFORE I KILL YOU MYSELF! HAHAHA! YOU ARE ALWAYS SO DAMN CALM AND COLLECTED! NOT ANYMORE EH?" The man was screaming at the top of his lungs and had a maniacal grin on his face as Humbert clawed at his hands, trying to set himself free. "You are now a dead man..." Humbert''s screams died down as his body fell limp... A weird sound was then heard by the guards. Some shacking? Fire? The sound of cracking fire could be heard. The guards as well as The Cracker looked towards the source of the sound. Eyes pitch black like the abyss glared at the group that had gathered... Griff stood before the group, his eyes completely black and weird cracks stemming from his eyes, covering the side of his cheeks ever so slightly, imposing a menacing look. The group of men couldn''t help but feel fear. This kid was radiating this much bloodlust? "Oi oi... what is there to be scared...of...this...kid?" The Cracker had tried to look unaffected by the bloodlust but what he noticed truly frightened him. Griff''s palms had black fire making cracking noises. He looked with a sadness in his eyes. One black tear fell from his eyes... TITLE: Terror Awakened 12 Chapter 12 - The Enigma "Scatter!" A brave soldier shouted in time as a ball of black flame hurled towards the group. The soldiers scattered around in time and managed to come out unharmed from the first strike from... Griff? The Cracker had also survived the coming flame ball and was sweating from fear. He didn''t expect to come across someone like this. Someone with this menacing glare. It was horrifying. "Killed... my friend. Killed... my help. Broke... my first bond. Unacceptable. Punishment: Death." The words Griff was muttering was low but had a large weight behind them. As if the situation wasn''t as horrifying for the group of guardsmen, Griff''s white hair started to blacken like ash. His white hair was being consumed. His hair was becoming pitch black. The snow around him was melting rapidly and the place his flames hit were still on fire. "Restrain him! We can''t afford a loss or it''s our heads!" The commanding officer of the tiny expedition quickly regrouped his men as well as The Cracker. "Spearmen! Form a spear wall around the bastard. He can''t take us all at once from every angle!" The guards raised their shields and formed a circle around Griff, pointing their spears at him. It was a formation used by military officers a lot to take down stronger opponents. A smart decision on the commanding officer''s part. As the last of the white strands in Griff''s hair turned black his hands started condensing flame once more. This time the flame seemed more controllable. Unlike the pitch black flame before this was blood red. Fire mages usually used orange-yellow flames as they couldn''t tolerate hotter flames. The dragons of old were the only ones rumored to wield blood red flames. What was this kid then? What was Griff? "Burn..." Griff hurled the newly condensed flame ball towards the two guardsmen that were right in front of him. Instantly their armor started melting as the two screamed in horror, tearing off their armor and running away, still burning. "Traitors! The master shall have your head!" The commanding officer was still trying to keep his calm but the last act had him sweating a lot from fear. "Kill him! Close in and stab him!" The remaining men closed the gap that had formed and started trying to stab Griff with their spear heads. Griff merely looked around and started to chant something slowly. What he was saying couldn''t be heard by the guards but only one word was made out. " "??????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????M?????????????????????a??????????????????g?????i??????????????c?????????:???????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????"?????????? " The spear heads that had neared Griff and stabbed him broke off. The iron heads of the spears were bent and rusted. "IMPOSSIBLE! THIS KID SHOULD ONLY BE CAPABLE OF TIER ONE MAGIC?" The commander was now freaking out as The Cracker was getting desperate as well. "We... WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!" The soldiers had dropped their now useless spears. A couple of brave ones drew their knives and were standing next to their commander. The ones who were scattering around seemed more relaxed with each second they got farther away from the group. Griff heeded them no attention and continued focusing his gaze on the remaining ones. "Commander, maybe he won''t attack if we surrender? Those traitors were spared?" "Perhaps yes but I don''t want any chances. Maybe he let them slip to focus on us..." The man nodded his head and gulped in anxiousness, eyeing Griff. The Cracker was now more uneasy then ever. Him, the greatest gladiator of the arena, one of the strongest to ever set foot in the bloody arena, afraid of a mere boy that could use some flame magic? "Give me a good blade and let me lose! I''ll bring this brat''s head!!!" The man shouted with what seemed to be anger but was coated in anxiousness. The Commander handed The Cracker the only good blade that was left, his own. It was an enchanted sword capable of utilizing water magic to a second tier degree. "Yes! With this it is his grave!" The Cracker was now jovial and eyed Griff with a primal lust for blood. "Let''s see if you can take on strength magic boy!" The Cracker''s arms started glowing green and his muscles seemed to bulge from his places. The already giant of a man now stood at 3 meters high with his entire mana pooling through him. "THIS IS A REAL MAN''S MAGIC! FACE ME WITH YOUR BODY BOY! STRENGTH MAGIC: MUSCULAR BODY!" As he finished his chant The Cracker was now at a whooping 3.5 meters with his muscle mass nearly doubled. "AND NOW WATER BLADE!" The blade got coated in water as The Cracker felt power surge through his body. He steeled his resolve and charged at Griff with a primal roar. As he lowered the blade on Griff he had a triumphant smirk. However, something unexpected for the remaining soldiers happened... "Huh... What? My... MY ARM! WHERE IS MY ARM?" The Cracker''s arm had been torn off completely and the empty socket was bleeding... "MONSTER! HE''S A MONSTER!" The Commander had lost his cool and now was mad. He tried rallying the remaining men for a desperate charge but failed as they were all shacking in their boots. The remaining ones followed behind the previous traitors and scrammed. The Commander was awestruck by fear and could not think properly. In his insanity he ran over to the nearby cliff and jumped off in a desperate attempt... Now only The Cracker remained on the floor, all bloodied. "AARGH MY ARM! MY ARM! WHERE IS IT?" The Cracker was also going mad from the pain. It was said that pain changed people and showed to the world a different side of them. The Cracker was all bloodied, crying and looked like a small lost lamb in front of Griff. "SPARE ME! PLEASE! I ONLY DID WHAT I DID TO SURVIVE!" The Cracker crawled towards Griff and hugged his legs with his only good arm as he begged for mercy. "HEAL MY ARM! PLEASE! I''LL DO ANYTHING! I''LL BE A GOOD SERVANT!" The Cracker was no longer the once powerful man that he gave the impression of but merely a broken person... Griff looked down at The Cracker and for the first time his expression changed. He had a solemn expression on his face as black tears fell from his right eye occasionally but now he looked down at The Cracker with a wicked grin. "Then die... die for this despair you caused." Griff kicked The Cracker right in the face and broke his nose. The man was now weeping madly. He already had lost his power from the major blood loss he was affected with. Griff started to pull him by his leg and arrived at the edge of a cliff. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting. "Now fall to despair..." He swung the giant of a man towards the cliff. The man was screaming as he fell down. Griff did not look back. He merely turned around and started walking away. He reached a lone oak and hanged on to it. His blackened hair started turning white again as the black portion of his hair retreated to its side. "Tired... so tired..." And Griff collapsed below the oak as he heard footsteps... Someone was getting close... The footsteps stopped as a shadow loomed over Griff. Everything was slowly blacking out for Griff. The figure knelt beside Griff and Griff heard one last sentence before passing out. "Finally, I found you." And Griff... slipped away to unconsciousness... to the temporary darkness till he woke up once more and gazed upon this world again. To see the other side of the world... 13 Chapter 13 - A Relic Of The Pas A/N: I listened to niji no kanata ni while writing this. A very sad song that made me sadder writing this. I suggest you listen to it reading this. Griff looked around him. All he could see was a lone door. Everywhere else seemed like a white nothingness. He approached the door and turned the knob, coming across a scene. A figure could be seen in the distance, at the park. The area was foggy. A family it seemed. "Big bro! Swing me on the swing!" A little enthusiastic girl with cute pig-tails with brown hair seemed to be jumping up and down. She had a toothy grin on her face and was pulling a young man that was presumably her brother. The man had black hair and a fair face. A gentle smile on his face... He seemed no older than 20. "Come here you little rascal!" He was smiling as he lifted his sister that seemed no older than 8. He threw her up in the air and caught her, earning a couple of giggles from his little sister. "Be careful now dear!" A middle-aged woman, presumably their mother could be seen sitting on the benches with her husband, a man of short grey hair and a healthy face. The two were smiling warmly. The young man placed his sister in the swing and begun swinging her on it. The girl seemed to be having a lot of fun as it could be seen from her joyous laughs... Griff tried approaching the scene. He made it close enough to gaze at the little girl and tried touching her face. He felt like¡­ he knew who she was. Who everyone around him was actually but¡­ he didn''t seem to recall a thing. Another door stood next to him, right behind the two siblings having fun. He started to walk towards the door and gazed back at the scene once more. A small tear left his eye as he entered the second door. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting. The scenery changed. It seemed to be a birthday party. It was the party of the father. The siblings were sitting around the table with the mother serving the cake. Four elderly people could be seen around the table as well. "Happy birthday Paul!" Everyone cheered in unison. The elderly grandparents had warm smiles plastered on their face. "Little Alice! Come to your grandpapa!" One of the grandparents, a stern-faced man with steel eyes approached the little girl and the girl clung to him happily. The father began cutting the cake and serving it around the table. As he gave a slice of cake to each person... their faces started to dissipate in to the mist that seemed to surround the room. Alice was first as she dissipated... "What¡­ just happened?" Then each one of the grandparents... "Hey, son. Thank you for this surprise party. I couldn''t have asked for anything better..." Paul, the father, smiled as he presented a slice of cake for his son. He smiled and reached towards the cake. "As always dad. This is the least I can do for the man you made me..." And he too dissipated as did everyone else... Now Griff stood alone in the room with the father. The man, now named Paul, simply stood emotionless like a rock. A third door seemed to appear behind him. "What¡­ is this place? What just happened?" Griff kept questioning himself as he proceeded to turn the knob of the third door. The scenery changed once more. This time the scenery was a hospital room. Paul was lying on the bed with his wife next to him crying. "Don''t cry Elly... we all have an end." His son was next to him as well holding his hands tightly... "A????????????a????????????????r???????????o?????????????????n??????" His son looked at him. "Stay strong for me... This is when this family needs you the most. I know you are successful as a businessman already. I know you are the only person I can trust. This is my inheritance for you." He smiled warmly and held his son''s hands. Looking at him with warm eyes, a tear falling from one of his eyes. "My inheritance is my family, A????????????a????????????????r???????????o?????????????????n??????. Look after your sister and mother, will you?" "Dad! Don''t worry I talked with doctors from prestigious colleges they are working on a cure for you!" "A????????????a????????????????r???????????o?????????????????n??????, just... please. Don''t make me beg in this state." A????????????a????????????????r???????????o?????????????????n?????? formed his hands to a fist and started to weep silently. "You aren''t crying are you son? My strong, reliable son... do this for me." "Yes dad...Yes you can trust me..." "I''m glad..." Paul looked at his son with a relieved smile... his heartbeat coming to a stop. "Step back you two! We have to take him under emergency surgery! CALL A SURGEON!" "No¡­NO! Dad! DAD! Wake up dad!" "Restrain the son! We can''t take risks right now!" Griff looked as several security guards kept the son in place. He then began following the nurses and doctors that were taking Paul away on a stretcher for emergency transplant. He tried catching up but he seemed to be stuck in place. As the stretcher moved away, he could only watch, clutching his heart. "Why me... I feel this pain in my chest¡­ This is me isn''t it?'''' Behind Griff another door appeared. He seemed to be able to move again and proceeded to open the fourth door. A new scenery formed. It was at the gates of a building. He saw his previous self from the previous projections. He was looking up at the building with a sad gaze. "Sir, I know your father just passed away a couple months ago but... if you are to continue growing this firm, we need you to move on." A man with a suit stood next to him. Holding on to his shoulders. "I''ll... be fine Jeff. Haven''t I always?" "Sir... I''ll try to help you as much as I can..." The man squeezed ''Griff''s'' shoulder once more and they entered the building. Everyone inside were standing at ceremony. All with sad, mourning faces. Looking at the ground... ''Griff'' said nothing and continued walking towards the elevators... Watching from behind, Griff followed his counterpart. Even though they did not look alike he could feel the bond they shared. One and the same person... Arriving at the top, ''Griff'' sat down at his desk and proceeded to continue with his work. "What... is this? My past life? Who I was before?" Griff kneeled and held his head with both hands and begun crying. "I DON''T UNDERSTAND!" As he was crying, a trapdoor appeared beneath him and opened. Pulling him to another scene... this time to the same park that ''Griff'' had swung his sister Alice on the swings. ''Griff'' was sitting on one of the benches and crying silently... Someone approached him and sat next to him. "Hey... you don''t have to cry alone you know..." ''Griff'' lifted his head and looked at the figure next to him. His features brightened up a bit and he hugged the figure. "Geez A?????????????????????n??????????????n??????????i????????????????e???????????? you always cheer me up." "Don''t lie to yourself... you know you can let it all loose with me..." The young woman hugged ''Griff'' ''Griff''s'' features turned sorrowful once more and he let it all out... crying and hugging tightly. "You know I am always there for you..." ''Griff'' did not reply and continued crying. "Someone has to be there for you to cry on... you can''t always be tough A????????????????a?????????????????r????????o?????????????n???????????" Watching the scene Griff felt despair realizing something. "Why... why can''t I remember her name? Why can''t I remember my sisters name? I... its fading...." His eyes had a look of despair. "Why can''t I remember my dad? My mom? My past?!" "WHY ME!" Griff roared towards the skies as the scene in front of him once more faded to the mist... "Wait! I remember! I remember my name! A...a...r...o... n?" Griff tried writing his name down on the mist he was standing but each time he wrote it disappeared once more. "My name is Aaron! Aaron! I won''t forget! A...? What is my name?" Griff stood up with dry tears on his cheeks. "I... only remember one name.... Griff...." Griff refused to move towards the other door that appeared in front of him. This time another trap door appeared beneath him and opened once again¡­ This time, ''Griff'' could be seen standing beside something of a higher plane... a god? a goddess? "You have been selected for a big purpose young human. Rejoice for you are now being sent to a higher plane of existence." Griff watched as his counterpart looked furiously at the entity. "I don''t want this! Send me back! I have a duty to fulfill for my family! I did not ask to be here!" "You have no say in this mortal. We chose you for one purpose only known to us and that shall stay as that. Your... memories seem like a nuisance for our plans. You don''t need it." This time ''Griff'' looked horrified. "No... I''ll go. Just... not my memories. Anything but my memories. My precious people I hold dear to me, DON''T MAKE ME FORGET THEM!" "As I said... you have no say mortal..." And the scenery vanished more. Griff fell to his knees, tearing off portions of his hair. "It was taken away from me...My life... my memories..." All around Griff various people started to appear. His father from his previous life gazed at him at the front of the group. He was smiling as was his little sister, mother, his employees and his...lover? He couldn''t remember their names anymore... "Go forth son. You may not remember us anymore but we remember you. As long as one of us remembers the other, our bonds shall not break..." "No...NO! DON''T LEAVE ME!" Griff tried reaching towards his dad but all around him, in every direction everyone started to fade once again in to the mist until only one figure remained. His previous self. "You shouldn''t fall to despair..." "Then tell me... what should I do? I''m all alone..." "No... you are not alone. You were never alone Griff." Griff looked at his previous self with his tear-filled eyes. "We are all here." ''Griff'' poked Griff''s heart. "And we shall all remain there. Even without memories you can still know that this life once existed and you were once loved. Don''t throw this life away for the past. Remember it, cherish it but do not fall to despair." Griff nodded at him. "You are me... and I am you Griff. Thousands of different lives will not change that. Nothing can change our very root. Our very existence." ''Griff'' hugged Griff... time seemed to stop as Griff embraced his past. ''Griff slowly started to dissipate as well... "Will I ever see you again?" "Anytime you look at the mirror I will be there... Now go. Go forth and steel yourself, me. I... all of us believe in you to live your life to the fullest here in this world. Steel yourself for the road ahead will not be easy." "Wait... PLEASE WAIT! I don''t understand! Will I ever remember?" "That... is not up to us. You will understand shortly..." Griff tried grabbing ''Griff'' but he too became one with the mist. The world around Griff started to crack. The white nothingness begun to crack all around and small portions of it started falling from the sky. "I will... I WILL NOT FAIL YOU ALL! This is my new life... I WILL CHERISH IT!" Griff shouted one last time as the world cracked... Griff moved towards the only remaining door in the white nothingness. He looked once more behind him. ''Griff'' could be seen at the very end of the white nothingness, materializing once more to simply smile and dissipate once more. "This is my life¡­my new life. And I shall live it to the fullest." He opened the door¡­ And then... there was light. 14 Chapter 14 - Entering The World He suddenly opened his eyes. He could see the blue sky. Griff was lying on the grassy ground. He raised his right hand and looked at it... ''I...I''m not from this world...'' He thought as he curled his hand in to a fist and squeezed as hard as he could. ''It was that...god? Gods? Whatever that was... that thing sent me here. From Earth. I don''t know my old name nor can I remember the names of those I had once called family but I still feel their connection to me, somehow.'' He tried getting up but suddenly a hand pushed him back towards the ground to rest. "Heyya Griff. Don''t move now. You''re still stiff from that reckless thing you did just now." Standing above Griff was James! But something was different... His left arm was completely metal! "James? How did you escape?" "I was sold as a guard slave for one of those noblemen and he kept bringing me to the arena. I basically used your escape as an opportunity but I never guessed it was you who caused that ruckus!" "What... what about your arm?" "Ah. This guy who captured me severed it as a lesson. Then they attached this good old baby to my arm so I could still be useful and even ''customizable'' as they would call it. Tch foul bastards." "Where are we?" "I carried your body as far as I could from the place, I found you. We''re still on the mountain but outside the reach of those bastards. You sure made a mess there; I was watching from behind the trees. I couldn''t recognize you till you fainted. Heh you truly grew up in this short time little brat." "What? What did I do? The last thing I remember was feeling some mana and then I blacked out." "Your magic awakened kid. I still don''t know what it is but it was very very brutal. You annihilated that whole squad in mere seconds. But you obviously can''t control it. Don''t use it till we can get you to enroll in a magic academy or find a teacher or something." Griff nodded his head vigorously. "Some poor bastards tried escaping as well but I took care of them. I couldn''t risk them finding your location again. Geez kid, stop scaring me like that." James remarked and smacked Griff behind the head, grinning. Griff wanted to grin as well, but he remembered how Howard had fought and died trying to buy him some time. He had promised to help him and he died. ''Guess the world is still as cruel as it was before.'' He started to weep slowly as he remembered the death of the man who brought him hope after a long time. "Hey... you okay Griff? Griff... ah god why the water works..." "I... I couldn''t save him. Another person tried helping me and he was why... I escaped. And he died trying to protect me. I''m weak. I''m weak. I''m so so weak." James understood the turmoil Griff was going through and kneeled next to him, placing his hand on his shoulder. "There''s nothing wrong with being weak Griff. The wrong thing is staying weak. If you want to protect, get strong. That''s all I can tell you. Geez... I''m bad at giving advice kid make do with this. You can''t save everyone you know." Griff wiped his tears as he slowly stood up. He was feeling more rested now. "Yeah... yeah you''re right." "For those you fail to protect and if you feel a burden towards them, let me tell you this. Never forget. Never forget their faces, personality, name... Never forget who they were for you. That is how you can keep their deaths from being in vain." "I get it... They will only truly fade from this world when someone can''t remember them. That''s when their entire effect on this world turns out to have been nothing. I won''t forget. I vow this to myself." James''s serious look slowly melted as he smiled and helped Griff stand. "Now kid... It''s time we go. We''re fairly close to Alfrum. I still have my adventurer ID memorized so we have our identity with us. Be sure to never speak of this place... These people were nobles, they have connections. I am sure that others are aware of this place and are helping it to continue operating. Do. Not. Open. Your. Mouth! Under any circumstances!" "Okay James I get it. I know how serious this is. I am not as naive as I used to be since we first met. Not after that hell I went through." "Yeah, you had it rough too kid. Come on, we can''t wait anymore. We''re near the skirts of the mountain and from there we can take to the mountain road. If we can find something to point us towards where to go, we''re in the clear." The duo stood on their feet and James supported Griff as they walked down a rocky mountain road. The snow was almost non-existent compared to the summit of the mountain. ''Well... here I go. Finally, to see truly what this world has to offer.'' As they reached the bottom of the mountain the duo came across a sign pointing towards Alfrum and the border. Two opposite roads. "Well... that was easier than I expected it to be, eh Griff?" "Yeah, considering what this place is I thought it would be kept more secret. But I am sure as hell not complaining. Let''s go before we''re spotted James." "And we have to get rid of these clothes we''re wearing. If we come across a cottage or something, we have to secretly uh... borrow some laundry." "Just say we''re going to steal man. I''m okay with it considering the circumstances." "Yeah, I forget you''re not as naive as you were. Enough talking let''s get a move on, and fast." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting. "Yeah." The two started walking towards the direction the sign pointed, to Alfrum. 15 Chapter 15 - The Rocky Road As the duo made their way through the road towards Alfrum the fatigue hit them hard. "Damn it kid. I can''t... move... any longer." "I can well... see that. How much more do we... have to walk." "I don''t know you pipsqueak. Let''s just hope we have some luck on our side." As the duo continued walking as they breathed heavily, they came to a clearing and decided to take a rest. They had been running from the mountain for a few days now. ''We lost count how long has it been damn it.'' They had been hunting for food as James proved himself an adequate hunter. They were constantly on the move from fear of being caught again. They had just cleared the rocky mountain path and reached a clearing of four crossroads. "We seem to be in the highlands and the air has more moisture than before. It definitely feels hotter as well. We''re definitely getting closer to Alfrum kid, I''ll give you that." "Any chance of stumbling on merchants?" "Higher than before. If we can come across a cart we''re saved. I still have proof of being an adventurer." "And what''s that?" James pulled his guild card out and tossed it at Griff. "I wasn''t stupid enough to leave that behind. Otherwise we would be treated as criminals or even worse, outlaws. There''s even the possibility of being mistaken as enemy spies from other countries." "Damn... these cards are sure important." "I almost lost an eye to get that back. Now give it back kid." Griff tossed the card back at James. The duo kept on walking in silence as they neared a slightly dense forest and decided to settle there to rest and to also hunt. "Eating snow from the mountain compensated for our thirst but any more than necessary and we would have been poisoned for sure... I don''t even want to guess what kind of beasts roam on those mountains." "What do we have left for food?" "2 wild hares and a couple of apples we picked on the way. I''m off to hunt kid. You start the fire." Griff nodded as he got up after having rested for a while and started picking fire wood. According to James he had used a type of magic during his blackout. His magic involved fire as well apparently but he couldn''t use it. Not yet at least. He had no knowledge on how to use his magic and draw in mana from his surroundings on will. Oh well... he didn''t use it to start a fire since they escaped and had resorted to old school ways James taught him. He took out a piece of flint and a rusty piece of steel that the duo had snatched from the skirts of the mountain and started to start a fire over the fire wood. About an hour later James returned, holding on to two wild chickens he had managed to capture. "We are definitely getting closer to Alfrum, otherwise this forest would be infested with phantasmal beasts or demonic beasts. Well... not like you know of them but they''re just pretty damn scary." Griff blinked once... then twice... then he got up and slapped James across the face. "And you being the idiot you are just went in there without even telling me about this?!" "Hehe... my bad?" Griff started to scold James like an old house wife as James sheepishly scratched his head. A few minutes later the duo started laughing crazily as they plucked the feathers off the wild chickens and began cooking them. "You know Griff... I think I may quit being an adventurer after we reach Alfrum. This was too much for me to be honest with you. Maybe I''ll become a travelling merchant or start a workshop." Griff nodded as he replied: "Yeah... can''t say I blame you honestly. Not after what we went through. In fact, I also thought of stopping myself from becoming an adventurer but... I think I just want to try before denying it. One bad experience, no matter how horrid it is, won''t stop me yet." "Well kid... you''re right. I saw some dark shit during my job as an adventurer and this just encouraged me more to quit. Don''t give up yet. Don''t let this traumatize you for the rest of your life. Move on. It''s in the past now." Griff nodded happily as the two started to hungrily devour their wild chicken and slowly drifted to sleep. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ''Is it morning already?'' Griff heard a weird noise as he slowly started to wake up. It was still kind of dark. From a bit afar he saw something getting closer. Was it the enemy? Those nobles? Were they on to them?! He decided to wake up James as he didn''t know what to do and he couldn''t just leave him behind. "James! James wake up! Something is getting closer here!" "I don''t wanna go to the guild mom!" "This is not the time to be dreaming!" Griff replied as he sucker punched James across the jaw causing him to bolt awake with a low shriek. "What''cha did that for you brat?!" "Look!" James muttered, clearly pissed off, as he looked at the direction Griff pointed and saw something getting closer. "Damn it!" He grabbed his blade and took a stance and signaled Griff to hide behind the trees. Slowly the figure came closer to them and James clearly heard horse noises? It was a horse cart! A travelling merchant! As the figure on the cart came closer, he/she used a spell to bring light to his/her surroundings. "Well what do we have here? Why would you be camping this far from the city? Are you an adventurer young man?" A middle-aged man with a bald head stated as he got off his cart and approached James. James immediately sheathed his blade and took out his guild card. "Yes sir. My name is James and I belong to the adventurer guild. All my necessary information is on this card." He gave his card as the merchant read it and smiled slightly. "Well, Mr. James, may I ask why you''re out this far without any transportation?" "Uhm... well my team was given a mission from the guild master of the Bordertown Ange but we got separated when several bandits attacked us. I never saw them again. I didn''t want to get caught so I fled." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting. "Well... bandits are posing a problem lately. Want me to give you a ride? As well as that kid hiding behind the trees?" Griff emerged from his hiding spot with his jaw open. "How did you see me?" "Well kid you can''t travel alone without knowing how to sense others and defend yourself. These outskirts are dangerous after all. So, what do you say?" Griff looked at James who nodded at him. "Yes! We''re thankful for your help sir." "The name''s Brock. No need to call me sir. And kid who are you anyways?" "Well I was a newbie adventurer that was with James until those bandits attacked. He saved me and now we''re here." "Nice to see you survived kid. Well anyways. Hop on behind the cart. I have a jug of spare water there, help yourself. By tomorrow morning, we''ll be at the gates of Alfrum." The merchant, Brock, smirked as he gestured for the two to sit behind him inside the cart. The duo quickly packed up what little things they had and sat behind Brock as he whipped his two horses to continue walking. "We''re really getting there, brat. Alfrum that is..." "Yeah... We are." Griff replied as he gazed up at the night sky and smiled as he thought inwardly. "Thank you... Thank you James and thank you... Humbert. I won''t let this life you two saved to just be lazy. I''ll repay you two... however I can." 16 Chapter 16 - Alfrum "Hey Griff, wake up." Griff merely yawned at the voice he was hearing and thought he was still dreaming so he kept sleeping. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. "Griff, wake up I''m not gonna say twice." "Is the kid awake yet?" "No the brats sleeping like a log." "Damn wake him up we''re almost there." "Griff!" "Hmphm..." Griff mumbled in his sleep. This was the last straw for James as his eyes were colored red like he was about to announce that Griff was already dead. "I said... WAKE THE FUCK UP YOU DAMN PIPSQUEAK!" James also kicked him in the gut to make his point clear. Griff suddenly bolted awake from the pain and flew outside the cart to the ground and was trying to get himself together. The cart stopped for Griff to climb on board again. "What the... WHY DID YOU DO THAT FOR!" "CAUSE YOU WEREN''T WAKING UP AND YOU GOT ON MY NERVES!" Griff jumped on board the cart and started clashing heads with James. "EEEH? WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR NERVES OLD MAN!" "ARE YOU TESTING ME YOU DAMN PIPSQUEAK!" "DAMN RIGHT I AM YOU COOL LOOKING MENTOR LIKE BASTARD!" "WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE AN INSULT! MY UNBORN SON HAS A MORE FOUL MOUTH THAN YOU!" "WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR UNBORN BASTARD YOU OLD FART!" The two then stopped clashing heads as James flicked Griff''s forehead and started to giggle. "What a way to start the day kid ahahahah." Griff started to laugh as well and James started rubbing his hair like a son. "Wouldn''t like to break your moment, but we''re almost nearby Alfrum so I suggest you two look as presentable as possible for the guards to let you in and not think of you as beggars." "Ah right, can we stop by that pond to wash our faces and trim our hair?" "Sure thing." After a few minutes the two adventurers boarded the Cart again, they were looking much more decent than they were considering they had escaped a sort of wretched slavery. "This ought to do for now. Come on let''s not waste any time!" Soon, a large wall could be seen over the hill they were passing and a cool breeze hit the trio as they arrived at the top to come across the full beauty of Alfrum. The seaside trade city was booming as ever with the docks and ships in view. The high walls of Alfrum were on view for everyone to see as well. There was also something very interesting... Some of the buildings were floating! The architecture looked smooth with all kinda of houses ranging from cottages to high towers. A few of the districts could be seen but all of them couldn''t be made out. They could only see the trade district as it was closer to their view and the entrance of Alfrum, the vast city covered a lot of ground. "Whoah..." "Welcome to Alfrum kiddo!" James smirked as he gestured the city. "I presume you''re new to Alfrum?" "I''m not but the kid sure is." "How do they make those buildings float? Is it magic? But in order to do that won''t they need a wind mage to always stand beneath it to levitate it? Oh and also how are those ships moving that fast when there isn''t a strong enough breeze and also..." "ARGH! WOULD YOU SHUT UP FOR JUST ONE. DAMN. SECOND!" James snapped at Griff as he was overwhelmed by Griff''s questions. "Well well looks like you haven''t heard of magic circles?" Brock decided to cut in before James melted his head trying to come up with answers as he was... pretty dull in these kinds of expertises. "What? What are those?" "Basically they help keep those buildings float because they''re imbedded with float magic." Griff''s eyes were sparkling as he gazed at the city. "Come on kid we still need to walk." James slapped Griff across the face to bring him back to reality. Griff held his cheek and looked at James a bit angry. "Sad thing is I''m getting used to this and I''m not even surprised anymore." James started laughing at this as he wasn''t expecting that. "I''ll kick your ass one day I promise." This time Brock also joined as he too laughed. As they laughed they were nearing the gates of Alfrum and a guardsmen called them to a halt. "May I see your identification card please?" "Sure thing." Brock handed his Merchant''s Guild card as did James hand his Adventurer''s Guild card. "Whose the kid?" James decided to interfere before Griff caused a ruckus, having no common sense and all. "He''s an adventurer trainee under me. He was given a trial card by another guild master but on our way here we were attacked by bandits and he lost the card during the time. I''ll vouch for him." The guard simply nodded and opened up the gates, allowing them to enter Alfrum. As soon as they entered Alfrum, Griff rose from his seat to look at the lively city. Trade was lively and the people as joyful as they can be. A passing by kid waved at them as his mother caught him and pulled him back. Most people seemed well fed and compared to the silent bordertown Ange, the area was boisterous! "So many people!" "Welcome to Alfrum kid. One of the largest trade cities in the kingdom of Kulva!" James said as he patted Griff on the back. "So, should I drop you off at the Adventurer Guild Hall?" "Yes that''d be great for us Brock. I''ll repay you however I can in the future." "No worries, consider it a favor." The horse cart continued on its way through the town. In the town alongside humans, there were dwarves and elves as well. Griff even made out one person that seemed to have dragonic wings. "What race is that guy?" "He''s dragonkin. Not many live in Kulva but here at Aflrum, half the dragonkin population lives due to it being one of the richest cities in the realm." Replied Brock. Soon they made their way to the entrance of the Adventurer''s Guild of Alfrum. It was much more larger than the one in Ange. Hell, it dwarved it by a large margin! The building was very large, it was probably as large as a mansion! "Whoah..." "This is how a real guild hall looks like." James and Griff hopped off the cart, thanking Brock once more as they walked to the doors. "We went through a lot to be here you know Griff." "Yeah... who knew a journey of two weeks took nearly three months?" "Well. We can put that behind us now and hopefully never see those pompous nobles again. For now..." James said as he kicked open the door. "Welcome to Alfrum!" As soon as they opened the door a large table came crashing towards them but James sliced it in half. The guild was a mess! Beer jugs were flying and several adventurers were duking it out with jovial grins. A few of them were even cheering them. The guild was filled with all sorts of people ranging from wizards and mages to monks and berserkers! "Is it... always so lively?" "Sure it is!" James said as he started to pull Griff inside even though he tried resisting it. "I just escaped one crazy place don''t put me in another one!" James merely laughed as he forcefully pulled him in and tossed him towards the fight. He hit someone straight across the face and fell over them. "Oops?" Griff replied as he got off the person who he now could see to be a girl. A mage in fact. And she was definitely not looking happy. She was tearing up a bit after having a young man being tossed over her and the same person knocking her to the ground. She felt violated "Shameless! Pervert! Go die in hell! Let the dogs eat your carcass! I''ll kill you myself!" She said as she started to charge mana. "Oh shit no no no this is a huge misunderstanding!" The girl disregarded his plea as she continued to gather mana and started firing pure mana projectiles at Griff, resulting in him running for his life screaming. "JAMES YOU SON OF A BITCH I''LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" 17 Chapter 17 - This Is Alfrum??!! Well... Griff''s entrance to the guild hall was a bang would be an understatement... "I SAID I''M SORRY YOU CRAZY WOMAN STOP CHASING ME!" Well... things weren''t looking too bright for the young man as he was being chased by a battlemage he had just... uh... met? Yeah met is the right word. "I''LL FUCKING KILL YOU AND FEED YOU TO THE DOGS, BUT BEFORE THAT I''LL CASTRATE YOU PERV!" "SOMEBODY FOR FUCKS SAKE HELP ME! THIS CRAZY CHICK IS AFTER MY CHASTITY!" "DON''T MANIPULATE THE TRUTH YOU PERV!" Well... last we checked Griff had fallen on top of a girl, and he might... MIGHT... have accidently, uh, touched her? James was laughing at the corner with a couple of other adventurers sharing beer. The whole seen looked utterly hilarious. The girl, who was still wearing a hood, was chasing after Griff firing off charged mana balls all around as Griff cried for help, but all for naught. James whistled. "Damn boys the kid sure seems to be on the path to be a ladykiller?" The adventurers laughed at James''s sarcasm. "OI OI I''M ABOUT TO LOSE MY FUCKING MANHOOD AND YOUR MAKING FUN OF ME?!" "... yeah?" James''s reply caused a more boisterous laughter to echo through the hall. The girl was now tearing up as she was getting utterly pissed, but just then one of the adventurers decided to step up and stop this shenanigan. He had just entered the guild and seeing this... scene play out, he was not amused t say the least. Just as the girl had cornered Griff and raised her staff the figure of a man could be seen lifting her from her head and tossing her behind him. "Can''t a man calmly enter his guild you damn brats?" The girls fell on a table and quite literally stared hallucinating stars. "And now who the hell are you?" The man was looking down on Griff as the poor boy could do nothing but shiver in his place. "Oi the kids with me, new blood mate." James decided to step in just in time saving Griff. The man''s expression softened and his darkened face lit up again. He had ginger hair with azure blue eyes. He seemed to be in his mid 20''s. He had a spear strapped on his back. He kneeled next to Griff and picked him up by the head and helped him stand on his feet. "Ooooh? Really! It''s been a while since new blood came here. What''s your name kiddo?" Griff looked a bit confused? Nope that would be an understatement. He was pretty baffled. "Um, Griff?" The man started patting his head. "My name''s Reiner. Nice to meetcha new kid." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting. Griff continued to stare with an empty look in his face. A couple of people could be seen whispering as soon as they heard Reiner''s name. It seems he was a bit of a celebrity here. "Don''t mind that little midget over there. She''s just a tsundere." The girl got up from where she was tossed and started flinging her staff. "I''m not a tsundere you useless brother!" Reiner laughed at that. It seemed like they were siblings. It was believable considering both had ginger red hair and azure blue eyes. Griff decided to wake up from his daze just then. "Excuse me but what the fuck just happened?" Reiner and the entire guild laughed boisterously at that. "I have no idea but it seems like you put my little sister in berserk mode. Ty not to do that next time. That''s kinda why we''re low on recruits here. She chases the poor bastards away." At this the girl''s face blushed as she started hitting Reiner''s back with weak punches. "Stupid big brother! It''s not my fault all of them are perverts!" "Well, you just send anyone who touches you flying its more like you got issues here sis." Reiner proceeded to pole her head which enraged her. She started walking away pretty pissed and everyone retreated, opening her a path. "So, why am I in this situation right now?" Reiner just shrugged and picked up Griff with his hand and started walking to the registration desk. "Dunno kid, you got some bad luck. But anyways just register here I''ll talk to ya later. You seem fun." Griff just absentmindedly decided to not reply and waited to be put down. He folded his arms in irritation. Why is he treated like a kid damn it. He''s a young adult! James seemed to be having fun talking to the adventurers here. That girl whose name he didn''t get walked outside and Reiner was talking with some adventurers as well. "Um sir?" Griff turned back to look at the guild registration officer who called out to him. She seemed to be near his age as well. "Ah yeah sorry I got a habit of spacing out randomly." "Well I''d like to ask you to tell me your name, surname if you have one, your age, your preferred position in a party and weapons you are proficient with." "My name''s Griff. I... don''t remember my surname to be honest. I''m about 19 I guess. Also for a party...hmm... I think I''m okay with any position. I can use a spear, dagger, and also a sword. I''m best with a sword." The girl nodded as she scribbled his information down real fast. Just then Griff remembered the small envelope that Humbert had given to him and took it out. "Miss, I also have a recommendation letter from a former adventurer." He handed the envelope to the registration officer who opened it and started reading the contents. Her face turned serious as she gestured Griff to come closer. "I''ll take this to the guild master. I knew Humbert. I''m sorry for your loss. I''ll call you in a couple of minutes." The girl hurried off towards the stairs behind the office and went upstairs. Griff waited for about a few minutes till the girl descended the stairs again. "Griff, right? The guild master is waiting for you. I''ll prepare your guild card in the meantime. He said he''d debrief you on the ranks and classes himself. And also..." She approached him and whispered in his ear. "Whatever you talk inside that room should stay there. You''ll see why." 19 Chapter 18 - Guild Master Griff entered the room that the receptionist pointed for him. The guild master had asked for his audience to talk about the letter he had given him, which was written by Humbert. ''I hope he''s trustworthy like you said Humbert... I don''t want a repeat of what I went through.'' As Griff entered the room he came across an empty desk. No one was there to be seen. He heard a creak behind him and slowly turned around and came across an old man holding a broom. "Excuse me sir, um do you know where the guild master is?" The old man slowly raised his head and dropped the broom. "Say that a bit louder lad?" "Did you see the guild master?" "What?" "DID YOU SEE THE GUILD MASTER?" "Ah! Yes yes yes." "Where is he?" "That''d be me." Griff just blinked. Then he blinked again. And again. "Say what?" "I''m the guild master kiddo." "...yeah..." Griff slowly backed away and shouted down the staircase. "HEY LADY! THERE''S AN OLD DELUSIONAL FOOL HERE CLAIMING TO BE THE GUILD MASTER!" Suddenly the old man ran across the room and used his broom to smack Griff across the face. "I SAID I''M THE GUILD MASTER YOU UNCOUTH BRAT!" The receptionist came up the stairs baffled to see a scene that came off odd even for adventurer standards: The guild master was using his broom to smack Griff''s buttcheeks while Griff shouted "uncle" every time. "I CAN''T HEAR YOU BRAT? SPEAK LOUDER!" "UNCLE! FOR GOD''S SAKE YOU OLD FART HOW THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT ME TO UNDERSTAND YOU''RE THE MASTER! SHIT! UNCLE!" The receptionist just sighed and picked the guild-master from his collar and tossed him back. "Master! If you keep acting like a feeble old man, everyone will continue regarding you as a delusional old man! Stop it! I know you have fun doing this!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The old man scratched his head and grinned slightly. "STOP HIDING IT YOU OLD WORM!" The receptionist tossed a book at the guild-master who backslapped the book which proceeded to destroy the wall... "SEE!" Griff just looked at the broken wall with his mouth agape. "Hehehehe..." "THIS OLD FART IS LIKE A ONE-MAN ARMY!" The receptionist patted Griff on the head. "You''ll get used to his shenanigans kid. We all do." "Anyways... Lilia. Get out of my room now. It''s time I talked seriously with the brat." The master''s playful and goofy gaze had turned slightly stern. He''d gotten serious. "Alright master." The receptionist, Lilia, walked out of the room while Griff tried to stand up from the shock. "You... wall... book... broom?" "It''s a farce kid: I''m a jokester by nature. Anyways. I looked at the mail you gave me. I always wondered what became of that kid... So, slavers eh? That''s pretty common nowadays. Since wars have stopped for the last few decades the nobility has been striving for new types of.... entertainment." The master sighed than looked up at Griff. "But kid, how did you know I was not in cohorts with those nobles?" Griff gulped. "Um..." "Wait... You''re telling me you just waltzed in here because Humbert told you so? I might have been hiding I was working with those freaks! Hell! I might have been the one to sell out Humbert! Didja think of that brat?" Griff facepalmed himself for being an idiot. "No..." "WELL YOU SHOULD HAVE YOU TWAT!" "Sigh... It seemed that Humbert took a liking to you. Okay, speaking the truth he was a nice kid. I really liked him and hate to see him go like this. ''right kiddo I''ll take you in this guild. Stay here, the city is a trade city so nobles are at an all-time low. Merchants are the ones who rule the city." "Yeah. Alright I was thinking something along those lines too." "Also... I think I should give you some common sense while at it." The master grinned maniacally which caused Griff to feel his bones shiver. "Please no...." "Ah but... you don''t want to get captured like that, again do you? Come on... Gramps here will teach you all he knows..." "IIEEEK!" Griff ran out of the room screaming like a little girl which left the master laughing. "Wait a sec... I didn''t give the kid my name... Ah well he''ll probably end up staying here at the guild''s dormitory so I''ll talk with him again... Still..." He opened the letter by Humbert again and re-read the contents which stated the black tears Griff had which was a symptom of his affinity. "I better look in to this and keep that kid out of the real world for a while... Greedy bastards would want to take him in just for this unheard affinity like an exotic house pet." The master took the letter and burned it using fire magic. "Yeah... wouldn''t want any nosy person to see the contents..." 20 Chapter 19 - What’s Next? As Griff walked down the stairs leading to the Guildmaster''s room, the receptionist Lilia walked up to him with a warm smile on her face. "Hey Griff! I''m almost finished with your paperwork which will put your recommendation letter in to effect. Just need you to confirm your previously s answers before I give your guild card. Mind following me?" Griff''s eyes lit up as he heard he would be starting off from a better rank and nodded several times like a kid that was about to receive a new toy. Lilia giggled seeing Griff''s antics. He was really an odd one. Someone had to teach him what common sense was as well as how someone his age should act, and she sure as hell wasn''t going to let James do it. She looked towards James who was talking with a couple friends while trying to balance a jug of beer on his head. She sighed. ''Guys will be guys I guess...'' As Lilia zoned out, Griff was still waiting in front of her jumping up and down slowly. Lilia snapped out of it as she remembered Griff was waiting. "Ah, sorry zoned out for a moment." "It''s okay. Really!" Griff said energetically as his excitement seeped through his movements. Lilia slowly led Griff towards her desk where she took her notebook and put on her glasses. "Alright Griff, when were you born?" "Dunno. Next question." "How old are you?" "Dunno again." "Uhm... what''s your surname?" "A what now?" "Surname... your last name." "Where do I get that? Does the guild give me one?" Lilia face palmed so hard that some of the drinking adventurers stopped chattering to look at her. She had a red hand mark on her face now... Definitely an awkward situation. She sighed "Well... that escalated quickly." "What did?" "Nevermind... So how much do you actually know about yourself." "My name''s Griff?" "Yeah... we got a lot to work with." She slowly leaned towards Griff and whispered in his ear with a slightly distressed tone. "We can''t write that in your past you were one of the fighting slaves of the nobles. That would attract unwanted attention and trouble for now. I''ll put you down as James''s lost brother alright? That would give you some type of background, and explain James''s recent absence." Griff nodded at that as he found the idea quite appealing. James did, after all, look after him quite a bit in these last few weeks, and was like a brother to him. "Alright your starting rank is F- because of your previous experiences in fighting. Here''s your card. Don''t drop it because we have a fine of 5 silvers for lost cards. You know how money works right?" Griff just stood there blinking in confusion like a distressed animal. "Sigh... 100 bronze coins make up one silver. 10 silver make one mythril. 10 mythril makes one gold, and 10 gold makes one platinum coin. I have never seen a platinum coin before in my life. That''s how much money that is. Anyway, you better talk with James before buying anything because with your damn mindset you''d be played so good by merchants." "Hehehehe." Griff awkwardly giggled while scratching the back of his hair. "Alright. Your done for the day Griff. Welcome to the Adventurer''s Guild. Here''s your card." Lilia grinned as she handed Griff his card. His rank, family members, magical affinity (which was classified as WIP), and his skillset. It also had a portrait style picture of himself that fluctuated slightly, a photo constructed by the user''s mana signature. "Ohooo! Cool!" "Come on Griff, you''ll admire your card later. I got more clients waiting you know." "Ah yes! Alright I''ll just talk with James on what to do next." Griff quickly skipped away from the receptionist counter towards James who was pretty much having fun. "Hey old fart! Check this out!" Griff flashed his guild card with a shit eating grin towards James. "Oi oi brat how many times am I gonna tell you I ain''t old yet! Oh! You got your guild card. Well congrats you little twerp your finally an adventurer!" James started ruffling his hair happily. The guild here at Alfrum would protect Griff for sure. "We got to go get you some equipment now. You probably weren''t told what your magical affinity was, but let''s leave it like that. You don''t need a high magical affinity to be an adventurer so we''ll start you off on the basics of adventuring and quests." As they talked they walked out of the guild towards the market of Alfrum. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Alright, I think you aren''t suited for heavy body armor just yet. Leather or chainmail would definitely suit you. As for a weapon, you can pick anything. I mean after the shit we went through we both learned how to use several weapons." "Yup. I still don''t know what to go with though." "Eh. We''ll figure it out when we''re there. I''m too lazy to think." James remarked as he cleaned his ear with his pinky while ignoring the weird gazes he was receiving. ''So shameless!'' Thought Griff. "Hey look ''ere! My old shop''s still intact." James pointed to a slightly run down blacksmith shop. "I used to buy all my equipment from there, but I heard they''d went broke. Turns out the old shit''s still in the business. Come on, the old man may be a pain in the ass, but he has high quality stuff." "Sweet! This means we won''t be played right?" "How do you know that word? That''s too advanced for your brain. Oh wait, Lilia... anyway. Come on." James kicked the door of the rundown blacksmithery, which earned half of Alfrum turning to look at him like he was mad. He shrugged. "Old fart I''m back!" The blacksmithery was a mess with scrap metal and rust all around. Several blue prints were scattered, and the room they were in smelled like expired milk. "Old fart! When are you gonna clean this place!" There was still silence in the shop... but suddenly a small old dwarf jumped behind James, and without Griff being able to warn him, smacked him in the head with a hammer! "It''s you again you fucking brat!" 21 Chapter 20 - Gearing Up Griff kept blinking rapidly as he couldn''t believe what he was seeing. James had grabbed a piece of scrap metal and was trying to fight back against the old dwarf who was swinging his hammer left and right. "You''re destroying your own fucking shop you old fart!" "Does it look like I actually give a fuck you pipsqueak?! I''m out of business because of you anyway! It''s payback time!" The old man swung his hammer, smashing James''s scrap metal bar. His eyes were glowing red as he slowly raised his hammer while grinning crazily. His oiled white beard increased the terror for James. "Wait wait wait! I actually brought you a customer this time!" Suddenly the old man tossed his hammer and with a girly squeal he turned around. "Where? Where is my customer!" Griff slowly waved at the old man who ran up to him and started taking measurements. "A fine body! Yes yes! I''ll prepare the perfect fit for you! My finest armor!" Griff gulped as he felt fear radiate because of the blacksmith''s 180 degree turn in attitude. "Aha! What do you want for a weapon kiddo? A longbow? Sword? Scythe? Spear? Halbert? I got them all!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Um, I... uh..." "Hold it right there you crazy bastard freak! We don''t have the cash to afford your expensive shit! Just give us some chainmail to wear under cotton clothing." "Tsk. You guys are no fun at all. You have no sense of battle fashion." James and Griff sweat dropped while thinking the same thing. ''What the frick even is battle fashion?'' "Well, we should at least check the weapons." "Yup. Also, old man could you fetch us some leather boots and leather leggings with steel platings on the joints? Better get the full-set." "Alright, alright. Weapons are over there. Pick one before I kick you out." Griff and James walked towards several old barrels that had plain swords and other weapons in them. "Not those you cheap bastards! Behind my counter! I''ll give you a discount, so just don''t look at my junk like it''s gold. Tsk." James grinned, seeing that his acts forced Yorguth''s, the blacksmith''s, ego to pull them towards his masterpieces. He grabbed Griff and walked towards the counter. Behind the counter, in glass casings, were well-decorated blades, spears, and other kinds of weapons. Their steel was spotless, and their designs ranged from beautiful to terrorizing. James started evaluating the weapons, relying on his adventurer instincts. However, Griff directly walked towards a casing and started checking it out. Inside was an oddly crafted bow. Its grip and body was crafted from a black metal instead of the usually used wood body. In addition, the string was shining. "Aha! I see you got a good eye lad. That right there is my Dark-Steel Bow. The string was crafted using the tail hair of a unicorn and its body was crafted using my specialty metal: black steel. No, I''m not telling you what I used to make it. Trade secret." James giggled slightly at the term ''trade secret,'' while Yorguth gazed at him intensely. "Anyway. I''ll give you 60 arrows and a quiver to boot as a gift. The bow itself is 6 mythrils." Griff slowly turned towards James and started hopping up and down. "Sheesh... kid... you''re going to make me go broke one day, but that''s one heck of a deal. I remember that bow''s old price being 1 gold. That''s why no one bought it kekekeke. Yorguth here seems to be in a bit of a pickle." "Grrr... do you want the damn bow or do you not?" Yorguth snapped back at James''s sarcastic remark. James ignored him as he grabbed a short sword. It was plain, but it would do it''s duty. Just as he was about to pay, Griff saw something interesting in the barrel of ''trash.'' It looked like it would break any second now. "That? That''s just trash. Some guy came and sold that to me a couple of years ago for some pocket money. I''ll ask for only 5 silver. It''s pretty sharp on one side, but don''t ever swing using the blunt side. It''ll shatter like glass. Cutting vertically is it''s strongest forte." Griff looked at James with sparkling eyes like a kid who found a new toy. James just sighed and took out 8 mythril coins and 5 silver coins, paying for all their gear. A/N: Well, he is kind of a kid. Hahahahahahaah. "You owe me when you start making your own cash kid." "Sure thing!" James smirked and turned to Yorguth. "We''re good for now brat. Thanks for shopping." "Heh, thanks old fart." "Now get out before I kick you out!" James chuckled as he pulled Griff by his arm and led him outside. "So, what the hell did you do to the poor guy?" "Hahaha! It was a few years ago. I was a new adventurer. I, um, basically scammed him." The duo laughed as they walked back towards the guild. "So, Griff, ready for your first job?" "You bet I am!" 22 Chapter 21 - Wake Up Call The sound of footsteps echoed through the city. A dust cloud was rising, as if a marathon was taking place. Slowly zooming in, we find our protagonists in a pickle. "I THOUGHT WE GOT RID OF THIS PROBLEM JAMES!" "SO DID I BRAT!" "THEN PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW THE HELL ARE WE GETTING CHASED BY THAT DAMN MAGE AGAIN!" The duo were running at top speed towards the guild hall, and right behind them was Reiner''s crazy sister. She was raging once more and fire was coming out of her mouth. "I ONLY LET YOU GO BECAUSE OF MY BROTHER, BUT NOW I CAN FINALLY TEACH YOU A LESSON ROOKIE!" James slowly gulped and turned to Griff who merely murmured the following, sagely words. "¡­mommy¡­" James slapped him across the face with a tick mark on his forehead. "GET YOURSELF TOGETHER KID! WE HAVE TO SURVIVE!" Griff shook his head and got a hold of himself. "YES SIR!" A crowd had gathered around them, cheering for the duo to survive against their local Tsundere. After all, tsunderes were as scary as demon kings. Just then, over the horizon they saw the Guild Hall door. "BRACE YOURSELF GRIFF!" "SAY WHAT?" However, James did not give poor old Griff any time to think as he just picked him up, and tossed him at the door. "WHAT THE F-" Griff had crashed through the door. "SAVE YOURSELF!" James turned around and tried to hold Reiner''s sister down. Griff ignored what was happening and hurriedly took his new weapons and armor, running towards the Guild Master''s staircase. "Hey! Aren''t you going to help me?!" Shouted James who was using his new sword to hold his foe back as if he was a lion tamer. Griff turned back and put a hand to his chin. "Ehm¡­ na. You didn''t help me the first time this happened. Suffer, old man." Griff quickly turned and ran as James cursed unspeakable words behind him, which was pretty entertaining for the resting adventurers in the lounge. Lilia was walking towards the guild-master''s room as she bumped in to Griff. "Hey Griff, where are you going?" "Gotta speak to the master about my magic. Also James told me to learn about the mechanics behind the life of an adventurer." "Um well, you normally ask me those, but since your attribute is a special circumstance you can go on ahead. I was going to give the daily report to the master, but if it''s fine can you?" She quickly pushed the stacks of paper in Griff''s hands. Winked, and ran. Griff clicked his tongue. "Tch¡­ played again." He sighed and started walking up the staircase, and knocked on the door. He waited for a few seconds, but seeing that there was no response he tried turning the door knob. However, unsurprisingly, the door suddenly got blown to smithereens, with the master standing in front of the door with a guilty smile. "Yeah. I''m just going to stop being surprised at this point. I mean, being surprised at this point is pure and utter nonsense. So, master, I got these papers for you and also was going to ask you about my affinity." Suddenly the paper stacks in Griff''s hand vanished and appeared behind the master, having been put on the desk. "Alright now Griff. First of all, you are not to tell anyone of what we are about to speak in this room." "Yea¡­ok." The guild-master didn''t like his response as he closed in on him and squeezed his shoulders. "Listen here young man, if I were to tell you all I know about your affinity it would not only put you in danger, but it would put this entire city in danger. You''d go back to slavery in chains or become an exotic house pet of delusional nobles of the Kingdom. So, tell me. Do. You. Understand?" Griff gulped and slowly nodded his head. "Good. However, seeing your current mindset I am completely sure that now is not the time for you to begin dwelling in to the world of magic. Especially not with this current mindset. Focus on adventuring, gathering an understanding of the world, and maturing. Because this thought process will endanger you in the future." "Alright master, you definitely are right. I was even told by Lilia that I should shop with James in order to not be played by the merchants." "Sigh¡­ that''s sadly true. That''s how much you lack common sense, but I can''t blame you for that. Humbert told me in his letter that you experienced memory loss in one part of your life. We''ll hopefully get over it in time. For now, just focus on adventuring." "Well master I was also going to ask you about that. What exactly do I have to do?" "Yeah, I better tell you. So, as an adventurer you are tasked with solving problems of varying kind from finding lost cats to helping the kingdoms against great threats like the demonic race. You can take quests from either the board or the receptionist''s desk depending on their rank. The reason why we assign you adventurers ranks is to assign you quests because they, too are assigned ranks. However, Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. without the ¨C and +. You''ll receive the rewards of the quests from the receptionist desk. The rewards increase with rank." Griff had fallen asleep as the master had started blabbering out information. Seeing Griff asleep he got pissed and slapped him across the face. "Wake up and listen to the answer to your question you brat!" "It''s not my fault you rambled like I asked your first love!" The master snickered. "Well, do you get it now?" "Yup. Much simple than what I expected." "Good then kid. Good luck out there." Griff smiled as he gave a thumbs up and started walking down the stairs. "Will do master." 23 Chapter 22 - So The Journey Begins "Yo kid!" Reiner was waving towards Griff who had just got out of the master''s office. "You want me to show you the ropes around here a bit? I can take you with me on a mission. I''ll make sure little Rin here will not bite you." ''So the bratty girl''s name is Rin. Good to know that.'' "Well, I was thinking of going with James." He looked towards James with a sense of distress as the last time he went on an adventure with strangers things didn'' end up well. James merely winked at him, signaling that the denizens of Alfrum were trustable. "Actually I''d like to tag along with you guys as well. The more the merrier." Reiner just nodded while still smiling. "I see no problem with that!" "Stinky brother! Why are you allowing these weirdos to come along with us!" "Because I wanna. It''s that simple. I like how the kid there didn''t really get mentally scarred by you." The guild hall suddenly fell silent as Rin''s antics had caused most who tried talking to her to be traumatized and those who tried to flirt with her re-locate cities. Rin''s face blushed red as she hid behind her brother and started punching him. "You''re making me sound like a monster!" Reiner just giggled, and pointed towards the quest wall. "So. I was thinking of something simple like a goblin subjugation. Pay is pretty handsome, and the quest is ranked as a G rank quest." "Sounds cool with me. What about you Griff?" "Well... anything that helps me gain experience, I''m fine with it." "Alright then let''s go." James and Griff blinked. "Wait... like, now?" Said James. "Um... yeah. The faster we finish it the faster this kid here can become independent." James looked at Griff, and saw his innocence. The kid went through hell and was still naive. Yeah, he definitely needed this. "Hell yeah. Let''s go." "Alrighty. Let me get something real quick." Reiner turned around and grabbed Rin under his arm. "Alright I''m ready." "Put me down! Put me down down down! You''re embarrassing me!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Well, I know you''re lazy so this is the only way I can make you earn your cash lil sis." "Grr... hmph!" Rin turned her face around and pouted, but came face to face with Griff who was snickering. Blood rushed to her face, but she decided to take revenge later. "Alright, so my lil sis here is a great mage. She''s in fact an E+ rank. I''m a brawler, and I''m an E+ too." James sighed and pulled out his guild card. "I''m an E rank swordsman." "And I''m an F- rank Ranger." "Good. Seems like we got a decent party. I think we qualify as an E- party with Griff here, but it doesn''t matter. The quest board stated that we are to head to a small farming village located a bit to the east of here. It won''t take long by carriage, so move out!" "Hell yeah!" Shouted Griff, who slowly walked near James and whispered: "What''s a goblin?" James, not being surprised anymore calmly spoke. "Mischievous little creatures. Be wary of them. They are weak but fight in pack. Stick to me, got it?" Griff nodded as they started walking through the streets. Reiner quickly arranged a carriage, and they set off. The driver had told them that the ride would take approximately an hour. So they decided to take a rest... One hour later they jumped off the carriage. Griff had slept the whole way without feeling any of Rin''s intense gaze on him. "Ahm! Are you the adventurer''s from Alfrum?" A feeble looking man approached them. "Yep, we are. We''re here for the subjugation." "Ah thank you so much! You see the goblins have been pillaging our village for a long time, but-" Reiner raised his hand to signal the man to stop talking. "Yeah we get it, alright. However, as an official organization we have to take the accounted reward. I''m sorry to break your hopes, but I''ve handled cases similar to yours before." The elder bowed down his head in shame and nodded. "We have no idea where the goblins are right now." "Now that''s what I like. Straight to business. We''ll set off right now." They quickly walked to the outskirts of the village and started investigating the perimeter for foot-prints or any disturbances in the current ecosystem. "Hey, James, wasn''t Reiner a bit harsh?" "Well, he had to be. We can''t feel sorry for everyone because this is how we make our living. That''s just how the world works Griff. Adventurer''s aren''t heroes. We''re just ordinary mortals." "Yeah, makes sense." Just then, James shushed Griff. Griff understood something was amiss and shut up. "Do you hear that?" James slowly whispered. It was the sound of twigs breaking. Footsteps... and they were fast. "We better get out of here. This is their territory, and you never fight them in their territory." "Alright. Let''s run back to the village. Perhaps Reiner and Rin are done with their search too, so we can comeback later." "Exactly. Now, run!" The duo started sprinting as the sound of growling and screeching drew closer. A few minutes later, a group of small green impish beings arrived at the spot Griff and James had been. These small creatures started sniffing the broken twigs the two had left and began jumping up and down. Goblins saw humans as livestock, so they were overjoyed about prey coming to their territory. Things were sure to be spiced up... 25 Chapter 23 - The First Spark As Griff and James ran across the forest towards their assigned meeting spot, they heard ferocious growling behind them along with the sound of snapping branches. "Shit I don''t think we''re going to make it!" "Well, we better try! We can''t take on a hoard with 2 people." Just then they heard a very high screech. Griff was pretty much unfazed, thinking that it was just a hungry goblin, but James''s face suddenly turned white as he looked at Griff in a way that he only remembered from when they were captured: pure unadulterated fear. "That just now was either a High-Orc or Goblin King. Both are monsters at the D rank, and our party can handle at most an E rank..." "We''re fucked... running is going to be meaningless then?" "Yeah, but we can still make it to the plains. We got a fighting chance there without being ambushed." "Got it. I''ll try covering for us." Griff pulled out his bow, and nocked an arrow. He had accepted that he was naive and inexperienced, so he decided to make it up with tricks that he''d picked up on his way at the arena: fighting dirty. He had wrapped cloth on some of his arrows, and had Rin enchant 10 of them to ignite on contact. ''It''s now or never. Causing a forest fire can buy us some time.'' He released his arrow, which caused a small ignition, and wrapped nearby bushes and trees in fire. Losing no time, he turned around and rushed. The voices of the goblins had died down slowly, they''d gained some distance, but... not for long. "I can see an opening! Get ready!" James dashed towards the opening, and quickly drew out his sword where he wouldn''t be restricted by the trees. Griff got behind him, and nocked another arrow. However, instead of firing towards the forest, he released it upwards. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. ''I hope the small ignition in the air will be some sort of signal...'' Suddenly the sound of growling grew stronger, and out came the hoard of goblins! All clad in leather armor, skeletal decorations, and ugly, rusty swords. Slowly the goblins started encircling the duo, their green small slimy hands twitching with anticipation of the human flesh they''d soon consume. Without a signal, James slid the throat of an unfortunate goblin that decided to take the first bite. Seeing him in action, Griff nocked another one of his flaming arrows and released it on a couple of unfortunate goblins. "We can''t hold on for much! We''re about to be encircled! Where are those two?!" Just then, the sound of an explosion was heard behind the hoard. It was Rin and Reiner! Both rushing as Rin castes her mana balls simultaneously, launching them towards the hoard to create an opening. "Dash through that opening!" Shouted Reiner. Just to be on the safe side, Griff nocked a couple more normal arrows and fired them towards goblins that were about to pincer strike them. As the distance grew closer, his effectiveness decreased... "Now!" Griff and James dashed through the small corridor of dead goblins towards Reiner and Rin. A goblin tried latching on to Griff''s shoulder, but the kid quickly drew out an arrow and stabbed it between the eyes of the miserable creature. As they rushed, the two felt a bit more relaxed, but nature seemed to think otherwise. Griff''s relaxed expression slowly turned to one of fear, and his face turned white. He stopped in his tracks. "BEHIND YOU!" His warning was, however, a bit late as Reiner who was smugly grinning turned behind him to be knocked away by a huge club. From the forest, the 5 meter tall Goblin King emerged. "That... THAT''S A D CLASS MONSTER! WE DON''T STAND A CHANCE!" Rin was panicking as she ran towards her brother by kiting with mana balls towards the monster. The hideous beast, however, paid no heed. It slowly shook off the explosions and started running towards the downed adventurer. "Not on my watch!" James drew his sword, and sliced off a small chunk of the creature''s leg. Without stopping, he quickly turned around towards the forest, and dashed. The creature slowly followed after him, crushing its minions on the way. "What the hell James?!" "Stop. He''s leading it away from us till we can re-group." Reiner seemed to still be able to stand. He rose to his feet with the aid of his sister. "You alright Reiner?" "Yeah, I can still fight. I wouldn''t be a D class adventurer if I fell after one strike by a goblin king. Come on, we better catch up." "You''re in no position to fight big brother! That man led that thing away from us so we could run!" "No it doesn''t work like that in the world of adventurer''s sis. We pay back our favors." Rin slowly nodded her head. Without waiting for them to move, Griff decided to take things in to his own hands. He was not going to let what had happened to Humbert repeat itself. Nocking an arrow, Griff rushed through the forest. "That kid''s gonna get himself killed!" "Shut it brother! I''m not letting you go after them. If they die it''s on them. You''re not the hero. It''s not your job..." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª James was tired. His eyes were betraying him. His vision was blurry. After he ran towards the forest he had slain a few of the small goblins, but his sword had no effect on the monstrosity towering over him right now. He was going to die, he was ready for it too. If those three decided to run, and considering the size of this thing that was the logical idea, he wouldn''t die futilely. The goblin raised its enormous club, ready to splatter James. However, the creature suddenly stopped. It turned around. James was baffled as well. The giant goblin roared towards a tree about 40 meters away. On the tree was Griff, sweating and scared, but with a nocked arrow. As the beast turned around James saw two arrows imbedded on its back. Seems like the kid was manning up. ''Well well well, I didn''t expect to see that in you kid.'' He slowly raised his head towards Griff who had a gaze of determination. Yes, he was scared, but he was not backing down. James''s face suddenly brightened, and he grinned. ''Yes! Your courage! You''ve found it.'' Slowly, time which had been frozen started to rewind... The goblin roared once more, and Griff? He grinned as he released his arrow... 27 Chapter 24 - See My Arrows Fly! The goblin king slammed its club against the branch Griff was standing on. Luckily, Griff had already jumped off the branch, and was nocking another arrow as he dashed away. "Kid! You''re not going to damage that large piece of meat with those little pricks! Try using your magic like before! Remember that time on the cliff!" James shouted towards Griff as he was using a branch as a walking stick, and walking away from the goblin king''s wrath. ''He''s right, no matter how much I want to diss back right now he is. All I''m doing right now is making that ugly lump of meat angrier by the second. I guess it''s time to use something I have no idea to use.'' As the goblin king started looking around for Griff, Griff was trying to concentrate the feeling he felt on the cliff to his arrow. Rage. Pure rage was all that he felt on the cliff, but he couldn''t control what came after. He couldn''t lose himself, not now. He needed to feel the mana, as Humbert had put it simply. The mana. It was warm, or was it? Was it Griff''s imagination? Who knew. All he knew was that he was feeling refreshed with this warm feeling welling up inside him. Suddenly the Goblin King turned around, and saw Griff. It roared as loud as it could, and started walking towards Griff, dragging its humongous club. Just in the nick of time Griff''s arrow started to glow, releasing a black ooze at its tip. The sudden roar made Griff flinch as he released his arrow. The arrow flew through the sky, and just before reaching its target it started to burn. Fire, but it was black. The arrow pierced through the right eye of the goblin, causing it to screech in pain. That tough hide of the monster had been pierced! The hole in its eye was all proof. The beast screamed as it started waving its club madly all around it as blood poured out of its now empty eye socket. "Bulls eye motherfucker! Or should I say... goblin''s eye?" Griff was fistpumping, seeing this James shouted at him. "Horrible. Just horrible you little shit. Just... ah fuck it. Run ya little brat! It''s coming your way!" "Ha? AH THE GOBLIN KING!" Griff started dashing, and jumped behind a tree as the goblin king smashed where he previously stood. "Okay, I got this baby. I just made a giant ass hole in that bastards eye. I got this." He spoke to himself as he nocked his next arrow, and readied himself. The Goblin King was sniffing the air as he did so. "Alright, just like before. A calm rage..." As Griff concentrated, the black hair on his head started consuming his white hair, and his eyes started to glow red, gaining a rageful look. His arrow this time bursted in black flames, all flickering around him. Not hot, nor cold. It was just cracking... Griff stepped out of his hiding spot and shouted. "Hey big shit!" The dumb goblin king turned towards Griff, and roared like the mindless beast it was. "See my arrows fly!" Griff released his arrow as it flew across the sky, stabbing the beast right across the chest, bursting in pitch black flames. The monster began to squirl and scream. "I have no idea what I''m doing, or how I''m doing it, but it''s definitely working!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Without losing time, Griff nocked his next arrow and released it, this time stabbing its right shoulder, causing its arm to melt off. The beast squirled as it picked a couple of trees and threw them towards Griff. "I just hope this works." Griff released another arrow which successfully blazed through the wood. "Now that... was cool." Griff said as he grinned toothily. Then he gazed towards the black melted ooze that was now the goblin king, it reeked of burnt flesh. "And that... is not cool." Griff quickly turned around and started barfing. James had managed to walk over to Griff as he saw him kill the monster. He was standing behind him as he barfed. "Talk about ruining your image." "First of all...blergh... no one''s around to see me ruin my image... blergh... secondly... how the hell... barfff... are you tolerating this..." "I''ve seem some nastier shit kiddo. Come on, let''s get out of here, and let''s get out fast. I don''t want those two siblings catching us red handed on the scene. It would be obvious that we used some high tier magic, which I think is your attribute." "Give me a second..." James slapped Griff across the head, stopping from from barfing further. "You can throw up later, move your ass." "At least show some gratitude." "Yada yada just walk." The two slowly made their way to the opening that they had ran in to the forest. Rin and Reiner will still there, with Reiner''s wounds being healed by Rin using some kind of lotion. "I''m telling you sis if we don''t go now those two will die!" "And what can you do in your current situation?" "I... I can still fight." "You could have if you paid attention, which you usually do! How the hell did you get knocked out by some mere goblin king! Weakest of the evolved monsters!" Hearing "weakest of the evolved monsters," Griff lost his toothy grin for defeating the beast. "You really didn''t have to come after me kid. I would have beaten it if I didn''t hear you coming behind me..." "Yeah like that was going to happen, you were about to die!" "Was not!" "Was too!" Hearing a familiar bickering, Rin and Reiner turned towards the forest to see Griff and James alive, looking like shit, but alive. "In the name of Archlight... How are you still alive?!" Griff looked at Reiner with a determined look, crossing his arms. He looked pretty heroic. His hair fluttered through the wind, which had already returned to its original color pattern. He slowly opened his mouth. "I have no idea." All the adventurers''s mouths fell agape, touching the ground. Even James was flabbergasted. "And... the goblin king?" "Dead." James cut in before Griff fucked their situation up further with his dumb remarks. He quickly slapped Griff in the back of his head, and continued talking. "As I was running, I ran in to a fire mage who was training. As he saw the goblin king he just blew it to smithereens. Then Griff showed up, and helped me walk back." "What about that leg?" "Tripped as I was running." "Well we both need medical care fast. Come on, we better head back to Alfrum." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Several hours later a carriage could be seen parked in front of the Adventurer''s Guild in Alfrum. All of the party members wearing some kind of stitch. The guild master was looking out of his window as he watched them get off. As Griff jumped off, he noticed the bit of his black hair to have consumed his white strands, and grinned. "Looks like I better find him a teacher, and fast before he faces another adversity..." 24 Chapter 23 - The First Spark As Griff and James ran across the forest towards their assigned meeting spot, they heard ferocious growling behind them along with the sound of snapping branches. "Shit I don''t think we''re going to make it!" "Well, we better try! We can''t take on a hoard with 2 people." Just then they heard a very high screech. Griff was pretty much unfazed, thinking that it was just a hungry goblin, but James''s face suddenly turned white as he looked at Griff in a way that he only remembered from when they were captured: pure unadulterated fear. "That just now was either a High-Orc or Goblin King. Both are monsters at the D rank, and our party can handle at most an E rank..." "We''re fucked... running is going to be meaningless then?" "Yeah, but we can still make it to the plains. We got a fighting chance there without being ambushed." "Got it. I''ll try covering for us." Griff pulled out his bow, and nocked an arrow. He had accepted that he was naive and inexperienced, so he decided to make it up with tricks that he''d picked up on his way at the arena: fighting dirty. He had wrapped cloth on some of his arrows, and had Rin enchant 10 of them to ignite on contact. ''It''s now or never. Causing a forest fire can buy us some time.'' He released his arrow, which caused a small ignition, and wrapped nearby bushes and trees in fire. Losing no time, he turned around and rushed. The voices of the goblins had died down slowly, they''d gained some distance, but... not for long. "I can see an opening! Get ready!" James dashed towards the opening, and quickly drew out his sword where he wouldn''t be restricted by the trees. Griff got behind him, and nocked another arrow. However, instead of firing towards the forest, he released it upwards. ''I hope the small ignition in the air will be some sort of signal...'' Suddenly the sound of growling grew stronger, and out came the hoard of goblins! All clad in leather armor, skeletal decorations, and ugly, rusty swords. Slowly the goblins started encircling the duo, their green small slimy hands twitching with anticipation of the human flesh they''d soon consume. Without a signal, James slid the throat of an unfortunate goblin that decided to take the first bite. Seeing him in action, Griff nocked another one of his flaming arrows and released it on a couple of unfortunate goblins. "We can''t hold on for much! We''re about to be encircled! Where are those two?!" Just then, the sound of an explosion was heard behind the hoard. It was Rin and Reiner! Both rushing as Rin castes her mana balls simultaneously, launching them towards the hoard to create an opening. "Dash through that opening!" Shouted Reiner. Just to be on the safe side, Griff nocked a couple more normal arrows and fired them towards goblins that were about to pincer strike them. As the distance grew closer, his effectiveness decreased... "Now!" Griff and James dashed through the small corridor of dead goblins towards Reiner and Rin. A goblin tried latching on to Griff''s shoulder, but the kid quickly drew out an arrow and stabbed it between the eyes of the miserable creature. As they rushed, the two felt a bit more relaxed, but nature seemed to think otherwise. Griff''s relaxed expression slowly turned to one of fear, and his face turned white. He stopped in his tracks. "BEHIND YOU!" His warning was, however, a bit late as Reiner who was smugly grinning turned behind him to be knocked away by a huge club. From the forest, the 5 meter tall Goblin King emerged. "That... THAT''S A D CLASS MONSTER! WE DON''T STAND A CHANCE!" Rin was panicking as she ran towards her brother by kiting with mana balls towards the monster. The hideous beast, however, paid no heed. It slowly shook off the explosions and started running towards the downed adventurer. "Not on my watch!" James drew his sword, and sliced off a small chunk of the creature''s leg. Without stopping, he quickly turned around towards the forest, and dashed. The creature slowly followed after him, crushing its minions on the way. "What the hell James?!" "Stop. He''s leading it away from us till we can re-group." Reiner seemed to still be able to stand. He rose to his feet with the aid of his sister. "You alright Reiner?" "Yeah, I can still fight. I wouldn''t be a D class adventurer if I fell after one strike by a goblin king. Come on, we better catch up." "You''re in no position to fight big brother! That man led that thing away from us so we could run!" "No it doesn''t work like that in the world of adventurer''s sis. We pay back our favors." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Rin slowly nodded her head. Without waiting for them to move, Griff decided to take things in to his own hands. He was not going to let what had happened to Humbert repeat itself. Nocking an arrow, Griff rushed through the forest. "That kid''s gonna get himself killed!" "Shut it brother! I''m not letting you go after them. If they die it''s on them. You''re not the hero. It''s not your job..." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª James was tired. His eyes were betraying him. His vision was blurry. After he ran towards the forest he had slain a few of the small goblins, but his sword had no effect on the monstrosity towering over him right now. He was going to die, he was ready for it too. If those three decided to run, and considering the size of this thing that was the logical idea, he wouldn''t die futilely. The goblin raised its enormous club, ready to splatter James. However, the creature suddenly stopped. It turned around. James was baffled as well. The giant goblin roared towards a tree about 40 meters away. On the tree was Griff, sweating and scared, but with a nocked arrow. As the beast turned around James saw two arrows imbedded on its back. Seems like the kid was manning up. ''Well well well, I didn''t expect to see that in you kid.'' He slowly raised his head towards Griff who had a gaze of determination. Yes, he was scared, but he was not backing down. James''s face suddenly brightened, and he grinned. ''Yes! Your courage! You''ve found it.'' Slowly, time which had been frozen started to rewind... The goblin roared once more, and Griff? He grinned as he released his arrow... 26 Chapter 24 - See My Arrows Fly! The goblin king slammed its club against the branch Griff was standing on. Luckily, Griff had already jumped off the branch, and was nocking another arrow as he dashed away. "Kid! You''re not going to damage that large piece of meat with those little pricks! Try using your magic like before! Remember that time on the cliff!" James shouted towards Griff as he was using a branch as a walking stick, and walking away from the goblin king''s wrath. ''He''s right, no matter how much I want to diss back right now he is. All I''m doing right now is making that ugly lump of meat angrier by the second. I guess it''s time to use something I have no idea to use.'' As the goblin king started looking around for Griff, Griff was trying to concentrate the feeling he felt on the cliff to his arrow. Rage. Pure rage was all that he felt on the cliff, but he couldn''t control what came after. He couldn''t lose himself, not now. He needed to feel the mana, as Humbert had put it simply. The mana. It was warm, or was it? Was it Griff''s imagination? Who knew. All he knew was that he was feeling refreshed with this warm feeling welling up inside him. Suddenly the Goblin King turned around, and saw Griff. It roared as loud as it could, and started walking towards Griff, dragging its humongous club. Just in the nick of time Griff''s arrow started to glow, releasing a black ooze at its tip. The sudden roar made Griff flinch as he released his arrow. The arrow flew through the sky, and just before reaching its target it started to burn. Fire, but it was black. The arrow pierced through the right eye of the goblin, causing it to screech in pain. That tough hide of the monster had been pierced! The hole in its eye was all proof. The beast screamed as it started waving its club madly all around it as blood poured out of its now empty eye socket. "Bulls eye motherfucker! Or should I say... goblin''s eye?" Griff was fistpumping, seeing this James shouted at him. "Horrible. Just horrible you little shit. Just... ah fuck it. Run ya little brat! It''s coming your way!" "Ha? AH THE GOBLIN KING!" Griff started dashing, and jumped behind a tree as the goblin king smashed where he previously stood. "Okay, I got this baby. I just made a giant ass hole in that bastards eye. I got this." He spoke to himself as he nocked his next arrow, and readied himself. The Goblin King was sniffing the air as he did so. "Alright, just like before. A calm rage..." As Griff concentrated, the black hair on his head started consuming his white hair, and his eyes started to glow red, gaining a rageful look. His arrow this time bursted in black flames, all flickering around him. Not hot, nor cold. It was just cracking... Griff stepped out of his hiding spot and shouted. "Hey big shit!" The dumb goblin king turned towards Griff, and roared like the mindless beast it was. "See my arrows fly!" Griff released his arrow as it flew across the sky, stabbing the beast right across the chest, bursting in pitch black flames. The monster began to squirl and scream. "I have no idea what I''m doing, or how I''m doing it, but it''s definitely working!" Without losing time, Griff nocked his next arrow and released it, this time stabbing its right shoulder, causing its arm to melt off. The beast squirled as it picked a couple of trees and threw them towards Griff. "I just hope this works." Griff released another arrow which successfully blazed through the wood. "Now that... was cool." Griff said as he grinned toothily. Then he gazed towards the black melted ooze that was now the goblin king, it reeked of burnt flesh. "And that... is not cool." Griff quickly turned around and started barfing. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. James had managed to walk over to Griff as he saw him kill the monster. He was standing behind him as he barfed. "Talk about ruining your image." "First of all...blergh... no one''s around to see me ruin my image... blergh... secondly... how the hell... barfff... are you tolerating this..." "I''ve seem some nastier shit kiddo. Come on, let''s get out of here, and let''s get out fast. I don''t want those two siblings catching us red handed on the scene. It would be obvious that we used some high tier magic, which I think is your attribute." "Give me a second..." James slapped Griff across the head, stopping from from barfing further. "You can throw up later, move your ass." "At least show some gratitude." "Yada yada just walk." The two slowly made their way to the opening that they had ran in to the forest. Rin and Reiner will still there, with Reiner''s wounds being healed by Rin using some kind of lotion. "I''m telling you sis if we don''t go now those two will die!" "And what can you do in your current situation?" "I... I can still fight." "You could have if you paid attention, which you usually do! How the hell did you get knocked out by some mere goblin king! Weakest of the evolved monsters!" Hearing "weakest of the evolved monsters," Griff lost his toothy grin for defeating the beast. "You really didn''t have to come after me kid. I would have beaten it if I didn''t hear you coming behind me..." "Yeah like that was going to happen, you were about to die!" "Was not!" "Was too!" Hearing a familiar bickering, Rin and Reiner turned towards the forest to see Griff and James alive, looking like shit, but alive. "In the name of Archlight... How are you still alive?!" Griff looked at Reiner with a determined look, crossing his arms. He looked pretty heroic. His hair fluttered through the wind, which had already returned to its original color pattern. He slowly opened his mouth. "I have no idea." All the adventurers''s mouths fell agape, touching the ground. Even James was flabbergasted. "And... the goblin king?" "Dead." James cut in before Griff fucked their situation up further with his dumb remarks. He quickly slapped Griff in the back of his head, and continued talking. "As I was running, I ran in to a fire mage who was training. As he saw the goblin king he just blew it to smithereens. Then Griff showed up, and helped me walk back." "What about that leg?" "Tripped as I was running." "Well we both need medical care fast. Come on, we better head back to Alfrum." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Several hours later a carriage could be seen parked in front of the Adventurer''s Guild in Alfrum. All of the party members wearing some kind of stitch. The guild master was looking out of his window as he watched them get off. As Griff jumped off, he noticed the bit of his black hair to have consumed his white strands, and grinned. "Looks like I better find him a teacher, and fast before he faces another adversity..." 27 Chapter 25 - A Teacher? The guildmaster was clapping in the guild hall as Griff, James, Reiner, and Rin entered the guildhall. "Splendid work as always Reiner." The guildmaster teased Reiner as he saw he was walking with Rin''s help. "Well... not quite master. I think it''s fairly obvious those two were the ones who did most of the work." The guildmaster chuckled. "Of course I know, it''s obvious by your scowl. You hate losing." The duo giggled. James, ignoring everything around him like the man he was, walked up to the bar and asked for a mug of beer. "Well, he''ll be out cold by the night. I''m sure of that. Anyways, Griff I''d like to see you in my office. Come now..." "Yeah sure." Griff high-fived Reiner, and started walking behind the guildmaster to his office. "So, what are you gonna say master?" "Ahahahahah did you just call me master? That''s progress at least." "Yeah yeah, so?" "Straight to the point... Alright, I know you used magic during your mission Griff. Your magicules are vibrating faster." "Magicules?" "Condensed mana, everyone has it. Those that have mana of course. You don''t use pure mana for magic, you condense them." "Kinda makes sense." "More things will make sense if you listen to me now boy. I think you should study under a magic teacher, a master. I know magic but knowing and teaching are different things, and I have the right person for you: Humbert''s teacher lives here." "So I''ll be learning from Humbert''s teacher?" "I already informed the old man, he will be here soon. Remember, your magical attribute is dangerous, it will put you in a lot of danger. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT. Expose it before you have power enough to protect yourself." "Yeah... I Know. And I definitely don''t want that kind of life again. I''m not a masochist." "Who taught you that word." "..." "James? That prickelope. He''s corrupting you... He''ll get a good spanking for this." "The hell old man!" "Kekekekekek. Well, forget about the drunkard for now. Your master''s name is Alatar. He is an odd one. You''ll see. Kind of like you." "Yeah alright then. I guess I''ll see him soon?" The master nodded. "Also master what the hell is your name?! It feels awkward as hell to just call you master." "Hahahahahahaha! I was waiting for when you''d ask that. It''s proof you''ve developed some kind of common sense. Leebus is my name." "Alright then, master Leebus it is." The old man cracked a smile at that. "Now, run off boy, go talk with your friends before you leave to train. I''m telling you it will take a long time before you grasp your magical abilities." "So I better have said good bye?" "Yeah! You''re getting it now." Griff smirked, and left master Leebus''s office. "Hey James!" James was drinking as always, and his face was beat red already. "What is it pipsqueak?" "The master found me a magic teacher!" James looked at him, looking sleepy as hell. Suddenly he jolted awake, and tossed his beer behind him, hitting an unlucky rookie adventurer in the face. "He did WHAT?" "Um... I got a-" "Yes yes I got that part! But I think you don''t know the extremity of such an act! The master wouldn''t find anyone a magic teacher. What the hell was written in that mail you brought Griff!" "Um... dunno, I gave it already." "Sigh... Look kid, you better make the best out of that opportunity. Most of the adventurers here can''t even pay for more than one magic lesson. In your case the master will be the one paying." "Holy shit I''m freeloading." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Yes you are and you just understood. Look, you ain''t going around telling this to everyone. People in the guild will feel angry because of this, thinking that you are getting special treatment... which you are." "... Alright then. My teacher will probably he here in a few hours or minutes I guess. I''m not going to be here for a while." "Well, duh. You''ll be learning magic, you can''t have a lot of free time." "So... I''ll I guess see you a while later?" "I''m not going anywhere kid, don''t worry. When you come back you''ll probably find me here, drinking another mug of beer." "Yeah I know." Griff smiled at that. "Oi why are you smiling?" "No special reason. Anyways I''ll go and say bye to Reiner and Rin." "Tsk. Those two were pretty worthless if you ask me in the last mission." "I think they were just caught off guard." "Think what you want to about it kid. Now run along... I need to spend more time with Margaret." "Who the hell is Margaret?" "My beer." "You drunk fuck..." James didn''t hear any of Griff''s curse as he proceeded to drink his beer in ecstasy. "Man... how did I end up with this dude." Griff walked away, facepalming. Just then, the doors to the guild were blown off, and an old man clad in white entered the room. He was wearing robes, and was walking uptight like a nobleman. "Howdy y''all little fuckers! It''s your resident wise old man!" One adventurer shouted. "It''s the crazy old man! Run for your lives, he knows magic!" The old man cackled, and started shooting fire balls all around the room. "Please no..." Griff was tearing up. "Please don''t tell me that''s who I think it is." "I came here looking for a pipsqueak named Griff you greenhorns! Point him to me kekekekekeke." Suddenly everyone in the guildhall, without hesitation pointed towards Griff. Even Reiner and Rin were pointing at him, shacking in fear. "Who the fuck is this old shit..." "Good, good. Hey, boy! Did old Leeby tell you who I am?" ''Ah for fucks sake he really is my new master.'' "...yes" "I don''t like you attitude squirt! Shout from the top of your lungs!" "Yes?" "LOUDER!" "YES MASTER!" "Good." He walked up to Griff, and chopped on his neck, causing him to faint. Then he started dragging him behind him. "See you greenhorns later! I got a student to teach." The old man walked over the shattered doors once more, dragging an unconscious Griff. James, in the meantime, was spending quality time with his beloved Margaret, and couldn''t care less of what happened around him at the moment. Reiner looked towards his sister and sighed. "I can''t believe he came here to get Griff." "Yeah... he even rejected me as a disciple. I had to learn on my own you know." "I know, you never stop boasting about it." Rin pouted. "But still! What made that man come down from his mountain to get Griff. There''s something with that kid alright." "Yeah there is... or you just found him cute." "I don''t like guys that keep gazing around like they are oblivious to common sense. He looks like a lost puppy for god''s sake." "Good seeing you warmed up to him." Rin had a tick mark form on her head , and slowly raised her fist. Reiner gulped. "I''m still injured." "I don''t care..." "...mommy." 29 Chapter 26 - How To Train Your Griff Griff slowly woke up to find himself tied to a tree... upside down... and the old man who had knocked him out was in front of him, resting. "Hey... hey! HEY OLD SHIT!" Alatar slowly woke up from his sleep, giggling. "Aaah! I see you''re awake young man. I''m your master Alatar. I think that old geezer told you ''bout me?" "But he didn''t say you''d fucking kidnap me, tie me upside down, and sleep in front of me!" "Ah that''s just how I teach magic!" The man got up, and closed in on Griff, his voice becoming slightly threatening. "You. Don''t have a problem with that, right?" The man had been using his mana to build up pressure around the tree, shaking Griff. "Yeah... yeah I do..." Griff had no option but to accept these conditions. "Okay then hatchling, take a look around you." Alatar stepped back from Griff''s face, allowing him to gaze upon the sunset. He was on a mountain, and Alfrum was just below them. Mana was seeping around the air, much more abundant then the Mana Surge in Ange''s outskirts. Weird creatures were jumping, flying and walking around on this mountain... "You brought me to the top of a mountain?!" Griff didn''t have a good relationship with mountains... it was hard walking down that freezing chunk of rock last time. "Exactly! And not just any mountain. You see, some mountains near towns exert continuous mana surges due to the influx of mages to the area. After some time this can cause the birth of a Magic Zone. I''ll explain that to you later. Your first task as my pupil is to get free from that position. And no physical prowess, try bringing out your mana at will. You have been using it only when you''re in tight positions." Griff''s eyes lightened up. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. ''Well... this may not be so bad. He''s not a sadistic old man, just trying to force my magic out. Yosh. Let''s do this.'' "Okay, but I don''t know how to forcefully control my mana master." His determined face looked awkward as he was hung upside down, but Alatar liked his gaze, and smirked. "Visualize a river. Right now yours is dry. You''re keeping your mana up on the mountain behind that river. The source is plugged up with a giant boulder. You have to let that boulder break. Every time you use magic you replace that boulder." ''Okay, a river. A mountain. And a boulder. Pretty weird symbolism old man, but the hell do I know. Okay... water corrodes stone over time doesn''t it? But won''t that take forever!'' "Master Alatar, don''t boulders get corrodes by water over a long period of time? How can I even release my magic then?" "Kid, if you let reality cloud your imagination you will never use magic." ''So... I just think that my magic is stronger than that boulder. Flowing... slow at first, but picking up the pace. I don''t think I can crack it immediately, but... I can corrode only one side of it with high pressured water, can''t I?'' "I''d brace myself if I were you." "Huh?" The ropes around Griff had actually been burnt with the black fire he was emitting from his hands. Aaaand... he fell head first. Ouch, that''s gotta hurt. A/N: It hurts so bad, I can assure you. Been there, done it. Don''t try this at home though kids. Almost broke my nose. "I''m using magic willingly? I''M ACTUALLY USING MAGIC!" Griff started jumping up and down, and he might have accidentally hugged the tree which was now on fire. "You fucking stupid dolt. You''ll burn the mountain." Alatar snapped his fingers, and out came water from thin air, extinguishing the black fire. "I thought my fire didn''t go out?" "Normal means can''t extinguish magical flames, but magical water can. It depends on who the stronger mage is. Now, kid. I''m proud of you. You actually grasped your magic." "Hell yeah aren''t I awesome!" "But just manipulating mana will not take you anywhere, and not knowing your attribute is your down-fall. I read your mana while you were trying to use it... matches up with what that old fart at the guild told me." "So I can learn my attribute now??" "Well, to most of my knowledge your attribute actually does not exist in previous records kid." "What?!" "We call people like you torchbearers. Bringing forth a unique attribute never before seen. To my knowledge 10 exist currently in the continent of Belvargh. The continent that the Kulvan kingdom is situated in. 2 of them are, I guess, a part of Kulva''s military." "So that''s why I could become a noble''s pet." "Can''t say it didn''t happen before. A kid just like you from a nameless village was found to be a torchbearer similarly like you. His attribute was later named as Halofication. He was able to do many unnatural things like existing on a different plane. However, a noble family discovered the kid before he understood his magic, and used mana sealer cuffs on him, keeping him as an exotic war hound. That kid grew to be the biggest assassin of our current time..." "Yeah... scary. At least I get the chance to prepare myself." "Look kid, I want to tell you that even though Alfrum is safe because of the absence of Noble''s, you''ll have to leave one day because there is just so much a small trading town can offer you." "I... actually think Alfrum is enormous." "And that''s exactly why you have to see the capital of Kulva, the City of King Kulva the 1st. Galas." "Well, I''m all pumped up now! Let''s do this master Alatar!" "Are you ready for a year of hell with me you pipsqueak!" "Yes master!" "Then get ready..." Alatar snapped his fingers, causing earth golems to rise. "The best way to understand your magic is to fight... good luck." "Ah... I won''t be needing luck this time." Griff''s hair started to stand slowly as his left arm bursted in black flames. He cracked his knuckles, and took a step forward. A step, to change his future. 30 Chapter 27 - The Hermit Returns James was pissed. He was so pissed that he didn''t name his beer mug this time. A couple bandits had stormed into the guild just a few minutes ago, making use of the opportunity that the master and the top adventurers were at the yearly guild meeting. "Aight mates we ain'' here for a lot o trouble. We jus'' here to grab a few coins, and we''ll make our way. You, reception lady! Toss us that bag o coins under the desk. Ai know its the reward for requests." The guild membere were pissed, but most didn''t have the ability to challange these brutes. Most of which had the abilities of at least D- level adventurers. The average adventurer rankings stood globally at D. The group was truly strong compared to the weaker members left behind. "I decide to take a mother fucking day off and I come across these hobos?! And in my guild!" A young kid approached James, tugging at his shirt. "Don''t do it big brother. You''re the only strong adventurer we have here right now. If we lose you it''s only the newbies." "Tch! I know! Otherwise I''d already kicked those hobos out of our property." Steam was coming off James''s head. One brave yet knuckleheaded adventurer rose from his seat, grabbing his shortsword, and charged at the bandits. "Get out of our guild before our master breaks every bond in your body you low-li-" He couldn''t finish his sentence as one of the bandits had sneaked behind him, squeezing his head, which caused the man to cower in pain. "Alright, still want to make things difficult?" The head bandit who had a nasty scar across his face gave a shiny grin, as shiny as his bald head. "Wreck this place. We got two days before thejr master returns, so we''re safe. As long as none of them get out of this guild to inform the local guard we are thejr gods!" "Huzzah!" The bandits started pillaging the hall, wrecking tables and brawling with desperate newbie adventurers. "Oi. This one doesn''t look as weak as this lot. Care for a duel chap?" One of the bandits had spotted James at the corner gritting his teeth in irritation, and he wanted provoke him into action for amusement. After all, his fellow bandits were all over the place. He was safe. Without any warning James drew his blade, slashing at the bandits left arm. "Eh?" The bandit was shocked at his sudden, fluid movement. He didn''t actually expect him to act so fast. But... what just happened. Some blood dripped off his cheek. Weird. "My arm... HE CUT OFF MY BLOODY ARM! BOSS!" The bandit boss who seemed to be getting ready to round up the female adventurers stopped in his tracks, losing his grin. "Bring that bastard to me. I''ll show these adventurers a lesson so they know not to mess with us!" The bandits surrounded James and started to clash with him. James was putting up a tough fight for the crude brawlers, but their numbers were sure to overwhelm him slowly. Outside the guildhall, under the night sky a lone figure clad in black started making his way towards the guild hall. He had a grin on his face, snapping his fingers several times, each snap birthing a black flame and extinguishing it. "Not so tough now are you?" The bandits had managed to subdue James and the other adventurers, beating the crap out of them, bathing in their sadistic pleasure. Slowly the door creaked. "Eh? Who the hell would come here in the middle o the night?" "Probably some beggars. Ignore them and let them loot this place too." The bandits ignored the sound of footsteps closing in on them, but they were feeling anxious as the footsteps got closer. One of the bandits turned around pissed. "Alright pal, didn''t you hear us? You can loot this place too but stay away from us." Without any warning a black clad fist impacted the man across the chin, sending him flying. "The hell!" The bandits turned around to fight this new entity, but were all dealt with ease as the figure danced in the night, throwing them aside, cracking their ribs, all so brutally yet elegantly. The boss of the bandits was wrathful. "I''m an earth mage you prick and I can kill you right this instant using my handcraft Bandit Spell! Fuck off!" "Magic?" The figure spoke. "I know some myself." He cracked his fingers. "Unknown Magic: Blade of Despair." A black blade materialized from the flames, the black steel was dancing with fire as the figure held it high. "Still up for it?" "You bastard!" The earth mage bandit stomped on the ground, raising several spikes, but the figure dodged them easily, slicing the rest. "That''s literally it? And I got my hopes up. Here''s a special magic for you!" The figure took off his robe, revealing Griff. His hair was majorly black now with patches of white. The entire guild was looking at this scene with their mouths agape. "Unknown Magic: Hades''s Judgement." He stabbed his blade to the ground, grinning with bloodlust as flaming spikes erupted from the ground, trapping the bandit. "Now I call that a job well done." "Griff?" James walked up to Griff shocked. "Hey old man!" Griff waved his hand playfully at James. "Been some time eh?" James grinned. ''His smile is... genuine now, and his eyes... they''re shining. He really has developed his personality hasn''t he..." "Yes it has." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. 31 Chapter 28 - Title at End Spoiler "Holy shit it''s Griff!" "Kid where have you been for a year!" The guild members of Alfrum started swarming Griff who seemed to be lost with widely open eyes. "And I thought you were starting to get used to people. Hahahahaha." James started chuckling as he watched Griff''s nonsensical plight of being close to so many people. "Hey! You try forgetting civilization and your past and then starting over." "Meh, you''ve got a point. Well, forget this nonsensical bullocks. Tell me how did your training with Alatar go?" Griff smiled at this. "I''ll just tell you training how to learn magic was hard as hell. The first day I woke up tied to a tree upside down and was forced to burn the ropes, and fight golems on top of that." "Yikes that''s a lot of hardwork, something not fit for a lazy chum like me." The guild members and Griff chuckled at that. "Sure, you keep saying that. But you were handling these thighs pretty well." "No, I was getting my arse kicked pretty well." "You can sure say that again." A huge tick mark formed on James''s head. "Alright try saying that again you little pipsqueak." He slowly raised a fist, twitching. "I forgot how scary you could be..." Griff sighed, and continued talking. "All I can say is that I studied magical attributes from books that are forbidden to be placed at regular libraries. I woke up at 6 in the morning to forcefully expand my mana pool, and I also had to start mastering spells of all kinds. The sad thing about all this is that I still don''t exactly what my magic attribute does, but I do know that these black flames are not the entirety of my magic." "So... that''s why your wearing black?" "Kinda?" "The hair? You got dumped or something?" "I still have no idea how romance works, stop trying to tease me over something I can''t be flustered at." "Fucking eunuch... that day will come." "It just naturally became like this after I used my magic, but the remaining white bits are not darkening any further. My hair definitely has something to do with what my magic is. Well anyway. How the hell did these bandits get the jump on you guys?" "There''s an adventurer guild master meeting at a nearby town, so the master took the top adventurers to kind of showcase our power, so we were left mostly defenseless. Only I didn''t go because I knew something like this would happen." James grinned smugly. "No, you didn''t leave because you realized you couldn''t get wasted off alcohol at a formal conference" "Bullocks." "It''s true." "Fuck you Griff." "You too old shit." "Man I missed your stupid sarcastic comebacks kid." The duo laughed at their reunion. "I SAY WE DRINK ALL NIGHT FOR THIS!" A random adventurer spoke up, and the rest cheered. Beer started flying across the guild as the members became lively again. The remaining bandits were already rounded up and delivered to the Alfrum Royal Guard. The night was truly amusing... "Hey James." "What, brat?" "I''m thinking of travelling. I now have the knowledge and skill set to protect myself. I''m not as weak as I used to be." "Well..." James used a very basic form of magic to check on Griff''s mana pool, and was shocked to say the truth. "How the fuck do you have that much mana?" "I can''t say, I''m afraid. That was one of the things Master Alatar told me specifically." James sighed and continued drinking. "Have it your way." Meanwhile, as the duo were reminiscing their reunion, the guild''s party that had departed to the town of Ange were returning from the guild master meeting at the rundown village. "Reiner, why do you think a masters meeting was held at a time like this at a place like this?" "Um... I... don''t really know Master Leebus." "Rin?" "I have no clue..." Rin was looking around at her surroundings as they walked, ignoring the bantering between the rest of the adventurers. "It has no official purpose. We didn''t even have a discussion about a rising threat such as the dragon nation to the south of Kulva or the increasing magical beast and monster population to the east. No, we only made small talk..." "Master?" "Let me finish Cronenghan." Cronenghan was a tall, muscular man who was leaning on a spear, seemingly enchanted. "This meeting was organized by the nobles of Kulva. That''s the reason for the location. It is said that not too far from here they have built their factions headquarters." "Master, are you talking about the Noble Faction that is opposed to the King of Kulva and the entirety of the nobles that side with the royals?" Asked Selena, an elf with snow white hair and a longbow. "Exactly. You should be aware that out of two of the unique attribute wielders on this continent two are in the Kulvan military, and one of them is a member of this faction. I''d like to sadly express that this was no guild master meeting, but a meeting to forcefully gather the strong adventurers of the southern Kulvan kingdom to scout out members who might bring rise to unique attributes." "So we are being spied as we even walk right now?" "Everyone is being spied, Reiner. The kingdom is not in a good position, The nobles keep getting stronger by the day, but as the adventurers guild we have no say in the internal politics of a country we are positioned in..." "Shit..." "Took the words out of my mouth." "What now master?" Leebus slowly gazed up as he continued walking, thinking about Griff. He''d sent him to study under Alatar, a great mage, but he wan''t sure if the kid would currently be able to survive under the guilds jurisdiction. Political affairs are a dangerous field for guild masters to meddle with after all lest the entire kingdom turns on them... "Return to the guild. We have to start grooming the next generation of adventurers. That includes you guys as well. Not all of you are old and feeble like me and Thormun." Thormun, a dwarf with a double edged axe chuckled. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "True it is lads." "And I''ll just say... I''m expecting a civil war not too distant in the future. 3 years maximum." "3 years?!" The adventurers started mumbling. "Silence! We got a mission to do. Head to Alfrum, and do not expose any of this to the newer members. Ah, I just remembered. Griff should be heading down from the mountain with Alatar today. We better get a move on if we are to see his face again." Reiner''s face lit up, hearing that he''ll be able to see Griff. He wasn''t close to him per se but the kid was definitely a unique person. Rin was uninterested as always. "Move it you slowpokes!" Suddenly Leebus started running with his enhanced physical prowess, causing the adventurer party to sweatdrop. ''There goes his serious aura in an instant.'' All of them thought at the same time. "Run! Or we''ll be left you fools!" Thormun had already started darting, and so did the rest of the adventurers follow his lead... Title: The Whispers of Wa 32 Chapter 29 - The Sappling has Grown Suddenly the outer door of the guild hall was blown off its hinges, and from the smoke Master Leebus entered with a toothy grin. "Didja pipsqueaks miss me?" "MASTER!" Everyone had suddenly jolted in joy, knowing that with their master and strongest adventurers back they wouldn''t be in a tight spot like last time. They were dashing towards him when suddenly Leebus''s smile turned vicious. "I heard you lot got your asses handed to you on a silver plate during my absence?" "EEEEEEEEKK!" The adventurers shrieked in terror, and started scattering. "I''ll make you all regain your shapes in no time you brats kukukukukukuk." Leebus was exerting high levels of mana as he walked towards the adventurers. Griff, who was playing with his black flames giggled at the sight of master Leebus kicking every member of the guild in the ass like a punching bag. One of the adventurers landed in front of Griff, extending his arm for help while crying comically. "Help us Griff! You''re our only hope!" Griff looked at Leebus who had literally begun to spit fire from his mouth with blood red eyes. He slowly turned to look at the adventurer in front of him, and sweat dropped. His voice was shaking slightly as he spoke. "Yeah... you''re on your own on this one guys. I may be a bit of a battle junkie after training day and night but I''m not a masochist." Griff tried bolting away, but the adventure latched on to his leg, crying like a scared kid. "Let me go! Oi oi! I''ll really burn you to crisp." Griff was shaking his leg but the man would just not budge off! "Larry you did it this time." Griff''s gaze intensified as the adventurer now known as Larry shrieked and backed up, but remembered Master Leebus was on a rampage behind him. Now he and the rest of the adventurers were stuck between two people who could wipe the floor with them. "Sorry..." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C¨C¡ª¡ª¡ª Half an hour later, Leebus had called for the Merchant''s Guild in Alfrum for them to deliver medicinal herbs for the bruised adventurers. He was ruffling Griff''s hair joyfully. "I haven''t seen ya properly for a year kiddo. I did occasionally visit, but it''s been so long since you came to the guild. Is your training over?" Griff sighed. ''Senile old men will be senile old men I guess... It''s not like I find it comforting to have someone who is nice to me unlike James... not at all...'' "Yeah, master told me that he had taught me all he could with the limited knowledge he had on my magical attribute." "And your attribute?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Not gonna lie... we haven''t exactly uncovered what it is. The black flames I project are only one form of my attribute apparently because master said he could still feel other aspects of my mana that were dormant." "Interesting... for now I say we label your magic as Shadow-Flame Magic. It is still unusual for two magic attributes to be wielded by a person, become mixed for a change, but you know what I''m trying to say aren''t you?" "Yeah... I do." ''One way or another I''ll still be labelled unique for my magic but both dual and mixed attribute wielders are not as legendary as unique attributes. I''m safer like this. Most guilds have, in fact, a few dual magic wielders.'' "Splendid. Now, I know that you''ve definitely broken the level of being average here in Alfrum, but keep in mind that you only surpassed the average mage of Alfrum. You got a lot of work to do, Griff." "And I''ll be honest master... it excites me knowing that I''m finally understanding what I got myself into. This will definitely..." "... be one heck of a journey eh lad?" Griff grinned charismatically at that, lifting his head with pride. "Hell yeah." Leebus cackled at Griff''s reaction. "You finally have some spine! I was wondering if you''d always be that clueless kid who walked into the guildhall like a lost animal without emotion." Griff scratched his head, smiling sheepishly. "Well I aim to please master." "Now, kid. I think it''s fair to say that you can be considered to be at least an E class adventurer, but I can''t just give that rank off the bat now can I? Take a job kiddo. And preferably one without James." "Huh? What''s wrong with the drunkard hobo?" Leebus sweatdropped at that. "I mean you just said what''s wrong with him, but that''s not the issue. You need to start getting out if your shell more like you are with me. Talk with others, make friends. You will need them Griff." Leebus shouted towards the crowd of adventurers who were as lively as ever even though they''d been beaten up. "Where are Reiner, Rin, and Selena!?" "I think they went to pick a job master!" "Okay kiddo. You already know two of them. Go make a new friend now. Toodaloo." "Sometimes I really question how you''re the guild master, but then I remember you can break the walls accidentally." "Ahh stop! You''re making me blush." ''''Man... as lively as ever. I missed this place.'' "Kay master I''m heading off to find Reiner." "Good luck brat." Just as Griff turned and started walking to the guild job wall, Reiner bounced on him from behind. "I can''t believe you''re back Griff my boy! We better celebrate this! Hey, was training hard? I heard you were tied upside down on your first day! Is it true you have a mixed attribute!?" "Woah there man, I''m not fast at processing this many questions." Reiner chuckled. "Well, anyways wanna go on a job? We can talk after such a long time after all. Never got to talk properly anyway." "Sure, why not!" "Hey Rin! Bring Selena here so she can meet Griff. We''ll be leaving in a few minutes for our job." "What is the job anyways?" Reiner looked at Griff with sparkling eyes. "Undead Subjugation." 33 Chapter 30 - The Dead Are Here ''Okay. I am so confused right now. What the hell is going on.'' To see what exactly Griff was confused about we better take a few steps back. Right after Reiner explained the quest details to him on going forth to subjugate an undead infestation at a village on the outskirts of Alfrum, he went to meet Selena and talk with Rin. Rin, as usual, was in her tsundere mood and just acted like she didn''t care to see him back after a year. Selena, on the other hand, seemed to get along with him pretty well. ''Holy shit... I guess this is what master Alatar said cuts as "hot."'' Selena was an elf with very long white hair, a trait special to elves. Elves'' hair color was mostly white and yellow. Moreover, her ears were pointy, signaling her ethnicity. Not only that, she was wearing a black jacket with black trousers and her hair was tied in a pony-tail. Well, even though she looked elegant, the large beer mug in her hand and her blushed face betrayed everything. "Eh? T''is the new punk that''ll join us?" Reiner laughed. "You see Griff, she''s not always like this. Whenever our missions end she drinks till she''s silly. On missions you can''t even recognize her." Griff sweatdropped. ''Yeah right. Like this other drunk is any better than useless James. However... now that I think about it... he did break free from slavery, kill those guards, and teach me close combat... Gotta give the old fart some credit.'' Just then James sneezed, and started shouting to the guild members. "Which of ya pricks are talking behind my back!" He drew his sword, and a small, "harmless," brawl started behind the hot blooded adventurers. "Yeah... I''m pretty used to this now." Griff smiled warmly. "So, Reiner, when do we head out? Should we wait till this drunk woman regains her consciousness?" "Oi oi! Speak better with a lady!" Griff slowly narrowed his eyes and smirked mischievously. "Well... I can''t see a lady from all that smell of booze." "Why you!" Selena was flustered as she tried latching on to Griff, but Rin decided to act and was holding her back from her trousers. "Not on my watch..." "Thanks Rin..." Rin just looked at Griff, and turned her head around. "Same old same old. Anyways. So, a request came in saying that a village on the outskirts of Alfrum had spotted a couple of ghouls destroying their crops. They decided to take matters into their own hands, so the men, with makeshift spears and pitchforks, went out to hunt them. Well, the thing is next week they were found to be walking with those ghouls as, you know, ghouls. The whole village was terrified and asked us to root out the problem. Kind of like pest control." "So even though the mission sounds cool we''re just pest control in reality... only on a bigger scale..." Reiner sweat-dropped seeing that Griff was a little furious. He was sweating as he nodded. "But! It''s not as boring trust me! Plus, those villagers are scared shitless!" ''The hell am I even hesitating for...'' "Yeah yeah got it muscle head." "Sweeeeet!" Reiner slapped Griff in the back very harshly, causing a small sonic boom. "WHAT THE FUCK!" Griff flew across the room, and was about to collide face first into the wall, but he erupted in black flames. "Condense!" Condensing his flames, he pushed himself back, saving his beautiful face. "You almost ruined my handsome face you bastard!" "Ehehehe." "How the hell did you get so strong! Last time I saw you a goblin king almost killed you." "Kid, we haven''t been waiting helplessly while you were training you know." As the two were chatting, Selena sneaked up on them, and banged their heads together, knocking them out cold. ''Pretty stars... twinkle twinkle.'' Were Griff''s last thoughts. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Griff suddenly bolted awake, sweating. "What...the hell... just happened..." "I knocked you two out. You were taking too long talking nonsense like pre-schoolers while villagers are out there horrified." "Selena?" "Yup." "Wait a second." Griff realized he was sitting behind a horse cart with Rin and Selena in the front, and he and Reiner in makeshift beds in the back. Reiner was still out cold. The horses were galloping very fast. "The hell! How did I end up in a carriage again! And also why in the name of god are we moving so FAST!" It was true, the horses were moving at abnormal speeds. "I used speed magic on them... we don''t have the luxury of time." "It feels like my skin''s gonna get peeled off!" Rin sighed. "Ah yeah, I forgot to cast ''Healing Magic: Serenity'' on only you." "You didn''t what?" "It''s a purifying spell. Master class magic. The air pressure will feel like an itch after it. Healing Magic: Serenity." Griff felt that now his skin was slightly tingling instead of being peeled off. "Wake the muscle head up, we''re almost there." Griff started slapping the still unconscious Reiner who was not budging. Rin butted in just then. "Let me handle it." She pinched his cheeks, and Reiner bolted awake, crying like a little girl. "Why my beautiful cheek!" "Tch... remind me how we''re related?" Just then Selena shouted. "Everyone! There''s no one in sight! We just passed the fields but none of the villagers were out. Something must have happened!" Everyone gathered their shit together and let go of their goofy attitudes. "Rin! Man the carriage. I''ll scout using my arrows. Reiner, I need you to be ready to use strength magic to plow anything that seems suspicious. Be alert." "Wow... she''s some natural born leader." Rin giggled at that. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "She''s capable, unlike a certain brother of mine..." "Griff! You can use offensive, wide-area magic, right?" "Yeah?" "Stand next to me... I think things aren''t about to go our way." And it turns out that karma was not on their side... As they arrived at the village... "Dead... all of them... ghouls." The villagers had already turned. 34 Chapter 31 - *Title at end* The village was fully zombified, and the poor villagers were roaming around while growling like feral beasts. Griff was squeezing his fists in anger while grinding his teeth. They could have saved them if they had arrived on time. Just then Reiner pulled Griff back, saving him from a zombie that had wandered off the horde and was trying to bite him. "I know what you''re feeling Griff... we all are feeling the same amount of despair, but you still should not lose concentration. Master Alatar taught you magic up to the Master Class, but having power isn''t enough when you come face to face with these kinds of situations." He stopped talking as he grabbed a knife to stab the zombie in the head. Selena nocked an arrow and shot it at a zombie that was making its way to their cart, and turned to Griff. "All we can do is put them out of their misery before this plague spreads. We aren''t heroes from myths. We fail at times, heck we fail a lot." "Heh. Looks like I''m not as mature as I taught myself to be. Acting like a little kid who can''t accept a defeat, and my adventuring has only just begun. I got it guys. I won''t freeze again." Rin jumped off the cart, and looked at Griff in the eyes. "You better not! I don''t wanna see anyone die... not even you." Griff smiled. "I guess that''s your way of saying I care." Rin quickly turned around, and started charging magic. "Hmph, don''t slow us down." Griff jumped off the carriages as well, and rolled up both of his sleeves. "Alright... let''s do this." As soon as they got off the carriage, the zombies all around the village began screeching, and all of them started running. "What in the hell! Zombies aren''t supposed to be this fast!" Reiner shouted as he caved in the skulls of two undead. "Rin! Can you use anything other than Healing Magic?" "I can use wind magic. Mana balls won''t work on them anyway! Wind Magic: Wind Blades!" Invisible gusts of wind started slashing charging zombies from Rin''s end, allowing her to breathe calmly. "Griff! Get me my spare set of arrows from the carriage! They have runes imbedded on them!" "Got it!" Griff leaped into the carriage, and tossed the quiver to selena who grabbed it, and buckled it to her hip, nocking an arrow. "I call upon the dormant power in my soul! May Flames rain upon my enemy!" The arrow she shot suddenly duplicated itself into ten different arrows, all of them with flaming tips. Griff wasn''t standing idle while all of this was happening. He grabbed the weird sword he had bought earlier, a sword that could only strike using one side. "Guess I won''t be using a bow anytime soon." He started jumping slightly, loosing himself up, and in an instant turned to his left to slash off the head of a charging zombie. "The hell is that sword?!" Rin shouted. "You''ll get yourself killed with defective stuff like that! Grab my spare knife Griff!" Shouted Reiner. Griff, however, heeded no attention. "I''ll show you guys how defective this is." He looked at the still rushing zombies, all still wearing ragged villager clothing. His eyes steeled themselves. "Rest in peace... Unknown Magic: Blade of Despair." His sword erupted in black flames in an instant. ''All I''ve been doing is projecting my magic at the level of master class since my training... I don''t know a proper spell yet other than Blade of Despair, but it will do here.'' Griff raised his blade slowly and striked vertically down, causing black gushes of flames shaped in slashes to erupt from his blade. "There''s no end to these zombies! This village doesn''t even have this many!" Griff continued slashing, burning the zombified villagers. "Griff''s right! Only 300 people are said to live here but we''ve already killed about 200 and there seems to be no end to them!" Reiner shouted as he tore through two more zombies. "I think this might over exceed our paycheck guys." Selena pointed towards a hulking monstrous undead being that had only been seen now walking behind the horde of undead. "Shit... is that what I think it is?" "A mutant, yeah..." Griff clicked his tongue. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "This is definitely not a small infection. I think that this horde might have already start spreading across the continent." As they were talking the adventurers were still burning and cutting through the zombies, awaiting the arrival of the mutant. "Not only that... a mutant does not appear by itself." Rin said. "Wait... don''t tell me..." "Yeah... we got a necromancer on the loose. This undead outbreak is planned..." Griff gripped his blade stronger than before, furious. "We better clear this village fast then! We got to survey the whole area!" He shouted as he charged into the horde, twisting his black flaming blade like he was twirling till he had created enough of an opening, surrounded by charred bodies, standing in front of the hideous mutant. Title: A loose Necromance 35 Chapter 32 - The Necropolis Griff was bleeding from all over. His vision was hazy. The leather armor that he had bought previously was ragged with burn marks and scratches. He was in the middle of a blood red field with bodies around him... and a large, unknown creature raging away from him He spit blood, and grabbed his blade. "I''m not done yet you fucker." His body erupted in black flames as his hair started to turn black. His eyes slowly showing an abyss hidden within as he used his blade as support to stand. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A few hours ago... Griff was face to face with the hulking mutant. The beast was formed by the combination of several zombies, creating a pseudo-zombie golem. The undead golem was fast for its size as it smashed towards the ground where Griff stood. "Wind Magic: Gale" Rin managed to use wind magic to pull Griff back before he became a red stain on the earth. He was breathing heavily. "I owe you one." "Not the time." "Right..." Selena nocked an arrow and let loose a hailstorm of flames onto the undead, burning the flesh on its chest. "Griff! You''re up for this one. It seems that its defense is lacking." "Aye!" Griff, without losing time, ignited his blade once again and dashed forward, slashing through a couple of undead that were trying to get to him, reaching the hulking mutant once more. Without losing time he crouched and jumped 2 meters upwards, a superhuman feat in its own standards. He grabbed on to the loosely dangling arm of the undead and used his burning blade to chop it off cleanly due to the lack of proper muscle and bones. Just then he jumped off, avoiding the weird jaws of the golem like undead from biting his upper half off. "Close call." "No shit Griff." Reiner rushed from his left shouting at him for his airheadedness. He leaped from the ground using strengthening magic and punched right across the jaw of the golem, causing its head to burst, and the undead to fall truly dead. "Alright. We''ll clean this mess up later. Take care of the remaining undead in this area as fast as possible guys!" "On it! Wind Magic: Gale." Rin shouted, using her magic to levitate herself and Selena to move towards the roof of the village chief''s house to get a better sniping position. "We got you two covered! Split up, and get rid of these pests quickly." They both nodded. The town''s square was now mostly devoid of undead due to their previous rampage, but the sound of shrieking zombies could still be heard. Reiner squeezed Griff''s shoulder. "If you see something like that again, you either run, or if you have to fight. But when you fight! DON''T LOSE YOUR COOL LIKE NOW!" Griff nodded, clenching his fist. Ever since his time in the arena he had grown sharp, but the time he spent with his master Alatar, James, and the guild in general had softened him up too much. ''I''m weak and I still know it. I mean... I''m human. I want to feel safe and not be on guard... but this...'' He looked around to gaze at the charred, sliced and smashed bodies of zombies. ''This is my reality now, and will most likely be that way. I think it''s time I stop this fa?ade of trying to live leisurely... it won''t happen in a world like this.'' "Aye... I''m not going to make the same stupid mistakes again." Griff''s eyes were much more different than what they usually were. Yes, his gaze became sharp when serious, but this time his gaze was deep, like the abyss. Unyielding. "I like that look in your eyes Griff... stay alive." "You too Reiner..." Both nodded, and started dashing to the opposite sides. Selena was covering Griff''s back while Rin was covering Reiner''s. There weren''t a lot of zombies left. Griff just sliced their heads off and continued making his way towards the marketplace. There were bound to be undead there. Griff crouched near a wall as he made it to the marketplace. It was an odd sight... there were tens of hundreds of zombies but none of them were moving... all of them seemed to be docile? Resting? There seemed to be no way to explain the current situation. ''I can''t shout for the others... attacking seems stupid as well... wait.'' Suddenly a zombie with distinctive features, a red skin and hardened exoskeleton, screamed, causing every zombie to run towards it. They began piling up on each other, creating a massive blob of rotting flesh. "Disgusting... Unknown Magic: Blade of Despair." Griff ignited his blade and jumped out of his hiding spot, decapitating zombies that he came in contact with. ''I better cut this thing open before something weird happens.'' Well... that definitely raised a flag. The blob of flesh suddenly sprouted a pair of legs, standing up. As more and more zombies started to rush to it, it began to gain a distinct shape. It was enormous, roughly 10 meters in size. This was no zombie... or ghoul. This was a titan. A zombified one at that. ''Well... that weird mutant was easy to cut so maybe this is too!'' Griff ran towards a couple stalls, and jumped on them. He continued running and used a nearby roof to push himself further in the air, slashing downwards with his blade, sending a black slice of despair that would have burnt anything he knew... anything but this titan apparently. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Selena was shouting towards Rin. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Is Reiner done?!" "Yeah! What is it?" "Griff''s in trouble and this won''t be solved easily." "Wha- Holy shit that''s an artificial undead golem. A Titan at that. That... does it this is a necromancer''s handywork." "We''ll worry about this necromancer later! First we better stop that thing before it rages away!" "Good point... REINER!" "Already saw it." Reiner leaped across the roofs, running past Rin and Selena. Both sighed and began to pursue him, trying to reach Griff before... something happened. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The Titan roared and slammed its fist down on the marketplace: the shockwave tossed Griff back, crashing him into a wall. "Shit... I''m not strong enough for this." He grabbed his blade and ran once more, trying to dodge the falling zombies from the sky that fell from the Titan''s body. "I can slice and burn all I want. This thing only keeps regenerating!" Just then the Titan''s eyes began to glow red, its entire body glowing as well. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Selena: "Rin, is that supposed to happen?" Rin: "Glowing eyes? Hell no... this is creepy." Reiner: "Stop talking! Come on Griff''s in a pinch!" Rin: "That''s an understatement you fool!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The Titan suddenly erupted in flames, the gush that occurred with its eruption to toss back all of the adventurers, slamming them in walls or other nearby things. Griff, who had just reached the foot of the Titan flew backwards, breaking through a wall, but he managed to use his blade and stab the ground, allowing him to stand. "Things just escalated too quickly for me..." The Titan suddenly lowered its gaze to look at Griff, and a mischievous smile could be read on its lips, ever so faintly. It opened its mouth, and blew fire towards Griff. "So... my fire was useless after all... SLICE THIS FIRE, DESPAIRING BLADE!" He used his flames to try to slash the orange flames of the Titan, yet he failed so miserably as he crashed towards another wall... bleeding all over his body. The entire village was burning with charred bodies scattered around him. "I.... I''m not done yet you fucker!" He shouted. He couldn''t let it go. Not now. Not after what this thing and the necromancer behind it made of these and possibly other villagers. He couldn''t lay down against this. Was it his concern? Honestly, No it wasn''t. Yet he felt the urge to fight. He knew what torment felt like, and... he couldn''t stand by seeing these tormented souls. He was lucky, he survived his torment. But not these poor souls. Not them. "Not them... I did... I''ve survived time and again no matter how foolish and naive I am. How come I don''t die? Why don''t I die?" He slowly stood up, the flames around him becoming darker and darker slowly, and his hair turning pure black. He stood up and grabbed his blade, looking at the Titan that was walking away. "I guess it''s time to find out... if I''ll die this time." 37 The Other Side of the Coin The Undead Titan roared and smashed its feet down on the remnants of the burning village, scattering the entire party to each side due to the shockwave. Griff managed to hold on to the ground by grabbing a pole and sticking it into the earth, stabilizing his stance. As the monstrosity stopped to see the dust settle, Griff ignited his right arm with his black flames and used the pole he had used for balance as a javelin, throwing a flaming spear right at the kneecap of the Titan. Due to being undead, the being showed no pain. The flames had managed to impact a significant amount of damage... yet the monstrosity simply regenerated its flesh. Waving its large hand it tossed down several undead to keep Griff and the others at bay as it slowly turned around and started walking in the direction of Alfrum. Reiner, who had crashed into a random house, had slowly stood up and watched as the undead spawned from the sky. "I don''t think I''m going to be able to put a dent on something so large with only martial arts and strengthening magic. Griff, Selena! Both of you can use flame magic to at least slow that thing down. Me and Rin can keep these undead at bay together." Rin, who stood from where she had fallen nodded. "If I push myself to my limits I can use the spell "Gust of Wind" to speed myself up as well. I can definitely run much faster than that thing. I can get help from several adventurers on the way. You two, go!" Selena, who was surprisingly uninjured, presumably because of the glowing stone necklace around her neck, nodded and ran towards Griff. "Damn Griff. That''s one badass spell." She commented on how Griff''s black flames were covering the entirety of his body. The intensity of the flames prevented her from seeing that his hair had turned charcoal black and his eyes had a different glint in them, but that was not a concern as of the moment. Griff, with a slightly sharper tone in his voice, most probably a side effect of... his magic''s intensity, merely said: "I don''t think that should be our focus now. You''re supposed to be a professional, right? Focus on the target." Selena slowly blushed with a baffled expression as she felt her authority as his senior had just been shattered. He was a cheerful and laidback person... this wasn''t exactly like him. Muttering a couple things, she grabbed her bow and started running, dodging the slow undead. Following suit, Griff started running after her, but he was burning anything that came near him. ''W???h???a???t??? ???h???a???p???p???e???n???s??? ???w???h???e???n??? ???y???o???u??? ???c???o???n???d???e???n???s???e??? ???f???i???r???e??????? ???C???o???n???d???e???n???s???e??? ???i???t??? ???u???n???t???i???l??? ???i???t??? ???c???a???n??? ???c???r???e???a???t???e??? ???a??? ???s???h???o???c???k???w???a???v???e???.???.???.??? ???p???r???o???p???e???l??? ???y???o???u???r???s???e???l???f??? ???w???i???t???h??? ???t???h???e??? ???e???x???p???l???o???s???i???o???n???!???'' A voice that Griff wasn''t exactly sure that belonged to his subconsciousness spoke in his head. No, more like pre-determined knowledge. Something you could see in magic text books, but he never read something like this... ''I got nothing to lose at this point. A little experimenting will do.'' Griff started condensing the flames in his hands and his feet slowly, feeling the energy build up... the energy was slowly spiraling out of control... the flames heating up to unfamiliar degrees to Griff... and suddenly... it ignited, creating a shockwave, sending Griff flying about a dozen feet! "I''m FLYING!" He was shocked, but he was nor going to lose concentration, lest he become paste! He condensed more flames and started propelling himself! And as he did... a new magic spell appeared in his head. "Unknown Magic: Empyrean Body of the Forge!" This was... level 4 magic. Master class magic, something Griff had no experience with but by his willpower and conviction created it! No, he FORGED it! His entire body erupted in black flames but it could also be noticed his skin was turning black as armor like images appeared on his skin, slowly engulfing his body, until nothing could be seen of the man underneath. A/N: Very similar to the Cover but black flames. Rin and Reiner were too busy fighting the undead as they failed to notice Griff''s breakthrough... but Selena had watched everything unfold and was merely watching mouth agape. "Am I... even needed here?" Griff''s black flames propelled him up to the torso of the monstrosity, and he grabbed onto the chest of the Titan. Using his flames he burnt the skin of the Titan with his feet, gaining the ability to walk vertically with his creative... yet definitely unethical method. He started running up the monster''s torso, burning any undead that tried to stop him. "Unknown Magic: Empyrean Blade of Despair!" His blade once again materialized on his hand, yet it was purely black flames given shape by mana. Selena was using her arrows to ignite the Titan on fire on several areas to try to support Griff as he moved to the head of the Monster, hoping to divert its attention. "Come on kid... you got this..." Griff managed to reach the neck of the Titan and stabbed his blade into it''s Adam''s Apple! "Burn... burn burn burn burn burn! Let your very existence become a part of me! Your mana. Your life force. Your strength. A part of my very being!" As his hair had turned entirely black when Griff reached the top... he had lost control... control to something? To whatever it was... it clearly was not Griff... because Griff did not... have the mana to cause the entire Titan to burst in FLAMES! Yes, the Titan''s entire body was in fire... the smell of burning flesh filling the skies. The undead howled as it felt most of its body burn... but it was not going to fall easily. Not when it had an objective! The eyes of the Titan glowed as it looked down on ''Griff'' who was burning the Titan through it''s neck. And suddenly the Titan''s eyes shot out beams of condensed necromantic magic! The magic to kill! To resurrect! To reanimate. ''Griff'' looked up, his now crimson red eyes coming face to face with the incoming magic attack. He grinned savagely and held out his hand to cast a spell... the same spell that corrodes and broke the spears of the slavers... "C????????????????????????????????????????????????????o???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????n??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????t???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????r???????????????a???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????d??????????????????????????????????????????????????????i?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????c?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????t??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????i?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????o????????????????????????????????????????????????????????n????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Magic: O????????????????????????????????????????????????????p??????????????????????????p??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????o????????????s????????????????????????????????????????????i????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????t???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????i??????????????????????????????????????????????????????o??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????n??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????." The incoming beam of necromantic magic... suddenly gave life. It healed... it destroyed itself... The thousands of zombies that made up the Undead Titan started to screech as the lower body was hit with Healing Magic. The anti-thesis to the very existence of the undead. The Titan''s lower body started to erode... and this time it was not healing... it didn''t have the ability to. No regular undead could make it through being healed... cleansed... purified. As the Titan corroded and started falling, Griff used the body of the undead to cushion his fall. The entirety of the village was about the get crushed! At least... no, sadly the entirety of the villager population was already dead. It was a weird sight as the bodies of burning undead rained on top of the area... The black in his hair had started whitening once more as he sighed before his eyes lost their crimson color. "Really. You''re really a handful..." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A man was sipping tea as he sat in front of the fire in his room. He grinned as he put the mirror he was holding aside. "Yes, you seem to really be a handful..." 36 Chapter 33 - The Other Side of the Coin The Undead Titan roared and smashed its feet down on the remnants of the burning village, scattering the entire party to each side due to the shockwave. Griff managed to hold on to the ground by grabbing a pole and sticking it into the earth, stabilizing his stance. As the monstrosity stopped to see the dust settle, Griff ignited his right arm with his black flames and used the pole he had used for balance as a javelin, throwing a flaming spear right at the kneecap of the Titan. Due to being undead, the being showed no pain. The flames had managed to impact a significant amount of damage... yet the monstrosity simply regenerated its flesh. Waving its large hand it tossed down several undead to keep Griff and the others at bay as it slowly turned around and started walking in the direction of Alfrum. Reiner, who had crashed into a random house, had slowly stood up and watched as the undead spawned from the sky. "I don''t think I''m going to be able to put a dent on something so large with only martial arts and strengthening magic. Griff, Selena! Both of you can use flame magic to at least slow that thing down. Me and Rin can keep these undead at bay together." Rin, who stood from where she had fallen nodded. "If I push myself to my limits I can use the spell "Gust of Wind" to speed myself up as well. I can definitely run much faster than that thing. I can get help from several adventurers on the way. You two, go!" Selena, who was surprisingly uninjured, presumably because of the glowing stone necklace around her neck, nodded and ran towards Griff. "Damn Griff. That''s one badass spell." She commented on how Griff''s black flames were covering the entirety of his body. The intensity of the flames prevented her from seeing that his hair had turned charcoal black and his eyes had a different glint in them, but that was not a concern as of the moment. Griff, with a slightly sharper tone in his voice, most probably a side effect of... his magic''s intensity, merely said: "I don''t think that should be our focus now. You''re supposed to be a professional, right? Focus on the target." Selena slowly blushed with a baffled expression as she felt her authority as his senior had just been shattered. He was a cheerful and laidback person... this wasn''t exactly like him. Muttering a couple things, she grabbed her bow and started running, dodging the slow undead. Following suit, Griff started running after her, but he was burning anything that came near him. ''W???h???a???t??? ???h???a???p???p???e???n???s??? ???w???h???e???n??? ???y???o???u??? ???c???o???n???d???e???n???s???e??? ???f???i???r???e??????? ???C???o???n???d???e???n???s???e??? ???i???t??? ???u???n???t???i???l??? ???i???t??? ???c???a???n??? ???c???r???e???a???t???e??? ???a??? ???s???h???o???c???k???w???a???v???e???.???.???.??? ???p???r???o???p???e???l??? ???y???o???u???r???s???e???l???f??? ???w???i???t???h??? ???t???h???e??? ???e???x???p???l???o???s???i???o???n???!???'' A voice that Griff wasn''t exactly sure that belonged to his subconsciousness spoke in his head. No, more like pre-determined knowledge. Something you could see in magic text books, but he never read something like this... ''I got nothing to lose at this point. A little experimenting will do.'' Griff started condensing the flames in his hands and his feet slowly, feeling the energy build up... the energy was slowly spiraling out of control... the flames heating up to unfamiliar degrees to Griff... and suddenly... it ignited, creating a shockwave, sending Griff flying about a dozen feet! Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I''m FLYING!" He was shocked, but he was nor going to lose concentration, lest he become paste! He condensed more flames and started propelling himself! And as he did... a new magic spell appeared in his head. "Unknown Magic: Empyrean Body of the Forge!" This was... level 4 magic. Master class magic, something Griff had no experience with but by his willpower and conviction created it! No, he FORGED it! His entire body erupted in black flames but it could also be noticed his skin was turning black as armor like images appeared on his skin, slowly engulfing his body, until nothing could be seen of the man underneath. A/N: Very similar to the Cover but black flames. Rin and Reiner were too busy fighting the undead as they failed to notice Griff''s breakthrough... but Selena had watched everything unfold and was merely watching mouth agape. "Am I... even needed here?" Griff''s black flames propelled him up to the torso of the monstrosity, and he grabbed onto the chest of the Titan. Using his flames he burnt the skin of the Titan with his feet, gaining the ability to walk vertically with his creative... yet definitely unethical method. He started running up the monster''s torso, burning any undead that tried to stop him. "Unknown Magic: Empyrean Blade of Despair!" His blade once again materialized on his hand, yet it was purely black flames given shape by mana. Selena was using her arrows to ignite the Titan on fire on several areas to try to support Griff as he moved to the head of the Monster, hoping to divert its attention. "Come on kid... you got this..." Griff managed to reach the neck of the Titan and stabbed his blade into it''s Adam''s Apple! "Burn... burn burn burn burn burn! Let your very existence become a part of me! Your mana. Your life force. Your strength. A part of my very being!" As his hair had turned entirely black when Griff reached the top... he had lost control... control to something? To whatever it was... it clearly was not Griff... because Griff did not... have the mana to cause the entire Titan to burst in FLAMES! Yes, the Titan''s entire body was in fire... the smell of burning flesh filling the skies. The undead howled as it felt most of its body burn... but it was not going to fall easily. Not when it had an objective! The eyes of the Titan glowed as it looked down on ''Griff'' who was burning the Titan through it''s neck. And suddenly the Titan''s eyes shot out beams of condensed necromantic magic! The magic to kill! To resurrect! To reanimate. ''Griff'' looked up, his now crimson red eyes coming face to face with the incoming magic attack. He grinned savagely and held out his hand to cast a spell... the same spell that corrodes and broke the spears of the slavers... "C????????????????????????????????????????????????????o???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????n??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????t???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????r???????????????a???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????d??????????????????????????????????????????????????????i?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????c?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????t??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????i?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????o????????????????????????????????????????????????????????n????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Magic: O????????????????????????????????????????????????????p??????????????????????????p??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????o????????????s????????????????????????????????????????????i????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????t???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????i??????????????????????????????????????????????????????o??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????n??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????." The incoming beam of necromantic magic... suddenly gave life. It healed... it destroyed itself... The thousands of zombies that made up the Undead Titan started to screech as the lower body was hit with Healing Magic. The anti-thesis to the very existence of the undead. The Titan''s lower body started to erode... and this time it was not healing... it didn''t have the ability to. No regular undead could make it through being healed... cleansed... purified. As the Titan corroded and started falling, Griff used the body of the undead to cushion his fall. The entirety of the village was about the get crushed! At least... no, sadly the entirety of the villager population was already dead. It was a weird sight as the bodies of burning undead rained on top of the area... The black in his hair had started whitening once more as he sighed before his eyes lost their crimson color. "Really. You''re really a handful..." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A man was sipping tea as he sat in front of the fire in his room. He grinned as he put the mirror he was holding aside. "Yes, you seem to really be a handful..." 37 Chapter 33 - No Adventurer Fights Alone Griff was panting as he leaned on his sword on top of the pile of undead flesh that had once composed the Titanic monstrosity. His hair had turned back into its old color: half white - half black. He had no idea how he took down the Titan, but that was unimportant for now. "Holy shit! I didn''t knew you could fucking fly Griff!" Reiner ran towards Griff; his clothes had been ruined from fighting as he was covered in blood from the undead. He climbed on top of the charred pile of flesh, and grabbed Griff. "I... didn''t... know... either." "Slow down your breath..." Rin had floated downwards using her wind magic, standing next to Reiner. "Where the hell is Selena?" "Over here!" The elven girl was stuck under a pile of charred flesh, with a not so happy face. "So this is how you treat a girl?" Griff cackled at her remark. "You can''t complain. I somehow burned that thing when it could regenerate... how the hell did that even happen in the first place?" As Rin lifted the pile of flesh using her magic from Selena, she got up sighing. "I wish I knew because my arrows had no effect, and neither did your flames at first. I don''t think that this is normal." As they were talking, a rumble was heard from what remained of its head. "I guess we''re about to find out..." Reiner said as he raised his fists. "Strengthening Magic: Full Body Protection." His body glowed as his defense increased as well as the power in his fists. His muscles tensed. The pile of flesh exploded in front of them as from the inside a humanoid sized... thing crawled out. It was covered in reddish black glowing skin, seemingly solidified on it. It... didn''t seem like a typical undead. "That thing... I think that was the core of that Titan, the one that was controlling it." Selena remarked as she nocked an arrow, chanting quietly as her arrow ignited... "I... think so as well. I saw something scream and the undead piled on each other till that Titan was created." Griff said as he stood up, sheathing his sword. Reiner was still holding him up, refusing to let him go. "You fools, look at its eyes." Rin said in panic. "Wind Magic: Wind Blades." Rin materialized several blades of condensed wind, but did not shoot them. She was standing by... her eyes... seemed too focused. Griff slowly looked at the creature in the eyes to see that they were humanoid, just like a humans, yet it was pitch red. The thing... was not an undead. "What the hell is that!" Shouted Griff in panic as he reached for his blade, ready to enhance it with his magic again. "That''s a golem, and a well craft one at that. The zombie that you most probably saw was a disguise this golem took on. Some golems that are crafted by mages have the ability to take over a hoard of monsters as their leader with the right mana signature. This proves it. We''re fighting another mage." As Rin finished her explanation, the golem roared and charged. Its hands were suddenly engulfed in flames as it charged towards them to punch. Reiner, however, was not about to let that happen. Without a noise he dashed forward, and both of their punches connected! "Strengthening Magic: Body of Steel!" His arms had turned into stainless steel as his fist clashed with the golem, crushing its flaming fist! The golem stumbled back and let out a metallic voice filled with rage. "Griff, you did enough. Try relying on us for a change." Reiner remarked as he got in a fighting stance again. "You have been charging head first into fights the day I met you. Yeah, we didn''t adventure a lot, not like you and James, but I can tell you that you have to rely on us too. There''s just so much one man can do." The golem roared as its broken arm suddenly twisted and clanked in place. "I guess that explains where the Titan''s regenerative ability disappeared to when Griff ignited most of its flesh." Rin said, and instantaneously released her wind blades. Selena didn''t stand by as she had disappeared from all of their sight, appearing on a pile of rubble behind the golem, shooting her flaming arrow at it. The golem, without showing any sign of fatigue, jumped sky high, avoiding both of their attacks, and mid air it suddenly used wind magic to propel itself towards Selena! At the speed it was coming, she couldn''t avoid it without a scratch. She nocked another arrow, hoping to strike it in the head to at least do some damage, but a blur of black flames suddenly grabbed her, pushing her out of the golems way. Griff rolled on the pile of flesh, using his sword by stabbing it to hold on. The golem had crashed into where Selena once stood. It rose, releasing foul breath. Selena had been pushed backwards. She quickly shot an arrow, this time hitting the golem in the shoulder. "Burn you bastard." She said, snapping her fingers. The golems arm was suddenly encased in red flames. Without showing any pain, the golem used its other hand to cut off its burning arm. It was now slowly regenerating a new arm in its place. "Holy shit this thing is strong." She remarked as she shot an arrow near Reiner. "Magic Tool: Teleportation Scroll." She appeared right next to Reiner, as the golem tried slashing where she once stood. "We aren''t getting out of this one unscathed. Rin! Pull Griff out of there! He doesn''t have any stamina left for a clash." "Who do you think I am... useless brother." She flicked her hand as a small gust of wind pulled Griff towards them, just before he lost control and fell over the cliff made from the pile of flesh. "I... could''ve handled that." Reiner slapped him lightly on the head. "If you had any energy left, maybe. Not now. Now, we fight." He grinned as he turned forward to take his stance again, looking at the golem that was readying itself to charge again. "I''m not letting you get full of yourself by bringing an undead Titan down. As your teammate, I better show you how we veterans fight." "Hmph... we would never be outshined by a newbie, come on brother." Reiner kneeled slightly, and dashed forward at unfathomable speeds. Griff couldn''t even see him! "What in the-" "You never saw them fight, Griff." Selena said, walking next to him with folded arms. "Those two are one of the strongest teams in Alfrum, ranked 7th in fact. I''m not ashamed to say I''m weaker than both of them. Heck, I''m just here because the guild master told me to take James''s place. Apparently you only fight with him, and he wanted you to step out of your shell." As they were talking, Reiner had smashed the Golem''s face in, and Rin had used her wind magic to pull him back from the golem''s counter attack. They were perfectly in synch. The golem healed itself again, and roaring it dashed towards Reiner, yet Rin had put up a compressed shield of air in front of him, and Reiner used the shield as a step to jump high while the golem was confused and smash it head first with both hands into the ground. "Well, not going to complain. I''m exhausted as hell in the first place. Also, my mana is low. I took the big guy down because it was slow anyway... and luck... but this? This is out of my league." Selena smiled as she helped him sit, and stood up. "You''re not weak, but you''re not strong either. You have a long way to go, and this is just talking about magic." Griff sat near a pile of rubble as Selena nocked an arrow, and shot it. As the arrow flew it suddenly divided itself into twenty identical arrows. They all stabbed the golem, causing it to lose its balance and fall. "Nice one Selena." Reiner said as he punched the golem in the chest, flinging it back. The golem''s chest had bursted, revealing a glowing gem. Reiner eyed the gem, but the golem quickly healed up its chest. Its blackish red skin was glowing a much more deeper shed of red now. "Didn''t you have a hard time with a fucking goblin king before?!" Griff shouted as he watched, much to his annoyance. "Oh, that?" Reiner shouted as he didn''t let his guard down. "That was us testing you and James!" He said as he jumper, dodging a fist. "Stupid brother... behind you." Rin waved her hand while floating as a tornado swept through several undead that the golem had summoned for an ambush. "And that, is why I trust you." "Sheesh." She said, but it was evident she was smiling. The golem this time had had enough. It stomped its feet... and its hands were ignited in black flames. "As my guess. This thing can copy magic signatures, but imperfectly. If allowed time it would have been undefeatable... too bad." Rin said as she summoned a tornado around the golem, vacuuming the oxygen around it. However, the flames had bit extinguished. "That''s odd... Griff! Doesn''t your fire need oxygen?!" Griff quickly shook his head as he was in shock seeing a creature that could copy magic. "I have no idea!" "Seriously... no help at all." "Wait! You guys keep it occupied. Selena, can your arrows withstand my flames?" "Most probably. I get where you''re going. It''s worth a shot." "Great! Hand them over." Griff grabbed the arrows and covered their tips with his hand. He pulled his hand back, igniting the arrows tips. "You have to enchant my arrows again Griff!" "Hehe, with pleasure." "We got to take this golem down! Helloo!" "Sorry Rin!" Selena nocked an arrow, and shot it. She quickly snapped her fingers as the arrow divided into twenty individual arrows, all with black flaming tips. The golem raised its black flames to melt the arrows, yet their tips made them resilient to the fake as they pierced through the golem. "And now! I got you!" As the golem was distracted with the original black flames, Rin used wind magic to increase the smoke of the flames, giving Reiner enough cover to sneak up behind the golem. He curled his left hand into a fist, and punched right through the golem''s chest! "Hoooly shit that was brutal." Selena said, grinning. Griff was also grinning as he watched what he thought to be an undefeatable foe crumble. Reiner had pulled the reddish, glowing gem that was at the golems center. Without a moments hesitation he crushed the gem, as the golem cried in pain for the first time. A metallic voice that was howling... yet it slowly faded. The golems body was crumbling into dust. "And that, is how you handle a golem." Reiner said as the golem crumbled to dust. "How did you knew how to destroy it?" Griff said as he walked slowly towards Reiner. He was injured and nauseous because of mana depletion. "The gem. When it was exposed he healed faster than ever, and healed his other parts later. It was an educated guess." "It was obvious... a red, glowing gem in the center of a golem? Please... stop trying to sound cool." Rin remarked with a smug grin as she floated down next to them. Reiner smiled, but his eyes turned sharp in a sudden realization. "Whatever we just fought though... it definitely won''t be the last. Something''s going on in Kulva, and we have no idea about it." "Whatever it is... we can''t investigate in this state. Come on, I''ll levitate us to the nearest village. My wind magic can''t handle long distances, but at least we can get away from here. About one to two kilometers." As they were being carried by the mana induced wind away from the village... no ruins, Griff was looking at the far distance. ''Yeah... I really can''t call myself strong. Always luck. I''ve always gotten lucky. In a head on head fight like just now, I can''t hold my own. Not now...'' Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Hey Reiner..." "Yeah?" "Mind... teaching me how to fight when we get back?" "I thought you were training with the old man?" "He just taught me how to control my magic. He said that I needed to learn everything by myself or there was no point." Reiner laughed at that. "Just what the old geezer would say. Alright, I''ll help you. But we''ll be going on many more adventures after this. Proper adventures... not onslaughts like this." "Heck yeah!" After his last phrase Griff fainted as he felt the backlash of over exhorting himself... Reiner and Selena were laughing merrily at the sight of the once determined kid, now sleeping beauty. Rin smiled as she was directing the wind towards a village they had spotted. She didn''t have almost any mana left. Reiner could handle the rest... "You know... you might not be so bad Griff..." 38 Chapter 34 - Do You Dare To Climb? "Griff... Griff wake up!" Griff was still knocked out cold, but he could faintly hear a couple of voices reaching out to him. "Here, let me try brother." Griff felt a slap on his cheek so hard that he woke up in cold sweat! "I''M ALIVE!" He shouted in shock as he was panting and trying to make sense of what happened. "Great. Battle-Junkie 2 is awake." Rin remarked as she was standing over Griff, grinning. Reiner was behind her, looking at Griff apologetically. "I mean... i tried to stop her but you just wouldn''t wake up." He said, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "I mean... it did hurt, but I''m not complaining right now." Rin''s grin faltered as she was confused on Griff''s statement, but slowly she understood what he was going at... She was still on top of him. A tick mark appeared on her forehead as she cracked her knuckles. "Alright... I guess I didn''t have to wake you up at all, did I? Mind taking a longer nap Griff?" "Rin no!" Reiner jumped on her, but Rin infused wind magic into her fists and blasted Reiner away. Just as she was about to smash Griff, teary eyed, who was pretty much trying to contain his laughter, a voice shouted. "That''s enough you two! We have a lot more pressing matters at hand rather than your bonding time right now." It was master Leebus... Griff then realized where he was. He was in one of the beds in the Guild infirmary. Rin jumped off the bed and ran out of the room, flustered and pretty much pissed off. Reiner got up and stood next to Leebus. "How long... was I knocked out?" "Reiner carried you all the way back from that... god forsaken village. You''ve since been out for two days. Mana exhaustion, well that''s what Alatar says." "Master Alatar is here?!" Griff''s face lighted up hearing of the man who took care of him like a son for a year had returned. "Yeah, but that''s not what''s important. Remember your quest? Do you remember exactly how everything went down?" Griff slowly got up from his bed and sat on a chair next to it. "Yeah, I remember that Titan made of corpses and the golem that was used as its core." "That wasn''t a one time thing kid. After you all departed, several of those Titans were reported to have marched on cities in that parameter..." "Wait, does that mean..." "Come and take a look outside for yourself." Leebus nodded at Reiner who helped Griff stand and walk outside the Guild Hall. As he walked he saw the usual cheery atmosphere was non-existent. He couldn''t see a large crowd as well, the guild had a lot less people than normal. As he got to the door, Leebus opened the door. Right in front of them... where the gates of Alfrum once stood tall was a scorching land. The city wasn''t heavily damaged, per se. However, it was obvious that something had definitely happened. "Come on... we''ll show it to you." As they walked towards the once tall gates, they came across several injured who were being treated by the rest of the adventurers of the guild... "Two of those Titans marched here in the night, and the golems inside them used mana-reversal items integrated into their system. This made it impossible for the mages of Alfrum to detect those monstrosities... only 5th Tier and higher magic can detect the presence of mana concealed by reversal items." Leebus explained to Griff who was looking around in shock. Children... old men... women... they had all been injured, and it seemed ill as well. The makeshift tents around Alfrum were barely housing the sick and injured. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "But... what I... we fought... it wasn''t this powerful? And the wall..." "I''m afraid this wasn''t what you fought Griff. The official term for these things is Undead Colossal. An Undead Colossal is born when the undead merge under the control of a golem that has been programmed with magic to act as a catalyst, and there aren''t a lot of mages capable of this fear in Kulva. The one you fought was a premature Colossal. As they walk they mature by feasting on the flesh of any living thing they come across... that is what makes them fearsome. You did a great job at handling a potential danger, but..." "Yeah I can see the but master. There were more than one." "Several in fact. Not only Alfrum, but three more cities were hit with this disaster. All of which were determined to come from the epicenter of the outbreak, the town you investigated. The cities of Allophia, Sigma, and Claridge." "Then... we can''t rest! We need to-" "You need to sit on your arse brat." Alatar had been waiting for them near the ruins of the gates. "Took you long enough brat." "Master! With you here maybe we can-" "I said put a sock in it kid. They''re all already destroyed." "Wha-WHAT!" "You think you''ve got a duty or something? The rest of the adventurers in each of these cities took down these Colossals... I was one of the mages to kill a Colossal." He points to the still flaming gate ruins. "Take a good look." As Griff concentrated he saw hundreds of rock spikes had been protruded from the ground. The charred flesh of the undead was scattered around. "Listen, kid. I asked Leebus to bring you here because even if I made you realize your potential and get out of that thick shell o'' yours... you have to learn that you are nothing in the face of absolute power. There are people much more stronger than me... this is an example. It is by now obvious that it was a mage who set these Colossals on us, but could you even imagine how powerful of an individual he must be to do this? Are you that powerful?" Griff was looking at shock at the scene in front of him. After his training... and his recent fears he had started to develop a very big ego. He had thought he could take anyone on with enough willpower. "Your training isn''t over. It will never be over. And you will not rest till you are personally satisfied kid!" Griff clenched his fists. "Aye, master. I see what you''re trying to tell me. I got it, leave it to me." Alatar grinned and slapped Griff on the back. "Now kid, I got a wall to fix." Alatar stepped forward and stomped on the ground. "Earth Magic: Mold the Earth!" The stone spikes suddenly crumbled to dust as they were pulled towards the remnants of the outer walls of Alfrum... and solidified, fixing the walls. "That was 5th Tier Magic. I believe you can cast things of this magnitude in the future, brat..." ''Well... considering my mana is suitable for up to 2nd tier magic for now... I got a long road. But... I feel like I''m forgetting something... how did I light up that Colossal again?'' "Griff." "Huh, yes?" Leebus was standing next to him as he continued to look in daze at the adventurers who were helping Alatar fix the wall and putting out the flames. "I want you to know something about Kulva. You''re weak here right now, as Alatar said. But you have room to grow. The rankings, I want to explain to you how we know who is strong." "My competition..." "In a way, yes. In Alfrum, the top 20 adventurers are ranked depending on their adventurer rank, and accomplishments. You must have heard Reiner and Rin share the 7th spot." "Yeah I did... but aren''t they two people?" "They count as one in the rankings, a special exception considering each of their moves centers on each other." Leebus cleared his throat. "The top 5 are not people you can mess with. Number 6, that would be Heinz, but he''s basically retired. From here on out is the national adventurer rankings and continental ones... I''m telling you that the ones on these rankings are monsters. You and I... even Alatar, we have no chance, and these are only the adventurers... then there is the Royal Army and their elites. That... is the extent of my knowledge." "Look master... I don''t know what you''re aiming at by telling me this, but I know that I can''t stay in one place. I love Alfrum, but... I don''t feel a belonging here. So, I''ll tell you this. I don''t care if you say they are monsters. Just as Alatar said... I''ll train. I''ll train till I understand what it is that makes me determined and what I want to do. I''m lost..." He clenches his fists and teeth. "But I am not hopeless. I only know how to fight, and so, I shall fight!" As Griff said his last sentence, he turned around and started walking back to the guild. "I''m heading back to the infirmary... and later I promise you master, I''m heading for the top of the rankings." "Kid... you dare climb this ladder?" Griff looked at Leebus and shouted from the top of his lungs with his newly found guts. "Hell yes I do! I don''t only dare to climb this ladder... I''ll conquer it with all of my being!" Leebus, folding his arms, looked on as Griff slowly and surely walked back to the guild with clenched fists, and grinned. "Damn Alatar, he reminds me our adventuring days." Leebus sighed as Griff was now out of sight. He looked back over his shoulder to where Alatar was walking back towards him. Good job you old fuck." "Hey hey hey, you''re as old as me. And for your information it wasn''t easy. That kid has almost no self esteem... well used to at least. And now he was about to burst with pride." "I guess our plan worked." "Yeah. This is... all we can do for Humbert''s last will." "I don''t know what he saw in that kid... yes, his flames are interesting, but it seems that that''s it... but a black tear as an awakening?" "Yeah, that''s what worries me." The two looked at each other and grinned. "Let''s talk this after we''re done with fixing up this damn city." "You said it Leebus..." As the two walked off towards the ill that were being treated, the majestic wall of Alfrum could be see once more... as if it was resurrected. Not a single scratch on it. Nor... a single piece of undead flesh or patch of flame left. 39 Chapter 35 - Rising Star The guild was livelier than ever to say the least. A figure clad in a black cloak suddenly tripped over the foot of a nearby adventurer, and regained his balance. "Hey watch where you''re- oh it''s you Griff. Back from another quest?" "Yeah... those skeletons are only E level when they''re numerous anyways. Piece of cake." "Aye man, you''re doing great. Mind to have a drink?" "Sorry Howard. Got more jobs to do." "Man, you and your new rank obsession..." It was true that after the recent events Griff had become obsessed with getting stronger, and that included rising through the ranks of the adventurer leaderboard. He was ranked in the top 100 for Alfrum for now, but if Reiner and Rin are number 7 as a tag team he needs to step up his game. "Oi brat. Start taking it easy now. I can''t look after ya anymore." "Oi James. Long time no see." "Tch... you haven''t come by in a week to the bar." James had retired this time as he decided that the intense world of adventuring was becoming too much of a burden on him. He was, however, operating a bar near the guild. Most of his customers were adventurers after all. He still hanged out around the guild though. "You do know I won''t let you in the house again if you disappear again." "You''re as stingy as ever old man." Griff smirked as he looked at James''s distraught face. "I dare you... call me old one more time..." Yeah... James could be said to be Griff''s older brother of sorts. ''Yeah... it''s definitely different for me now. I kinda know what''s going on around me as well... and trust. I guess I''ve built it up again.'' Reiner and Rin were sitting at a nearby table, waving at Griff. "Guess that''s my que." "Tch... well I''m happy for you kid. You only used to talk to me." "Heh... but... thanks James." "Didja call me by my first name now?" "Sorry gotta go! I''m going to get a new mission soon." "Hmph." James folded his arms as he smirked at Griff who dashed towards Reiner and Rin. "He''s a damn tsundere alright..." Griff quickly walked passed Reiner who was about to raise his hand to ask him to sit with them, which left Reiner with his jaw open and his hand raised awkwardly. ''Damn it Griff... this is awkward.'' Griff went towards the reception and slammed a poster he ripped off the mission wall. The receptionist elf girl sweat dropped. This was too many times she''d seen Griff today... ever since the Undead incident he had become a much more active adventurer "This is a D rank quest. Wolf hunting? Alright, we''ll allow it. You''re Rank D right now right Griff?" "Yep!" Griff took out his guild card and put it on the counter as well. "You better think of taking some time off... this was your fifth quest in three days." "I got nothing to do! Also... the best training is practical." "You got a point... but get some rest one day." "Yeah yeah." Griff took the quest permit and waved his hand dismissively, running out the guild. It had been a couple days since Alfrum had started rebuilding, but with the use of Earth mages like Alatar the city was fixed in no time. In addition, a group of mages that were composed of healers had visited the town to help with the infected. As Griff walked to the gates of Alfrum, he was in deep taught. ''Let''s review what I learnt... Alfrum isn''t as large as I taught it was. The city has about 200.000 inhabitants. It''s a semi-autonomous trading city under the rule of the royals of Kulva. This was why I never came across the military, or a royal here. The place is governed by a council of merchants, and they act to preserve their domestic economy. The defense of Alfrum is also handled by them and the Adventurer''s Guild here which is under certain jurisdictions to be allowed to participate in war. Aand... Alfrum and the surrounding land isn''t bound to a noble. It''s an outlier in a monarchy. I''m definitely in an interesting place...'' "Hey watch it kid!" Griff had accidentally bumped into a man and a group of people in hoods. "My apologies..." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. ''They seem like the followers of a religion. Better stay away from them.'' "Alright... nevermind kid. Let''s go everyone. The church waits for us." As they walked, Griff thought to himself. ''Church? Never seen one here... nevermind. I''m running late now!'' Griff walked fastly towards the gates of Alfrum where several merchants were loaning out horses. He didn''t have time to ride a carriage. The quest had requested he be at the location in an hour... "One silver for a day kid." Griff tossed a coin to the merchant holding the leash of the brown war horse. The merchant bit on the coin and nodded. "Bring her back by tomorrow, same time. If she''s harmed you''ll be paying more than one silver boy." "Gotcha boss." Without another word, Griff mounted on the horse and started dashing across the plains. His destination? North! To the villages where the wolf packs were ambushing. 40 Chapter 36 - Welcome To Heignham As Griff dashed on horseback through the rocky and muddy roads... he realized he never felt as free as he did right now. All alone in the middle of the road... travelling. He raised his arms high and shouted in relief. He felt alive... "HELL YEAH!" He was close now to the village that had posted the request for an adventurer to either drive off or get rid of the harassing wolf pack. He grinned as he got close to the village. It wasn''t anything special. It was a small village near the mountains, most probably where the pack was staying. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Two young men clad in leather armor were standing in the front of the village which had a makeshift wooden wall with spikes and pitfall traps around it. As they saw the carefree Griff galloping towards them, one of them in panic raised his spear and stood between Griff and the gate of the village. There was a small sign next to the village gate with the words "Heignham" written. ''What a weird name for a village...'' "Hey! Hey you! Where do you think you''re going! Slow down!" The young man was shouting frantically as he was pointing his spear, hoping to look menacing. The man next to him laughed and walked next to him, slapping him lightly on the back. "Hello there traveller! Sorry about my brother''s manners. He is very hot blooded and wants to defend his hometown." Griff disembarked his horse as he laughed. "Well that''s obvious. I like honest people like you." "Oi oi! Not a step closer! You might be a bandit or... even worse! A tax collector!" The older brother who was leaning on his spear suddenly started laughing out loudly. "And there you go showing how much you love money in mere seconds Galvain!" The young man was slowly getting pissed but he didn''t lose his ground. Griff thought that this was a waste of time, but a funny one. ''Damn he''s funny. Guess I''ll play along for some fun.'' "Okay okay you got me. I was here for the tax." Griff raised his hands like he was surrendering as he laughed. The young man, now named Galvain, suddenly had an "aha" face as he started poking Griff with his spear. "AHA! You vile tax collectors have nothing on my village! As the guardian I will drive off any oppressor! You guys collected taxes just last month! Shoo shoo!" Griff couldn''t take it anymore as he watched Galvain look utterly serious over a tax collector being more dangerous than bandits and such. He entered a laughing fit as he held his stomach with one hand and his horse with the other. "Man... you got... one funny brother." The older brother scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Please ignore him, he can be eccentric at times..." He then coughed lightly into his hand and spoke up again. "I take it you''re the adventurer the guild informed us about?" Griff was petting his horse, trying to calm it down as Galvain''s spear had scared him. "Yeah, you can call me Griff." The older brother smiled as he extended his arm for a handshake. "The name''s Danyell. This is my bratty little brother Galvain. Nice to have you here." Griff grinned and shook Danyell''s hand. Galvain was trying to protest that he wasn''t bratty, but a look from Danyell shut him up. "Galvain, you handle our guests horse. The elders wanted to meet with the adventurer sent here, so I''ll take Griff to them." "Pssh. Stop bossing me around." "Oh?" Danyell lifted one finger up to Griff to signal he needed a minute, and turned to Galvain, smiling. However, even Griff could feel the anger behind that smile even if he didn''t have any proper instincts. Galvain dropped his spear under his brothers gaze. "Je-jeeez. Fine, I''ll do it." The aura around Danyell instantaneously disappeared. Griff was surprised at how there was someone who gave off such power and had not left this village to pursue glory. ''I mean... that''s why adventurers exist in the first place right? Country bumpkins like me can join the military as Master Alatar said too for the thrill... what''s someone who gives off so much power compared to a commoner doing here?'' "Great! Come on Griff, the elders have some information on the wolves for you." Griff put his thoughts to the side as he realized he had work to do. "Alright, lead the way." As they walked, Griff saw what it was like to live on the outskirts. Children were running across the small, muddy roads of the village playing ball, all of them dressed in rag tag clothes, but happy. There seemed to be only one pub which was also filled to the brim. The duo kept on walking towards a big, wooden log house in the middle of the village square. The village square was filled with young villagers using sticks and swords on straw training dummies. "This seems like you''re preparing for war..." "In a way we are Griff. The life of a mountain villager is tough, all sorts of beasts can pop their heads up. We mostly get by here by farming herbs or collecting the rarer ones from the mountain and selling them, so it''s to be expected we run into some beasts, and occasionally demonic creatures..." "I guess this is why you sent a request to the guild? A demonic creature, because it seems to me that you all have the capabilities to handle normal beasts." "You''re certainly not wrong on that point. Come, the elder will explain to you in more detail on what''s going on." The duo walked past the villagers practicing in the straw men. As Griff walked up the wooden stairs, he came face to face with a large wooden gate. He gently pushed it, and walked inside the dimly lit room. "I''ll be waiting outside." And with that... Danyell was gone, the door shut tight... Griff had only one thought. "...the hell?" 41 Chapter 37 - The Hunt Begins "Welcome, adventurer of Alfrum." Griff turned around to come face to face with three old men that were seated on slightly high wooden chairs. The torches around them in the wooden hut like house ignited one by one. They all looked identical to each other. Bald, with wrinkly faces and loose clothing similar to that of a monks. The one to Griff''s right spoke up. "Brothers, this child is surely not an adventurer. Look at his posture and age. I think we must request a different adventurer." The one to Griff''s right objected. "I don''t think so. He seems to be well versed. The guild had assured us that their adventurer, though he may be young, managed to defeat a horde of undead alongside three more allies." The one in the middle then decided to speak up. "Silence. I don''t think there is a reason for us to complain about our contractor. Adventurer, the mission will not be what you think you''re getting yourself into. Do you accept?" Griff had been listening till then, but when he was called upon he nodded. "I may look young and inexperienced as you say, and that is because I am. I know I''m not as efficient of an adventurer as most people I know are, nor do I know some of even the most basic knowledge in adventuring. But I ask of your trust in me for this mission. It is also a way for me to grow!" The three old men watched silently, and stopped talking. After 5 minutes of silence they spoke in unison. """Child, your words carry weight. We know you are not strong, but you seem to have found courage. That is equivalent in some cases. We shall allow you to take up this job.""" Then the one in the middle spoke up once more. "You surely met two of the village guards outside? They will accompany you on your mission. They know the mountains the best, and will lead you to where the wolf pack was last seen." "I understand... before I take my leave, I have a question... what are you?" The one to Griff''s left rose from his seat in anger. "That is oddly a rude thing to ask, is it not? Boy!" The one to Griff''s right only smiled. "There is no need to show anger, elder brother." Finally the one in the middle spoke once more. "I am a Shaman, child. That is how I am able to divide my consciousness into three. I am called ''logic,'' my youngest brother is ''compassion,'' and the grumpiest is ''wrath.'' This is a spell that certain Shaman''s use to come to a verdict or make a big decision, as we Shamans are occasionally the heads of mountain villages..." "That''s... pretty cool, but pretty weird at the same time... I''m not that well versed in magic, but I think you''re selling yourself short uncle." The room was silent for a short time, and then all three personalities started laughing. """That''s a first. A boy who was not afraid of this form. I approve of your courage, or foolishness is a better way to put it. Now, head along. The wolves don''t wait, boy...""" The torches in the room all went out suddenly, and the door behind Griff was opened once more. He understood what they were trying to say, and headed out. From the outside the hut looked like a luxurious village chief''s abode, but the inside spoke different... ''Odd...'' "Hey, Griff, was it!?" Danyell ran towards Griff who was still looking at the house in confusion and amazement. "There were 3 men.... simultaneously.... shaman..." Danyell chuckled. "Oh, I see the chief made another show?" Griff stopped walking and grabbed Danyell by the color and started shaking him, teary eyes. It was comical to say the least. "WHAT SHOW! DO YOU KNOW HOW FUCKING TERRIFIED I WAS IN THERE! I LOOKED LIKE AN IDIOT! WHO THE HELL SPLITS HIMSELF IN THREE! IF HE CAN USE MAGIC WHY DO YOU EVEN NEED MEEEEE!" Griff let go of Danyell midway through his ranting and dropped to the ground, clutching his head in pain. Danyell was frozen in place with a tick mark on his head. "Ooookayyy.... that was interesting Griff..." He kneeled next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Buuut... we''re making a scene here. Can we take this somewhere private?" Griff raised his head to see that all of the young men who were training in the village square were leaning on their staffs and spears. Some were laughing and some were looking at Griff in confusion. Griff''s face turned red from embarrassment as he pretty much lost his cool there. "Yeah... lead the way..." He muttered. They kept on walking away from the courtyard where the villagers were still confused at the ordeal. "Let''s go to my house first. The elders asked me and my brother to come with you after all. You don''t know the mountains." Griff simply nodded. He had too much on his mind to pay attention clearly. He was still trying to understand what was going on around him... How the hell did he suddenly wake up with memory loss, what about his magic? Why is it so odd... and unexplainable. Fire magic? Definitely not. Master Alatar had tried to tap into his mana, but it was simply different than fire mana. It was foreign. Ignoring his magic for a second... he also had to start rising up through the adventurers guild. He couldn''t keep free-loading the kindness of the people of Alfrum. He had a place to sleep, people who helped him, and people he could call sort of family, but it wasn''t going to last forever. Something was bound to happen... considering that mission... "We''re here! It''s not big or fancy, but it''s just right for me and Galvain. Hope you can get used to it. We''ll leave in an hour anyway." Danyell pointed to a small, stone house that was situated near the gates of the village. They were a part of the guards of the village after all. "It''s fine Dan. Can I call you Dan? Danyell is too long for me to say all the time." Danyell shrugged as he gestured for him to come in. "Sure, It doesn''t matter to me." The duo walked inside. Galvain was also inside, lying on a small couch in the middle of a sparsely furnished room. Danyell sighed, and walked up to his snoring brother and slapped him on the back. "Get up Gal... we''re leaving in a hour." Galvain slowly got up... and looked around him... and went back to sleep. Griff tapped Danyell on his back, and indicated his horse which was waiting outside. They both grinned. Danyell put his arm around Griff. "Man... I didn''t expect you to be mischievous. Normally that''s Gal here, but this will be nice for a change. Strap him up." Griff merely complied with this devilish mischief they were planning and grinned as well. "Just put him in a sac." An hour later Danyell could be seen carrying a sac, which was filled with rations and a couple spare weapons. Griff was already waiting outside, and he had strapped Galvain onto his horse''s back in a sac. Danyell hopped on a horse he borrowed from a nearby villager, and strapped their rations. "Come on boy! You better keep up Griff, the mountain is dangerous, it''s easy to get lost!" Griff sped up behind Danyell. "Don''t worry about me! I''m right behind you." A few minutes of silence later Griff spoke up again. He was getting anxious, he was with someone that wasn''t Alatar, Leebus, James or Reiner for the first time, and it was his employer that had given him support with allies, but it was getting awkward. "So... Dan, what exactly are we hunting. It said wolves on the job request... a classic F- rank quest for adventurers, but where even are they?" "Well..." Danyell started talking as they started climbing the mountain. They could still see the village behind them, and the sound of nature was starting to become more overbearing than thatof the villagers behind them slowly... they were entering uncharted territory. "We''re hunting Silverback Wolves. They have silver fur, and are quite distinguishable from other wolf species. They are on the stronger side for wolves in general, but we''ll mostly be fine. There aren''t a lot, but they sometimes come near the village. That''s what bothers us. We''re gatherers, not farmers, so it makes it harder for us to scavenge the mountain. Did you get all of that?" "Yeah, got it, but what worries me is this..." Griff took out the job request he was hanging on to which he had used to ask for directions and passed it towards Danyell. "Let''s take a break here. I''ll wake up your useless brother. Meanwhile, you read that request." They stopped by the end of the track. They''d have to tie their horses and start walking on foot from there on. The path was rocky for a horse. Griff tossed Galvain on the ground who suddenly ripped the sac in half with his bare hands screaming. "I''M ALIVE YOU SHITHEADS ARE YOU GOING TO BURY MEEE!" Griff and Danyell merely looked at each other with blank expressions and nodded. "Well, he''s awake now." "Yeah." "I''M STILL HERE YOU-" "Shut up and start making camp Gal... we''re making camp." "Huh?! When the hell did we even get here!" "Your lazy ass didn''t get up, and I know its hard as hell to wake you up, so I merely asked Griff here for help." Griff looked at Galvain and put his hand on his shoulder and nodded. "I handled your body with care." Galvain suddenly backed away, and fell on the floor. He crawled back till he hit a rock behind him. He was holding his arms, and he was obviously horrified. "Huh? What did I say wrong." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Danyell sighed. "You really need to talk with others more Griff... Okay, so what''s the problem with this request?" Griff shrugged at Galvain who was still watching him in horror from a few meters away, and approached Danyell. He pointed to the classification of the request and its contents. "Here it states that I am to hunt wolves, but the kind was never specified. I don''t have any prior information for my target. I don''t know if this is a mistake of the guild, or one on your village''s part.... but this doesn''t feel right to me." Danyell looked at the contents once more, and chuckled slightly. "Must have been left out, it''s nothing major to worry about... i guess. I was told they were silverback wolves by the elder though, so that must be correct." Just as Danyell finished his sentence, the howling of wolves could suddenly be heard around them. Danyell did a ''quiet'' gesture at Griff, and signaled Galvain who rushed to put out the fire. Danyell softly whispered. "It''s their hunting time..." 42 Chapter 38 - The Gunpowder Plo Danyell, Galvain and Griff were crouching behind a boulder. Their horses had already ran off because of the howling caused by the wolves. Danyell spoke with a soft voice. \"I think... there are more than we think there are.\" \"What makes you say that?\" \"The howling. There''s either more of them... or we''re just extremely unlucky and stumbled on their den.\" Danyell signaled them to follow him. They started to walk quietly into the oak trees that were next to them. \"Come oon... it can''t be that bad... -\" Griff''s ears picked up something as he quickly slammed Galvain''s mouth shut with his right hand. Danyell nodded at him approvingly. Griff whispered in his ear. \"You fucking dimwit do you want us all to become wolf food?\" Galvain was sweating... he still hadn''t grasped the seriousness of their situation. The duo quietly marched, crawling, behind Danyell. The oak trees were thick, enough cover for them to not be seen. Danyell suddenly raised his hand signaling them to stop. \"We need a way to prevent the wolves from picking up our scent. We can''t fight this many silverbacks head on...\" Griff nudged at the nearby mud puddle with his head: \"That''s the only way we can cover up our smell for now.\" \"As much as I hate it... you''re right.\" All of them started to rub the mud on their shirts and weapons. Galvain, disgustingly so. Danyell turned to them after they''d finished camouflaging themselves. \"On me, you two.\" They kept slowly walking as the trees began to become less thick and farther apart. They were about to exit the forest. As they reached the edge of the forest, Griff poked his head out of the forest to take a look. It was an open plain, and all around them were wolves. Silverbacks, as the intel had said. However... that wasn''t all there was there. There was a strong force of mana coming in the center of the pack. Griff quickly pulled back, and turned to the two with some anxiousness. \"This isn''t a normal pack. There''s something that is far stronger than a Silverback leading them. I think... if we can handle that, we''ll be able to ease the burden on your village. You said these wolves come down periodically?\" Danyell nodded. \"They''re weirdly organized... I suppose this should be why. So, that''s our strategy? Take the leader down, and the wolves will scatter?\" \"Perhaps not scatter, but they''ll be disorganized. Your village''s warriors seem to be preparing to fight them, so this would be the most ideal for you all to push them back. You''ll get the mountain back.\" \"We definitely need a way to lure away those wolves though...\" Danyell started to think, but before he could find a solution Galvain spoke up. \"Wolves like meat, right? How about we prepare some sort of trap? It''ll have to be huge though... we''re planning to trap all of the wolves. Their leader might or might not follow. It''s a gamble.\" \"Good idea brat... but that''s not enough. We can''t dig a hole in one night now. The best trap would be... a frontal assault...\" Danyell pondered for a while and spoke up. \"Good idea and all, but how can we hold them off while one of us tries to take down the leader?\" Griff smirked at that. \"Do you have any way to contact the village?\" Danyell''s eyes widened. \"You''re seriously thinking of marching up the mountain with villagers?\" \"That''s all I have right now...\" Galvain shook his head sideways at that. \"That''s impossible Griff. We might contact them, but they won''t be ready till dawn. Moreover, these wolves may change locations. I don''t see a den anywhere; this isn''t their home...\" \"Damn it...\" A wolf suddenly got up, and stretched. It began to walk towards the oak trees. Presumably to relieve itself. This horrified the trio. \"If we''re seen, we''re done... CLIMB! Now!\" Griff said with a soft yet stern voice to not alert the wolf. The trio started to climb the oak tree, and managed to sit on the branches just before the wolf got into the forest. After a few minutes, the wolf left. Griff let go of his breath. \"That... was damn close.\" Danyell and Galvain were breathing rapidly in fear. \"Yeah... hella close.\" Griff looked around the area from top of the branch he was situated on. ''Now that I look at this place from a different angle... There''s something shiny over there. It seems to be a sort of metal? M?????????????a??????????g?????????????n????????????????e??????????s?????????i???????????????u???????m?????????????? Moreover, this place. It''s next to a cliff. We''re on a plateau. I got an idea.'' Griff spoke with a soft voice. \"You two. Did you see something shiny on our way here?\" Galvain nodded. \"You''re talking about the rocks around here? The higher we climb the more shiny rocks appear around here. Why? You want to toss rocks at them or something? That''s stupid.\" \"Heh... if we had the higher ground where we could roll the stones from it would make sense, but no. I''m thinking that we can do something else with those rocks.\" \"What is it Griff? Come on man don''t leave us hanging.\" Griff pondered for a few seconds, and grinned at them unusually, something that was out of place to his character who mostly failed to express his emotions in the right manner or time. Griff raised his index finger to his mouth and did a shush sign. \"It''s a secret.\" ''More like I don''t know as well... well it feels like I do... we''ll have to see.\" \"Okay. Gal, Dan. You two should slowly get down this tree, and bring me as much as you can carry of that metal!\" \"The hell are you gonna do?\" Galvain said rebelliously. \"Me? I''m not done thinking up of the plan. Cut me some slack.\" \"Pssh. This''ll fail man. You''ll see. You should''ve waited for me to come up with a plan. The awesome Lord Galvain!\" Danyell slapped Galvain back on his head with a bulging tick mark on his forehead. \"Shut up you spineless swine. Just do as Griff says. He has some damn experience you know.\" \"Hck...\" Galvain slided down the trunk and started to crouch back towards the opening they''d seen the shiny metal. Danyell sighed. \"He''s just a brat Griff. Take it easy on him.\" \"No, no it''s totally fine...\" ''In fact, I actually envy him rather than feeling angry. I can''t express myself like he can. No matter who I''m facing...'' \"Come on buddy, we got work to do. Think something up till we get back willya?\" He extended his arm for a handshake. Griff, who was still not used to talking with others alone, slowly shook his hand, and grinned again. \"Alright, partner.\" As Danyell followed behind Galvain, Griff looked onto the plateau infeste by silverback wolves. The plateau''s opening was surrounded by the forest. seemed to have not a care in the world... truly a lifestyle he envied. A beast had no need for an identity, or a history... Several minutes passed as Griff waited, and slowly the two brothers could be seen making their way back. They waved to Griff to come down, in their hands were several of the shiny metals and rocks they had come across. Griff slowly climbed down the branch he was sitting on. \"There ya go boss.\" Danyell handed Griff one of the shiny metals. As Griff held it in his hands, that weird inner voice inside him spoke up once more. ''M????????????????a??????????????????????????????g???????????????????n????????????e?????????????????????s?????????????????i?????????????????????????????u???????????????m???????????????????.???????????????????? ???????????????????????????B??????????????u?????????????????????r????????????n???????????????.?????????????? ??????????????F???????????????????i???????????????r??????????????????e???????????????'' Griff held his head in slight pain as the sudden revelation rushed towards him, but it was valuable. He never had questioned this weird voice in his head till now and he did not plan to do so, at least not till he had the means to actually figure out what this was. Anways. Now was not the time for him to think about this weird voice. It was time for action. He turned to the two brothers. \"How about we throw a nice party for these wolves? An explosive one they''ll never forget.\" Griff grinned madly at his own dark humor. Danyell and Galvain looked at each other for a second and grinned as well. \"So... we''ll use these metals to make explosives?\" Griff shook his head sideways. \"They already are. We''ve got a bomb in our hands! Combined with my magic, we''ll be able to confuse these wolves. So, whaddya guys say? I know I''m kinda crazy, and I surely lack a lot of common sense and mannerism, so I can be pretty annoying, but will you still help this crazy plan?\" Danyell gave a thumbs up as Galvain smirked and folded his arms. \"I guess you need my help to stand a chance. Worry not, Galvain shall help you.\" \"Did he just.\" \"God why.\" \"Third-\" \"Yes Griff. He did, don''t point it out please.\" Griff, and Danyell slightly chuckled, but held their laughter in as the wolves were still nearby. \"Well. I guess it''s time for us to set up our plot?\" \"Every cool plan needs a name!\" \"How about... the gunpowder plot?\" 44 Chapter 39 - The Day the Ground Shattered The plan was set. The northern side of the plateau was left without any traps, but Griff and the others had settled as many magnesium as they could to the southern portion of the border between the plateau and forest. The plan was simple. Griff had light up a branch and given it to Galvain who would ignite the Magnesium, creating a fire. Griff would march from the western side of the forest, burning the western forest as he did. This would drive the Wolves north. This way they could single out the packs leader... Griff slowly started walking through the western forest. His hands were on fire. ''Let''s just hope this works...'' Smoke rose from the souther part. This was the signal. ''And go!'' Griff condensed his flames and shot them out with an explosive sound! The magnesium had also been ignited, and another fire was rising in the south. Galvain was sitting on top of a tree''s branch. The wolves had all jolted awake from the smell of burning wood. They had already started to frantically run towards the north, the only part without flames. \"It''s working!\" \"It''s not over yet Gal! Watch out for that thing Griff felt in the middle.\" Gal slid down from the tree, and grabbed the short sword Dan threw him. They both drew their short swords and started walking slowly into the open. Griff could see the plateau now. The flames would most likely burn this section of the forest for good, there was nothing he could do. As he took his first step into the open he came across with an almost empty plateau. There were few wolves left, mostly the hunters of the pack. He could see Gal and Dan who were nearing a brave wolf who had stayed behind. They knew the drill. The two dashed towards a wolf that was running towards them. In the blink of a second Gal crouched and slashed the Wolf''s feet, but the Wolf leaped back. Dan lost no time, and he slashed another Wolf that was running towards Gal, holding it back. Griff grinned at the scene. They had good teamwork. A few wolves tried lunging at Griff, but the flames were enough to terrorize the feral animals. They were after all only animals, not demonic beasts or a mutated creature. However... just then a blur ran across the field. Whatever it was though, it was not a wolf. ''Holy shit thats fast... It''s heading to them!'' \"DAN! GAL! THE PACK LEADER! IT''S HEADING TO YOU!\" Gal quickly turned around after he had injured the wolf he was fighting, and raised his blade to slash at the blur. But in an instant a leg kicked him back, and he hit the back of a tree trunk. \"Shit!\" Dan twisted his body to slash with his blade, but a punch to his stomach threw him back several meters. \"What in the name of... that''s no fucking wolf.\" From the smoke it was hard to make it out, but that. That was a human. And a female. She was howling to the sky over the defeated Galvain and Danyell. Griff wasted no time and used his flames to create a blast behind him to lunge at this enemy. He blasted through the smoke, and raised his flaming fist. The humanoid girl turned back to look at him, but his momentum was too big for her to react. Griff''s punch landed across her face, sending her back. With the thought that he had beaten the Wolf he ran towards Galvain. \"You got to be fucking kidding me.\" Galvain coughed a bit and looked at Griff. \"You moron I''m not dead yet. And so the fuck isn''t that demi-human!\" \"Demi-?\" Griff''s sentence was cut short as two hands grabbed him from behind and tosses him back. He fell on his back, but managed to stand up. He could now see his opponent clearly. It was a human? A human girl. Well... not exactly. She had a pair of wolf ears, and a tail? Her hair was silver, and so was the fur on her tail. She was wearing some ragtag clothing made with leather. She was growling at Griff like a rabid animal. Danyell had managed to stand up, and had pulled Galvain away from the fight that was about to occur. He shouted at Griff. \"Griff! That''s a demi! A humanoid with the powers of a demonic beast! She''s got wolf blood! They have extreme-\" Danyell couldn''t finish his sentence because the demi-human had ran on all fours, and punched Griff''s stomach in an instant, sending him flying. \"-speed...\" Griff spat out some blood as he hit a tree. It was burning, but that was the least of his concern. \"Yeah! I noticed!\" He shouted back, and took a fighting stance against the wolf-demi human. The girl was still growling. Threatening him, perhaps? They did attack her pack. Griff grit his teeth. \"Sorry lady-wolf-person, but I can''t let your pack stay here... I''m getting paid for this shit.\" He then held his hand forward and in an eruption of black flames his magic blade that was infused with mana appeared. The demi-human girl stopped growling all of a sudden and crouched, and she leaped forward on all fours. As she leaped for a frontal assault with her hands, Griff raised his blade to block her hands which had sharpened to look like claws. He kicked her in the stomach, but the demi-human girl immediately grabbed his leg, and twisted her body along with his kick. Griff used his blade to slice her off, but she simply leaped back nimbly. Griff cracked his left and right shoulders, and raised his blade over his head, pointing its tip towards his enemy. This wasn''t going to be easy. Words were unnecessary in a fight to the death. The girl ran forward full throttle, but Griff imbedded his mana into his blade and sliced forward to her direction, causing his flames to fly out. The girl, however, kept running, and she jumped through the fire, slightly burned but mostly unscathed. ''Is she fucking cra-'' The girl used both her legs to kick Griff back into the middle of the plateau without giving him a chance to think. Griff''s lungs were suddenly empty and he had a hard tome breathing for a while. He twisted his body to avoid hitting the boulder behind him, and swiped underneath to counterattack his opponent who had caught up again. This time he was successful as he cut the girl''s cheek slightly. He stood up. His blade was cracked all across it, and crumbled to pieces. He snorted and tossed the hilt. He took a fighting stance with his bare hands. Alatar always drilled this into him, even though their time was extremely short... improvise, adapt, survive. There were bound to be enemies he couldn''t win against. He just. Had to. Survive. Suddenly the demi-human''s body bursted with mana. Her strength was obviously increasing. Seeing that scene, Dan and Gal quickly started to retreat into the charred forest as fast as they could. They''d only die if they stayed. The girl ran on all fours, and leaped towards Griff, her veins ready to burst from the magic she was using, whatever it was. Griff''s hands coated in flames also collided with her fists. Just in the nick of time, as the strength from her punch created a shockwave that sent Griff flying backwards, and Griff''s punch burning the demi-human''s hand. The demi-human slowly approached Griff who had collided with and broken a charred tree trunk. She raised her fist to finish him off, still growling. However, that was when something unexpected happened. Something that would shake the foundations of this world... The ground started shaking. Violently. The girl stumbled, and held onto a nearby tree, looking at Griff in confusion, but he was also looking in confusion to what was happening. Suddenly the ground of the plateau fractured into hundreds of cracks! The plateau had been destroyed? But that wasn''t the truly weird part. Hundreds of chains had sprouted from the ground. Golden chains. The thing that caused this was these chains? The demi-human girl suddenly realized the danger, and attempted to run away, but one of the chains wrapped around her ankle. Griff was looking in shock as the chains that wrapped around her ankles started pulling her down. As he was distracted another chain wrapped around his ankle this time, and started to pull him down! The girl was horrified. The demi-human girl who had shown no emotion except for anger was scared. She tried holding onto the ground with her hands, but for naught as the chains dragged her slowly. She shouted in terror, and Griff finally heard her speak for the first time. \"...I don''t want to die!\" And she got pulled down into the crack. Griff gritted his teeth and started blasting the chains with his flames, but they had no effect! \"Damn it damn it damn it! WHAT IS THIS! This wasn''t how my mission was supposed to-\" Suddenly he was pulled with greater strength by the chain as several more chains wriggled around his body... and in great speed pulled him down the crack... Hearing the rumbling was over, Danyell lied Galvain down and ran back with his sword drawn to help Griff... but they were no where to be found. The gaping hole that the plateau was, however, suddenly gone... as if nothing had happened. \"What in the...\" Griff, and the demi-human were gone... 45 Chapter 40 - The Light... Ever So Brigh It was dark. Moisty... a drop of water fell on his forehead. Tap. Tap. Tap. Suddenly Griff jolted up, panting heavily as he started to touch his body to see if there was a part that was missing. \"Haaa. Haaa... I''m still alive...\" Griff''s eyes couldn''t adjust to the dark, but he could make out that the chains were no where to be found. He tried to find somewhere to boost himself up. His back was resting on a boulder. As Griff stood up, slowly a dim light started to ooze off a weird stone that was on top of him. He was in a massive cave. He looked up to see no where of the crack that had dragged him in... odd. ''The fuck is this place...'' The cave''s ceiling was very high. Griff slowly started to walk around by supporting himself with the walls of the cave. A few seconds had passes, and suddenly the same rock he had seen started to lit up in a path on the ground. He followed the path with his eyes to see a small corridor like structure. He slowly started to make his way there. He was slightly bleeding, but that was to be expected after that fight and the height he fell from. As he got closer to the opening, he suddenly saw that demi-human girl he was fighting previously. Her back was resting against the wall of the cave, and she was slightly bleeding from her forehead and cuts on her arms. He slowly made his way to her, and crouched in front of her. The light was dim, but he could make out her face and wounds. He looked at fer face for a few seconds. Silver hair, and silver wolf ears. It would be a lie to say he wasn''t captivated by her face, but he had just fought her. She was an enemy. She was the one leading those wolves to attack the villages. Maybe it would be for the best if he left her here. Nothing good would come from trusting someone that was... an enemy. Flashbacks of his time in the mountains and the arena came as he remembered his betrayal... Yeah, he was too trusting these days. He should have grown sharper, but he grew duller. He sighed and stood up. He slowly started making his way back to the opening that the dim light was pointing towards to. However... he turned back to look at her again. She was breathing frantically. He could hear even from this distance. Griff sighed and facepalmed himself. \"Even in unknown situations like this I just can''t fucking grow up can I...\" He started making his way back to the girl, and crouched in front of her again. He felt her pulse with his hands. Pretty normal, for now. Slightly pissed at himself, Griff slowly grabbed the girl and positioned her on his back. He started to walk, slower this time, to the opening with the girl on his back. \"If she wakes up, I''m dead, but even so I''m dead either way if I can''t get out of here anyway...\" As he walked into the opening, a path lit up, pointing him to walk forward. It was as if the path was never ending. Every time he looked back he couldn''t even see the entrance... 5 minutes... 10... an hour? He didn''t knew how much time had passed. Finally... he could see an end to the path. He sped up. The girl''s breathing had calmed down now. Not that it concerned him. He reached the end of the light, but... there was only darkness ahead of him. To his right was a small opening in the corridor like structure. He ignored it, and tried walking, but... an invisible structure was preventing him to move. Most likely magic? He looked to his right again. \"Does it want me to leave her here? Fine...\" He slowly restes the demi-human girl''s body against the small opening. The darkness suddenly lit up as he did that, and a new path appeared. The light was darker than the previous path... blacker. He got ready to move forward, but looked back at the girl... \"Ah fuck it...\" He ripped a part of his shirt''s sleeves, and reached for his pocket. He should still have a small healing potion James had given him back in the day. Thank the heavens it wasn''t broken. He used the potion to drench the cloth and slowly wrapped it around both of her arms on the cuts caused by his blade. \"You better not die on me...\" He said to no one in particular, and turned to look forward. Now that he looked carefully, there was a small door ahead. It wasn''t too far. About a few dozen meters. Griff walked at a faster pace, and practically almost slammed into the door. He slowly reached to push it open. It had a delicate design, not something you would find in a supposed cave like this. Suddenly the door bursted open, and a gale of wind hit Griff in the face... mana... so... much... mana... Griff looked at his arm, it was shaking. \"Shit...\" He ignited his arms on fire and took a fighting stance. \"Who the fuck are you?\" His flames suddenly got put out by the wind. He tried re-igniting them, but to no avail. He looked back to see the light was gone. He practically had no where to go. \"...\" He took a step, and stepped into the door. The first thing he saw... light. The light was ever so bright... 46 Chapter 41 - Gods. Cosmos. Denial. \"Truly you''re unrefined, child. I had expected a more... grandiose fight above my resting place. What was that uncouth fighting style, simply throwing flames around. You disappoint me.\" Something was talking, but all Griff could see was light. He didn''t even know if he was in a large or small room. He didn''t answer and simply tried covering his eyes as the pain slowly became unbearable. \"Oh yes, I''ve been locked down here for a while, so I forgot it''s not an easy feat to resist my mana. Well, it''s to be expected from weaklings like you.\" Slowly the light dimmed enough for Griff to raise his head and look around. It seemed that this was a small throne room. It was mostly undecorated, but the small throne in the center made up for it. A humanoid being was sitting on the throne, but hadn''t moved since Griff came in. \"Come on, what''s the wait. Approach me already you swine. I don''t have all day.\" \"Hey! I have no damn idea who you are, but you''d expect some decency for a guest!\" \"Ohoho? You expect me to act decent to you? Nice guts, brat.\" Griff simply gritted his teeth in annoyance, and slowly started to walk towards the light source. \"Oh. Well, I''d expect at least this much from you. You can move under my suppressed mana. Well done.\" \"Just... shut up already... what the hell do you want.\" \"Ohohoho... are you not afraid that by talking to me like that you''d piss me off? I can end you where you stand human.\" Griff finally realized his situation. This wasn''t some laid back person with immense mana. No, it was simply an arrogant individual with the power to crush him. He was a fool to act like that. He shut up. \"Good, you can at least understand the situation. One point for that.\" The figure''s light suddenly vanished as torches around the circular throne room lit up, allowing Griff to take a good look at this person. He was looking at a young, captivating woman with snow white skin and long, silky hair. Her eyes were closed. However, that wasn''t the odd thing. This person had two feathery wings attached to her back. \"Well well, I see you''ve been captivated...\" The woman slightly smirked. Griff shook his head, regaining his senses. \"What... are you?\" The girl who was sitting on the throne laughed heartily at that. \"Good question! I''m what you would call an Arch-Angel of Heaven, and I''ve been waiting for you, Griff. That''s what you go by now, right?\" Griff slowly nodded. \"You must be wondering why I even bothered to bring you here. Well, you must have seen my power, but no matter how strong I am...\" She raised her hands... well, she tried. Her hands were cuffed, and so were her legs. \"I can''t leave. I''m bound by a Holy Relic by the Gods here.\" Griff was simply looking in shock. He didn''t understand... anything at this point. \"Oh my god you really don''t know anything. Look, I was lucky enough to feel your mana right above my resting place. I used the rest of my active mana to pull you down here. No matter how much I hate to admit it, I can''t escape here by myself... I need you.\" \"The heck... why would you even need me. It''s s you say, I can''t even use my magic properly. I don''t even know what the hell it is!\" \"AHHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is very amusing. You don''t know how dangerous of an existence you are, do you?\" \"...\" \"You, a mortal, has been blessed...or cursed... it depends. Your magical attribute, it''s called Contradiction Magic.\" \"Contra- wait. How do you even know me, or my attribute.\" \"...I''ll tell you a story. A short story... about how a hero was forcefully created. The gods that rule this world have long since been at odds with the opposing side. The reverse-side of the world governed by the Fallen Gods. Each century both sides would have to choose champions to defend their own territory. This was the birth of this worlds \"heroes.\" However, the gods decided that it was not enough... this stalemate couldn''t continue with the Fallen.\" Griff was listening to this...story. It interested him, no doubt about that, but it was clear that it had something to do with him. \"The gods decided to forcefully extract the soul of an individual from a different existential plane and energize the soul... and reincarnate it. A soul that travels across plain bursts with magical power, after all, and they placed this soul into a small child, granting their blessings. However, they forgot to take into account... that a being that isn''t from this land is subjected to the Rejection of the Domain. A natural phenomenon that rejects any existence outside of this plane.\" The girl? stopped to catch her breath, and continued. \"If it were only the Rejection of the Domain, the gods could forcefully intercept it with blessings for this artificial-hero to rise. However... the host they had chosen was apparently also a champion for the Fallen, imbedded with dark-mana. This child grew up as a man from another world, and fought. He fought till everything he came to know here also burnt... He lost everything, but was forced to fight in this chess game of the gods. And as he used the blessings of the gods... the soul inside him that was supposed to be destroyed laid dormant with the dark-mana circulating inside him. That was you, Griff... you are a... broken record piece of the gods. A mistake. Something that was never supposed to exist.\" Griff had already fallen on his knees, clutching his head in pain. He didn''t understand. He didn''t want to understand. It was... impossible. He was just some normal brat who happened to use fire magic that emitted black flames, not... not this bullcrap. Griff held his head and screamed in pain as he tried to process all of this. ''This isn''t real. I just received a hard blow by my opponent in my fight. I''ll wake up any second now.'' \"For the love of- just stand up. I''m not done yet. I... look kid, I know that it''s hard to accept this, and that I''m just dumping this on you... but you have no choice too. Listen...\" She cleared her throat and continued. \"This artificial hero took his own life, surprising the gods, as he had been fed up with this chess board, and that was when you appeared. A soul that was forcefully sent into the depths of its own body. The moment you manifested. Both the fallen and the true mana inside your body clashed. It was a given that this would happen. Coupled by the Rejection of the Domain. Your unique magic was born. Contradiction Magic. The embodiment of the clash between the fallen and the gods of this realm. The reverse and normal. The good and evil. Your very existence contradicts this worlds laws.\" The girl cleared her throat again and slightly smiled. \"And that is all I know about you! Being an Arch-Angel... well former, has it''s perks you know.\" Griff looked up at her in shock. \"I still don''t... understand why you even brought me here...\" \"Oh that!\" The girl grinned, both a horrifying and funny scene for Griff. \"I see this as a win-win situation to be honest. With your magic I can finally break these shackles... and in return I teach you about your past and how to use your magic. I''ve already completed half of this deal you know. Be a good kid and free me now, will you?\" \"You. You talk a lot you know.\" The girl bursted in a laughing fit. \"You know! You must be one of the only people out there to have the guts to say that. Is it because your mental age is so degraded or is it because you were simply born to be an idiot!\" Griff grit his teeth. This girl was getting on his nerves. Suddenly the girl''s laughter stopped. \"Well. I tried asking kindly.\" Suddenly the chains that had pulled him down there manifested around the girl, surrounding Griff. \"I tried being nice, you know... Just so you know, I would have killed you if I didn''t need you right now.\" Griff gulped, and lowered his arms. He was definitely not in a favorable situation... 47 Chapter 42 - Crack... \"...yeah you''re right I''m impulsive.\" The chains slowly lowered themselves but twisted like snakes around the... Arch-Angel. \"Smart move. I presume you don''t even know how to use your magic?\" \"Fire go kaboom is all I can manage.\" The girl snickered and giggled. \"Yeah I get the gist of it.\" She slowly composed herself. \"My chains are imbedded with the mana of the gods. You have to reverse it. Contradict it. The power of Contradiction is to create the opposite mana from what you have manipulate its contradiction. Now. Touch the shackles. Feel the mana.\" Griff''s hands slowly touched the shackles and suddenly all he saw became pure white again. \"That is a divine mana construct. Something only very strong mages and every god can pull off. Listen to me. Concentrate. Don''t be lost inside... that''d be the end of both of us.\" ''I guess I''m not in a position to be surprised that now my life is in MORE danger that it is... I''ll attribute that to my idiocy!'' \"You can say that again.\" \"You can read my fucking mind?!\" \"Only because you touched the shackles. Forget that for now, minor details! Listen to my voice. This divine mana construct is the artificial terrain or world created to subdue a being of a higher plane, me per se. Everything is mana. Now, contradict it.\" ''It''s not that fucking easy!'' \"Nothing is. We can just hope you can before that girl you brought dies of starvation.\" Griff clicked his tongue and looked around him. The mana was immensely powerful and gave off a calming... satisfying feeling. It was warm, definitely not the mana he expected to hold such a being in place. \"Yes! You''re getting there. Think.\" Orderly. This place was orderly, with nothing in sight but pure white and the mana contained in it. \"Bingo.\" Suddenly Griff could see hundreds of thin threads of mana circling around him in perfect order like a snake. Griff raised his hand and squeezed it, managing to hold a thread. This wasn''t enough. He held the gate to the entire mana pool here, but now what... contradict? ''Contradict... as in bring chaos? Hm. I mean trying can''t hurt at this point as I''ll be stuck here if I can''t break this thing. Chaos. Disarray. Darkness. The Abyss...'' Griff''s eyebrows cracked downwards slightly in anger and pain as he felt a huge jolt of power surge through him. His hair had turned entirely black during the duration of this time. Slowly but gradually the landscape around him started to have cracks. And the comforting feeling disappeared. Griff''s tension was rising. He was going to destroy this serene world... \"DO IT!\" It started small. It was as if glass started to crack, but slowly and gradually the entire world was covered in cracks. It all... broke down like a glass house. The chaos was... everywhere per se. The white was now nothingness. Pitch black surrounded Griff. He felt a falling sensation as the shattered bits of the white world fell around him. He looked down. There was... something... \"I guess I can''t leave you to die...\" Suddenly he felt an arm latch onto his shirt and pull him full force. Suddenly he opened his eyes. He was back underground. He was panting and he felt extremely tired. The shackles were all gone. The woman was standing in front of him with her hands on her hips, smirking. \"You''re a cheeky bastard, but I think you and I can get along... I don''t have enough power to go outside right now, if I were spotted in this state it''s game over.\" She slowly walked towards Griff, and her wings extended. The white feathers falling all around the throne room like structure. Griff was still trying to get himself together after using that magic. He couldn''t even stand up properly. The woman crouched in front of him, holding her knees, and opened her eyes for the first time. Her eyes were pure violet. Griff felt... warm looking at them. \"My name is Arch-Angel Caphriel, Child of Eternal Rejection. Or would you prefer I call you Griff?\" She slowly extended a hand for Griff to take. \"I want to team up with you. A mutual relationship. I can''t go outside yet, so I will be taking residence inside your Origin, the place where your mana originates from. Do you accept?\" Griff shook his head and snapped out of the trance. \"Caphriel... damn that name''s too complicated. I''ll call her Caphy. What do I get in return though?\" She grinned. \"You keep your current life.\" \"Funny how you say that. Didn''t you say you need me? And as you said that girl out there will die of hunger soon without me so you will still be stuck down here... unless you take the risk of going out. I honestly don''t know about your problems, and I don''t care...\" Caphriel smiled, as opposed to her usually snarky and sarcastic attitude. \"I''m at least glad you aren''t a complete fool, Griff. You... managed to surprise me just now. Very well! You have interested me! I''ll lend you my knowledge as an Arch-Angel in your search for your meaning in life!\" She extended her hand once more as she slowly stood up. Griff''s face slowly twisted into a smile, a genuine one. His hand reached towards her and he shook her hand. \"I accept... Caphriel.\" Caphriel simply smirked and suddenly exploded into hundreds of feathers. [I''m making myself at home now kid.] ''What the hell.'' [Hey, you gave permission, I did my thing. Come on, we don''t have all day! Let''s get out of this hellhole.] Griff sighed with a small smirk. ''I''ll be getting the girl first.'' [Good. Come on kid...] And so... Griff''s life suddenly was enveloped in chaos... because of a certain snarky angel. 48 Chapter 43 - Back in the Sun Ligh Just to clarify! [...] -\u003e Caphriel through Griff''s Mind ''...'' -\u003e Griff''s Inner Thoughts "..." -\u003e Speech ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The walls were slightly shaking now as Griff ran towards the door he came through. [We don''t have too much time. This whole place will go down in a few minutes because I''ve been released.] ''Will anyone find out?'' [Thank...god...hell... I don''t even know anymore, but they won''t notice. I''ve been imprisoned here for a while with nothing to do. I have a couple things up my sleeves.] Griff quickly reached the door and ran through it. Behind him the walls had already started to crumble. ''The girl!'' [...] Griff quickly ran towards where he had left the demi-human girl, and picked her up. He didn''t have time to ensure her comfort so he basically ran with her on his back. [Quick! To the opening I pulled you through.] Griff dashed with his stamina running low, and as a flash of light slightly blinded him, he reached the previously dark opening in the underground structure. [I can use my chains one more time. It''s you who has to make the best of it.] ''What do you-'' [Your Plan...] Griff clicked his tongue. The path he had already came from had already crumbled. This wasn''t the time for this... a spark. He looked up again and saw a slight bit of sunshine escaping through a crack. Since the ceiling was so high he wouldn''t have noticed before. He pointed upwards immediately. ''Get me as close to there as you can!'' Suddenly the chains that had previously pulled him down appeared once again. They were radiating a weaker mana now, but that didn''t matter. Two chains stuck into the stone next to the small opening. [Make sure the girl doesn''t fall... I''m not interested in coming back here.] Griff quickly held on to the girl. The ground below them had also started to shake and it was a matter of time before the ceiling collapsed on them. The chains suddenly pulled Griff with immense strength. It was... much faster than he expected. ''Let''s just hope this works.'' [I''m regretting my actions already...] Griff''s right hand was engulfed in his black flames once more, and just as he was about to crash into the wall... he punched. [ARE YOU KIDDING ME!] The rocky surface bursted open, and Griff managed to make it out onto a narrow walkway looking down a cliff. The sunlight striking down on Griff as he was looking down at the steep cliff. He was grinning to himself, without a moment''s hesitation he looked up to see that they were still basically at the edge of the plateau, a few meters below where they had fallen from, but still there. ''Damn it worked!'' [YOU COULD HAVE HAD US ALL KILLES YOU MORON!] Griff simply grinned smugly to himself. ''It worked didn''t it? Now be a good winged woman and shut up so I can figure out a way to get up.'' [WINGED- I''LL HAVE YOU KNOW I''M AN ARCH-] "GRIFF! GRIFF WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!" "Brother... I don''t think... he might have survived." "NO HE DEFINITELY DID! Did you see his magic?! There''s no way he''d die that easily." "Come on you two, stop bickering. We got to keep looking. It''s the least we can do for him chasing that pack away." Caphriel was still fuming, but Griff was basically ignoring her at this point. "HEY! DOWN HERE!" He shouted ecstatically. "Did you hear that?!" "OH THE GODS HAVE SENT HIM BACK AS AN ANGEL!" Griff clenched his right fist in annoyance. That was definitely Galvain''s voice. "THE CLIFF YOU MORONS!" He heard a few footsteps, and suddenly several heads popped out, looking down at him a few meters above. "By the gods... it really is you!" Danyell was among the crowd that looking at him. "Quick! Someone get me a rope!" "Um... I''ll need more help than that." Griff gestured at his left shoulder where he was still carrying the demi-human girl. Danyell looked shocked at him, but shook his head. Now wasn''t the time. A few minutes later Griff was lying on the grass patches of the plateau happily, panting to catch his breath. He''d just realized how tired he was. A group of volunteer villagers had set out to find him. All thanks to Danyell. The kid''s charisma could be a weapon! Danyell crouched next to him with a look of relief, lending a hand for him to stand up. Griff happily took it, and rose to his feet. "Where the hell did you even disappear to! I heard some weird noises and turned back to see you were gone!" He was basically shaking Griff at this point. ''Jeez... this guy.'' [Seems like someone cares about you.] Griff snickered in his mind. ''Unlike you.'' [I''m yet to elevate you from ''interesting living thing'' to an ''intelligent lifeform.''] Griff decided it was best he continued to ignore her who kept fuming in his mind. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly after Danyell had finally finished shaking his worries off... literally. "It''s just-" [Don''t say the truth...] "While we were fighting we fell down the cliff. I''ve been trying to get up since yesterday. She fainted so... I said why the heck not I guess." Danyell poked him in the chest. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to help an enemy!" Griff laughed. "You would too in my situation." "Come on you two! We better get back to the village. We got the demi." "Aye Jose! Come on Griff, let''s head back. I mean... you still got a reward to collect." Griff smiled looking upwards. To where he supposed the gods were. His life wasn''t going to be easy, he knew it after what happened. ''But... I''ve definitely got something I want to live for now. A purpose!'' He clenched his fist in excitement. ''And oh boy will it be fun.'' "Griff?" "Sorry! Zoned out a bit. I guess sleepless nights do that to ya." "Come on we''re running late!" Danyell ran behind the villagers who were carrying the demi-human girl on their backs, finally able to walk among the woods with ease after the wolves ran off. "My first... self earned reward. Don''t mind if I do!" Griff ran behind Danyell. This was only the beginning. It was time to start his life truly. [You''ve found your purpose? What is it... slaying the gods or something?] ''Not anything that extreme! I''m ready... to make memories and adventure. I want to be... the very best out there!'' [Such a childish dream...well I guess... it''s not a bad one.] 49 Chapter 44 - Onwards! Griff had been resting inside Danyell and Galvain''s home for a full day. Saying he was exhausted would have been an understatement. ''Definitely not what I was expecting for when I came here to just chase a few wolves away.'' [Pssh. Small details. I''m out of that hell hole and that''s all that matters.] ''To you, yes.'' Caphriel snickered through Griff''s head. The brothers had been outside dealing with the aftermath of said incident in the meantime. The villagers took the demi-human girl somewhere Griff had no clue about, but now was definitely the time to find out. "Oi! Griff you awake? The elders want to see you again!" Galvain could be heard getting closer to the small brick building. ''Well that''s my cue.'' "Yeah! I''m coming!" A few minutes later Griff was walking through the village once more. The air around the villagers had seemed to relaxed slightly compared to the first time he got here when all the able bodied men were training. "Hey Griff! The elder''s are inside." Danyell greeted him on the courtyard looking at the village elder''s home. "Yup, let''s get this over with." Griff walked into the house once more. "Good. You''re back." Said the elder in the middle. The other two were simply looking at him, not showing any intention to talk. "First of all, your reward. 2 silver and 54 bronze coins." That was... ''Much less than what I was expecting after fighting a demi-human...'' "But. That would have been if you only chased off the wolves. We were uncertain... but there was a rabid demi-human. Our suspicions were true..." ''Shit this old geezer actually set me up? I knew something was fishy when there was some missing info on the request...'' [Sucks to be you.] ''You. Shut up.'' [You want me to burst you open with my chains?? There are a lot of humans here who can be my host.] ''...'' [Great!] "Your reward is... 5 pieces of silver and 30 bronze coins. However, we will have to confiscate one silver coin for the slight damage you caused to the forest. We shall inform the guild on you performing better than expected." ''Damn. Well, better than nothing. Gotta thank those two for putting out the fire after I disappeared...'' The elder to the right took out a bag of coins, and the left one raised his hands, levitating the bag to Griff. [Psshh. Some shitty Shaman you are, trying to show off.] Griff slightly giggled internally. He was scared of these elders, but Caphriel simply passed them off as showing off. ''You know. Maybe I should start taking you more seriously.'' [Unless you want to die, yes.] ''Duly noted.'' "You may now leave..." Griff instinctively turned around to leave, but suddenly something crossed his mind. "What will happen to that demi-human? Has she woken up?" "...she has woken up... for disturbing our village''s daily life and putting so many of us in danger, we shall make her one with nature again." Griff looked puzzled. [He means kill dumbass. That''s how Shaman''s refer to death.] Griff''s eyes widened in realization. "Wait wait! Is it that necessary? " "...it indeed is." "Well. What if I say that I''ll take her away from here? She''s also a human, doesn''t she have rights?" "Child. I do not know where you are coming from. Kulva is not on very good terms with the Beast Nation, she is our enemy by all means." Griff was at a loss. How could he turn the tide. ''It''s not like... I owe that girl anything anyways. Why should I even save her?'' [Indeed. Why did you even save her back in the ruins. ] ''I want to find that out too.'' "Elders. Can I talk with her then?" The three elders turned to look at each other and nodded. "We don''t see this as a problem. She is below this floor. A few of the villagers are standing guard there." The elder in the middle raised his hand and pointed at a staircase leading downstairs. Griff hurriedly walked downstairs without another word. It was simply a storage, but a few of the trained villagers were standing guard over a cage, and inside was the wolf-girl. "I just want to talk to her." The villagers moved without another word, standing at the sides. Griff crouched in front of her and waved his hand to see if she could see him... because she had a look that wasn''t like her furious side in the battle. "Hey. You remember me? You and I just fought. I just want to ask why you... terrorized this village." The girl didn''t answer at first. "Sheesh. After all that trouble I had saving you from that cliff not even a bit of gratitude?" Hearing the word ''cliff'' the girl looked up at Griff and spoke with a slightly mature and harsh tone. Her voice would be considered serene if not for her current snarky tone. "What I did is none of your concern..." "Hey... you''re not some random beast now. I don''t want to simply walk away." "You should have done so... I''m going to die anyhow, so why did you even bother with me in the first place..." "..." The girl looked irritated. "No answer? Some guy you are." "...impulse." "What?" "I did it on impulse..." He looked at her with steeled eyes. "I had no intention of saving you after you tried to kill me... but I acted before I knew why..." She slightly laughed at that. "What kind of an idiot are you? Saving your enemy by impulse? What if I woke up randomly and attacked you? Not that it matters anymore..." "...I don''t know and I guess I won''t." "Yeah, you won''t." "..." After a few moments of silence Griff spoke up again. "Now, tell me why you did all that." [Hey brat. Why are you even bothering with this girl... she''s more useful to us dead than alive. I had to pull HER down as well remember?] Griff sighed internally. ''I really don''t know why I''m doing this and I know it defies all the logic and common sense I learnt over the last few months, but... I feel like she''s similar to me.'' [No one else is a mistake like you are brat.] ''Not in that way. She''s alone. If I hadn''t met up with James after I left a certain place, I think... no I know I''d end up like her.'' [James? The hell is he?] ''A good guy.'' The girl sighed in front of him. "I had no choice. Beastmen aren''t welcome around here, and I had no one to trust. All I could do was live with the wolves and hunt. It''s not like I could have gone to a settlement here, and hey, I survived so if you''re trying to find anything I regret, you''re not going to find anything." ''Yeah... I definitely would have ended like her.'' "It''s not bad to want to live. I know it all too well." "Psh. Like hell you went through what I did, you don''t even know me." "And you don''t know me." "Fair point..." Griff turned to the villagers who were getting impatient, leaning on their spears. "I''m going to speak to the elder''s again. I''ll be back." He quickly scaled the stairs and in mere seconds he was standing in front of the elders again. "Are you satisfied? You may take your leave now." "Sorry, but no..." "Oh?" "I... I want to buy her off of your hands. Is that okay? I think it would be a waste for her to die..." "Hmm... Then there will be no reward for you." "...I can live with that." [Why did they even agree this fast...] "You''re definitely wondering if there are any strings attached to this, child. No, there aren''t. No one truly died... that is enough for us to even consider a deal like this." Griff looked with widened eyes. He actually pulled this off? "However, never let us see her again." "You have my word!" Griff tossed back the coin bag. So much for his first self claimed reward. A few minutes later the villagers brought up the cage outside. Griff quickly rose to his feet. "Oh? You''re my executioner. This is ironic. Just get it over with." Griff payed her no heed and simply nudged the villagers to open the cage, which they did so reluctantly. "Okay, you can come out now." "Huh?" "I said come out you dumb wolf!" The girl jolted and got out of the cage in confusion. "The hell is wrong with you?" The villagers quickly interrupted them. "Kid! The elder said he doesn''t want the girl to be near the village in half an hour. Get a move on." Griff simply nodded. "Well, come on let''s get out of here." "...you''re seriously-" "I''ll answer all your questions when we leave this place." The girl sighed in defeat. "Fine have it your way you weirdo." They''d reached the gates of the village where Danyell and Galvain were waiting for them with Griff''s horse. "It was short, but I''m glad I got to know someone as crazy as you Griff." Danyell stated smiling. "It wasn''t bad..." Galvain said nonchalantly. Griff simply grinned. "I''ll miss you two too. Who knows, our path might cross again." The two simply shook their heads. "An adventurer''s road is rocky. It''s very hard." Griff petted his horse as the girl was standing behind him still confused. "That''s not for us to decide. Come, dumb wolf let''s go." "If you call me dumb wolf again I swear I''ll stab you in the back." However, the girl, reluctantly, started to tail behind him as Griff started to walk away from the gate without another word. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª "You wanted to go, didn''t you brother..." Galvain spoke up. Danyell could be seen sitting on the ground in front of the gate. Griff and the girl had already disappeared and the sun was about to down. "...it''s not like I''d be any help." Danyell looked up at the sky, clenching his fist. "Yeah, I always wanted an adventure... but I''m not cut out for it like he is." Galvain sighed. "Food will be ready in a few minutes, stop brooding already." "I''ll pass..." Galvain shrugged and walked back into the small brick house. Danyell looked down in frustration. "I guess that''s it for my dream... and the beginning of his." 49 Chapter 44 - From Past to Future Griff had been resting inside Danyell and Galvain''s home for a full day. Saying he was exhausted would have been an understatement. ''Definitely not what I was expecting for when I came here to just chase a few wolves away.'' [Pssh. Small details. I''m out of that hell hole and that''s all that matters.] ''To you, yes.'' Caphriel snickered through Griff''s head. The brothers had been outside dealing with the aftermath of said incident in the meantime. The villagers took the demi-human girl somewhere Griff had no clue about, but now was definitely the time to find out. "Oi! Griff you awake? The elders want to see you again!" Galvain could be heard getting closer to the small brick building. ''Well that''s my cue.'' "Yeah! I''m coming!" A few minutes later Griff was walking through the village once more. The air around the villagers had seemed to relaxed slightly compared to the first time he got here when all the able bodied men were training. "Hey Griff! The elder''s are inside." Danyell greeted him on the courtyard looking at the village elder''s home. "Yup, let''s get this over with." Griff walked into the house once more. "Good. You''re back." Said the elder in the middle. The other two were simply looking at him, not showing any intention to talk. "First of all, your reward. 2 silver and 54 bronze coins." That was... ''Much less than what I was expecting after fighting a demi-human...'' "But. That would have been if you only chased off the wolves. We were uncertain... but there was a rabid demi-human. Our suspicions were true..." ''Shit this old geezer actually set me up? I knew something was fishy when there was some missing info on the request...'' [Sucks to be you.] ''You. Shut up.'' [You want me to burst you open with my chains?? There are a lot of humans here who can be my host.] ''...'' [Great!] "Your reward is... 5 pieces of silver and 30 bronze coins. However, we will have to confiscate one silver coin for the slight damage you caused to the forest. We shall inform the guild on you performing better than expected." ''Damn. Well, better than nothing. Gotta thank those two for putting out the fire after I disappeared...'' The elder to the right took out a bag of coins, and the left one raised his hands, levitating the bag to Griff. [Psshh. Some shitty Shaman you are, trying to show off.] Griff slightly giggled internally. He was scared of these elders, but Caphriel simply passed them off as showing off. ''You know. Maybe I should start taking you more seriously.'' [Unless you want to die, yes.] ''Duly noted.'' "You may now leave..." Griff instinctively turned around to leave, but suddenly something crossed his mind. "What will happen to that demi-human? Has she woken up?" "...she has woken up... for disturbing our village''s daily life and putting so many of us in danger, we shall make her one with nature again." Griff looked puzzled. [He means kill dumbass. That''s how Shaman''s refer to death.] Griff''s eyes widened in realization. "Wait wait! Is it that necessary? " "...it indeed is." "Well. What if I say that I''ll take her away from here? She''s also a human, doesn''t she have rights?" "Child. I do not know where you are coming from. Kulva is not on very good terms with the Beast Nation, she is our enemy by all means." Griff was at a loss. How could he turn the tide. ''It''s not like... I owe that girl anything anyways. Why should I even save her?'' [Indeed. Why did you even save her back in the ruins. ] ''I want to find that out too.'' "Elders. Can I talk with her then?" The three elders turned to look at each other and nodded. "We don''t see this as a problem. She is below this floor. A few of the villagers are standing guard there." The elder in the middle raised his hand and pointed at a staircase leading downstairs. Griff hurriedly walked downstairs without another word. It was simply a storage, but a few of the trained villagers were standing guard over a cage, and inside was the wolf-girl. "I just want to talk to her." The villagers moved without another word, standing at the sides. Griff crouched in front of her and waved his hand to see if she could see him... because she had a look that wasn''t like her furious side in the battle. "Hey. You remember me? You and I just fought. I just want to ask why you... terrorized this village." The girl didn''t answer at first. "Sheesh. After all that trouble I had saving you from that cliff not even a bit of gratitude?" Hearing the word ''cliff'' the girl looked up at Griff and spoke with a slightly mature and harsh tone. Her voice would be considered serene if not for her current snarky tone. "What I did is none of your concern..." "Hey... you''re not some random beast now. I don''t want to simply walk away." "You should have done so... I''m going to die anyhow, so why did you even bother with me in the first place..." "..." The girl looked irritated. "No answer? Some guy you are." "...impulse." "What?" "I did it on impulse..." He looked at her with steeled eyes. "I had no intention of saving you after you tried to kill me... but I acted before I knew why..." She slightly laughed at that. "What kind of an idiot are you? Saving your enemy by impulse? What if I woke up randomly and attacked you? Not that it matters anymore..." "...I don''t know and I guess I won''t." "Yeah, you won''t." "..." After a few moments of silence Griff spoke up again. "Now, tell me why you did all that." [Hey brat. Why are you even bothering with this girl... she''s more useful to us dead than alive. I had to pull HER down as well remember?] Griff sighed internally. ''I really don''t know why I''m doing this and I know it defies all the logic and common sense I learnt over the last few months, but... I feel like she''s similar to me.'' [No one else is a mistake like you are brat.] ''Not in that way. She''s alone. If I hadn''t met up with James after I left a certain place, I think... no I know I''d end up like her.'' [James? The hell is he?] ''A good guy.'' The girl sighed in front of him. "I had no choice. Beastmen aren''t welcome around here, and I had no one to trust. All I could do was live with the wolves and hunt. It''s not like I could have gone to a settlement here, and hey, I survived so if you''re trying to find anything I regret, you''re not going to find anything." ''Yeah... I definitely would have ended like her.'' "It''s not bad to want to live. I know it all too well." "Psh. Like hell you went through what I did, you don''t even know me." "And you don''t know me." "Fair point..." Griff turned to the villagers who were getting impatient, leaning on their spears. "I''m going to speak to the elder''s again. I''ll be back." He quickly scaled the stairs and in mere seconds he was standing in front of the elders again. "Are you satisfied? You may take your leave now." "Sorry, but no..." "Oh?" "I... I want to buy her off of your hands. Is that okay? I think it would be a waste for her to die..." "Hmm... Then there will be no reward for you." "...I can live with that." [Why did they even agree this fast...] "You''re definitely wondering if there are any strings attached to this, child. No, there aren''t. No one truly died... that is enough for us to even consider a deal like this." Griff looked with widened eyes. He actually pulled this off? "However, never let us see her again." "You have my word!" Griff tossed back the coin bag. So much for his first self claimed reward. A few minutes later the villagers brought up the cage outside. Griff quickly rose to his feet. "Oh? You''re my executioner. This is ironic. Just get it over with." Griff payed her no heed and simply nudged the villagers to open the cage, which they did so reluctantly. "Okay, you can come out now." "Huh?" "I said come out you dumb wolf!" The girl jolted and got out of the cage in confusion. "The hell is wrong with you?" The villagers quickly interrupted them. "Kid! The elder said he doesn''t want the girl to be near the village in half an hour. Get a move on." Griff simply nodded. "Well, come on let''s get out of here." "...you''re seriously-" "I''ll answer all your questions when we leave this place." The girl sighed in defeat. "Fine have it your way you weirdo." They''d reached the gates of the village where Danyell and Galvain were waiting for them with Griff''s horse. "It was short, but I''m glad I got to know someone as crazy as you Griff." Danyell stated smiling. "It wasn''t bad..." Galvain said nonchalantly. Griff simply grinned. "I''ll miss you two too. Who knows, our path might cross again." The two simply shook their heads. "An adventurer''s road is rocky. It''s very hard." Griff petted his horse as the girl was standing behind him still confused. "That''s not for us to decide. Come, dumb wolf let''s go." "If you call me dumb wolf again I swear I''ll stab you in the back." However, the girl, reluctantly, started to tail behind him as Griff started to walk away from the gate without another word. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª "You wanted to go, didn''t you brother..." Galvain spoke up. Danyell could be seen sitting on the ground in front of the gate. Griff and the girl had already disappeared and the sun was about to down. "...it''s not like I''d be any help." Danyell looked up at the sky, clenching his fist. "Yeah, I always wanted an adventure... but I''m not cut out for it like he is." Galvain sighed. "Food will be ready in a few minutes, stop brooding already." "I''ll pass..." Galvain shrugged and walked back into the small brick house. Danyell looked down in frustration. "I guess that''s it for my dream... and the beginning of his." 50 Chapter 45 - Descent of the Troll King "Okay. Speak." Griff was sitting beneath a lone tree in the middle of the route leading back to Alfrum. The demi human girl had started to get restless and stopped there, so Griff decided to entertain the idea. Griff sighed as he folded his arms and rested against the tree. "Okay. What do you wanna know." "First of all who the hell are you." "I''m Griff. Just plain Griff. I''m an adventurer from Alfrum." She narrowed her eyes and tried to continue but Griff clicked his tongue. "You haven''t told me your name?" "...Call me Sylvie." She said with a whisper. She cleared her throat. "Now why did you save me? Do you want me to be your slave? I''ll give my body to you for a week if this is what you wanted... but I''m not owing any favors." [Hm. I think this points out how out of place you are acting?] ''Oh you shut up. I know you''re having fun.'' Caphriel giggled through Griff''s mind. Griff sighed and shook his head. "Believe me when I say I honestly could care less about you after you attacked me. Why I saved you is more of a flaw I have. I''m soft no matter what I go through, and it''s annoying." [Ohoho. Trying to act cool I see.] Griff''s right eye twitched slightly hearing that but he didn''t respond. "How come you know I won''t backstab you then? You might have some strength but with a mind like that you''re getting no where." "Sheesh woman. I get it. Look I''m not some charity, and if you insist I won''t be nice." Sylvie raised her left eyebrow questioningly as she folded her arms. "...you''ll become my partner." Suddenly Caphriel who has having a laughing fit stopped and shouted through his head. [WHAAAAA-] "EEEEEEEH?!" Sylvie joined her. ''Welp. Should have expected that reaction.'' [ARE YOU OUT OF YO GOD DAMN MIND?! SHE OBVIOUSLY DOESN''T TRUST YOU AND IMPLIED YOUR GUARD IS DOWN!] ''That''s not necessarily bad though... think about i-'' His thought was interrupted as Sylvie grunted and sat down face palming herself. "I tried to kill you, you fucking pipsqueak." "Yet you didn''t" "I told you I can backstab you anytime." "Then why didn''t you?" She sighed. "This isn''t getting anywhere. I''ll... just pay you twice the amount you payed the village head when I get the cash. Sheesh. I haven''t met a lunatic like you in ages." Griff smiled. "Well thanks!" [That was an insult you dolt.] ''I know. Just feel like teasing her.'' "Just... urgh. Okay let''s go to this Alfrum something city." Griff stood up and dusted his pants. "Yup. You can see you''re not gonna get the answers you want from me." "You''re damn right you weirdo." She started walking ahead with her hands inside the pockets of her rag tag clothing. It was a miracle that horribly sewn leather fabric was still holding together. [Okay. Tell me now. Why did you even bother with her really... I want the truth.] ''Well... I think this is more of helping myself than her. I saw myself in her when I was in... some bad place.'' [Self-fulfillment. Heh. At least you''re not completely soft.] Griff shrugged. ''I try my best, but hey I''m just a kid as you said. It''s hard.'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A couple hours later the gates of Alfrum could be seen. Sylvie had been walking ahead for hours now. "Heyy! Come on. You chilled yet?" Sylvie simply rolled her eyes at Griff''s antics. The whole beauty of the city of Alfrum was in vision now. The floating buildings where the merchants resided and the lower city where the common-folk and adventurers did. "Welcome to Alfrum!" He gestured enthusiastically at his current home. Sylvie was, however, unimpressed? However... that wasn''t what bugged Griff. There were a lot more guards at the gates. ''That''s odd.'' The guards walked up to greet them. "Resident?" Griff took out his guild card and handed it. "Great... thank god, we thought we were-" Another guard shook his head at the guard who was talking. "If you don''t have anything urgent head to the guild kid. It''s important." Griff nodded. [Looks like something interesting is going on...] "And the...demi?" "Huh? You mean Sylvie?" The guardsmen kept their distance from her. "She''s with me..." [Just say Guild Business. Not everyone likes demi-humans.] "Guild business." "...we''ll let her through this time." He nodded and quickly pulled Sylvie''s arm, and started running. "What about the horse?!" The guards shouted in confusion. "I''ll be back later!!" "Hey! What the hell do you think you''re doing? Let me go." "Later. It seems we don''t have time. Something happened..." Sylvie opened her mouth to protest but gave up. She internally thought ''...this kid is a handful.'' The guild hall was standing strong in the middle of the town in all its glory. Griff quickly barged through the doors. Inside was chaotic. Not a joyful chaos but the tension could be seen. Adventurers checking their gears, newbies being scolded... receptionists being bombarded by questions. "What in the-" "Griff! Is that you? Get over here!" It was Reiner. He was putting on a gauntlet, and his sister Rin was helping him hoist his armor on. Griff pulled Sylvie after him. No one still noticed her from the chaos. "What the hell is going on here! It''s like we''re heading to war." Reiner started to put on the other gauntlet with grit teeth. His short hair was messy. "Because we are..." Rin quickly interjected. "The Troll King has descended." Troll King... ''I heard that somewhere... no I read it...'' "Wait... Truck the Troll King?" "Looks like you know your stuff. He''s marching towards Alfrum. Because we''re one of the border cities of Kulva to the mountain range we''re expected to defend this place... damn politics..." "What she''s trying to say that since this is the only city that a noble doesn''t rule and merchants rule, we aren''t getting any help. It will take at least a week for the capitol to send reinforcements too..." "Wait a second. Calm down both of you. I still don''t get how one Troll is a menace to an entire city of adventurers." "...we don''t know too exactly but... that old mage, Alatar. He told it to Master Leebus. He knows more, but they did say they''d explain everything soon." Griff sighed and facepalmed. ''Just when I got out of one shitty situation.'' [It won''t be the last kiddo! Hey! Cheer up. I''m going to keep my side of the deal. This is a perfect opportunity for you to learn more about your magic. The best way to learn is practice after all!] ''Weeeelll... yeah you got a point.'' "Wait wait wait." Rin suddenly spoke up. The young mage looked sort of...pissed? "Who the hell is she? And why did you bring a demi here? WHERE DID YOU EVEN FIND HER?!" She was pointing at Sylvia, who simply folded her arms and looked smugly. "That''s what I''d like to know." She said. ''Ah shit here we go again.'' [Pfft. For a brat you ain''t half bad...] 51 Chapter 46 - Have Some Guts! "..." Griff facepalmed himself as Rin looked at him with her hands on her hips and she leaned forward, looking at him accusingly. "Long story short. She was about to be killed, I paid ransom. Now I brought her here." "...full story after this mission..." "...why exactly?" Griff asked with a slightly puzzled tone as he raised an eyebrow. This time Reiner facepalmed himself. "Because I said so. Get her an ID or something if you don''t want this to bite you in the ass later..." She huffed and turned around, folded her arms and walked away. "You know we worry about you Griff..." Reiner said with a defeated tone and dashed to catch up to Rin. ''Hm... I guess they do.'' Sylvie was leaning on the wall to Griff''s left as she just waited to see what was going to happen. Suddenly a shout echoed through the guild. "ATTENTION!" The guild quieted down. Griff turned to look at the source to see Master Leebus with Alatar next to him standing on the stairs going up to the Master''s Quarters. Master Leebus cleared his throat and spoke up. "The Troll King suddenly began to march as you all know, even though it''s known as a monster which doesn''t like moving at all... and it''s heading our way as our scouts spotted. That''s not it as for some reason a large monster horde has also gathered around it..." Alatar interjected. "I saw the horde with my own eyes... but I couldn''t get close to get a better look. I couldn''t see the ending of the horde..." Griff walked through the crowd, pulling Sylvie by the arm as he tried to listen. [Oho. A monster horde.] ''Is this normal?'' [It''s a phenomenon where monsters gather. I''d say so-so.] An adventurer from the crowd spoke up. "How many were spotted?" Alatar looked down in stress. "I... couldn''t exactly predict such a large number." The crowd was baffled. "What Alatar is trying to say is that... we don''t think this is a regular sized horde. We can be potentially facing not hundreds or thousands but tens of thousands. My rough estimate is about... over 200.000 demonic beasts, monsters and other dark beings." "WHAT! 200.000?!" An adventurer shouted in horror. "I''M NOT THROWIN MY LIFE AWAY! I''M OUTTA HERE!" A random adventurer threw down his sword and stormed out of the building. Leebus got angry seeing this but Alatar squeezed his shoulder to calm him down and shook his head. Alatar spoke up. "As one of the three guardians of Alfrum, I''d like to say that it is okay to be scared... we won''t hold it against you if you leave this place." The crowd that was chattering in fear didn''t pay heed to Alatar. Leebus stomped his feet, shaking the entire structure. He couldn''t contain his anger anymore. [That old man isn''t half assed as compared to most here...] ''Even you praised him...'' "LISTEN UP YOU LITTLE SHITS!" ''Yep... he''s angry.'' [No shit.] The adventurers quieted down... and a man with a hulking figure even let out a girly shriek... which caused everyone to distance themselves from him. "THERE IS NO DOUBT WE CANNOT STOP THAT HORDE... BUT WHEN YOU LEAVE THIS PLACE IT''S NOT HELPING ANYONE!" Leebus took a moment and breathed. "The thousands of residents here can''t defend themselves without us... and we cannot abandon this place... the most unique city in Kulva, Alfrum, after all it has done for our small guild here." An adventurer shouted. "Master! But we stand no chance!" "I know damn well we don''t genius! Not with these numbers." A girl who was wearing a magicians hat spoke up while trembling. "T-t-then what are we even supposed to-" Leebus raised his hand to cut her off. "I was getting to there. We sent a message to the Capitol yesterday... the army is on its way." The crowd breathed a sigh of relief suddenly. "That''s not all of it you fools. Don''t be relieved so fast. The force they dispatched was states that it couldn''t get here as fast as we need them to... they gave us 3 days to survive." "Huh?" A lot of adventurers were confused as they started talking again. "Silence! The army''s pace is fast but they won''t get here for three days... while the Troll King is about one and a half day far from us given their pace." The hall was silent again. [...this is perfect.] ''What the hell are you saying Caphriel... aren''t you supposed to be some angel? This is horrible.'' [Oh toodaloo. Humans are born humans die. I mean this is perfect for you to learn and grasp your true potential.] ''Let''s talk about this later.'' [Fiiineee~] "We shall defend Alfrum for about one and a half day! That is our objective. Not a victory! We are only aiming to defend. Is that understood? If you feel uncomfortable with this you can leave like the previous lad did... just know that IF i survive this... I''m banning you from the Adventurers Guild!" Griff chuckled slightly at that. The people around him looked at him like he was going nuts... finding it funny that he could die or lose his job?! [Why are you-] ''Because I missed the old geezers... I''m just happy.'' [...you''re too soft... and crazy.] "...now. Which one of you lot is a real adventurer! The lot of you cowards that would prefer to run and hide behind mommy''s skirt or man up and do something with your pesky life!" Leebus concluded his sentence with a stern tone and folded his arms... No one was saying anything. From the corner of his eye Griff could see Reiner and Rin hesitating as well. "This is a bloody war. You brought me to a bloody war zone you freak!" Sylvie whispered to Griff angrily. "Hey... how could I know this?" "..." Leebus interjected again. "No one?" His tone held a slight disappointment. Griff suddenly raised his arm. Sylvie first didn''t understand what he did, but slowly her face twisted in shock, and anger. She latches onto him and tried to pull his arm down. "I am not looking forward to a war you fool! Lower your hand. NOW!" Griff was struggling but he was keeping his hand up. "No. I. Won''t." Alatar turned to the source of the voice to see Griff raising... well trying to raise his hand. He smiled. The brat was back, and he had some company for a change. Leebus also noticed this and nodded at Alatar with a slight smile. "Look at all of you cowards! None of you raised your hands to defend your home, but this snot nosed brat that we took in a year ago did! Do you all have less balls than a brat?!" The male adventurers were all flustered. Reiner was blabbering some excuses while Rin was sighing next to him. An adventurer raised his hand. "I''m no coward!" And another. "Master, I''ll show you what I''m made of!" Reiner raised his hand. "I''m not gonna be looked down by Griff!" Sylvie stopped trying to pull his hand down and sighed. "You damned idiot, do you have a deathwish or something?" Griff ignored her with a slight smile across his lips. ''I don''t know why but... I think you''re right Caph. This is big for me as well. My first step to become strong!'' [Now THAT is the spirit I liked about you brat. Good. Grasp this goal.] In a few minutes the remaining adventurers had all raised their hands. They had steeled themselves for what was to come. Griff looked at Sylvie with his smile. "Don''t look at me like that it''s creepy." "Well you''re the only one who hasn''t raises their hand." "I''m not even an adventurer you idiot." "But... you DID promise to team up with me right?" She raised her finger to refute that... then lowered it again. She opened her mouth to say something but simply sighed and raised her hand. "Just this one to pay my debt." Suddenly Leebus clapped, the sound echoing around the hall. "I''m glad to see you all have some guts! Head out to the walls! We prepare the defenses now. And you!" Leebus pointed at Griff who pointed back at himself in confusion. "Yes you Griff! Come over here." The adventurers slowly started to pack their equipment to head to the walls of Alfrum. "What are you all waiting for! Get a move on!" Alatar shouted. The adventurers scrambled as they woke up once again to the threat they were about to face. Reiner and Rin walked to the door, and turned back to look at Griff who was now walking behind Alatar and Leebus with that demi-human girl to the Master''s Chambers. "What do they want with him?" "Master''s just going to praise him or something for raising his hand... nevermind that right now brother. We got a job to do." Rin said with a slightly irritated tone as she continued to look at Sylvie and Griff who had just entered the Master''s Chambers. 52 Chapter 47 - How to Contradic "Now Griff. I''m going to get to the point. Do you have any idea what that demi-human is?" Leebus stated as he sat on his chair with Alatar leaning next to him to the wall. "I see you fixed the gaping hole in here!" Leebus hit the table angrily, causing the room to shake. "Answer the question Griff!" Sylvie who was behind him was now on guard, growling slightly as she took a battle stance. "...I" [If you tell anyone what happened don''t expect to see the next day.] "I fought her during my mission, and we fell over a cliff. She was leading a wolfpack to attack the village." Leebus had slightly calmed down seeing Griff speaking. "We fell over a cliff after..." ''Wait just a second... SHE knows some bits of what really happened.'' [That''s why I told you to kill her.] ''...and I couldn''t.'' [It''s your problem now. I''ll let her get away with knowing about the chains. Nothing else.] "After some sort of magic pulled us down it." Sylvie''s ears had perked up. She knew that there were chains that pulled them down, but Griff had always avoided the topic. "The source? Did you find it?" "I... have no idea master. It was as if the magic was uhm... prepared a long time ago." "It was a rune." "A rune?! Don''t runes allow houses to float?" "That too, but they also let magic last a longer time. So, why bring her here?" "She got injured, and I decided to bring her. That''s the entire story master." Leebus pondered for a second. "We need all the fighters we can get right now. The demi can stay here." "I have a name you old geezer!" Leebus looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "It''s Sylvie." "Fine take this Sylvie and go Griff. Don''t let her leave your sight, or I can''t promise her safety." Griff nodded whilst Sylvie clicked her tongue. "Griff." Alatar walked towards them. "Head to the southern walls of the city. I can feel your magic has strengthened. We need every able bodied fighter against the Troll King." "You can count on me masters! Come on angry wolf girl. Let''s go." "I''m not a-" Griff pulled her from her arm without allowing her to speak, and dashed out of the guild hall. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Leebus watched Griff run towards to southern wall by dragging Sylvie who was obviously irritated. "Tell me what you exactly saw Alatar. I know there was more to what you saw..." "...I''m afraid this is more serious than a regular monster horde." "That much is certain. The Troll King never leaves the mountains. Are the other two Masters of Alfrum going to help us?" "...they''ve already left. They said it was a hassle and would interfere with their research." Leebus sighed. "That''s a given. You''re only here because of our friendship I suppose." Alatar smirked. "The kid too. I normally never teach magic, but... I did it as a favor for you and Humbert. Dear lord the kid died young." "So this is a way for you to keep an eye on your last pupil?" "In a way yes. I know that fool won''t leave. Just look at him! Bringing a demi-human to a city in Kulva..." "...we better start getting ready." "Yeah. The Troll King will be here tomorrow night..." Leebus turned from the window and started walking back to the room where Alatar waited for him. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Reiner was lifting an oak log to help create a makeshift barricade as he saw Griff walking towards them. He was about to shout, but Rin stepped on his feet. "What did you do that for!" "I am NOT going to babysit another idiot right now." "But he looks like a literal lost baby!" Reiner pointed at Griff who was looking around with confused eyes and trying to touch everything as Sylvie was trying to cover her face in annoyance. "...that''s the point!" Reiner looked at her and gave a smug look. "Don''t you fucking-" "GRIFF OVER HERE!" Griff suddenly turned towards Reiner and started walking to him with Sylvie behind him. "So I''m basically your slave now..." "Hey master Leebus didn''t say that!" "That''s basically what I have to do though. If I stray from you I''m in danger. Gee. Thanks for my ''freedom.''" "Yo Griff!" Reiner placed the log on the ground. "Hey Reiner! Have you seen James?" "Oh yeah! He said he was completely retiring. Remember that pub he started? Full time now." "Oh..." Reiner was ignoring Sylvie, who was more than happy to be ignored. "Come on. We''re setting up defenses. Grab a log or something and come." "Alrighty! Come on Sylvie!" "..." [Hm. I think I better whip you good so you mentally grow up too.] ''...please don''t.'' [I will do it no matter what you want.] ''Damn it. Griff rolled up his sleeves and started to drag a log behind Reiner to set up makeshift trenches. Sylvie simply sighed at seeing him struggling to drag the log and lifted it with one hand. Griff looked at her with wide eyes. "Just...come on." She said as she carried the log with one arm, causing everyone to look at her baffled. Griff got up and grabbed a smaller log and quickly trailed behind her. [You don''t have a lot of time. Swivel away from here.] ''What?'' [You won''t have time to prepare for a horde fast... if you didn''t have me.] ''Magic?'' [Magic...] Griff dropped the log, and walked to Reiner. "Hey Reiner. I''m going to look at the surroundings of Alfrum." "You really think this is the time?" "I want to scout the area. Since this is about to become a battlefield we should set traps too, right? I set traps at my last mission." "Go. Don''t tell Rin if she finds you it was me." Griff grinned and ran he off. Sylvie saw him run, and cursed, tossing the log she was carrying behind him. "Griiiffff! Don''t dump this on me!" Griff slides to the right, avoiding the log which created a freaking small crater; and dived into the forest with a grin on his face. [You''re enjoying this!] ''I surprisingly do.'' Griff stopped as he reached a slight opening and stretched his arms. "Okay! Teach me, Caphy." [Heh. I''d say don''t call me that, but I''ll let it slide. It''s time for a crash course.] 53 Chapter 48 - Grasping Conceptualization [The first thing you should know about contradiction magic is how to reverse mana. All living things have mana. You have to be able to reverse the concept of what you want to master it.] ''So does this mean I can convert things to their opposites?'' [In a way, yes. You can convert the components of water magic and bend it to create fire mana, but that''s not where you should stop. You have to master how to use that magic as well. Otherwise you''ll be stuck at the base form of your magic: the black flames.] ''What even are these flames?'' [They represent the fire that forged opposite concepts. It''s true element is nothingness, but to even properly use it other than using it as fire you got to get how to contradict.] ''Okay then. Let''s give this a try. What should I contradict?'' [Take that busy for example. It''s overflowing with the mana of life, healing and regeneration like most living things. Try to contradict a single leaf.] ''Got it!'' Griff touched the bush next to him and started to focus. ''Um... is something supposed to happen.'' [You''re not feeling the mana. Do it like last time. Grab a thread. If there isn''t one... create it!] ''A thread... visualizing main components. Concept of mana acknowledged.... conceptualizing thread...'' Griff closed his eyes and reached out, and touched something. He quickly grasped it. [Good job! Now understand what you are supposed to do. Feel the mana.] ''It''s warm... it feels as if...'' [It''s pulsing with energy. Right?] ''Exactly. '' [That''s life. Everything has a feeling. We holy beings can understand them very well, and normally that''s impossible... but you can, as a being that isn''t bound by the rules of the domain.] ''It''s opposite... cold, horrifying, unknown....death?'' [Good job!] ''But... Caphriel I don''t know how this is supposed to help me learn this...'' [You already did... look at the bush.] Griff opened his eyes to see the area his hand was touching had dead leaves on the bush that were slowly falling down. [Too fast. You learnt it too fast... but for a human that isn''t bound by this worlds laws you can. I guess this is how you will be.] Caphriel thought to herself: [''He can get strong very fast. I chose a good host. Now, let''s see of you can entertain me more Griff!''] ''This... is awesome! With my magic I can... I can control every attribute if I plan this right! I can survive! I can definitely survive!'' [''What has he gone through to see his magic as a tool of survival rather than power... It seems to be a subconscious thing too.''] Griff grasped his fist and closed his eyes. ''The mana... it''s all around me... everything is mana. If I can get much stronger, I can-'' [No you silly boy do not try something like that! Do you WANT to rip yourself to shreds!] ''I guess I got my limits...'' [For now.] Griff raised his hand and touched a tree bark. Slowly the bark''s outside died, leaving the shape of Griff''s hand on the tree. ''I know what to call this...'' Griff cleared his throat, and condensed the mana in the air around him. "Contradiction Magic: Conceptualization." Suddenly knowledge about the components, history and very being of his surroundings flooded into his head. Knowledge he shouldn''t be able to know. "And now!" With how he learned how to manipulate mana, Griff had split the process for versatility... "Contradiction Magic: Contradiction!" The mana he had condensed in his hand slowly turned black from blue. [A ball of necromantic mana. Good job, you''re getting the hand of this!] Griff dispersed the mana ball because it was slowly getting more chaotic for him to control. "It''s not going to be easy, but you said it Caphriel. It''s time for a little field test." Suddenly the ground started shaking. Griff fell on his rear end from the shaking. "The hell?" [I sense magic. From the direction of the city! Go, now.] Griff got up as the ground kept shaking and started to run through the forest. The branches were slashing against him, but he didn''t mind them now. "There''s a damn wall..." There indeed was a towering wall of stone. Griff could see it behind the trees... Griff jumped through the opening in the forest, and he came face to face with a wall made of rock and stone rising from the ground. [Interesting. Stone Magic. Haven''t seen that one in a while.] "THERE YOU ARE!" Suddenly a figure crashed into him, toppling him onto the ground. The figure was growling at him. "Uhm... hi?" Sylvie was furious for Griff for suddenly taking off like that... well he is Griff after all. "WHERE DID YOU RUN OFF TO!" "...forest?" "NO SHIT! WHY!" "I wanted to-uh... look around?" [Find better excuses you pathetic man-child.] ''Hush now winged woman I''m doing my best.'' [Say that one more time so I can rip your insides open.] ''Please I can''t handle two angry girls.'' [You''re the one making us angry you fool.] "You... you seriously are the most unpredictable thing I''ve come across. My life is in your hands! I don''t want to freaking die so take responsibility of it." "Well I would... if you got off me first." Sylvie blinked and looked again to see that she was basically on top of Griff. A slight pink lingered on her cheeks but she didn''t pay heed to it and got up, cleaned her clothes and started dragging him to the new, rocky wall that was surrounding Alfrum. "The old geezers were worried, and the one whose making these walls even THREATENED to skewer me with a pillar if I didn''t find you. If you DARE to run off on me again I will be the one who skewers you!" "Psh. Overprotective foggies." "..." Sylvie was barely able to stand the whole situation. First he took responsibility of her life, next he disappears, and when he appears he doesn''t even pay heed to the consequences of his actions. "GRIFF!" Alatar shouted to him on top of a stone pillar he was standing on. His hands were extended as he was enacting the wall with his magic. "RUN OFF ONE MORE TIME AND IT WON''T BE THE TROLL KING YOU HAVE TO FEAR!" "Fine fine whatever you say!" "Demi- Sylvie, was it? Look after his sorry ass. This kid needs someone to kick sense into him... my old age won''t let me do it." Sylvie looked at Alatar with a slightly surprised expression and grinned maliciously. "Oh that... I can agree with that!" "Now stop dawdling around! Do you know how long you''ve been gone kid?!" "A few minutes?" "MORE THAN 6 HOURS! GET INSIDE NOW AND GEAR UP! WE ALREADY SET TRAPS WITHOUT YOU! THE TROLL KING WILL ARRIVE TOMORROW!" ''6 hours?! I thought you said I was fast?!'' [Hey now be grateful, some people with unique magic understand their after a couple weeks. The best I''ve heard is a few days.] ''Why didn''t you tell me that sooner! I could have come back to a razed Alfrum.'' [Don''t sweat the small details! I only care about teaching you magic, you manage the small details.] ''I really question both of our sanity and rationality.] ''No sane man can get along with me, you finally made a legitimate point.'' "Griff... get. A. Move. On!" Sylvie kicked him in the butt, causing him to literally fly a few meters, crashing right in front of the wall. She grabbed him by his foot and started to drag him to the small entrance of the wall. "I''ll take him from here old foggie." "Good good... DON''T CALL ME OLD!" Sylvie simply shrugged and dragged the now unconscious Griff inside... there were a few hours till the Troll arrived. It could be said clearly... that no one was expecting what was to come... 54 Chapter 49 - Farewell... Old Friend The sun was setting. Darkness was upon them. Only a day was left till the horde appeared in front of the city. Griff had, thanks to Sylvie slapping him a bit, become reasonable again. The adventurers were lined up at the gates of Alfrum, waiting for the battle plan. Griff was standing next to Sylvie, Rin and Reiner. Rin and Sylvie were simply staring at each other with their arms folded. Both behind Reiner and Griff respectively. Griff and Reiner were sweat-dropping at this as they tried to talk sensibly. "So, when I was in the woods Alatar used magic to raise a several foot tall rock wall. But that won''t last long." "Exactly, we don''t have the numbers to keep it strong." "What was the purpose then?" "We''re stalling for time. We have to be sneaky with traps and defenses... but let me tell you this Griff. This whole thing will not go as smoothly as we wan it to. That''s how war is." "Chaos... that''s what you''re saying right?" "Yeah, we''ll be fighting just to live at some point if things go down hill." "I can see that happening... with most of the stronger adventurers and magicians of the city evacuated." "Ran away you mean!" Reiner gripped his fists angrily. "They live here lavishly and leave when it i conveniences them. Sure, our city may be one of the smallest in Kulva but we''re one of our kind! Free from noble grasp." "I... don''t think that matters at all Reiner. They just wanted to live." "And we''re suicidal?" "Okay... you got a point. And for the love of god can you two weirdos stop this staring contest it''s giving me the creeps." Reiner sighed. "Please, Rin. Now is not the time. Tomorrow we''ll be fighting for our lives." "Psh fine." Both of them uttered. A large clap resonated. Leebus was standing on top of the newly enacted stone wall. "I have one thing to say before tomorrow... sleep!" Leebus then jumped down surprisingly nimbly and proceeded to walk away with Alatar to the only open bar at this time, James''s bar. "What was that all about... I was expecting something fancy." "Hey now. The master doesn''t want us to get more anxious than we are right now. Come on all of you, let''s find a tavern to sleep. It''ll most likely be our last at Alfrum." They were about to walk away before Griff said loudly. "No wait! James''s bar. Let''s stay there for the night." Sylvir and Rin shrugged at the same time to show it didn''t matter, then continued to glare at each other for the well timed movement. Reiner started to drag Rin, and Griff decided to do the same to Sylvie, which backfired. Griff was being dragged by Sylvie now. "This one?" Reiner said as he pointed at the bar. "Yeah... can you let me go now?" Sylvie raised Griff from the ground and Griff thought she was about to toss him inside, but she simply placed him on his feet. "Huh?" Griff was confused as she didn''t act aggressive this time. "Don''t misunderstand. It''s the night before a war. I can''t harm you heavily inside this city as well..." "Awww you do care!" "Say that one more time and I won''t care if they will kill me in the end I''ll kill you." [Wow easy kid!] ''Not. Now.] "Okay okay fine you got a point." As they entered the bar they looked to see Leebus and Alatar already drunk in a corner. James was cleaning a beer mug. The inside was mostly empty save for a few distraught adventurers. "I definitely didn''t expect to see you like this one day James." James stopped cleaning the mug and looked up to see Griff. He smiled, but it wasn''t joyful. "You better get some good rest tonight Griff..." He reached into his pocket and took out a set of keys and tossed it to him. "These are?" "For the rooms upstairs. Keep the keys." "Huh? You seriously can''t give me the opportunity to freeload." James smiled melancholically. "I''m leaving tonight." The group was slightly fidgeting as they felt this was awkward for them. Reiner asked for the keys and the trio made their way to the stairs to give some time for the pair. The two who had started this journey... sadly their ways were parting tonight. "Hey now! Don''t look at me like that. I told you I''d retire after what we went through." Griff sat in front of him. He, too, was now smiling melancholically. "I don''t want to say they were good times, but the time we spent together was worth it." "Oh? You like getting tortured?" James asked sarcastically and stopped. "Yeah, sorry. That was a bit too far. I''m probably the only one who knows you haven''t grown out of that place." "Yeah..." Griff was tapping the wood as he listened to James. "...I guess this is goodbye. I... honestly don''t think I''ll come across you again." "What?!" Griff suddenly slammed his hand on the wooden table. "Don''t say stuff like that! Nothing is decided ye-" James slammed the table too, he was angry. "Oh bullocks you little brat! You... you have to go on without me. My soul isn''t able to handle this life. I''m scared... scared to lose my life every second now." Griff looked at James with a slightly agape mouth. "...listen. You have to grow out of me, out of Alfrum. Heck... it''s about to become a warzone." "What exactly-" [Listen to him Griff. He''s giving advice I could never give.] "You''re too fixated on this small city. Yes, it may be the first place you have felt safe a long time, but now it will be destroyed and you can do nothing about it. No one can. All we have is our lives. You see? All we have earned is now meaningless, it''s about to be destroyed." James took a deep breath and continued. "Our paths will never cross... as long as I don''t want to. I don''t hate you Griff, it''s just you remind me of so many things I''d prefer to forget... and I''m well aware of how you''ve become attached to me. Those old farts-" He gestured at Alatar and Leebus who were casually snoring on each others shoulders. "They know so too. Why do you think they paired you with those two? Your solo missions? I can''t do this kid. Grow out of me. You''ve limited yourself... I''m not your family..." Griff was slightly tearing up now. This man... that he had considered a brother was rejecting him. For what? [Trauma isn''t something easily healed. You of all people should know that.] "I-" "Shut up and listen! I''m going to leave this bar any second now and never come back... just listen." James was crying now. His hiccups echoed through the bar. "I- Don''t get me wrong.... I liked looking after you, seeing you learn like a newborn... heck you still are a little kid to me, but... I have nothing to teach you too. " He wiped his tears and squeezed both of Griff''s shoulders. "I am not your family. I can never be. Friend?... that boat has long sailed away. I''m too scared... but... that doesn''t mean you can''t find one Griff... you had said you had no dream to me right?" Griff, with a shaky voice responded. "I... I have one now... get stron-" "That''s no dream. That''s an objective. That doesn''t define you kid. I''ve decided. My parting gift to you will be a dream. A dream to blossom kid... find a family... if you can''t... MAKE one!" Griff slowly nodded. [It was about time you came face to face with reality.] ''What... does that mean?'' [I think he''s about to answer that.] "Every human desires to be loved, to be befriended and to have a good time with people they are close to. That''s what you''re missing. You''ve met some people yes, but you haven''t formed the bonds I''m talking about. That is a dream I am passing onto you as... an old friend. Are we clear Griff?" ''Loved?... family... warmth... like how the mana of life feels. Desired, blessed...'' "Yes... yes I want that dream! I want it! I WANT-" James slightly chuckled with his shaky voice. "That''s enough Griff. I know how stubborn you can be... that''s good. You can surpass this place. Go and soar, boy." Griff slowly extended his arm for a handshake, and wiped a tear. "For old time''s sake?" James smiled slightly too, and gripped his hand. "Old time''s sake." James let go of Griff''s hand after a minute. "Well I better start moving. Keep the keys. T''is bar has one day left anyway... use it to your hearts content... but-" "No I won''t touch the alcohol." "Good." James turned around and took out a small leather bag and started to fill it with things under the counter. "Come on now chap chap. Get out of my sight brat." Griff stumbled a bit at that, but he nodded hearing the still shaky voice. He started to walk towards the stairs silently. ''I guess... my life here in Alfrum was never meant to be.'' [...] ''Well... I...'' [Oh stop being such a crybaby. Be a man and man up. Do you know how hard it is to say goodbye to someone you had wanted to stay besides with?] ''No...'' [Exactly.] After a slight moment of silence Griff spoke through his mind to Caphriel again. ''It''s a good dream. I''m going to follow it through Caphriel. Will you help me!'' [Silly boy. You are my partner. Does that answer your question?] ''Yeah... yes it does...'' [Come on now. You really need the sleep. It''s hard to concentrate with no sleep.] ''Heh you''re right.'' Griff turned the staircase to come across Reiner and Rin waiting for him, sitting on two chairs next to their supposed room. "Oh hey Griff we didn-" Rin suddenly closed his mouth and sighed. "Shut up Reiner." She then turned to Griff with... a warm smile. One he hasn''t seen from her ever. It definitely suited her refined and elegant face. Her silky brown hair complimented her looks too. [Stop daydreaming.] "Goodnight Griff. I... I hope you survive tomorrow." Griff was taken aback at Rin''s sudden 180 degree turn. ''Oh my god it really IS the end of the world!'' [City. Not world.] "Hey now I''m doing my best to be nice here!" She pouted. Griff who was still shook about what just happened downstairs gave a slight smile. "Yeah, thanks. I never knew you could be kind. It suits you Rin" Reiner was still trying to say something but Rin kept holding down his mouth. A slight tinge of red could be seen on her cheeks. "Ye-ah... I''ll keep that in mind. Come on now, your room is at the end of the room. Sylvie is already asleep." Griff nodded and walked away from the two siblings who, unexpectedly, started bickering as he left. Griff opened the door to the room James had... given to them. The room was dark. The bed next to the window was obviously occupied. Sylvie was fast asleep. Griff slowly walked over to his bed and lied down. He looked over at Slyvie and sighed. His thoughts were leaking outwards. "I hope... she doesn''t leave me too. I don''t... want to be alone again..." His voice grew weaker by the second and in a few minutes he was fast asleep, snoring much to the irritation of Caphriel. However, Sylvie wasn''t asleep unlike how Griff thought. Sylvie had heard him wide and clear. She slightly muttered under her voice as she clutched the sheets. "You... really are lonely... aren''t you Griff?" She slowly went to sleep as she thought to herself. ''I thought you were simply annoying... I got good hearing so I heard everything downstairs... you''ve gone through something bad too. Alright fine. You didn''t discriminate as soon as you saw me.'' She slightly smiled before closing her eyes. ''I can live with that...'' Tomorrow... was an uncertain time. They needed all the rest they could get. 55 Chapter 50 - The Vanguard "DO ONE FINAL CHECK-UP ON THE TRAPS WE LAID!" "Yes guild master!" A young adventurer dashed past Griff as he was walking to the gates and out to the fields where the adventurers had laid their traps. "You better get yourself together Griff. Today''s the big day!" Reiner squeezed Griff''s shoulder as he said so with a slight grin. "Don''t waltz too far from us. Me and Reiner are the top adventurers of Alfrum now, with most of them having ran away to save their skins..." Rin stated with slight disgust in her tone. "I got Sylvie with me, even though we will be partnering up for this time only. Don''t worry guys." Sylvie said nothing of her usual sarcastic sort and simply stayed quiet as she looked at the giant stone wall with her arms folded. Before Reiner and Rin walked to their position Rin turned to speak once more. "Listen... no one will blame you if you run away during the fight. It''s going to be hard." "You worry a lot about me these days Rin, you ain''t my mom. Just chill I got this!" Griff said as he gave a thumbs up. Rin simply mumbled a few things like ''Stupid, Die, Weirdo'' and walked off with a red tinge on her cheeks. "Come on. We should go over to our spot too." Sylvie said nonchalantly and started to pull Griff by the collar who was simply chilling, now slightly used to her eccentric behavior. As they walked over to the west side of the Wall Sylvie had kept sniffing the air. "Hey why do you do that?" "I''m a demi-human. I have heightened senses. Now be quiet for a second." She kept sniffing the air. Her face was slowly turning into one of utter confusion. "Um... what''s the problem?" "Something''s weird. Stay here. Don''t run off again. I need to tell this to that old weirdo." "Master Leebus? He''s over there." Griff pointed at the short old man who was raining commands on top of the wall alongside a couple long ranged adventurers. Sylvie walked towards the staircase of the wall and ran up towards Leebus who was confused on why she was approaching him. She whispered a few things in his ear and ran back to Griff. Leebus had a look of anger on his face as she made her way back. "What was that about?..." "I thought I was wrong at first, but I''m picking up the scent of the undead, and it''s growing closer." "Wait what? What undead!" "And they''re speeding up. Look, bluntly speaking I don''t think we''re fighting a regular monster horde. It''s artificial. Made up of undead monsters." Griff was about to speak but master Leebus''s shouting cut him short. "GET BACK! EVERYONE OUTSIDE OF THE WALL! GET BACK NOW!" Everyone was looking in confusion save for Sylvie who looked horrified. Suddenly the sound of the ground shaking could be heard around them. "The hell-" "Portal... damn it! It really was artificial!" Leebus shouted in irritance. "Listen Griff. Just like how you fought me, if you want to live fight like that." Sylvie said as she squeezed his shoulders. "I get it... I might not be the brightest Sylvie but I think I know what''s going on." Griff brushed off her hands and walked up the stairs of the walls with Sylvie behind him. Dust was rising beyond the horizon. "ALATAR! IS THAT THE REST OF THEM?!" "A COUPLE OF ADVENTURERS WENT TO SCOUT AHEAD! THEY''RE STILL FAR AWAY!" The top of the wall was in chaos as the dust cloud was getting bigger. "Damn it! We''re not ready for this!" Leebus slammed his fist in anger as Alatar was silently looking at the horizon. "Master... this ordeal we''ve had with undead monsters. Someone who is a very powerful necromancer is targeting us right?" Griff slowly stated as he stood next to Leebus. Sylvie was slightly growling at the horizon while they spoke. "Exactly. I can only think of a political reason. We''re the only city in Kulva governed by a council rather than being subjects of a noble." "And only a noble can possess this amount of magic..." "But I didn''t expect that... they''d have already killed the entirety of the monsters on the Southern Mountains, and resurrect them." The dust cloud was enormous now. Suddenly out of the forest a dozen or so adventurers bursted, running at top speed. "Are those the ones you sent for scouting Alatar?" "Yes, but... there were more of them." The adventurers, who were several hundred meters away, were shouting in horror. "Can anyone make out what they''re saying?" Sylvie who was looking at them turned to Leebus and spoke up. "They''re screaming ''Run...''" Suddenly out of the woods hundreds of dog like creatures bursted, giving chase to the adventurers. Leebus woke up from a daze in that second. "Rangers! Fire! FIRE NOW!" The several dozen rangers on the walls nocked their arrows in a hurry, but they weren''t fast enough. The adventurers below were being ripped apart by the dog like monsters. Anyone they caught they ripped them in half with their powerful jaws. The adventurers on the giant walls were looking down in horror, some frozen in place. One such adventurer had already fainted and was rocking back and forth. "SOMEBODY GRAB THAT BLOODY IDIOT!" Griff ran towards the man, but it was too late as the adventurer fell down from the walls, killing himself. Griff froze in place as he saw the man plummet to his death, and he wasn''t the only one. The adventurers around him were broken in fear after what they saw. "ALATAR!" "I beseech thee, fruitful mother of these lands. Give rise to soldiers of rock and sand! Stone Creation Magic: Golem!" About thirty or so golems suddenly began to dispatch themselves from the wall and charge towards the hounds. "GET YOURSELF TOGETHER! ALL OF YOU! WE''RE UP AGAINST THE UNDEAD, AND THAT''S THEIR VANGUARD! WE EITHER FIGHT OR WE WILL DIE HERE! IT WON''T MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF YOU''RE SCARED!" Leebus shouted, and raised his fist high in defiance of his fate. Griff was still looking down over the wall, but shook his head as he heard what Leebus said. "Yeah. We either die horrified, or try to create a chance and die trying." He grit his teeth and fists in anger, and grabbed the bow that the man who had plummeted down dropped. The adventurers were getting back to their senses. The golems couldn''t hold back a horde of undead hounds. "Glad to see you haven''t all lost your spines! Our enemies are Blaze Hounds! F class monsters on their own, but with their numbers and status as undead they''re stronger. All of you brace yourselves!" The adventurers shouted together in defiance of their fate and started to fire down arrows. Griff, too, nocked an arrow and shot it, but to no effect as the undead blaze hound kept smashing into the golems. Sylvie was standing next to him, looking around astutely to see what else was to come. "FIRE!" Griff suddenly shouted with a spark of intelligence. "BURN THEM DOWN WITH FIRE!" The rangers on top of the walls were heartened up by his suggestion. If you can''t kill what''s already dead make sure it has no means to move! Bones don''t have muscles! Meanwhile Leebus was gripping the corner of the wall. He spoke to no one in particular. "Damn it we only set up a magic circle to detect living monsters. The thought never crossed my mind. And this is only the vanguard... where the hell is the Troll King." As if god was answering his question, a large roar was heard, and the trees in the forest were seen falling down as something was getting closer. "..." Leebus looked down at the melee adventurers who were standing by, and raised his arm. With a defiant roar the adventurers bursted through the newly made wall''s gates, and onto the battlefield to clash with the undead blaze hounds. "...let''s just hope the army is nearby." Alatar said to Leebus as he got back to chanting to create more golems. This was going to become an onslaught. 57 Chapter 51 - The Battle to Survive - Part 1 "CHAAAARGEE!" The figures of the adventurers clad in leather and steel armor, swords of all shapes and sizes dashing from the gates of the enormous wall was encouraging for the rangers on top of the wall. Reiner was one of the adventurers down in the frontlines, and his strong voice could be heard all around the battlefield. "ALFRUM! ADVANCE! DON''T BACK DOWN!" The adventurers fiercely clashed with the undead blaze hounds, surprisingly severing the limbs of some, pushing them back. "Rangers! Get ready!" Leebus shouted as he raised his hand. Griff reached to the now dead ranger''s quiver which had about 20 arrows in it. He nocked an arrow. The trees kept tumbling down as something kept advancing towards them. The ground was shaking stronger now. "The blaze hounds are only the fastest of them! That''s why they made it first! Don''t let your guards down!" As Alatar finished his sentence, out of the forest thousands of monsters started to appear. Monsters of all sizes and species. Hordes of goblins, bands of orcs, several tall and strong trolls, wild kobolds wielding their spears. Griff''s eyes widened at the sight. ''There''s too many of them. How the hell is a bow and arrow supposed to hold them back now!'' Leebus turned to Alatar who gave a nod of confirmation. He could see that all of these monsters too were indeed dead. Undead monsters, built into an artificial horde. The power was frightening. The troll king was still no where to be seen. "Let''s just hope the troll king is slow enough for us to survive our current enemies... Men! Release your arrows!" Hundreds of arrows were sent flying over the clash between the undead blaze hounds and the adventurers, raining down the new arrivals. Arrows that were soaked in oil and lit aflame were proving to be effective, yet the monsters kept advancing slowly but surely. "Master, I''m going down!" Griff tossed his bow without a second though, and tossed his quiver at the man besides him, and started running down the stairs of the makeshift wall. Leebus didn''t have time to stop him or to actually force him to do something. It was his decision, he had a responsibility to all of the adventurers right now. [You sure you can handle this?] ''You were the one who put this in my head.'' "You really are stupid!" A voice said behind him. He turned to see Sylvie running down the stairs with him. "Don''t go off alone there. You haven''t seen how chaotic a battle can get." [Looks like you''ve made a reliable friend with that knucklehead of a brain of yours.] ''Hey! I still made one though!'' They made it to the ground, and looked at the gates of the wall. The sound of clashing steel and claws could be heard. "This was your idea. Don''t chicken out now." Sylvie said as she slapped the back of his head gently, and started to walk. Griff gripped his fist, and his signature black flames manifested around it, alongside his trusty sword. "Wouldn''t dream of it. Let''s go!" The outside was even more chaotic when looking from ground level. The other undead monsters were closing in, but the adventurers hadn''t finished off the blaze hounds yet. Sylvie kneeled on all fours, and slightly leaned forward. A second later she dashed forward, the ground beneath her cracked slightly from the shockwave. She dashed past several adventurers, slamming right onto an undead blaze hound. [The Berserker skill of demi-humans is why they aren''t liked here. I guess you can see why...] ''Yeah, she''s powerful...'' Griff ran towards her, his blade in hand. He wasn''t an expert swordsman per se but when the enemy were undead monsters who had lost any small bit of intelligence they had, he could handle himself. He was slicing through the blaze hounds with ease as with each slash, his flames would engulf one of the undead. The adventurers around him were heartened by this, and those who could use fire magic started to copy him. The main force of the artificial horde was about to make first contact now. "Regroup!!!" Reiner''s war cry could be heard as the adventurers that were spread out started to retreat to the walls once more. Griff slashed off the last blaze hound near him, and turned to look for Sylvie. She too had finished off her last blaze hound. Before he could open his mouth she dashed towards him on all fours again like a beast. "COME ON!" [Think faster you fool. This is a battle.] He nodded and ran back towards the walls. The adventurers were taking a semi-circle position in front of the gates with the rangers amassing their arrows towards the main force. "They''re not as tough as we expected..." Griff said to no one in particular as he joined in the formation with his sword in hand. "Those were only blaze hounds. Sure they''re fast, but apparently they can''t work as a pack when they''re dead. These guys however... they''re humanoid monsters. This is where the real danger begins." Sylvie said as she readied herself. The remaining blaze hounds ran back towards their comrades, and stood in front of them. The undead horde suddenly came to a stop as it seemed to be an organized army for a second. Everyone was silently waiting to see who would make the first move. The rangers were nervous if it was right to fire or not. The rumbling was immense now. The trees had stopped falling. The troll king was here... or what was left of him. As everyone had been expecting, the forest was split open as a 7 meter tall, green skinned and heavily muscular orc appeared. It was dragging what seemed to be a club which was about its size. It''s face was as hideous as one would expect of a monster. White smoke was coming out of its nose as it looked towards the wall. Griff''s eyes were wide open as he was looking at it. ''You''re telling me someone managed to kill that thing AND all of these monsters, turned them to undead and sent them on a rampage?!'' [Necromancers are twisted individuals.] Even sylvie looked hesitant at the towering thing. "That''s no damn orc!" Someone shouted in the crowd. "It''s the Troll King of this region. It''s bound to be... uh big." Someone else stated. Suddenly the troll raised its gigantic club to the air and released a roar that caused everyone to cover their ears in pain. People were screaming in agony, some even had bleeding ears. When the roaring stopped the undead screeched as they started to run at abnormal speeds towards them. "THE HELL WAS-" A man screamed, but was suddenly jumped on by several undead goblins that started to club him to death. Scenes like this were happening all around the formation as the confusion caused by the Troll King''s scream gave the time the undead needed to advance. A goblin jumped up on Sylvie who was very painfully holding her hears which were bleeding, but Griff grabbed it by its face as he was also covering his right ear, and slammed it onto the ground. His mana was chaotic right now. That scream was some kind of spell. The undead troll king could be seen slowly walking towards the wall with its club raised high. The arrows being rained down the rangers were having no effect on it as all of them bounced off like needles... "This is madness..." [This is war.] Griff was dragging Sylvie back as he tried to use his free hand to blast away small goblins or any of the agile undead that leaped towards them. Reiner was no where to be seen during this chaos, but Griff could make up a voice that had a resemblance to him. "FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" Griff quickly picked up Sylvie, and ignoring everything around him he started to run towards the gates. His face was drenched in sweat and he was breathing erratically and in fear. This was madness. All around him people who had volunteered to fight for the city were dying. The undead ripping them apart, biting their heads off, slashing or piercing them. Their sheer numbers and their new found strength was horrifying for Griff. For the second time in his short life he felt it again. The fear of death. 58 Chapter 52 - The Battle to Survive - Part 2 Griff fell onto the dirt floor as the gates behind him were shut mere seconds later with the cries of agony ringing through his ears. The gates were being clawed by the undead monsters. "The gate... should hold them for half an hour." The adventurer who had shut the gate replied as he leaned towards the wall to breath. They had lost a good amount of people. Their forced were almost halved after the undead turned berserk. "Who knew that our opponent would use Berserker Enhancement on them..." Leebus said as he walked down the stairs of the walls. Alatar was still on the top, chanting golems by the second, but they only served to annoy the undead at this point. "We don''t have much time. I''m afraid the military won''t make it." An adventurer tossed his spear on the ground in annoyance and shouted. "THIS IS MADNESS!" No one was saying anything as they tried to catch their breath. The injured were being evacuated into the city center. It was a good thing that Alfrum was evacuated over the last few days. "I''m... I''m out of here. I don''t even know why we should defend an empty city at this point!" Another adventurer said as he dropped his blade. Several more were nodding at this. The undead could breach the walls any second now, but the selfishness of man was still prominent even in a situation like this. "This... is a symbol. It''s bigger than each and every one of us. This city has stood as a self-sufficient trade port in this nation governed by nobles for too long! It is a revolutionary concept that was born here. Abandoning it means abandoning our history." "WHAT GOOD IS HISTORY WHEN WE''RE ALL DEAD MASTER?!" Leebus tried to reply to that, but suddenly the shrill cry of Alatar resonated across the area. "IT''S MOVING! RUN! RETREAT!" Some of the adventurers were baffled, but the ones who understood what was happening suddenly turned tail and started to run. The ground was rumbling as something seemed to be running. Griff reached for his blade in hesitation, but suddenly someone that was running past him grabbed both him and Sylvie and started to run with both of them in his hands. "Reiner?! Let me go we-" "You fucking... it''s over. It''s all over. This is war Griff. We never stood a chance. The master... he was too attached to this city." "What does that-" Suddenly the wall was smashed in two as the menacing Troll King''s shoulder broke through the stone wall. Alatar was lucky as he used his Stone Magic to create pillars which he used to retreat. The rest on the wall? Not so much... The city rumbled as the broken pieces of the wall fell down and crushed several unlucky adventurers who shrieked in fear. Those who could use magic tried to defend themselves, but to no avail as they were simply not strong enough. The Troll King took a step into the city, and raised its head up to roar once more. "Let me go! Let me go damn it! It''s slaughtering them!" Griff shrieked as he watched this new home he had thought he found slowly start tumbling on itself. Remnants of brave adventurers fought against the small undead in order to buy time for their comrades, but it was for naught as their numbers simply crushed them. Alatar and Leebus were no where to be seen at this point. Rin was using her wind magic to slightly levitate with Sylvie in her arms who was still unconscious and muttering nonsense. "Why... why why why why why must this always happen to me! Whenever... i find somewhere I can call home... why does it always get destroyed!" Reiner jumped over a fence in his way, and came to a stop. Rin followed suit as she fixed her hat, but kept staying levitated. Reiner tossed Griff onto the ground in anger. "Look Griff! I was the one who led the ground assault! Do you think I like seeing this one bit? Especially after I commanded everything down there! Damn those others... the entire top 10 adventurer groups of Alfrum fled when the chance rose... but I stood my ground with Rin because I was hopeful. Look what it brought us now?!" Griff slowly stood up, but fell again on his buttocks as he was breaking down again mentally. Rin was only watching silently, but instead of her usual gaze she had a solemn and sad one. She wasn''t going to interfere. Griff needed to realize how harsh this world is. Again and again till he finally understood what it meant. The troll king was rampaging across the city now... there was nothing in its way and the hordes of undead goblins orcs and monsters that were slaughtering everyone they could find. "Get up..." Reiner said with an angry tone as he nudged Griff with his foot. "We''re not done here... we got to leave now... get up Griff..." Reiner''s voice was cracking up now. It was a matter of time before the undead made it to where they were hiding. After all, a wooden house can only provide a slight camouflage in this situation. [I think I chose the wrong host... you only have an interesting magic. What good is it when you''ll keep falling like this every chance you face death or despair.] ''I''m not...'' [Scared? A coward? Every living being gets scared, but that''s where your memory loss plagues you. Unlike some who can stand up and fight again with their fears, you fall and succumb to it until someone shakes you out of it.] ''Shut up shut up shut up...'' [Is it a lie? You know well it isn''t... Now what will your choice be? Running around circles like you always have? Or getting ready to face risks and the stench of death like a true human?] Reiner was frustrated. "It''s no use I see..." Reiner turned around and looked at Rin. "Take him with you to the north as well... maybe you can come across the military." "Brother you-" "I''ll stay. It''s part of my mistake this is happening too... I-" "Stay..." A twisted and wrathful voice spoke. Reiner and Rin suddenly turned to look at Griff who was slowly getting up. [What the hell are you doing! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU ARE DOING!] The mind scape that Caphriel had been resting in was forming cracks all over it. [You FOOL! You''re actually contradicting YOURSELF?!] ''I don''t want to fight... I have to fight... Why must everything I love be taken from me... I''ll take back everything that was taken from me... My life... is not... going to be... withered out now, Angel...'' Griff''s voice was resonating inside his mind scape. The stronger and solemn voice was overpowering Griff''s usual voice. ''Fear... I can''t stop now... Death... Yes it is possible...'' Griff''s mind had fallen into chaos... yes, chaos was the right word here. [...amazing... To think you would create chaos inside you to adapt...] The world inside Griff''s mind shattered... as Caphriel looked around in the darkness to see a small forge... which ignited itself with black flames. "I''ll fight..." Griff said as he stood up. He wasn''t ready to back down now. Not now. Reiner was looking at him in shock as Griff''s body was emitting slight amounts of black flames around his body. [The forge of concepts... alright. I''ll stick around a bit more... I just hope you don''t swallow me...] Caphriel said sarcastically. Griff didn''t respond as he looked at Reiner with new found? More like newly forged determination. His fist was clenched. "You... crazy bastard..." Reiner said with a slight smile. His tough friendship seemed to pay off. The screeching of the undead suddenly woke them all up from this moment as the house they were hiding behind was suddenly barged through by an undead troll which was bringing down its club. Reiner''s eyes widened. He didn''t have much time to push Griff out of the way, neither Rin. He collected his mana in his fist and turned to face the troll with his determination to die that moment. ''It was a good ride I guess...'' But suddenly... the troll was shot back at unforeseeable speed! It crashed towards another building... which proceeded to be engulfed in fire. The sparks of flames were everywhere. Reiner turned to look at Griff in shock as his fist was still emitting a load of steam. He blew it away,and shook his arm. "Good as new... I don''t need this for now..." He de-materialized his blade, and looked at Reiner with his fist still squeezed in a fist. "Let''s survive..." Reiner smiled nostalgically as he too curled his hand in a fist and fist-bumped him. "Yeah let''s..." 59 Chapter 53 - The Battle to Survive - Part 3 The retreating adventurers had witnessed something that gave them a bit of courage amidst the carnage they were facing. A large undead orc was blown like it was made of cardboard. They didn''t see who did it... but the knowledge of strong people being among them heartened them once more. A familiar face could be seen among the retreating adventurers, one of the only surviving Rangers Selena was shouting on top of a roof to order the adventurers to organize once more to defend the town square. "We can do this!" "Did you see that orc fly?!" "It was awesome!" "For our fallen comrades we should keep fighting!" "We have a chance!" Cries of hope could be heard as the adventurers started to respond to the ferocity of the undead with their spears, blades and staff''s. "Heh. Do you see that Griff? You did that." Reiner pointed at the town square. The four of them were on top of a nearby roof, thanks to Rin''s wind magic. Griff was smiling. His hair had slowly started to turn into pitch black once more, but unlike his past times he felt he was definitely in control rather than running rampant. His mana was raging inside him. "Yeah... now for them to not lose that hope, we got a king to dethrone." He looked over at the massive Troll King that was slowly marching towards the town square. It had slowed down after breaking the wall. Master Leebus and Alatar were no where to be seen. Some adventurers had even said that they had abandoned them. ''Not like it matters anymore...'' [Do you have any idea what you did?] ''Oh yeah. You were trying to talk to me weren''t you?'' Inside Griff''s mind Caphriel had her arms folded and was looking around in intrigue. [Yeah, but I only managed to get to you now. You... you really have no idea what you did to yourself right?] ''Not really, but the mana I feel inside me has to at least tripled.'' [Ugh. I really need to teach you what the boundaries of magic is supposed to be. You really lack common sense.] ''Nevermind that now. I got a troll to take down.'' [I guess you''re right... don''t die on me. I still have to analyze you, you know. We angels don''t know everything after all.] "So, Griff? What exactly is your plan in the first place. You told us you had a plan?" Rin said. Reiner was getting anxious now seeing Griff had been looking at the troll king for a whole minute now. "We just blitz our way through." "WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" "Whoa whoa calm down! I''m not done! I didn''t mean blitz our way to the troll king. That would be suicide." Reiner calmed down and sighed, deciding to give Griff some face. "I''m thinking of getting close enough so we can launch an attack from behind." "Okay that makes sense." "See? I can come up with good plans." "We''ll see about that Griff." "Well no use to wait anymore!" Griff jumped off the roof, onto the street. He was surrounded by undead goblins and orcs that were closing in on him. "DID HE LOSE HIS SANITY?! HE COULD HAVE GIVEN US A QUE!" Rin merely sighed. She''d given up on trying to knock sense into Griff. She looked at Sylvie who was still out cold. Maybe she could? Who knows. Griff''s eyes cracked as small cracking flames bursted from his eyes and body. He was grinning. "Time to test a little something out!" Griff punched an orc right across the face with the flames of contradiction on his fists, blasting through its already weakened body, sending it burning. He then raised his fist and slammed the ground with it, causing the ground around him to rumble in a small radius and it to crack with the flames bursting around him in a circle. [You still don''t know a proper spell, but your time with that old mage though you how to control mana. Keep in mind that you can''t go a long way like this though.] ''I know! Now if you excuse me!'' Griff ran across the street, punching or erupting any undead that came across his way. His flames wouldn''t be as strong as they are right now if he hadn''t done what he did a few moments ago... what did he do in the first place? ''Can''t think about that right now!'' He ducked a lousy punch that a troll flung, and grabbed its fist. Miraculously he tossed it across the street into a house. Without losing a moment''s hesitation he ran towards it, and using it to boost himself, he jumped on top of the roof. He cracked his fists as he ran across the roof. The Troll King was just ahead of him. "Damn that kid... he''s not half bad! Rin! I leave this place to you." Reiner jumped down the roof, and started to chant a spell. "Let my body soar through the skies and unify all that is above heaven and earth. Let me be the bridge between these two entities! Strengthening Magic: Sky King''s Body!" Rin looked with her eyes wide as she watched her brother perform a spell she hadn''t seen for a long time. "So you can handle a lower 5th tier spell now?" "Don''t underestimate me sis!" Reiner''s muscles bulged, and started to emit mana. The ground beneath him cracked as he slightly crouched, and looked at Griff who was running across roofs. He grinned, and jumped. He was suddenly launched more than a few meters into the sky. He was more than 40 meters high, and he he was crashing towards Griff fast! A troll suddenly appeared next to Griff as it raised its club, but suddenly Reiner crashed right on top of it, shattering its head. "Next time wait!" He said with his usual battle maniac grin. Griff smirked smugly at that. "Come on, we''re not done!" Reiner nodded, and jumped once more. Griff started to run faster, and condensed his flames into his hands until they started to emit sparking noises. ''I think I finally have a proper name for this. It''s my first proper spell. I don''t count me summoning a sword into this.'' [Oh?] Griff whispered as he chanted quickly. "Contradiction Magic: Base Form, Blazing Eruption!" The flames erupted into an explosion as he was sent propelling across the sky, next to Reiner who looked slightly surprised but was also smirking. "There!" Griff pointed at a tower near the Troll King. Reiner grabbed Griff mid-air, and the two of them landed on top of its roof, well what used to be its roof as Reiner smashed it during landing. "What now... we know we can beat these this, but that thing? Even now with my new spell and your... uh magic, it''s going to be hard." "Nothing is impossible though? Someone already killed it. What says that we can''t?!" "If you''re thinking of erupting it in flames like you did to that Colossal, forget it! None of our ranged attacks worked on its skin." "That''s why I have something else in mind! Give me one second." "Be fast before it notices us..." ''Caphriel!'' [What is it? We don''t have to make idle conversation right now you know, and I don''t want to reveal myself just yet.] ''It''s not that! I have a theoretical question about magic... magecraft.'' [Interesting choice of words to call magic. Now, what is it?] ''I know I can contradict something living with the mana of death, yet it''s nearly impossible to use it on a large scale since the mana of life is so much more potent.'' [So? Come on what''s your question!] ''The mana of death is not as potent normally right? This means I should be able to contradict IT much easier than life. You can''t kill something that is already dead right? And that thing won''t burn... so-'' [So you want to actually use life, no- healing magic against it. I commend you. Yes you can, but it all depends on that spur moment that you can strike it. You haven''t tried to contradict death before after all...] ''That''s all I need to know. Thanks.'' [Now wai-] Griff closed his eyes and ignored what she was about to say as he opened them and reached towards Reiner''s hand. "Take my hand!" Reiner did so. "Now! Throw me!" "What?! Throw you? I wanted to doubt before but do you REALLY have a death wish?!!!" "JUST DO IT! IT''S ALREADY NEARING THE TOWN SQUARE! WHAT OTHER CHOICE DO WE HAVE!" Griff shouted in irritation as he started to create a small flame in his left hand. "Grr... DON''T DIE ON MEEEEEE!" Reiner gripped Griff''s right arm and threw him sky high towards the Troll King. An intense shockwave erupted as Reiner threw him, causing everyone to atop fighting, including the undead, to look at the source. Griff was right above the Troll King now, but it had already noticed him. It raised its monstrous club to smash him, but Griff used his condensed flame in his right hand to maneuver mid-air! ''I''m losing ground!'' He started to chant real fast: "Contradiction Magic: Base Form, Blazing Eruption!" He suddenly skyrocketed into the sky. The troll king was looking around itself in confusion. The hulking monstrosity was even a horrifying sight this high in the air. Griff''s arms started to burst slowly, and they were suddenly engulfed in pitch black flames that were rampaging. ''Life. It''s warm. I... I like living, everyone should. It''s hard and scary, but it''s also fun... life... I shall bring life to you once again! UNDEAD TROLL KING!'' He shouted through his mind as he felt himself grabbing the thread to the concept of healing magic. His palms started to glow green, but his black flames were covering the light. He combined both of his fists as he started to fall now, and raises both of his fists high. The flames were rampaging all around him. Griff shouted on the top of his lungs as he descended on the Troll King, his mana going uncontrollable as his now completely pitch black hair was blowing against the wind. An enormous dust cloud erupted as Reiner saw Griff make contact with the Troll King, and suddenly the dust cloud made of ashes spread out around a 50 meter radius. A large thud was heard as something fell to the ground. As the dust cloud settled Reiner looked anxiously to see if his friend had survived. This was the most insane, yet fascinating thing he had saw from Griff... and he was amazed, but it would mean nothing if he was dead now. The roar of the troll king echoed across the battlefield. Reiner held his tongue as he prepared to jump toward it, but... he saw that it had lost an arm. There was blood spurting out of the massive wound where its ark was supposed to be. Its skin was charred as well A few meters away, right in front of the entrance to the town square its massive arm lied on the ground, and standing on top of it Griff. The adventurers shouted in joy at this spectacle. "WE CAN KILL IT!" "EVERYONE RALLY!" Griff, however, even though he looked fine he knew his mana was at an all time low. He was gripping his fists, ready to fight till his last breath for the people who had apparently put their faith in him... but the echo of a battle horn... stopped that thought. Reiner looked back immediately as the sound of the horn rung across the town. "The army... THE MILITARY IS HERE!" "WE DID IT!" "WE SURVIVED!" A force of fully armored and robed knights and mages, the kingdoms men had arrived... on top of the hill north of Kulva, their battle horns rang. 60 Chapter 54 - The Kulvan Army The Undead Troll King continued to look at the stump that its arm was attached mere moments ago. It was confused to say the least. Darkened blood was gushing out of its wound. The sound of horses hitting the ground drew closer. It was a matter of minutes before the Kulvan army breached Alfrum to help them. Griff breathed a sigh of relief as half of his hai was starting to become white again. [You''re reckless to a fault.] ''At least I know my theory worked. Now I''m gonna get the hell out of here!'' [You better! Your mana isn''t enough to perform the same thing again.] Griff jumped off the severed arm he had used to cushion his fall. However, just as Griff turned to run towards the Town Square, the Troll King howled, and grabbed its club, running towards Griff. Griff''s face paled as he started to run faster. Just then, the sound of the ground rumbling around him was heard, and suddenly several small, 3 meter tall, humanoid golems rose from the ruins surrounding him who charged towards the Troll King without hesitation. Griff''s eyes shot towards the collapsed stone wall where he could see a single hand reaching out from the rubble with mana being circulated around it. "RUN YOU BRAT!" The figure of Leebus lifting several piles of collapsed stone could be made out from this distance as he seemed bulked up. Griff hurriedly turned around and continued to run, yet it seemed that not even the golems were enough to slow down the Troll King who simply swept them away or crushed them under its foot. ''I have no choice. Even if this will harm me...'' "Contradiction Ma-" Before Grif could finish his chant, a shadow was cast over him and the Troll King, who looked up in confusion once more. An enormous wolf was above them, and seconds later it had crashed head first into the Troll King, sending it tumbling over. The wolf quickly got up, and ran at an unimaginable speed with its huge body towards Griff. ''The hell!'' It used its head to pick him up, and started to run to the town square, howling. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªA Few Minutes Ago¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Rin was watching Reiner and Griff reach the tower. She sighed. "These two musclebrains..." "Uh..." "Oh? You''re awake." Sylvie slowly stood up and sat. Rin was sitting crosslegged. "Where am I... where''s the idiot?" "Oh. Well, nothing big happened while you were out. Just that the undead breached the walls and stuff... oh and Griff and Reiner went to kill that big guy." Rin said with irony. Sylvie held her head in confusion, and suddenly her eyes opened wide. She grabbed Rin by her shoulders. "Are they insane?! Why the hell did you let them go! Where are they, they''re going to both die." "Hey hey! Stop shaking me first!" Sylvie let go of Rin''s shoulders who dusted her shoulders. "You see that tower? They''re there. I don''t know what they''re planning though." Sylvie looked at the tower where she could make out two figures in the distance. Suddenly one of them was sent flying towards the Troll King. "IS THAT GRIFF?!" She shouted as she watched him maneuver in mid air, and slam into the Troll King. As the dust settled, she saw the severed arm fall. She breathed a sigh of relief, but it seemed that he wasn''t out of danger yet. "Rin. Do you know how to share mana?" "Hm? Yeah why?" "Griff''s not going to make it out of there. He''s low on mana. I got a trick up my own sleeve like him." Rin was about to object on how dangerous it was after she fainted from the sound, but it was then that the Troll King roared once more. "Fine..." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ªPresent¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The wolf howled once more as it jumped across the town with its horrifying size, leaving the adventurers agape at the scene. The troll king was standing up again, but the army was here now... Through the broken gates and walls of Alfrum the military''s force stormed through on their horses. The scene was magnificent as silver clad knights on their armored horses dashed through the streets, slicing up the undead with silver weapons in an orderly fashion. There were even mages that had arrived with the military as several different spells either incinerated or swept away the undead monsters that blocked the advance of the army. It was as if their numbers meant nothing to the knights clad in silver who swept through the city with their various weapons. Even the Troll King''s size didn''t faze them for one second. "Whoah..." Griff said unintentionally as he watched from on top of a building, sitting on the wolf. The Troll King roared and used its only arm to slam into the charging knights who were attacking it. It started to toss boulders around, and kick the knights that approached it. Griff was worried that the knights wouldn''t be able to subdue the Troll King... "Light Magic: Holy Sword Incarnation." A voice thundered across the battlefield, and a beam of light erupted behind the ruins of the walls, incinerating the head of the Troll King entirely. Griff was curious of who cast that spell as he looked in shock for the after effects of the spell not only incinerated the head of the undead Troll King, but anything that was on its path too. The limp body of the Troll King fell... as the army of Kulva sliced and dices any undead it came across even as more of the artificial horde kept pouring through the forest. This... was no longer a massacre, this was a battlefield now. 61 Chapter 55 - An Interesting Encounter "Secure the survivors! Slay each of the undead! For the King we shall reclaim our land!" A knight shouted as the rest joined the battlecry. With the Troll King truly dead now, the numbers of the trolls and goblins meant nothing to the knights. There weren''t a lot of them left in the first place. Cavalry bursted through the streets, saving as many adventurers as they could while the mages helped the people still under rubble. The huge Griff was on stopped, and without hesitation Griff hopped off. "...Sylvie?" It sounded like a question, but it was more like a statement at the wolf which suddenly bursted in a gold light, and as the light died down Sylvie who was sitting with her legs crossed was seen. She had a toothy grin as she raised her hand. "That''s me." "That... was awesome. I didn''t knew you could transform into a huge wolf!" "Pah! This is nothing. There are much stronger demi-humans out there. You weren''t half-bad yourself." She scratched her cheek slightly embarrassed as she wasn''t expecting this reaction. "You know... being shocked is okay." "Not with what I''ve been through. Hahahahahahahha!" Griff started to laugh as he started to spout out how he and Sylvie would be able to do awesome combos. She smirked and stood up, slapped the back of his head, and pointed at the town square which was crowded with the survivors, and the knights treating them. "Come on I think they might get worried if I don''t bring you over." Reiner could be seen shouting Griff''s name in the town square in stress. "Heh alright." The two made their way to the town square which was bustling. The knights and mages were treating the wounded, and the ones in more critical condition were being taken away for further treatment. Griff smiled in relief. That risky plan of his bought enough time it seemed. "YOU LOUSY BRAT WHERE ARE YOU!" Reiner''s thundering voice could be heard all around the town square. Sylvie dragged him towards Reiner in haste and tossed him in front of him. "There he is." Reiner looked at Griff who was getting up holding his head in slight pain from being tossed. "Hey you lousy dog that hurt!" "I''M A WOLF!" "SAME THING!" Sylvie started to growl but before she and Griff could start a bout Reiner karate chopped Griff''s head. "Ouch! What was th-" "That was for being reckless." "It worked out though didn''t it?" "I thought you''d just draw its attention or something! What the hell was that!" "That was my magic." Griff smirked with pride. Reiner sighed but he didn''t seemed irritated or angry at all, in fact a small smile could be seen between his mouth. "Alright fine you win." Before they could head off to check on Alatar and Master Leebus, a knight shouted. "Could all of the commotion come to an end for a second! We have an announcement to make!" The bustling crowd of injured adventurer''s noise slowly died down. Griff stood up as he looked over to where the voice had come from. A couple boxes had been lined up to create a platform. On top of the platform several knights stood, and in the center of those knights a man with slightly long greenish hair and a scar on his nose stood. He had his helmet under his armpit. He was wearing silver gilded armor with a spear leaning behind him. The man''s charisma was dazzling as simply by standing, he exhorted an aura of strength. It could be seen clearly that the knights felt respect towards the man. The man took a step forward and raised his free hand with a warm smile. "I am glad to see a lot of survivors in this incident! We were dispatched from the capitol as soon as we heard the news... but our apologies for being late. Please accept my sincere apology!" The man suddenly bowed his head to the crowd of adventurers. A nearby knight ran to him. "Commander! Please there is no need!" "No. As a leader of an order it is my duty to bear the responsibility..." The knight was speechless as he nodded and went back into formation. The crowd was silent. They didn''t know if they should accuse the man or accept this apology. "Why didn''t you come sooner!" An adventurer shouted with tears in his eyes. There was mumbling in the crowd after that as people started to argue. "We didn''t have the means to..." "What does that mean!!!" A couple enraged adventurers started to shout. The knight that had previously spoke up shouted in irritancy as he removed his helmet. He was a man with messy and slightly curly blond hair. "ALL OF YOU SHUT UP!" The man shouted in anger. "We did our best to get here with as many limited resources we had! We did our best, and this is what it attributed to. If we hadn''t made it you''d all be dead! We don''t like this either, but it was all the best we could do!" "...that''s enough Gareth..." "Alright Commander..." The adventurers were silent again. "We''ve brought as many rations as we can for both all of you who survived and the refugees of Alfrum who we encountered fleeing the city. We''ve decided that we should evacuate Alfrum for the time being and set up a camp on the northern hills as it is easy to defend and we don''t know if there are anymore undead left. We will leave in a few minutes." The commander finished his speech, but just as the crowd was dispersing to gather their belongings Griff and the Commander came eye to eye. The man turned to the other knight that had previously spoken up, Gareth, and said a couple things to him. "I think... they want to talk to me..." Griff said slightly anxious as Gareth, alongside a couple knights started to walk to him. 62 Chapter 56 - The Knight Commander "Young man. The Commander is asking to see you." Reiner quickly stepped in between the knights and Griff as he put up his body in between protectively. "Sorry, but Griff can''t come with you right now... we have to check on our guild master and the mage who helped us." Gareth slightly rolled his eyes. "Who do you think os taking care of your injured in the first place? This is disrespectful..." [Ugh... A man overflowing with chivalry is simply annoying.] ''I guess I can understand that.'' [Look Griff. After this whole shenanigan is settled we''ll be having a long talk about what you did.] ''Sheesh you''re like my mom.'' [...Did you just call me old?] Griff sweat dropped at hearing Caphriel''s chilling comment and decided not to respond. His body felt chilly though... she wouldn''t harm him right? "Kid... get a move on." Gareth said, interrupting his thoughts. "Hey now wait a moment!" "You have no say in this adventurer!" Gareth said slightly irritated. Reiner squeezed his fists in annoyance and walked in Gareth''s face, both staring down each-other. "Hey guys calm down! This isn''t a big deal Reiner!" "...fine... but if any of you harm him expect me to come after you." "We''re knights of Kulva you fool, do you take us for bandits?" Gareth said in annoyance as he nodded at Griff, and started to walk towards the center of the town square where horses were being loaded with anything that was salvageable. The green haired man was commanding the knights who were carrying stuff they could find left and right. "Sir! I''ve brought the person you asked for." "Ah! Thank you Gareth. I''ll take it from here." Gareth and the two knights gave a quick salute, and turned to join the other knights in fulfilling their duties. The man smiled and folded his arms. "I''m sorry for Gareth''s behavior. He can be pretty zealous when it comes to his duty as a knight. He''s a good lad." "I''ll take your word for it." Griff said as he put both hands in his pockets, eyeing the man curiously. "Ah, I never did introduce myself properly now. My name is Luke. I''m the leader as you most likely already know." "Yeah... I''m Griff." Griff said as he raised his hand for a handshake which Luke gladly obliged to. "So, do I call you Sir Luke?" "Whatever you want kid. So, I''ll get straight to the point. Those were some insane movements you did mid-air kid." "Wait a second... you''re telling me that you saw me?" "My eyes don''t lie kid." He smirked. "If you were so close that you could see me why didn''t you come help us then!" "Hey now you handled it pretty well in my opinion. Plus, I was busy commanding my men to encircle the city. We came through slowly because of those numbers... still it was definitely fun watching you fight like that hehe. Mind telling me what magic you used?" ''This... this guy... he''s not like he portrayed himself to be.. he''s a damn-'' "Mind exchanging a couple blows with me later?" ''Battle junkie...'' Griff held his head with one hand and extended his other to make Luke stop talking. "One second... so you just watched me fight?" "I like good fights kid, and little guys like you that burn bright on the battlefield. Still, there was no longer immediate danger for you lot as soon as I had Alfrum in my sights. It''s nothing to get angry at." "Well how could I god damn know that!" "Haaa. You got a point." Luke slightly lost his passion as he sounded like a deflating balloon. "Still... what I want to say is that it would be a waste for you to stay here kid. You''ve certainly got talent if you''re able to sever the arm of an undead Troll King." Luke put his hand on Griff''s shoulder in encouragement with a slight smile. Griff pushed his hand away in annoyance. "Yeah thanks and all... but I''d prefer to stay here." Slowly there was an increase in mana around the area. It seemed that no one felt it other than Griff. He looked around in anxiousness, but he suddenly realized after the mana grew stronger that it was coming from Luke. This was... certainly not how he was expecting to come across someone who surpassed Alatar in every possible way. The old sage was like a kid next to this monster. Luke still had his smile on, but it wasn''t as happy as before. "You know Griff... it would certainly be dangerous if someone figured out you somehow used two attributes at the same time, am I right?" [This man is impressive...] Griff''s eyes widened. ''He''s dangerous...'' Griff''s face started to whiten as his hands started to slightly shake. It wasn''t fear... it was the pressure of the mana and the desperate feeling of weakness that was hurting him. "You... want me to follow you to the capitol... right?" The surging mana instantly vanished as Luke''s smile became genuine again. "Heh now it wasn''t that hard to agree was it?" "...how did you-" "Understand you used 2 attributes? Look kid. You''re talented, but people that have trained so much with magic can sense abnormalities much easier." "Yeah... you have a point." Griff was internally shaking in anger at himself. He thought he''d left making mistakes like these behind, but it seems he was wrong. There was still a lot he had to learn. Luke sighed as he patted Griff on the head, and slightly kneeled to look at him in the eyes. He was fairly tall after all. "Look Griff, you can trust me that I won''t tell anyone about this, in fact I''ll help you keep it a secret if that''s what you want." "But-" "Why would you trust me in the first place, right?" Griff nodded. "Well... that''s just a risk you''ll have to take at this point. It''ll be a good learning experience for you." "Alright. Fair point. I guess I really have no choice." Luke laughed. "I''m afraid you don''t! Don''t worry though, I''m not going to treat you bad. In fact, I''m planning on enrolling you into the Military Academy. Can''t have talent like yours slip past me now." "An...Academy?" Luke scratched his cheek in confusion as his eyes looked funnily at Griff. "You... don''t know?" Griff slowly nodded. [It''s a place for learning, moron...] ''Hey now I''m not all knowledgable like you.'' [It''s common sense, something you lack...] "Well never-mind that for now. I''m assigning Gareth to look after you till we leave for the capitol. You''ve got a day to part with Alfrum. It''s not like you''ll never visit it again though. Now, if you''ll excuse me kiddo I got some work to do." Luke said as he saw from the corner of his eye a couple of the knights running around in confusion as a wooden house was suddenly lit on fire, and Gareth walked out of it in confusion saying one thing. "Uh... oops?" 63 Chapter 57 - A Bright Future It had been a day since the surviving adventurers were evacuated. The military had brought them all to the northern hills that overlooked Alfrum, where the refugee camp had been placed. They could make out the corpses of some undead around the camp. Griff was sitting inside one of the Carriages that had been used to transport the injured to the camp. A majority of the expedition force was set to return back to the capitol, with about several hundred remaining to aid in the repairs of Alfrum. It was surely a miracle that a large margin of the city''s denizens had survived, but the lost numbers of adventurers would certainly impact it in the future. [Now that you have no excuse to run away from me it''s time we had a talk, Griff.] Griff sighed and closed his eyes as he brushed back a couple lose strands of his messy hair. ''Alright alright... what do you-'' He suddenly felt like he was falling, and he opened his eyes. All he saw was a table with two chairs. Caphriel was already sitting on one, playing with a teacup placed in front of her. "Well?" She didn''t have her wings out this time, but her radiant white hair and pupils were enough to compliment her. She had donned a white loose dress. She sighed seeing Griff still looking at her, and crossed her legs, leaning forward on the table towards his direction with a slightly smug smile. "I know that I''m captivating, but I don''t want to lose time. Get a move on." "Sheesh. I never did get a good look at you before." He said as he walked and sat in front of her. She still had her smug smile on. "Now, before we start it would be nice for this place to be more colorful." "Huh? Like a garden or something?" The area around them which seemed to be like a white box suddenly fluttered into life as a garden took its place in a mere second. "Better." "So, this is my mind." "That it is. Now first things first. What you did was reckless, and I bet you had no idea what you die." Griff shrugged nonchalantly. Of course he didn''t know. He just took a gamble from something he had felt previously. She sighed and pinched her nose. "Yeah what was I even expecting. Look, you actually managed to contradict your own existence, and by extent your magic. You tapped in to the magic reserve of the person who had inhabited your body before you. The hero sent by the previous gods. I guess that can explain your weird hair." She nodded to herself as she felt that her analysis was spot on. "That does make sense... my hair has changed colors when I did use stronger magic, but it has always been black." "Well, then that''s a defining feature of your predecessor. To be honest, I''m not sure how you even contradicted your own existence to bring out the one before you, but I guess that... that''s the contradiction of what you define yourself as. Two sides of the same coin? I don''t know... this is odd even for me." She sighed in slight defeat as she took a sip from her teacup, looking towards the grass. "It''s insane though... you can use the magic reserves of someone else, a hero. Even if it''s short right now-" "With enough training I''ll actually become stronger." He finished her sentence with enthusiasm as he stood up because he realized where the conversation was going. "Sheesh sit down. Yeah, it''s not unfair to say that this is your magic now. You''ve taken it for yourself. Now, something like this happening is nigh impossible in reality, even using very powerful magic... but your body has been yours yet not yours. I''d say nothing like this will happen ever again." She then put down her teacup and laughed. "Great job! This really is entertaining for me. I never expected you to be so interesting. I''d say you''ll be growing strong very soon by attending that academy. You''ve not only tapped into a power that resided in you, but made it yours." Griff squeezed his fist in excitement as he had the face of an enthusiastic child. "I haven''t made it mine yet! I''ve got to learn more spells, and you''d better be ready to see me mastering this magic." Caphriel smirked. This kid, Griff. She really did like the kid''s naive yet determined personality. Now if he''d falter in face of the world, or thrive in it? That was something yet to be decided. "Then prove that to yourself and me." She snapped her fingers as a white door appeared behind her. "I bet your friends will want to talk with you." "Yeah. The damn dog''s gonna growl at me for having not told her about that Academy stuff." As Griff walked to the door and opened it, ready to wake up, Caphriel called out to him one final time. "And Griff. Next time, don''t ignore me calling out to you." The words sent a shiver down his spine as he quickly went through the door, but not without shouting back. "Yes ma''am!" Caphriel chuckled seeing him leave. Yeah. He was funny. Funny? Wasn''t he only entertaining? Well, never-mind that. She continued to play with her teacup. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Griff slowly opened his eyes to see the wooden ceiling. He quickly got up, and hopped off the carriage. "Oi so there you are!" A hand suddenly found itself behind him. "Ehehee... if it isn''t Sylvie... what a coincidence..." "Hehehehe isn''t it?" Her grip tightened as she looked at him with a slightly feral grin. "Now why did you run away from me?" Prior to Griff sitting in the carriage Sylvie had asked what the Knight Commander Luke had talked with him. And Griff, being Griff, decided that running was better than saying he was going to attend some Academy away from them. It felt hard to tell his friends he''d be leaving... "Uhh... I wanted to have some me time?" "Yeah I''m not buying that shit you idiot. I may not have been with you for a lot of time, but I know when you''re being an idiot... err you''re always an idiot, when you''re being a super idiot." She grinned as if she thought she had just made a very smart pun. ''This stupid dog...'' He composed himself. They''d all learn one way or another. "Well. I didn''t want to tell you what the Knight Commander told me." "Eh? Just spit it out what''s the harm." She said as she let him go from her armlock. She was a bit taller than him, so Griff felt he was being pressured. "Have you, uh, heard of something called an Academy? Well... he said I''d be going there to study because he took a liking to my magic." "Alone?" "He... didn''t say anything about any of you coming with me." Sylvie put her hand to her chin as she started to think. She looked at Griff who seemed to be anxious. This idiot was a handful, and a brat at times... but she didn''t dislike that. It would be a nuisance to be separated from him. She patted him on the back a few seconds later, earning a very confused, yet cute look. ''Sheesh. He''s not a bad looker.'' She thought to herself. "Look no biggie! I''ll just ask that knight guy to come along too. Seriously, how did you not think of this?" He knocked on his head slightly with his tongue out. "Dunno!" He said. "Ugh. Alright I''ll go and talk to him." Just as she turned to walk away, both of them saw Luke walking fast without his helmet. "Well time to talk I guess." "Wait not so fa...st." Sylvie had already ran, blocking Luke from walking. Griff facepalmed. This was going to be odd. He watched as Sylvie spoke, and even though he couldn''t hear anything he could read their expressions. Sylvie''s face was bright. He hadn''t seen her like that a lot... unless when they were eating. If Luke''s merry laugh was to go by anything, she''d be coming along! Griff smiled in relief. He might be leaving Alfrum behind, but it seems that he made something more valuable than Alfrum itself, something he thought he had lost with James''s departure: a true friend... "Griff... Griff?" Griff snapped out of his thoughts as he heard someone calling out to him, and turned to his right to come face to face with Rin and Reiner. "Uh... Rin, to close! To close!" Rin slightly blushed as she pulled herself back, leaning on her staff. "So... you guys want to know too? What the Knight Commander said yesterday?" "Well yeah. You''ve been avoiding us for a while now." Reiner said slightly pouting. Rin was looking at him, and if her look was anything to go by, she wanted answers. And she wanted them now. "Well. I''ve been recruited to attend an Academy at the capitol." The two''s faces first twisted in surprise, and then into happiness. "Seriously! That''s awesome! Getting to go to the Capitol is one of the hardest things, especially as a student!" Rin blurted out as she started to shake him. Reiner patted him on the back. "You deserve it buddy. What you did there wouldn''t have gone unrecognized anyway." "Well... I couldn''t have done it alone! Without your help I wouldn''t have even made it in time you guys... Still, not being able to see you two for a while will be "Well. Who said we''re not coming too." "Eh?" "We''re adventurers Griff! We can''t continue here like this... but at the Capitol? There are endless opportunities!" Rin shouted by raising her hands high up in the air excitedly. Griff grinned. All of them may be going their different ways in the near future, but for now, they''d be together. "What would I do without you guys!" Griff said as he literally pounced on the both of them, hugging them. "Ahem..." Griff quickly turned to see Luke smiling with Sylvie next to him... looking slightly? Angry? "Don''t want to break your heartwarming moment, but we''re leaving." Griff quickly let go of his two friends as all of them nodded. "You lot can travel in the same carriage anyways. I''ll arrange it." He said, but before he left he turned to Griff and said one last thing. "Oh, and you''ll be having a friend joining you at the academy kid!" The future... was really looking bright this moment. 65 Chapter 58 - Welcome to the Capitol! "Griff. Wake up." "5 more minutes..." Griff mumbled in his sleep. He felt very comfortable. "Is he up yet?" "No... he''s not waking up." Griff could here Sylvie''s and someone else''s, probably a knight''s voice. "You got to get him off the carriage. We''re returning back to Alfrum for a supply run." "Ugh, fine I got this." Griff continued to sleep not giving a damn about his surroundings, but suddenly the feeling of his ear being pulled woke him up. "OI OI OI THAT HURTS! STOP IT!" He jolted up screaming as he held his now slightly reddened ear. He came face to face with Sylvie who was sitting in front of him with her legs crossed and a shit eating grin. "You slept for a whole day, get a moving! We''re at the capitol." "At least wake me up nicer next time!" She shrugged. "You just wouldn''t wake up and I didn''t want to lose time." ''She-devil.'' She got up, and slapped him on the back. "Come on." He grumbled as he got up, and walked outside the carriage... to come face to face with a city that would make Alfrum look like a rundown village. There was a majestic and marble white castle that was floating above the entire city, not only that, half of the city was floating mid air! The architecture was beyond Alfrum''s with high quality materials such as quartz, marble, granite and all sorts of other valuable stones decorating the entire city and the houses. "You can explore it later kid." Griff felt someone tap on his shoulder and turned back to come face to face with Luke. Sylvie had already walked off, helping some of the knights and other Alfrum refugees that had decided to come with them unload the carriages full of equipment and injured. "Let''s get you settled here for the night." He took a step back, giving Griff full view of where they were. Several knights were walking around them, patrolling the city. In front of Griff was a semi-circular marble building with several red banners hanging from its windows. "I never gave a proper introduction did I! I''m the Knight Commander of the Order of the Phoenix! Welcome to the city of Lumi¨¦re, Griff!" "..." Griff was still shocked by the floating castle and the size of the city... but he quickly composed himself, and grinned back. "I''ll be in your care, sir!" He extended his hand for a handshake which Luke complied. "Now, we better handle your transfer into the Kulvan Military Academy, but first I think it''s time for a small feast." Griff was smiling. He was indeed very happy. He didn''t expect that the knight commander would be this accommodating. He sort of knew something he wanted to hide, but it seemed that he wouldn''t back from his promise. [Simply observe and keep your guard up. Don''t get caught up in your joy for now. You don''t know what might happen.] ''Yeah yeah I got it covered, but we better find a way to actually hide my magic next time.'' [Hm... I''ll work on that. Alright don''t talk to me for a few days, I''ll see what I can do with your magic circuits.] Now that that seemed to be settled, Griff followed Luke into the large building that he thought to be the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. "Gareth, I''d like it if you could start setting up some tents for the refugees to use. Remove them from the grounds in 2 weeks. That should be enough time for all of them to find employment here. Griff, fetch Sylvie for me. I''ll be debriefing you two on where you''re going." Gareth who was walking next to them silently for some time simply saluted and ran off, shouting at a couple of knights who started setting up tents in the courtyard. There weren''t a lot of refugees anyway, only former adventurers of Alfrum who came to hopefully join the guild. A couple minutes later Griff and Sylvie were standing in front of Luke in his office... well it would more likely be suited to be called an armory with all sorts of weapon and armor scattered behind Luke. The desk and chairs still gave off the slight air of a commander''s office though. "You two can relax, I''m not your superior or anything. Not yet at least. For now you''re my guests so just sit. The two did so as Luke cleared his throat. "Alright, first of all you''ll have to learn how to hide your demi-human features Sylvie. Most beastkin are thought the spell morph immediately. Do you know it?" She nodded, she was honestly surprised that this man seemed to not discriminate against her. "It''s not mandatory that you use it, but discrimination is still strong in some parts of the city. It would be safe to do so." "Alright. I can keep up my appearance as a normal human for a whole day without having to replenish my mana anyway." She said as she folded her arms and crossed her legs. Luke simply scratched his chin as he went into thought for a while. "An entire day is no easy feat. You''re no normal demi-human." She slightly tensed at that as Griff also looked at her with curiosity. Luke noticed the slight conflict he could have started from his statement and quickly dismissed it. "It doesn''t matter for me, don''t worry. Next, I better tell you where exactly you''ll be attending. Kulva has only one Academy right now, and it''s here. It''s official name is the Kulvan Magic and Military Academy, but we all just call it the Kulvan Academy. This is where the new recruits for Knight Orders are trained. Depending on your performance you get to even pick your own Commander, well that''s a pretty hard thing to accomplish though." "If there''s only one Academy... isn''t the army small?" Griff said. "Nope, the academy is only for Knight Orders. They are special military units that train those who want to start off in an Order, but they are completely separated from the normal military. Mostly officers, knights and mages come out of there." Griff nodded as he started to get excited. It seemed that he would be going to an interesting place. "Well! That''s all I have to say! I''m no teacher, so it would be better for you two to learn more about the workings of the school from a teacher, or perhaps the principle. You two can go and rest. I''ll arrange the guest rooms for you two, but tell no one that I''m letting you two stay there while the others are camping outside." He gave a childish smile and put his finger to his mouth to give a shush sign and winked. Griff sighed. He''d been doing that a lot lately, sighing, but it wasn''t from annoyance but rather from excitement. This man... Luke was definitely a man-child. "Well, let''s go then." Sylvie stood up and grabbed Griff by the collar, but just as they were going out of the office Luke shouted back. "I just remembered something! Could you leave Griff here for another minute, you can settle in your room for now Sylvie." She looked like she wanted to refute, but looking at at Griff who was staring at Luke with an understanding gaze she understood that he too had something he didn''t want to expose. Oh well, she too had her secrets... they''d learn of each others in the future. She shrugged and let go of Griff, walking out. "Do what you want." Luke stood up from his chair, closing the door. "She''s certainly feisty." "You can say that again..." He really didn''t know how he could tolerate her dragging him around... literally. "Alright, you probably know why I wanted to talk to you." "My magic, right?" "Bingo! You''re foolish at times but not an idiot." Griff''s eye twitches but he couldn''t refute that looking back at... "It''s not like there are people who can''t use several attributes, but being able to use two at the same time is indeed odd. You don''t have to hide your attributes, just your ability to combine them." He breathed a sigh of relief. He didn''t want to only use his black flames anymore, not when he was beginning to grasp what magic really was. "You''ll be evaluated when you start classes there, I''ll talk with the principle today. I''ll be honest with you, the principle''s got a sharp eye for magic. You''ll probably not be able to hide a lot of stuff from him, so I''ll talk with him. He''s an old friend." [Tch... like anyone could see through my tricks.] Griff thought he heard Caphriel click her tongue... must have been his imagination. Suddenly Griff''s stomach rumbled as he held his stomach with slight embarrassment. "Uhh... sorry, I haven''t eaten anything because I slept too long." Luke simply laughed, dropping his serious demeanor again. "I held you too long I guess. The kitchen should almost be finished with all of your food soon, I''ll see you later." He said as he opened the door, allowing Griff to leave. As he walked he couldn''t help but think about what would come next. 66 Chapter 59 - Finally A Smart Plan! Griff was ecstatic. He had one day to walk around the headquarters and to get to know the capitol a bit. Luke had told him that the principal would be allowing his transfer as the first semester wasn''t over yet, and he''d be on his way there tomorrow morning. Well, that didn''t matter right now. He wanted to look around this city of marble and majesty! "Be back in an hour. You two are still under our surveillance for being students starting tomorrow!" Gareth shouted at Griff and Sylvie, who was now using her spell "Morph." Griff had no idea what it''s attribute or level as a spell was, but he didn''t want to pry in to her secrets. "Yeah yeah whatever." Sylvie simply waved her hand dismissively, and grabbed Griff''s hand running out of the gates. Gareth simply grit his teeth watching her actions. "Breathe in Gareth... they''re just kids... they''ll learn respect at the academy... damn it I can''t deal with brats. This sort of shit is up Bailerion''s alley." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª "Just slow down nobody''s chasing us!" Griff shouted as he pulled his hand back from Sylvie. They were in the middle of a trading district with several shops around them. The area was bustling with activity as hundreds of thousands of people walked through the streets in a casual day. Humans, elves and other k There weren''t any shops floating above ground, it seemed to be a casual trade zone. "Hey hey Griff!" Sylvie was standing outside of a butchery, looking inside with her mouth wide open. ''This damn dog...I swear if her tail was out it would be wagging maniacally." "No food for you right now!" He grabbed her by her collar and started to drag her, finally the roles were reversed. "But meat!!!" "You are NOT eating raw meat. We''ll find something to eat later... plus we don''t got a lot of money on us." Gareth had, under Luke''s suggestion, gave both of them a piece of silver to look around the city and buy something if they wished to do so. Well... it seemed Sylvie knew what she wanted to buy. Griff facepalmed, seeing her still fixated on the butchery. "Damn it fine, but meet me back here in half an hour. I''ll check some stores around in the meantime." Sylvie instantly disappeared... leaving Griff to eat her dust. [She''s not as angry as she seemed to be before, huh?] ''She''s just a stupid dog. Show her food and she''s your friend...'' Caphriel cackled at that. Griff sighed and started looking around, and his eyes landed on a particular shop. ''A magic shop? It wouldn''t hurt to learn more about magic before going to a school.'' Alatar only did teach him how to unleash his mana after all... The shop was bustling with people of all ages looking around. It was fairly larger than what it seemed to be from outside, and the inside was certainly more lavish compared to the outer, wooden texture. [Enlargement Runes, don''t get too surprised. It''s one of the basic runes here.] As Griff walked through the shop he came to notice all sorts of aspects of magecraft. There were jars filled with specific materials required for alchemy, a section reserved for purely scrolls and books on magical elements, affinity and history, a section for magical tools, which definitely interested Griff, and finally a small section for something called basic attributal lacrima. The prices seemed affordable to him too! He was getting enthusiastic. Yes, he liked fighting, but being honest with himself he was sick of his crude, technique-less fighting style. He needed to learn more about magic, and Luke had given him the perfect opportunity! Donning a determined, yet funny looking face, and squeezing his fist, he started to run around the store. The magical tools were too expensive sadly... the cheapest being sold at 5 silver pieces, and it was only a pair of glasses embedded with zooming runes. There weren''t a lot of books he could buy as well... all of the books that seemed to be in top quality or had the most up-to-date knowledge were very expensive. One of them was even being sold at 2 pieces of gold?! Oh the audacity! ''Tch... like I care about Lost Magic... I totally don''t care... yeah! I don''t!'' [You''re not convincing even yourself you weirdo. Well... at least it''s great that you don''t only want to be a muscle head. I can tolerate a geek better.] ''Was that supposed to be a compliment?!'' Griff''s face lost all of its energy as he was talking with Caphriel. [Yes.] ''Ugh. Why are you like this!'' [It''s just how I want to be like.] He could feel her nonchalant shrug even though he couldn''t see her. He grit his teeth in annoyance. ''Oh you''ll see! I''ll stop being a so called muscle brain.'' He put the book he was skimming through back on the shelf, and started to make his way to the last section he hadn''t visited yet, the basic attributal lacrima section. The section was slightly dusty compared to the other well kept areas of the shop. It was also easier getting there as no one even bothered to look. There were several bags filled with very small orbs, all in different colors. Griff picked up one of them and started to inspect it. ''I don''t really get what''s up with this thing.'' [That''s just a small gem that''s called a lacrima. It can store small amounts of attributal mana such as fire. Kids like watching the mana from it. Nothing important, try finding something more useful.] ''Hmm...'' Griff out the red orb back in the bag, but just as he was about to walk out of the shop something clicked in his mind, and he started to walk back fast. [Hey! Why are you going back there, it''s just a kids toy!] ''Just wait a second! Trust me for a change!'' She sighed. [Alright alright... surprise me Griff.] Griff grabbed the red lacrima again and brought it to eye level. ''This one is fire right?'' [Yep.] ''So think for a second. My magic works by contradicting an existing attribute, right? But as far as I know I can only do so with an attribute I''m conceptualizing.'' [Oh... Oh!!! I like where this is going!] ''So, why can''t I just buy as many of these as I can and use these lacrima to use different attributes! Who knows if in the future I have to fight someone at the Academy and people notice I always use the opposite element of my opponent.'' [Damn it. And I thought you''d never actually grow a brain! How the heck did YOU manage to come up with such a smart idea!] Griff slightly blushed from annoyance and embarrassment. The people who were walking by were getting pretty confused... why would a handsome boy be looking at a child''s toy and blushing?! It was least to say that a couple people started to turn around and walk the opposite way seeing him... [You... you just solved your own problem without realizing it!] Suddenly Caphriel shouted with glee from his mind. ''Uhh... which one there are a lot.'' [Almost all of them! Think about it, using lacrima you can even hide your attribute from others, simply passing off as someone with a Copy Attribute instead of Contradiction. Well... the Copy Attribute is still a Unique Magic, but there are quite a number of people out there with said attribute compared to yours that is simply unheard of...] ''Now all we need is a way for me to always be in contact with lacrima...'' [That''s for later! Just buy some first.] ''Yeah right we''re getting too carried away... we''re seriously geeking right now.'' [It''s magic, it''s worth it.] ''Point taken.'' Griff quickly sized up the fire lacrima, and grabbed it. Water would certainly be useful. ''Dark? Don''t mind if I do... Light? Yep yep... if I can compliment all of their contradictions it can even be harder to understand how my magic works! Oh, this seems to be the water lacrima, yep yep.'' It worked in his favor that a single lacrima costed 10 bronze pieces. He could buy 10 of them! After a few minutes Griff was walking out with a small bag in his hand, and a couple weird stares by the customers and the shop owner. Well, it''s not like he noticed in his current happy state. ''Hey, aren''t we forgetting something...'' [If we forgot it, it shouldn''t be important.] ''Yeah you''re right.'' Griff continued to walk back to the Phoenix Headquarters, leaving a shocked Sylvie behind him who was trying to wave at him. "That jerk just pretended like I didn''t exist!" She was at a loss for words. Normally she''d be the one bullying. She sighed in defeat. Karma was a bitch. She started to run after him, hoping he''d notice her. 67 Chapter 60 - The Principal [Alright light it up!] Griff squeezed the dark lacrima he was holding as a small ball if light manifested on his other hand. It was midnight, and also the perfect timing to try out his theory. ''Damn I was right! I was actually right!'' [Now all we need is a method for you to always be in contact with these lacrima.] ''What about... a glove? I can attach most of the lacrima on a glove so I can always use them?'' [Well I was thinking of imbedding them in your soul, but-] ''Knowing you it would be agonizingly painful.'' [Mou~ Why must you ruin my fun.] ''Glove it is! Now to find one...'' [Just buy one tomorrow before you head out.] ''Yup... will do so.'' -The next day, minutes before reaching the Academy- Griff was opening and closing his left hand repeatedly throughout the hour that took them to reach the Academy. He was wearing a black glove with small circular shaped openings on it. The glove could be equipped with 6 lacrima''s at a time. "Will you STOP doing that? It''s getting annoying..." Sylvie was sitting in front of him with a bored look. "Alright alright... I was just admiring my new toy." "Well you can do that later, we''re almost there... ugh, and I''ve been talking to myself the whole way! Do you want me to die of boredom?!" She was pissed to say the least, watching Griff simply look at his hand for the past hour. [We might have been too engrossed in this... You kinda ignored your little girlfriend.] Sylvie was confused watching Griff slightly blush out of no where, tilting her head and slightly getting close to him. "Oi... you sick or something? It won''t be a nice impression looking all red out there." "I... I''m fine!" "Whoa that came out of no where. Relax! You''re probably stressed or something as I can tell, but don''t worry. You''ll do fine." "Uhh... yeah you can say that." Inside his mind Griff was shouting random curses and sometimes proper sentences at Caphriel. He finally calmed down. ''Listen here you little shit!'' [Ohh! You''ve got some balls!] ''She is NOT my girlfriend or anything." Caphriel simply grinned smugly as she laughed in his mind. [You can''t convince me otherwise seeing how she drags you around.] ''You... ugh. I swear to god I will find your weakness one day and pay this back ten- no a hundredfold!'' [You can tryy~] ''Oh I WILL!'' Griff was annoyed... he''d definitely make HER flustered next time. "Yo! You two ready? We''re almost there." Luke''s head suddenly popped out from the front of the carriage. "I''m ready, but Griff might be feeling nervous or something." "What? No! I''m fine. Totally good. I''m all set!" "That... doesn''t sound so convincing." "Just ugh... look I got this Luke." "That''s going to be Commander after today." He had a slightly mischievous grin. "Yeah yeah... commander." "Hey... did you just make fun of me." "Oh how can I make fun of my commander!" "You''re totally mocking me!" "Blasphemy! I only feel respect for yours truly!" Luke''s eye twitched as he went back to the front. Sylvie was laughing, holding her stomach. "He... definitely deserved that!" She said between her breathes. "So... we cool now?" She stopped laughing and crossed her arms, giving a ''hmph.'' "I''ll take that as a yes." "What! That''s supposed to mean No!" "Yes in my book!" "You... are so frustrating." "Thanks!" He gave an annoying grin. "You two! We''re here!" "Yosh!" Hearing Luke''s words, Griff immediately opened the door and hopped off the carriage with Sylvie following him from behind. The sight in front of him was... mesmerizing to say the least. "Welcome to my old school recruits!" Behind Luke was a green flatland with a single floating structure in sight... a white marble building that held the similar majesty of the castle back in the capitol... "The Academy above the sky!" Griff''s eyes were shining with enthusiasm! He has never been on a floating structure before. "Aw HELL YES!" Sylvie was saying nothing but Griff could see she was enthusiastic from her eyes. "Oh? It seems that our new, wannabe students really liked the Academy from first glance!" "HWEH-" Luke literally jumped a couple meters high before landing, and turning around with green crackling lightning on his arms. He looked very annoyed. "WHEN WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT!" "Heheheh! It''s my signature trademark! Pranking that is!" There was a red-robed woman with a signature witch''s hat on her head. She had blond hair that came down to her shoulders with deep blue eyes, but her most defining feature was her excessively jovial grin. "Ugh... no matter how much time passes I hate your pranks with all my being." "I missed you too Lulu!" "Do NOT call me by that name in front of new recruits! Do you want me to actually lose their respect before I even gain it!" He simply sighed seeing she kept smiling. "You are just... even too much for me. Griff, Sylvie, meet Morgana, she is the principal." Griff and Sylvie who were still in shock seeing Luke shriek like a little girl were simply too dazed to give a proper reply so they just nodded. "Great! You broke them!" "Awww... don''t be like that Lulu! They''re going to love it here!" "I''m having second thoughts about bringing you new students..." 68 Chapter 61 - Successfully Dodged A Bullet! Kinda... "Welcome to my Academy!" The Principal, Morgana, did an extravagant pose as she spoke with a childish voice, pointing at the floating fortress-like Academy. "Okay, but... how am I even supposed to get up there." Griff sweat-dropped. He always thought these floating structures were cool, but he never did try going up to one. "Oh silly me! You probably don''t know levitation magic! If it wasn''t this high we''d just use a levitation rune, but the Academy is placed this high purposefully to prevent ground attacks by enemy nations. You two, come closer to me." Griff nervously took a step to the eccentric witch. Sylvie didn''t seem that comfortable too. Luke placed a hand on his shoulder and sighed. "Just listen to what she says. Even though her attitude is like that she''s one of the most reliable and strongest mages in the kingdom." "Ohh~ Could you pleasee say that again Lukeee~." "Yeah. Not happening. Now off you go kids! Next time you see me, call me commander!" Griff and Sylvie were grabbed by their collars and tossed next to Morgana. "Wait I''m not ready for this!" Griff shouted trying to run away, but Morgana simply kept him in place with her hand. ''WHAT''S UP WITH THIS GORILLA! HOW STRONG IS SHE!'' "Noowww off we go!" Below the trio a small circle appeared and slowly started to rise. As it rose, so did they. A couple seconds later, they were looking down on Luke and the few knights that had escorted them there. As Griff was being held in place by Morgana, he looked down in curiosity, seeing the ground get smaller by the second. "How high even is this school!" He blurted out. "Oh, not much." Yeah he wasn''t buying that... He looked up to see small island like structures branching off of the main floating island that held the Academy. "Now listen you two, I''m admitting you as transfer students based off of Luke''s recommendation. You''ll be placed in the Phoenix Class as such, the class whose graduates mostly go to serve the Phoenix Order as Knights or Mages. It depends really." Griff nodded, but Sylvie said nothing. She was quietly clinging to Griff from behind. ''Don''t tell me... this feral girl is actually scared of heights? Well... can''t judge her it was scary at first.'' "Also, he never did mention what your magic attributes were. We''ll have to check that out before letting you attend classes." Suddenly the circle beneath them reached the level of the Academy. "Oh, well follow me. We''ll continue the rest of the talk walking." Sylvie happily jumped off the floating magical circle, and Griff followed suit. After Morgana got off the circle simply vanished. "Oh you two will learn levitation easily. It''s a simple spell needed to get up and down from the Academy after all." ''Yeah makes sense... Psst, Caphy. How''s my attribute camouflage going?'' [Oi you cheeky kid I told you to call me by- nevermind. I''ll tolerate that. I''ve placed a strong illusion spell on your Attribute Origin. The only one who can see through that is an Angel like me! Hmph!] She finished her sentence smugly. Griff could feel her shit eating grin from even out there. ''Thanks... I knew I could count on only you for this.'' [Hey hey. Don''t get the wrong idea. I only did this because I find you interesting.] ''...suuure.'' [That was sarcasm, wasn''t it!] ''Whatever do you mean?'' [UGH! Stop bullying your savior! Fine! I''m not talking to you anymore.] Her connection with Griff was severed right then for the time being. He smiled. He really didn''t know what he''d do without her. She was indeed crazy, but wasn''t he too? Plus... he''d definitely have died several times without her. He really needed to pay her back, maybe cut off the bullying? Na, that was his bread and butter at this point. "Hm? I thought you would show a shocked expression or something seeing the academy, but you''re only smiling..." Morgana interrupted his thoughts by butting in. "Uh I... I didn''t want to bother you by asking too much questions!" Well... that could be said to be the half truth. More like he wasn''t paying any attention at all to his surroundings. Now that he looked around... it was certainly a sight to behold. They were walking through a courtyard that was fairly large with countless students outside. Some were practicing magic, others were reading text books or simply walking around. The variety of magic was entertaining for Griff. He would definitely learn more about what the power he held was. "Wha-! Annoy me! You''re a student! A students job is to annoy their teachers for knowledge!" Morgana said with a slightly serious yet playful tone. Griff simply smiled and scratched his head. Sylvie who was following them quietly kept walking. It seemed she didn''t want to join in their conversation. ''Probably still shaken by that height...'' They followed Morgana into the large building that overlooked the courtyard. Several towers of different shapes were spiraling off of the main building. She walked through the corridor that was bustling with students, but they all walked back, giving her space to walk. Some were whispering while the others simply looked on in curiosity. "Alright, come on in you two." The two nervously walked into the room Morgana opened the door to. It was a spacious office with several weird objects in display. The students outside had resumed their normal routines, even though some glanced back at the principal''s office. "Don''t mind them. Transfer students are a rare sight." "You don''t say..." Griff didn''t want to stick out immediately at a place he was new to... but he wouldn''t back down from a fight when it came to it, that was for sure. "Alright! Both of you place your hands on this." Morgana was holding a small orb that was the size of a human head. It seemed to be crystal. Sylvie put her hand on it, and slowly a feral roar was heard throughout the office. Griff literally jumped from his place. "An aptitude for shapeshifting magic... well, given that you''re a beastkin as Luke says that''s not a surprise. You''ve got affinity for basic elemental spells as well. Try giving those a try while you''re here." She gave a smile and pat Sylvie on the head. "Thanks." She breathed a sigh as she went and sat on a chair. Griff was curious as to why though. "Now you Griff." He rolled up his sleeve and grinned. He was hoping Caphy''s trick would work. He placed his hand that still had the glove on, and slowly the orb started glowing in different colors. "..." Morgana was quietly examining the light, and she gave a nod of approval. "Attributal Copy. I haven''t seen one of those in a while. I guess Luke was right after all, you two are interestint... now I owe him." She sighed in defeat as she took back the orb. Griff was jumping in joy inside his head. Sylvie was confused as she watched his grin get bigger. Why was he so happy? Shouldn''t he have known his attribute beforehand? Well... he IS stupid sometimes so that might have never even happened. "Okay, now you two, follow me. Classes have already starter. I''ll take you to your class. You''ll get your school materials tomorrow." "Uhh... won''t it be awkward walking around like this?" She shrugged as she placed the attribute determining crystal ball back in a glass box. "It''s not that easy finding that stuff. We normally hand them out at the start of the year. Now now that''s not too important right now, you don''t look that bad!" She sized up Griff who was wearing a white shirt with a leather glove on one hand. He had blackish-brown trousers, but his charm was certainly his half-black half-white hair. "Not bad at all~" Griff quickly hug his body shaking in fear, and Sylvie stepped in between of them with a look of disgust directed at Morgana. "Ouu you two are mean to your own principal! Ugh fine... follow me." She opened the door, and walked out into the corridor that was now empty. Griff slowly followed after her with Sylvie sizing her up from the back. They stopped in front of a large wooden door that had a phoenix engraved on it. "Okie dokie of you go! I got places to be and boys to- oops never mind that almost slipped!" She opened the door without hesitation and tossed both of them in while shouting. "They''re yours~ Mr. Julius! Look after them!" Griff simply was horrified. ''Can this... really not get any more awkward then it already is...'' [...] 69 Chapter 62 - The Phoenix Class Julius was an academician. A man that had dedicated his life to scholarly teaching and research on magic. A man who embodied what it meant to have the power of magic. What it meant to wield that power for a chivalric order. He was always ready, that was what he prided himself in. He would never be caught off guard... if ONLY that principal did not exist he would be ready for ANYTHING! A young man with blue hair and a pair of glasses watched in utter annoyance as two people were tossed into his classroom, and he heard the diabolical teasing voice of his boss... The students in the class were all tensed seeing their teacher putting up his annoyed face again. It was hard to annoy their professor... Griff fell on the floor with Sylvie on top of him, and the door was soon closed after them. "Uh, hi?" Griff decided to say something because the silence was becoming too awkward. After a couple of seconds the man sighed and gestured them to stand up, which they obliged happily. "You two are presumably the transfer students, right?" "Uh yes sir." "Call me Professor. I''ll be your teacher from now... tsk damn old hag should have just knocked the door like a normal person... anyway, both of you introduce yourselves." The man, Professor Julius, said with a tired voice. Sylvie was first to speak up. "My name''s Sylvie. I come from a trade city known as Alfrum." She said quickly, looking around the classroom. It seemed that they were both being looked at by the students in interest. Not all of them had the same gazes, but they were definitely intrigued. After she said Alfrum, the class had already started whispering amongst each other. "You, boy?" "I''m Griff, same with her I''m from Alfrum too." The whispering slightly quelled down as a boy with very short brown hair raised his hand for a question. He had very small eyes, and a smile that could be said to be that of a child who find a new toy. "Professor, what are their magic attributes?" "That''s something that only they can say when they feel comfortable..." Julius replied, while looking at the boy with slight irritation. It seemed the kid liked stirring up the class if the Professor seemed that annoyed with him... well he seemed mostly annoyed with everything so far so Griff wasn''t that sure anymore. "Okay you two... take a seat. There''s an empty seat behind Kato, and one next to Ellen." Sylvie quietly moved behind the sharp eyed Kato and sat, some of the boys were slightly glancing at her. Her silver hair was definitely eye catching. Griff was also getting a few stares from his classmates. It wasn''t that common coming across someone with two distinct hair colors even though people had very colorful hair. The teacher had gestured a girl with short, messy red hair that seemed to disregard Griff''s presence. She was busy looking at her textbook and drawing circles with her fingers, seemingly bored. Griff quietly walked behind her desk and took a seat. "Alright, now that that''s over I will be getting back to explaining the fundamentals of attributes. Could you two help the new bra- kids with their class notes later on?" "Sure thing professor!" Kato said with a mischievous smirk. Ellen just nodded, and continued to draw circles, sighing. Julius started explaining the fundamentals of attributes from where he left off. "Alright, as I was saying what constitutes an attribute is how you manipulate what we call neutral mana. We can imbed neutral mana with the attributes that we have grasped the concept of. Of course if you use the attribute you have an affinity for your chances of successfully conjuring a spell, and its strength increases." He snapped his fingers, and a small, bluish orb appeared to gather around his hand. "Can anyone tell me what I did just now?" A blond boy with slight scars on his face raised his hand enthusiastically. Julius sighed and nodded. "Yes, Lance?" "You made a blue shiny ball!" The class slightly chuckled, and some laughed out loud. Even Griff found the kid funny, smirking. "No Lance. I''ll be assigning you more homework, it seems you still can''t speak using correct magecraft terminology." The boy''s jovial face suddenly dropped as he looked like he could cry in an instant. Griff was laughing along with the rest of the class now. The kid seemed to be brutish from those muscles and scars, but he was a funny guy. "Okay prof..." "That''s professor... Now, what I just did is gather neutral mana floating around us, and condense it i to what we call a mana ball. You can use it to attack your opponents, and it''s the most basic spell. We usually use this spell to determine how much mana a mage can tap into as of the moment as the size varies on your mana reserve. Could you all try conjuring a mana ball?" The class was suddenly filled with the sounds of students trying to conjure a mana ball. Some were chanting to no avail while others easily conjured a mana ball. [Hey now you monster don''t actually cast the spell. Do it in moderation.] ''Huh... why not?'' [Your sense of mana is really distorted... the amount of mana in your body is phenomenal, most likely it remains from the otherworlder that had taken over your body in the past, and it merged with your own reserve as well.] ''Yeesh fine.'' A small, blue mana ball started to conjure around Griff''s finger and started to grow slowly as time passed. Some students who couldn''t cast a mana ball looked in awe at Griff. His mana ball could be on the larger side in the class. Sylvie was struggling as she didn''t even understand what mana was. She was looking at Griff with sad puppy eyes, and he truly felt like petting her head to calm her down... The girl in front of Griff had not attempted to cast the spell and was now lying her head on her desk, napping. A few seconds later Julius walked up to her and flicked her head slightly. "Ellen no matter how good you are with magic you have to follow my directions in class." She grumbled, raising her head. "Sheesh... fine." The girl replied with an irritated, and strong voice. She snapped her fingers, and a mana ball conjured around her finger, a fairly large- no the largest in the room. The students were sighing looking at her. ''Huh... apparently we got a genius here.'' [She''s very talented in human terms, interesting.] "That enough Professor?" She said, still irritated. "Alright, enough. Now let''s get back to the lecture..." As Julius walked back to the front, Griff tapped Ellen on her back. "Hey! That was pretty cool! I''m Griff, nice to meet you. What magic do you use?" He asked curiously. He was very intrigued by someone who had such mana reserves, and wanted to see her magic. [I''m starting to think you''re a magic nerd.] ''Duh! Of course I am.'' The girl looked over her shoulder. She had amber gold eyes that seemed to look down on Griff... or was that to his imagination. Unknown to Griff some of the students were looking at him with worry, and some were shocked. "Is h crazy?!" "Does he want to burn to death?" "Damn... the Elemental Queen''s gonna roast him for sure." Were amongst those that Griff could hear. Ellen simply pushed his hand away, and before turning back to her nap she spoke. "Don''t talk to me or touch me. Just because the professor told me to help you doesn''t mean we''re friends." [Ouch.] ''My self esteem as a man...'' Griff looked shocked at her sentence. "Oh she didn''t kill him." "She''s not annoyed at him yet, that''s probably why." Griff shook his head and decided to not back down. He was NOT going to get treated like this, not on his watch. "Hey, I''m just trying to be friendly. No need to be stingy you know." "Shut up. I don''t associate myself with weaklings like you." Griff''s eye twitched. Oh he''d show her his magic alright. ''You''re on my shit list now lady...'' Suddenly a boy tugged his shoulder from behind. The boy sitting behind him shook his head sideways and whispered to him. "Don''t provoke her! She''s known as the Elemental Queen. She''s one of the strongest in the class. No one bothers her because she beat up anyone who annoys her! Save yourself my man!" Ellen had already turned away and was minding her own business. Griff looked back at the kid. "That may be the case for now... I''ll make it change. You''ll see." Suddenly the guy''s eyes widened in slight fear, and a couple students looked over in fear. "What, something on my face?" Griff pointed at himself. "Uhh- behind you." The guy replied meekly. Griff turned around to see Ellen looking back at him with sharpened eyes and an angry scowl on her face. "What was that newbie?" She said, looking as intimidating as she could. To Griff, however, a school girl wasn''t about to make him tremble. Not after facing a horde, however artificial it might be. He locked his gaze with her. Screw trying to stay lowkey for now. He won''t be pressured by her. "You heard me right. You won''t stay one of the strongest in this class with me here." A couple of the students gasped, some looking in shock, and even a whistle was heard. Julius seemed to not have a care in the world and continued explaining the class to those who were listening. "You''ll regret those words you half-and-half freak... you''ll see our difference later on, mark my words." "Did you seriously try to insult me with my hair. Yikes... I''m scared, oh I''m trembling!" Griff replied with a harsh and sarcastic tone, acting like he was horrified. This earned a couple laughs from the class. Seems like he would get along with his classmates, bar this bratty girl. "Tchh-" She stood from her seat, but a stern voice forced her to sit down. "That''s enough! Sit down Ellen. I will not have childish power squabbles in my class..." She grumbled and sat back down, but not without giving Griff a final, dirty look. "That kid... he''s got guts." "I wonder how the Queen will respond." "He''s gonna fucking die! Somebody help him!" "He seems interesting..." The class was gossiping amongst itself. ''Seems like I made one heck of a first impression. Good job me!'' Caphriel was watching the entire ordeal like one would watch a sports competition. She had cut ber mental link with Griff as she shouted in his mind. [ATTA BOY! SHOW EM WHOSE BOSS! I DID NOT CHOOSE A LOUSY HUMAN AS A HOST! HEHEHEH! RIP THAT GIRL APART GRIFF!] She was... a bit too enthusiastic it seems. 71 Mini Chapter 63 - Settling In Griff had walked out of the class after it was over with Sylvie. It seemed that he''d made a bit of a name for himself as some people were whispering and pointing at him. "Man this sucks... I didn''t want to gain attention like this. I was thinking of something cool!" "Ah don''t sweat it. If you didn''t get angry, I would have. I''m not going to sit and calmly watch an arrogant kid show off their narcissism... well not after what we went through. We''re the real deal! Relax." Sylvie said as she slapped Griff on the back with a toothy grin. "Ouch... look I might be tough but you still gotta hold back a bit." "Nah." "Wha- Why!" "Cause it''s fun!" "You''re one real tomboy aren''t you..." "You can say that I guess." Sylvie laughed as the two walked down the hallway. Unbeknownst to them, a certain girl was eyeing Griff from behind with fury in her eyes. ''He thinks he''s tough shit... Damn kid!'' She was gripping her fists in anger, and any student who noticed her fury would slowly back up or walk around her in order to not be subjected to her fury. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A couple hours later Griff was at the male dormitory. Morgana had told them that they''d be staying at different dorms as they didn''t allow males and females to stay in the same dorms. ''I just hope my roommate isn''t an asshole like that girl earlier.'' [If push comes to shove you can always beat them up.] ''Yeah... how about no?'' Caphriel shrugged internally at that. Griff was standing in front of an apartment like building, the male dorms. Every student stayed with a roommate, so he would be living with someone he didn''t know. ''She said my room was on the 5th floor right?'' [Room 504.] ''Thanks.'' After a few minutes he was standing in front of said room... and the door didn''t look so promising. Compared to every other rooms door this one looked chipped with scratch marks... "Well here goes nothing." Griff knocked on the door. "Hey! Is anyone inside? I''m your new roommate." A couple seconds passed, and a boy with green hair who was slightly shorter than Griff opened the door. He had a bored expression that didn''t suit his fair looks. "Oh... they told me about you... come in." He opened the door, and walked back to his side of the room. "Use that side." Right after that, he fell asleep... "Well... I guess he could have been worse?" He looked around the room. Except for his side which only had a bed with white sheets the whole room was a mess. There were magic tools and textbooks scattered around, and clothes tossed around. Griff sighed. "Okay I guess I''ll have to put up with this for a year..." He didn''t have much on him, just a small backpack filled with a few clothes, and several lacrima he had bought. He placed them next to his bed, and hopped on his bed. ''I hope Sylvie isn''t in as bad of a situation as me...'' ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Meanwhile, at the female dorms bath "KYAAA! She has silver hair! So cute!" "Let go of me you wenches!" "She even talks like a guy! Is this what they call a tomboy?" "But she''s so beautiful that I feel the need to protect her!" "Let''s hug her!" "DAMN IT! HEEELP!" ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ''Yeah... she''s probably in a better situation than me.'' Griff looked over to his roommate who didn''t even introduce himself. He was sound asleep, and he hadn''t even closed the illumination rune. ''Guess I''ll close the lights. Tomorrow''s my second day here.'' 72 Chapter 64 - A School of Secrets Griff woke up early to the door knocking. His roommate was still sleeping. He quickly got up, and opened the door. "Griff, right?" A man that was wearing casual clothes with plain looks said. He was carrying a box. "Yeah, that''s me." "Delivery for you. School supplies and uniform." "Thanks..." He closed the door and opened the box. It was filled to the brim with magic theory text books on attributes, mana, and all sorts of trivia. There were also a pair of robes, a black jacket with an insignia on its right chest, and a pair of black pants. He wore the black jacket and pants. ''I''m not gonna walk around like a clown...'' He left the robes on his bed, and looked through the box, finding a schedule. "...Practical Magic Applications... it has no course book? I guess it''s a hands in demonstration course." He left the box full with books in the room as he walked out. He was wearing a confident smile. He put on his gloves, and placed his fire, water, air and earth lacrima into the small sections on his right pair. He squeezed his fist in enthusiasm as he walked down the stairs. Most of the students walking around him wore robes, but there was the occasional student wearing the jacket like him. ''...wait a minute where even is the class going to be held at?'' He saw a student walking right past him who was pretty fast. "Uh, hey! Sorry, I''m a transfer student, so I don''t know where some classes are held at. Do you know where Practical Magic Applications is held at?" The student slowed down, and turned to Griff with a smile. "Oh, yeah it''s-" The students eyes drifted onto the insignia on Griff''s jacket, and he stopped speaking as he turned around immediately again, dropping his smile. "My bad, I don''t seem to remember it... bye!" "Oi wait weren''t you just telling me!" Griff watched in annoyance as the student ran off, this time faster than before. He frowned as he crossed his arms. "What''s his problem..." He huffed and kept walking in annoyance. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A couple minutes later Griff was running through the corridors. He had found a layout of the academy, and had noticed he was at the furthest point from where he had to go. "Huff... Great! Late on my... second day... " He ran through the corridors, avoiding slamming into people, and dodging anyone that came by his way. He saw the large double door that lead out to the courtyard where the class would take place. He opened it, and ran towards his classmates that were already assembled there with Professor Julius already lecturing them. He ran towards the back of the class and breathed a sigh of relief. "Made... it..." "Okay... as I was saying before someone decided to come late, today we will practice how each basic attribute can be used for battle oriented and daily life purposes." He spoke with slight venom in his voice. He hated it when someone barged into his class late. Griff gulped, and waited for Julius to continue. As he looked around for Sylvie he saw that she was in the front with several girls talking with her. [Looks like someone made friends rather than enemies.] ''Shut up pixie.'' [I''m an angel you idiot.] ''Details details...'' Griff could feel a focused gaze on him, but he decided to ignore it. It was definitely that pesky girl from yesterday. "Pst. You''re the new kid right?" The student that stood next to Griff whispered to him as he was deep in thought. "Huh? Oh yeah... oh you''re-" It was the guy named Lance from yesterday. He still looked slightly intimating with his scars and tall, muscular posture, but his smile did put Griff at ease. "Lance, right?" "Oh! So you already know me! That''s great!" He seemed to have stars in his eyes, but they slowly died out when Julius saw them. "Mr. Lance and Mr. Griff. I do not want another disturbance during my lecture, understood?" Lance nodded, and Griff followed suit. When he returned to lecturing Lance turned to Griff and gave a friendly grin. "Well, I just wanted to say I look forward to knowing you." Griff smiled at that. It seemed that there was someone he would definitely get along with. "Same with me." "Okay. That concludes today''s theoretical explanation. Now we''ll be doing some target practice." The class''s mood lightened up hearing the info dump was over, and that they''d be able to use magic now. "Hey, what''s that good about this class?" "Oh you don''t know... well you''re new so. Okay so, we just get to go all out and use magic! My head isn''t that good for understanding what magic is hahahahah!" Lance scratched his head with a relaxed smile. "But I can hit things hard, so this is perfect for me!" "Okay all of you. Quiet down... I really can''t handle the sound of brats in the morning." Julius snapped his fingers as slowly the ground they were standing on slightly shook, and in front of them a staircase appeared, leading down. Julius gestured for them to follow him, and they slowly made it out of the slightly crammed staircase to a reasonably large, underground arena made of white marble. "Hey... you all are walking like this is normal... the ground just opened up." Griff said to Lance as the class walked down. Sylvie was also in a daze, but a few girls were talking with him, probably explaining this place. "Oh this is the staircase to the underground training grounds. Last time when a practical class was held in the courtyard the school almost burned down, so they came up with this. Genius, right?" "...definitely amazing." Julius cleared his throat after all the students were standing in front of him. "You''ll all be split into teams of four, and you''ll be fighting against another team of four. Now with the transfer students we have a perfect number of 24 students, so I can finally make sure you all get adjusted to how squads work. This will be today''s practical magic application. You are free to use any attribute you like. This is simply a test to see how you fight with magic in a team against another team. Any use of lethal magic will have repercussions." Lance raised his hand in enthusiasm. "Professor! Can I be paired with the new guy!" "It doesn''t really matter anyway. You can be together." As Lance talked with Julius Griff was in thought. ''This is definitely not the only thing they''re hiding from plain sight.'' [It''s certainly interesting, seeing humans convert a floating island into an academy, but this underground training ground amazed even me.] Griff nodded internally at that. This only meant that the Capitol was simply a more interesting place to explore. A couple minutes everyone else was also placed into teams of four. "Okay. You two need two more members. Kato and Jewels. I want you two to join those two." The boy with the black hair and slight, calculative smile from yesterday walked towards Lance and Griff with his trademark grin. "If it isn''t the newbie. Glad to be working with you." He extended his hand for a handshake that Griff obliged happily. He might not be paired with Sylvie but he wanted to start branching out. The next guy that walked towards them, the only one left out of a team, was a boy with purple hair and a bored expression that was walking towards them. "Him?!" Griff''s thoughts leaked out of his mouth as he looked at his roommate walk over to them. "You know Jewels?" Kato asked with interest. "He''s my roommate!" "Ouch... must be hard living with all that mess." "I''m more tidy than you''d expect Kato..." Jewels spoke in annoyance as he looked at him with his hands in his pockets. He was the only other student wearing the school jacket like Griff in the class, bar for Lance who had modified his jacket so much that it looked like a sleeveless shirt. "I guess we''ll be working together then. I look forward to it." Kato said with a grin, looking at his teammates. Lance gave a thumbs up at that. "Likewise." Jewels simply said nothing else, and waited for the class to start. 73 Chapter 65 - This is a Pickle... "Okay. You''re all in your teams now. I won''t waste your time by talking unnecessarily. We will have three matches, and I will observe how you all fight. Do not forget that a squad of 4 is the smallest unit of an Order. Act as the knight candidates you are!" The students all nodded in agreement. "Very well. Which team wants to go first. I''ll leave it to you to pick your opponents." He yawned as he snapped his fingers and a chair made of stone appeared behind him. He sat on it, overlooking the circular training ground. The students were in chaos. Some were complaining about how much of a shitty teacher they had while others were actively avoiding some of the other teams. "So, what do you guys say that we do?" Griff said with his arms folded. "It doesn''t matter as long as I get to fight!" Lance said as he cracked his knuckles in excitement. Truly a muscle brain... Jewels yawned and simply stood there. "I don''t care what happens. You decide." Kato, however, was keenly observing the opposing teams with a mischievous grin. "It seems that we might be able to win against some of the teams here... I say we go for the smaller fish, and that we don''t fight first. We''re better off watching how the others fight first." Griff pondered at that. It certainly made a lot of sense. He was good at fighting, and he certainly was not an idiot when it came to it, but planning was not his forte. He decided to trust his teammate. "Alright Kato, let''s do it your way." Kato''s smile slowly widened as his eyes got smaller. "Finally, someone who thinks unlike these two." Jewels yawned again while Lance simply stood dumb-founded, trying to process the insult. Suddenly the sound of students going back and forth intensified. It seems that an argument had started. "Listen here you little punks. You better take that back." A boy with piercings on his ears and a shaved head said in annoyance as he pointed at a team of four. One with messy, long black hair stepped up, standing between him and his teammates. "No one''s going to bend to your will here Jared. I don''t care about you being the son of a noble. Here, it''s the strongest who determines the rules." "Oh so you think I''m weak? I''ll show you. I''ll definitely show you. Come on! My team against yours! We need to fight some weaklings anyway..." Two of Jared''s teammates snickered behind him while the other one, a short boy with grey hair fidgeted. "You''ll regret that. I wonder... how your dear daddy will react when I send back his battered sons face." "You tell him Kyle!" Griff whispered to Kato who was observing what was going on. "Hey who are they?" "Ah yeah I forget that you''re new here. The one with the black messy hair is Kyle Drein. He''s the son of one of the merchants that governs the merchants guild. The other one is Jared. He''s the son of a shitty baron, but nobility none the less. He''s just a lowlife that likes bullying people because of his status." "Well... at least this means we won''t be going first." "Indeed, but... this does change my plan for an easy victory. Not only did we lose the chance to fight an idiot, we''re just a makeshift team. I seriously don''t know what the Professor was thinking about this exercise, but we can''t properly fight as a team... we don''t know each other good yet." [This kid seems to be the analytical type.] ''He''s definitely smart.'' [Smarter than you.] ''Shut up you glorified peacock.'' [Pea-?! LISTEN HERE YO-] Griff severed his mental link to Caphriel. He couldn''t bother with her right now. Suddenly something clicked in Griff''s head. "Wait you said that this ruined your plan for an easy victory. Are the other teams strong?" "... the one with Ellen certainly is." Kato glanced to the right where a blob of red could be seen. She was talking with her teammates. "Other than her... I can say that the teams other than Jared''s will put up a decent fight." Kato sighed. "We just got to pair up with a team other than Ellen''s and we''re good." Griff looked over to his right and his eyes slightly widened. Sylvie was a part of Ellen''s team, and she definitely was NOT happy. She saw Griff looking and her eyes brightened. Ellen, who was probably trying to explain how to function as a team, saw her eyes brighten up, and looked to where she was looking to see Griff. Her eye twitched in annoyance at him and that Sylvie didn''t have interest in what she was explaining. "Sheesh, she looks like she''s going to explode." Griff remarked. "Shh. Keep it down man. I don''t want to fight a monster so soon." "So soon? That means you''ll eventually fight her?" "Everyone has a weakness. I just have to find it." Kato grinned and slapped Griff on the back. "Come on. Kyle and Jared are about to fight." Griff nodded and ran after him towards Jewels and Lance. The training grounds were separated into two parts. One side was reserved for training with several devices, golems, and other tools placed around. The other part was a moderately large arena. "So... can you tell who will win Kato?" Griff gestured at the arena. At the left was Jared and his two punks, and the timid gray haired boy. On the other side, Kyle and a plain looking boy stood firm, with two girls standing behind them. "It''s easy. Kyle''s got this in the bag. He might not have the natural mana a noble does, but he''s more level headed. Also... Jared''s an idiot. Everyone can see the outcome. Their teams don''t differ a lot too. However... Jilk''s a wildcard." "Jilk?" "The grey haired kid. He''s very timid in class and doesn''t talk a lot, so no one knows his magic attribute. It can change the whole battle." Griff nodded and turned back to watch. On his other side, Lance was busy cheering for both teams to have a good fight. Jewels was... sleeping. "...I just hope Jewels doesn''t sleep during our turn." Griff sighed as he turned back to watch the fight that was about to start. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Kato was certainly right. As soon as Julius gave the signal Jared and his lackies ran off, and surprisingly they left Jilk behind. One of them even shove him when he tried to talk to them. Kyle''s team had laid a smart trap where one of them, the plain boy, had created several pitfalls using earth magic, and then covered the top with thin layers of dirt. After one of the lackies fell, Kyle and his teammates surrounded the other two. It was pretty anti-climactic. The interesting part, however, was when Jilk suddenly appeared behind the plain boy, Kyle had shouted for his name, Xavier, after he saw Jilk appear, but it was too late as Jilk sneak attacked him by tackling him. ''Well... other than Jilk''s last stand it was very predictable. Did he use some sort of teleportation magic?'' [Yes. He used teleportation.] ''That''s so cool! I wonder what would happen if I contradicted it.'' [Uh... I advise against it. It''s already an unstable attribute.] ''Party pooper... I''ll try contradicting it after I get stronger.'' [Sheesh... you''re one determined kid.] ''Thanks, you''re not half bad glorified peacock.'' [I swear to go-] Griff cut his mental link once more, slightly chuckling. "Oh? What''s so funny?" Kato remarked with his trademark grin. "Oh it''s nothing. Just remembered something. Forget that... your prediction was spot on man!" Griff said with amazement in his eyes. Kato was certainly a great teammate to have. "Ahahah! You flatter me! I just did some simple analysis." Kato said as he scratched his head in... apparent embarrassment, but it was obvious he was enjoying the praise. "Hey Kato... I think that there isn''t a need to be scared of Ellen." "Eh? Why''s that?" "She might have control over four of the basic elements... but that''s that. They''re only the basics! And you''ve got the brains to outsmart her. I think you could win." "Eh? Uh, Griff that''s nice to say and all but now''s not the time!" Kato began freaking out slightly as Griff basically outrightly said that he could beat Ellen easily. "I can''t beat her yet!" "Oh? You can''t beat me YET?" Kato cursed inwardly. He didn''t mean to reveal that he was planning on fighting her in the future. Damn... this was a slip of a tongue. He didn''t let his guard down usually. "You can''t beat me in your dreams weird eyed freak." Kato''s eye twitched, but he decided to not say anything. He would bide his time to bring her down her pedestal, but he didn''t have all the right cards just yet. "Oi... back off from my teammate you red head." "Eh? You again... you stuck up newbie. Who do you think you are? You''re all just half assed mages... damn it... I just HAD to be stuck in the Phoenix Class of all places because of a stupid bet too. Now I get to go to class with idiots like this who don''t know the world is too big." As Ellen was ranting, Griff''s eyes began to twitch in anger. He had had enough of her. He didn''t like her, yes, but her pressuring Kato''s pride was another thing. He was making a friend, a good one too, and he wouldn''t let this friendship end before it began because of a red head egotistical man child. "Your team against mine, come on red head. I''ll show you how big the world REALLY is... You asked who I think I am right? Well... I''m the bastard that''s going to fucking kick you down from this throne you''ve built!" Kato''s eyes widened in shock as his usual mischievous grin dropped. "Uh... no no! That''s not what he meant! Come on Ellen, you honestly aren''t going to bully a newbie?" He tried to reason with her, but Ellen was dead set on fighting. "You are ON! Bring your useless buddies too. Next fight, it will be between our teams!" "You''re on red head!" "Don''t call me red head!" She growled as Kato slowly separated them and pulled Griff back away from her. "Griff! What was that for! We have a decent winning chance against everyone BUT her! I know you don''t like her, but why didn''t you control yourself there!" "Just trust me on this Kato..." Griff said as he squeezed Kato''s shoulder. "Believe me, I wouldn''t pick a fight I don''t think I can win..." Kato sighed as he raised his hands in defeat and took a step back. "You''re either very crazy and cocky, or very strong and brave, and I don''t know which one is going to be scarier..." "Why not both?" Griff grinned at Kato, who slowly regained his smile. "Fine. You''ve got my trust. Let''s see how this plays out." He raised his hand for a handshake which Griff happily complied. "Partners?" "Partners." 74 Chapter 66 - All Cards On The Table! "Okay, so what do we know about the enemy? That is the most important thing we need to put on the table to form a good plan." Kato spoke with his hands folded. They were up next im about 5 minutes after Professor Julius resetted the battle ground using earth magic. It was really convenient knowing multiple attributes... "I still can''t believe you two went and picked a fight with HER of all people!" Lance was...uh... kind of stressed. He was pulling his hair. Jewels simply shrugged. "So... both of you don''t know a lot?" "Hey man! I don''t like interacting with someone who can blow me to bits due to a mood swing!" Lance said. Man... he looked tough with his size and scars, but he was a kid like all of them truly. "Uh... Jewels?" Jewels brushed his purple hair away from his eyes, and yawned. "I might know a thing or two. Rumors mostly though. I know how she got so infamous." "Well I know why already, but maybe you know something that I don''t go ahead." "This is nuts man!" Griff was trying to ease Lance who was shaking while Jewels explained what he knew. "We all know that the entire thing started when she got here a week after the term started as an immediate transfer, right? She was mostly silent in class, and no one approached her, but one day she exploded after a fight with an upper class men. Most of us saw how she used fire, water, wind, and earth magic with ease." "Anything else? Useful? That''s something all of us know Jewels?" "There was one thing I don''t remember hearing anywhere else..." "And that is...?" "She''s a fallen noble supposedly. Left for dead by her family after a fight, and that she couldn''t inherit their family attribute." Griff turned from the scared Lance to Jewels in shock. "Wait a second... she can still use four attributes with ease. What''s the problem if she couldn''t learn a particular one?" Jewels simply looked at him like he''s an idiot. "Wait... you seriously don''t know?" "I seriously do not know man." Griff shrugged. "I come from Alfrum, not the most informed city... uh more like what''s left of it." "Okay, you got a point... well, most noble families in Kulva have a strict rule regarding magic. They are nobles for a reason, their attributes. And those attributes are capable of being inherited by their children, something very valuable to them. This is also why political marriages between strong houses of nobility occur, to create stronger magic attributes. So in Ellen''s case this means that... she has 0 value as a noble." Griff nodded with slight hesitation. The nobles had very odd and disturbing traditions. Kato turned back to Jewels with his sharp gaze. "That''s all I know man." "Ugh... fine. Knowing more would help better, but it''s good knowing that she''s confounded to the four basic attributes right now. It makes odd variables nonexistent. Okay, next order of business... I need to know your attributes. We are a team here, we can''t hide unknown variables." "Yeah we''re comrades!" Lance shouted with vigor, which slowly died down. "That are about to go on a suicide mission." "Oi! Don''t get depressed on me yet!" Lance nodded and scratched his head. "I can reinforce my body to extreme proportions. You can say that I can take a hit good, and hit back strong." "Any spells? Or can you only use the base mana right now?" "Uhh..." Lance sighed and lowered his head. "Base form... I can''t cast spells." "Okay... okay that''s not bad. Jewels, you?" "...lightning... I know a spell or two." Kato nodded his head as he pondered for a bit. "Well, I can use... Corrosion Magic. It''s effective on mana as well." Lance''s eyes sparkled as he heard that while Jewels simply raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Okay my turn. I can use Copy Magic." Kato''s eyes widened. "Wait... you''re talking about the Unique attribute, attributal copy, right?" Jewels also seemed interested. "Uh, yeah... yeah!" "What''s that?" Lance asked, but no one bothered answering him. Kato devilishly grinned. "Okay... so all of you come close, I think I got a... decent plan." As he finished his sentence, Kato''s lips curled up more mischievously than before, and his eyes sharpened more. ''He looks scary like this.'' Griff thought as he got closer to hear the plan. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª "Alright... we''ll be starting soon. Are both teams in their positions?" Julius shouted. "We''re set Professor!" Kato shouted towards Julius. From the other side of the arena, a girl''s voice echoed. "Yeah yeah..." The arena''s terrain was altered once more as Julius had repaired it. There were small mounds of rocks, cover to hide, and a maze like structure near the center with a large opening at the middle of it. Julius had modified the battlefield after the last battle immensely. Earth magic was certainly convenient. "Okay, once more, are you all set?" Griff squeezed his gloved hand in determination, the five lacrima imbedded on it that he had chosen to use for today were glowing. "You bet I am!" "Hell yeah!" Lance shouted in enthusiasm as he raised his balled fist high. Jewels sighed. "Sure... whatever..." Just then Julius''s voice echoed once more. "The clock starts ticking now! Start!" 75 Chapter 67 - Showdown - Part 1 Griff was hiding behind one of the walls in the labyrinth. Their plan was about to begin. ''Man... Kato can sure be merciless when making plans.'' [He''s smart unlike a certain knucklehead.] ''Oi, I''m trying Ms. Peacock!'' [I give up... just call me that... you... ugh.] "Oi! Are you all scared or something? Why don''t you come face me one on one Ellen!" Lance was standing near the center of the arena, right at the entrance of the labyrinth, shouting for Ellen to come. He was playing the bait. If Ellen was as Kato and Jewels predicted, she''d fall for the trap soon. Lance''s forehead was sweating, but he had steeled himself for this. He could strengthen his body so he was the one who could tank a surprise attack from a pissed Ellen. Lance slightly hesitated before taking a deep breath and shouting his last taunt, his sigh was also the signal for everyone to get in their positions... because this would cause a catastrophe. "No wonder there are rumors of you being an abandoned noble! You can''t even face your opponents face to face! Serves you right, coward!" Instantaneously a wrathful shout was heard as a red blur shot towards Lance. "YOU MEATHEAD YOU''RE A WALKING CORPSE!" Her teammates could be seen running after her, but none of them could catch up with her speed. Sylvie, however, wasn''t even trying to catch up to her. She raised her fist which was covered in red flames and punched Lance right across the chest with her full, mana infused force, sending him flying back. As soon as he crashed into the entrance of the Labyrinth, Lance stood up, and wiped some blood off his mouth. "Hmph... your punches are weaker than I thought." Even though that was what he had said with a determined and battle thirsty look, that wasn''t what he was thinking. ''I''M GONNA FUCKING DIE! DID I JUST HEAR A CRACK! I THINK MY RIBS CRACKED! FUCKING CRAZY WOMAN!'' Yeah... Lance was doing a good job acting. Lance stood up as Ellen started walking towards him, breathing heavily in anger. "Hmm... on second thought I don''t think you''re worth my time... bye." Lance turned around and bolted into the labyrinth! "YOU COWARD! YOU DARE RUN AWAY FROM ME AFTER MAKING ME THIS ANGRY!" Ellen ran after him full speed using small explosions to propel herself, and occasionally wind magic to maneuver herself. Lance might not know spells, but if he had something going for him it was his abnormally strong stamina and endurance. "Griff... he''s heading over. Her teammates are outside the labyrinth right now, they''re hesitant to enter." Kato told him before turning around. All three of them were standing in the center of the labyrinth, thanks to Kato''s magic they came through fast. "If all goes to plan... this will be an easy victory." "Trust me Kato... it will." Kato grinned and gave a thumbs up as he turned to Jewels. "We''re heading out now?" Jewels asked with an eyebrow raised. "Yeah... her teammates don''t know where she ran off to so they''ll probably split up. We''ll take out one or two of them." "Gotcha." Jewels jumped off the rock he was sitting on and cracked his knuckles. "I''ll make the path... good luck Griff! If you can''t beat her, just hold out till we come back so we can team up against her." "Don''t worry... that really won''t be necessary." Griff grinned as his glove shined. Kato nodded, and touched a wall, corroding a small part of it that allowed him and Jewels to crawl back into the labyrinth. "We''re off hunting... you get to hunt the big fish." Kato crouched from the small hole, and Jewels followed him. Now Griff was the only one at the Center... but the sounds of explosions getting closer meant he wouldn''t be soon. He squeezed his hand into a fist and raised his gloved hand. He was going to go all out on her to his current limits! Just then Lance bursted into the center of the labyrinth shouting. "She''s right behind me!!!" "I got you!" Griff ran towards him and high-fived him. "Tag out!" Lance said as he grinned, and ran towards the hole that Kato had made. A few seconds later an angry ball of red landed in front of Griff. "Huh? Where the hell did that fucker go! ...You?!" Griff grinned as he took a step towards her with his fist raised high in defiance to her. "Yes. Me." "...this might not be a total loss for me. I''ll fucking show the difference between us now!" "You''ll be surprised to see I''m not who you think I am." "Enough talking more bashing in heads!" Ellen slightly kneeled, and with a burst of flames leaped towards Griff with her fist curled. Griff raised his gloved hand, and extended it, forming a wall of water. Ellen''s eyes widened as she slammed into the water, her flames being extinguished instantly. She leapt back, slightly soaked now. She used her flames to dry herself up quickly and growled. "So you can use water magic, so what? I''ll just use the counter to that! Wind Magic: Wind Blades!" Dozens of invisible gushes of wind blades shot towards Griff. Griff, however, didn''t hesitate for a second as he stomped his feet on the ground. Instantly a wall of stone shot up, shielding him from the wind blades. Now Ellen looked slightly shocked. "Eh- Two attributes?" She shook her head, and anger returned to her eyes. She didn''t have time to hesitate right now. Griff was an unknown variable to her now. "Shall we continue?" Griff gave a mocking grin as his black flames bursted from his fist. Ellen''s eyes slowly widened in shock as her breathing became rapid. "Who the hell are you! Only nobles can use so many base attributes!" She ignited flames on both of her hands as she turned to him with her hands raised in a fighting position. "Me? I''m just... a glitch in the matrix. Your worst enemy would be a better definition in this situation though!" 76 Chapter 68 - Showdown - Part 2 Ellen stomped her feet on the ground as several rock pillars rose, allowing her to use them to get to higher ground. She then jumped off the tallest one with her hands igniting in crimson flames as she chanted the name of her spell. "Fire Magic: Rock-Meteor Collapse!" As she fell from a couple meters height with the flames on her curled fists blazing stronger, Griff thought that it was certainly impressive to watch her combine two attributes for a joint spell, but he wasn''t here to admire magic. He raised his hands as the yellowish lacrima on his glove, the earth lacrima, started to glow. Shortly after water bursted all around Griff, shooting towards Ellen. His black flames, on the other hand, were gathering behind him as he did so. "I might know how to create a proper spell, but I can get creative you know!" The water he had sent towards her had slowly transformed and taken up the shape of an arrow. "I don''t know if this counts as a spell, but... Water Magic: Defiant Arrow Rain!" The large arrow split into smaller arrows made of water that shot at jet speed, both slowing down Ellen''s flaming meteor spell, and injuring her in the process, but she hadn''t given up. With a roar of rage she crashed right on top of Griff, her fist hitting him on the chest. As the dust settled, Ellen looked around to see if Griff was down. She should have landed right on top of him... but he wasn''t there! She was panting... she''d used a fair bit of mana there, for she didn''t want to underestimate Griff after he showed her he could use three attributes so far. Her pride was on the line here. "Looking for me?" She quickly turned around to see Griff who was encased in black flames. His flames were slowly starting to take shape around his body. He was gambling here with one of the only spells he could use... well, to be honest he couldn''t use this properly. Last time was a fluke, this time though... it was meant not to be! Griff had a confident smile this time around. He felt stronger, more empowered after a long time of feeling helpless! He would prove right here to himself that he was strong, that he would get stronger than he is as well! Ellen quickly raised her hands as water started to spiral around her. "You keep forgetting you''re not the only one who can use different elements! You might think you''re my worst enemy, but I''ll show you you''re mistaken!" As she said so she bit her lower lip. Her short red hair was flailing as mana started to become more distorted around her. "Well... I wouldn''t want to let someone who is about to go all out on me!" Ellen felt anger, but this time it wasn''t anger against Griff. No, he had proven to her already that he had long had a reason to act as he did to her before. He had the magic to back it up. No, this was anger directed at herself. She hadn''t felt cornered in a while, and she had sworn to herself that she wouldn''t be cornered again! Slowly her face twisted into a smile. Yeah, she might be cornered, but it didn''t seem that Griff was mocking her. He was taking her seriously. Someone who could go head to head against her... how long had it been after she left her house? Definitely it had been a while. "Alright, Griff was it?!" It was more fo a rhetorical question as she continued, not letting Griff respond. "I don''t think I dislike your attitude anymore!" As she concluded her sentence the water around her was infused with wind magic. It had twisted and turned as it slowly turned into a hurricane with small storm clouds starting to appear on top of them. Griff''s eyes slowly widened in shock, which slowly turned into excitement. Yeah... it wasn''t that bad of a choice to come to this school. He definitely had found someone... Ellen was gasping for breath as she felt her mana get sucked out of her. Instead of being scared like most people had when facing this spell of hers, Griff''s eyes had widened in excitement, and as he got excited the flames dancing on his body had gotten more violent, and exploded out behind him, creating a small burst of black flamesShe had definitely found someone... A rival! Someone to help push your limits to the breaking point! Both of their eyes were burning with passion. As they prepared for the release of the strongest spells both of them knew. "Joint Unison Magic: Susanoo Style Tempest!" As she finished her chant, the flames dancing on Griff had finished taking up shape. The words had come out of his mouth slowly and like a whisper as if they were totally natural. He had casted a spell... something he thought he couldn''t do so at this point. Thanks to the raging storm his chant wasn''t heard at all, but the shape the flames took after his chant were a different story for Ellen. "Contradiction Magic: Empyrean Body of the Forge." The flaming black armor he had manifested while fighting against the undead back when he was an adventurer was covering his entire body once more. He couldn''t have ignited this spell again if it weren''t for... his limits being pushed. "It''s all useless in front of my Storm!" Ellen had shouted as she pointed a finger at Griff. As if given permission the hurricane had shot towards Griff, separating into smaller hurricanes as it did so, clashing straight against Griff! Ellen had a smirk on her face. She should definitely talk to him after this whole test was over. He wasn''t so bad... "Don''t you think... you''re letting... your guard down... too early?!" Ellen''s eyes widened in shock as she watched black flames flickering lively in the middle of her hurricane. She couldn''t make out Griff properly as he was engulfed in the storm, but she could make out black flames at the center, and they were slowly moving in her direction... and speeding up! Ellen grit her teeth, but not in frustration, in excitement, as she casted another Joint Spell. "Joint Unison Magic: Magmafied Body!" She had used earth and fire magic to create lava which was slowly engulfing her similar to Griff. If mages didn''t have immunity to their own spells, the hear would have killed her already! "It would have been boring otherwise!" She ran towards Griff, her body encased in dripping molten lava as her fists and joints hardened into rocky armor. Just then right in front of her, a figure clad in black flames had bursted right through the hurricane, and he had his fist high for a flaming punch! Ellen''s eyes widened at his speed as she raised her arms to block his punch, and in a few seconds molten lava and black flames collided, and along with it a fair portion of the labyrinth! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The dust was settling down now, and the rainfall from the pseudo-clouds Ellen had created had all but stopped. Griff could be seen standing while breathing heavily. He had dissipated his armor as he didn''t want anyone to see it now that his cover, the hurricane, was gone. He had small cuts all over his body. The armor had protected him fairly against the storm, but he had still been injured. "I... win..." He spoke out tiredly. In front of him, Ellen was kneeling a few meters ahead with her armor cracked, broken, and the lava distorted. It started glowing as it slowly turned back into pure mana. "...only this time..." She said as she then started falling face first on the ground. Griff rushed and managed to catch her right before she fell face first into the dirt. [You did good Griff... you impressed me.] He internally smirked as he slowly helped up the knocked out Ellen up, carrying her. ''I didn''t expect her to be this strong.'' [She''s talented. Sometimes pure talent can rival experience, but you managed to win. This means you''re more of a monster.] Griff sarcastically replied to her. ''Jeez, thanks. I''ve always wanted to be a monster.'' Caphriel chuckled, and then she cut off her mental link with him. She was pondering to herself as Griff started to walk towards the path Kato had made for him to meet up with them if he won. [...that spell he casted... that armor was certainly not an attributal spell. It was a Mid Level 5th tier spell belonging to his base attribute. This kid... he''s going to become a beast if left alone.] ''Hmm... that armor felt more powerful than last time I had used it... but oh well! At least I can use it when I want to now! This is so exciting!'' Griff walked through the path Kato had created with his magic that led to the outside of the maze while he carried Ellen slowly. ''Now I wonder how the others are doing...'' 79 Chapter 69 - The Oncoming Storm -Half an hour before Ellen confronted Griff.- "Damn it she went off on her own!" Sylvie was stomping her feet in front of the labyrinth. Ellen had already went after Lance, so only her and the other two of her teammates were left looking at the entrance of the labyrinth in frustration. "Don''t worry about her. No one in the other team''s a match for her anyways. We should take out the others that are probably hiding in fear." A boy with sleek, orange hair said. His name was Jelhad, the heir to a small Viscount house. He had smug eyes and a narcissistic grin. "You don''t know Griff. I know for sure that he won''t be sitting idly, waiting to be defeated." "Well then you just don''t know your so called friend then!" Jelhad said with a mocking tone as he snickered. Sylvie grit her teeth, but decided that the orange monkey was not worth her time. "Hey, Liliane. You said you could use Clairvoyance Magic, right? Can you try tracking down their movements?" "Un... alright!" A shy girl that was standing behind Sylvie nodded hesitantly. She had long, snow white hair that covered one side of her face. Her timid nature coupled with her looks made her the target of most boys in the class. She opened her palm and extended it outwards as she closed her eyes. Slowly a blue magic circle started to appear around her hand. "Clairvoyance Magic: Mental Imaging." Slowly a small projection of mana started to appear in her palm. It was a rough 3-D image of the opposing team and the labyrinth behind them from when they hadn''t entered the labyrinth. "I can''t believe you''re asking her to search this area. Who needs to be wary of those bumpkins. Come on, I''ll protect you both, and you two won''t even have to lift a finger against them when we come across them." Jelhad had given an annoyingly confident grin as he started to walk to the entrance of the labyrinth. Sylvie just sighed and turned to Liliane. "Nevermind him. So, can you see what they did here?" "Uhm... I can only see that all of them entered the labyrinth... sorry! My magic is supposed to be supportive, and even then I can''t read their moves properly." Liliane bowed her head as she apologized which startled Sylvie. "Hey now it''s no problem! At least I know that all of them entered the labyrinth, so this means they''re planning to use it against us. Come on, let''s go after the idiot before he kills himself." Liliane slightly chuckled at her last sentence as she nodded and followed her. -A few minutes later- "Hey! Losers! Come out wherever you are! I don''t have all day!" Sylvie was facepalming as she walked behind Jelhad who was shouting at the top of his lungs. "Great, if we ever had the element of surprise, you probably blew it away Jelhad." "Eh? We don''t need to resort to those kinds of cowardly tricks! We''re trying to be knights! The important thing is to fight them head on!" "...Yeah... you keep that up then." Sylvie was internally screaming. ''How the hell did I end up teamed with a fiery tempered red head and an arrogant prick! At least Lily here is a sweet person...'' Sylvie turned to Liliane and smiled who slowly smiled back in embarrassment. Just then Jelhad stepped on something. "Huh?" The ground around Jelhad had caved in, trapping him in a 10 meter pit-fall. "WHAT! WHO PUT THIS UNDERHANDED TRAP HERE!" Jelhad was screaming in anger as he looked up to see that he was trapped in a pit-fall. Suddenly, laughter echoed through the corridor they had been walking through, and with that laughter, as if on queue, A few runes started to glow in the pit-fall, shocking Jelhad with non-lethal electricity. A few seconds later he was lying on the ground with foam coming out of his mouth. A/N: Yikes... that''s not very impressive for the girls, is it? "Well well, if it isn''t the ever so pompous Jelhad Heirnck." The voice chuckled. Sylvie was looking around in anxiousness with maximum alert as Liliane slowly backed up to her in fear. "Whoever you are, you should know that traps like these only work once!" "Of course I do! But our goal is already completed. The fight will be even now." And just then, a few meters in front of them the wall started to crack, and it broke! From the crack Jewels and Kato, who was holding a voice amplifying magic tool. Kato put the tool in his pocket as his smile slowly widened. "I told you it would work Jewels." "I could have still taken all of them out alone..." "And risk exhausting yourself? No. Who knows if Griff would later need back-up!" "You don''t trust him?" "No no you don''t get it! It''s because I trust him is that I have this B-plan. I don''t want to see him lose." Sylvie''s eyes widened as she slowly understood what was going on. "You left Griff to fight that red head! What kind of teammates are you!" She was angry now, thinking that Griff was being used. "What? No, he chose to do that. Well, enough chit-chat. Let''s not reveal all our cards now." "Not like it would make a difference..." Jewels muttered under his breath. Sylvie took a step forward as mana started to course through her veins. She could use shapshifting magic to return to her old self with her demi-human strength back, but that would be risky, even under the guise of shapeshifting. She started to course mana through her body. Maybe not an entire transformation, but a partial transformation seemed that it wouldn''t raise any suspicions. "Alright then! Come at me." Sylvie''s hands were glowing as they slowly started to shapeshift. "Me? Oh no no! You''re not fighting me! You''re fighting him." Kato pointed at Jewels who was walking towards Sylvie now. Electricity was dancing around his body as his purple hair slowly levitated. He yawned as he walked towards her. "I want a good nap after this." 78 Chapter 69 - The Oncoming Storm -Half an hour before Ellen confronted Griff.- "Damn it she went off on her own!" Sylvie was stomping her feet in front of the labyrinth. Ellen had already went after Lance, so only her and the other two of her teammates were left looking at the entrance of the labyrinth in frustration. "Don''t worry about her. No one in the other team''s a match for her anyways. We should take out the others that are probably hiding in fear." A boy with sleek, orange hair said. His name was Jelhad, the heir to a small Viscount house. He had smug eyes and a narcissistic grin. "You don''t know Griff. I know for sure that he won''t be sitting idly, waiting to be defeated." "Well then you just don''t know your so called friend then!" Jelhad said with a mocking tone as he snickered. Sylvie grit her teeth, but decided that the orange monkey was not worth her time. "Hey, Liliane. You said you could use Clairvoyance Magic, right? Can you try tracking down their movements?" "Un... alright!" A shy girl that was standing behind Sylvie nodded hesitantly. She had long, snow white hair that covered one side of her face. Her timid nature coupled with her looks made her the target of most boys in the class. She opened her palm and extended it outwards as she closed her eyes. Slowly a blue magic circle started to appear around her hand. "Clairvoyance Magic: Mental Imaging." Slowly a small projection of mana started to appear in her palm. It was a rough 3-D image of the opposing team and the labyrinth behind them from when they hadn''t entered the labyrinth. "I can''t believe you''re asking her to search this area. Who needs to be wary of those bumpkins. Come on, I''ll protect you both, and you two won''t even have to lift a finger against them when we come across them." Jelhad had given an annoyingly confident grin as he started to walk to the entrance of the labyrinth. Sylvie just sighed and turned to Liliane. "Nevermind him. So, can you see what they did here?" "Uhm... I can only see that all of them entered the labyrinth... sorry! My magic is supposed to be supportive, and even then I can''t read their moves properly." Liliane bowed her head as she apologized which startled Sylvie. "Hey now it''s no problem! At least I know that all of them entered the labyrinth, so this means they''re planning to use it against us. Come on, let''s go after the idiot before he kills himself." Liliane slightly chuckled at her last sentence as she nodded and followed her. -A few minutes later- "Hey! Losers! Come out wherever you are! I don''t have all day!" Sylvie was facepalming as she walked behind Jelhad who was shouting at the top of his lungs. "Great, if we ever had the element of surprise, you probably blew it away Jelhad." "Eh? We don''t need to resort to those kinds of cowardly tricks! We''re trying to be knights! The important thing is to fight them head on!" "...Yeah... you keep that up then." Sylvie was internally screaming. ''How the hell did I end up teamed with a fiery tempered red head and an arrogant prick! At least Lily here is a sweet person...'' Sylvie turned to Liliane and smiled who slowly smiled back in embarrassment. Just then Jelhad stepped on something. "Huh?" The ground around Jelhad had caved in, trapping him in a 10 meter pit-fall. "WHAT! WHO PUT THIS UNDERHANDED TRAP HERE!" Jelhad was screaming in anger as he looked up to see that he was trapped in a pit-fall. Suddenly, laughter echoed through the corridor they had been walking through, and with that laughter, as if on queue, A few runes started to glow in the pit-fall, shocking Jelhad with non-lethal electricity. A few seconds later he was lying on the ground with foam coming out of his mouth. A/N: Yikes... that''s not very impressive for the girls, is it? "Well well, if it isn''t the ever so pompous Jelhad Heirnck." The voice chuckled. Sylvie was looking around in anxiousness with maximum alert as Liliane slowly backed up to her in fear. "Whoever you are, you should know that traps like these only work once!" "Of course I do! But our goal is already completed. The fight will be even now." And just then, a few meters in front of them the wall started to crack, and it broke! From the crack Jewels and Kato, who was holding a voice amplifying magic tool. Kato put the tool in his pocket as his smile slowly widened. "I told you it would work Jewels." "I could have still taken all of them out alone..." "And risk exhausting yourself? No. Who knows if Griff would later need back-up!" "You don''t trust him?" "No no you don''t get it! It''s because I trust him is that I have this B-plan. I don''t want to see him lose." Sylvie''s eyes widened as she slowly understood what was going on. "You left Griff to fight that red head! What kind of teammates are you!" She was angry now, thinking that Griff was being used. "What? No, he chose to do that. Well, enough chit-chat. Let''s not reveal all our cards now." "Not like it would make a difference..." Jewels muttered under his breath. Sylvie took a step forward as mana started to course through her veins. She could use shapshifting magic to return to her old self with her demi-human strength back, but that would be risky, even under the guise of shapeshifting. She started to course mana through her body. Maybe not an entire transformation, but a partial transformation seemed that it wouldn''t raise any suspicions. "Alright then! Come at me." Sylvie''s hands were glowing as they slowly started to shapeshift. "Me? Oh no no! You''re not fighting me! You''re fighting him." Kato pointed at Jewels who was walking towards Sylvie now. Electricity was dancing around his body as his purple hair slowly levitated. He yawned as he walked towards her. "I want a good nap after this." 79 Chapter 70 - Lighting and the Storm "Lightning Magic: Thunderclap." As Jewels finished his chant he clapped his hands, sending an electric shockwave towards Sylvie and Liliane. Sylvie quickly grabbed Liliane and dashed backwards, avoiding the shockwave. "Stay back, this will get a bit rough Lily." Liliane slowly nodded her head as she backed away. Sylvie nodded her head as she turned to face Jewels who was still slowly walking towards them. It was time that she used her magic now, and she would do her best to her current limits. "Shapeshifting Magic: Semi-Wolf Transformation." Her body slowly gained height as her mana strengthened her natural strength, speed, and senses. Her hair grew wilder as two wolf ears appeared on top of her head. This was a semi-transformation to her normal form, but it would do. She slowly kneeled on all fours, and with the sound of the ground cracking, she bursted forward towards Jewels. Jewels, on the other hand, didn''t stand idle. Lightning was crackling around him again, but it was faster this time. The purple lightning was becoming more intense by the second. "Lightning Magic: Thunderdash." His eyes started to emit a purple glow as he finished his chant, and with a burst of speed and thunder he disappeared from where he stood. All Kato and Liliane could see was a moving gray and purple blur that occasionally met each other. The fight wasn''t showing any progress though. Sylvie''s animalistic fighting senses coupled with her physical strength against Jewels with his unique speed and hit-and-run tactics weren''t yielding any results. Seeing this Kato''s smile slowly widened. It was a good thing they had incapacitated the other fighter, even though he was mostly useless. He could exert a good plan here. In the meantime, the clash between the two was heating up. Jewels appeared right behind Sylvie, a perfect opening for him to gain the upper hand. "Lightning Magic: Gungnir." A spear started to appear in his hand, and without any hesitation he threw it right at her back. Sylvie turned around right before the spear impacted against her, and tried to grab it. However, her face slowly twisted into shock as the spear simply passed through her hand, and shot her backwards upon impact. It dissipated as soon as it hit her, but the electricity that was coursing through her now had done its job, paralyzing her for a short time. Jewels slowly straightened himself as he pushed his slightly long, curly hair back. "So... do you surrender?" The paralyzation slowly wore off as Sylvie looked around her to find an opening. Jewels seemed extremely relaxed, as if he wasn''t taking her seriously. This seemed to be a gold opportunity... She slowly went on her knees. "Oh... alright. Hey, Kato let''s wrap this up!" As soon as he turned around, Sylvie swiped his legs off the ground, and raised her fist which was imbedded with mana. Just as soon as her fist almost slammed into his face, Jewels showed why he had been confident before. "Lightning Magic: Thunderstruck." As soon as he uttered those words thunder seemed to struck where he stood, and struck once more right behind Sylvie. From the thunder behind her Jewels re-emerged. He dusted off his clothes that were now mostly charred. "And this is why I don''t like fighting... you made me ruin my clothes." Sylvie was pretty shocked. This guy was probably one of the strongest people she''d met in her generation. Even if she went all out it would probably be unpredictable... that spell was the natural enemy to her instincts. She grit her teeth as she slowly went on all fours. "What kind of a monster are you?" She muttered. "I''ve been called worse..." Sylvie shot towards him. This time, however, it seemed that she had gotten the upper hand. Jewels had raised his hand and chanted a spell to make a mana-barrier, but he hadn''t expected Sylvie to crash right through it, and drop-kick him to the ground. She was now standing over him as she raised her fist to finish the job quickly and get to the other guy. "Whoa whoa there, easy. You wouldn''t want your friend getting injured right?" A voice echoed behind her... it was him again, Kato. She turned around to see Kato putting his hand on Liliane''s shoulder who was trembling. "I...I''m sorry for being so useless Sylvie..." She blurted as she shook. Kato''s smile widened slowly as he waited for Sylvie''s answer. "...oh, and I don''t think he''ll stay down any longer." Sylvie looked back to see Jewels who was below her was looking up at her with slight annoyance in his eyes, and purple lightning was crackling on his arms. "...fine... alright you win, let her go." "Now... that wasn''t so hard, was it?" Just then the ground started to shake, and all of them looked up to see clouds gathering... but they were underground?! This was definitely magic. Liliane muttered. "That''s... Ellen''s magic..." A tornado could be seen from right at the center of the labyrinth. It was touching the ceiling of the underground room. Kato''s eyes widened. "...she''s more of a monster than I thought. Jewels! We gotta go there!" Jewels nodded his head as he stood up, and gave Sylvie a curious gaze before turning ahead. As they started to run back to the crack Kato had made previously in the wall, they collided with Lance, who fell on his rear end. "Hey! It''s you two! How''s the plan going!" "We beat the other three members, but now''s not the time, we better head back to help Griff!" Kato blurted. "But... she''s so scary!" Jewels slapped Lance''s head on the back. "With that build of yours you''re not supposed to be a wuss. Come on." Lance held his head with teary eyes. They stood up, but right before they started running the tornado seemed to change. There were black flames circling within it now. "Huh? Ellen doesn''t use black flames..." Kato was confused. Sylvie, however, was slightly grinning. It didn''t really matter that she lost since she didn''t care about this exercise they were having, but seeing Griff unlocking more of his potential was a sight to behold. After a few seconds the tornade instantly dissipated. "What... was that?" Everyone, except for Sylvie, was now confused. Jewels was simply looking at where the tornado was once was with a blank face. After a few seconds, Professor Julius''s voice echoed. "The winner of this match is Griff, Kato, Jewels, and Lance. 2 of the opposing team has surrendered, and the other two are incapacitated." This was... truly a moment of shock for the entire Phoenix Class. 80 Chapter 71 - Making Up? Sort of? "He beat her?!" Kato''s eyes were wide open contrasted to how they were almost always closed. He was in shock, but he was smiling. Lance was looking back at where he had saw the black flames with amazement. "He... actually beat Ellen. I don''t know whose scarier now." Jewels just huffed in boredom. "That was nice I guess." Just then the entire labyrinth and its surroundings crumbled down, creating a flat surface, and Julius''s voice echoed. "Alright, both teams make your way outside. The next fight will start soon." -A hour later- The entire class was standing in front of Julius. "Its a good thing we were finally able to finish the squad training. It was a bad thing that we are already behind the other classes in terms of theory of magic, but also squad formation. You all most likely know that we normally have this exercise at the start of the year, but we didn''t have an even number of teams of 4." Julius cleared his throat and fixed his glasses. "From now on the teams you were in today will be your teams, or squads as the military calls them, for the rest of your first year here." Slowly the students started whispering. "I made these teams totally on random, as are most situations in war, and life: random. You might be against my ideas, and I know that the other classes allow their students to pick their own teammates, but that is simply not how I plan to mold you all." ''He''s uh.... a little too into this, isn''t he?'' [Scholars are more dangerous than fighters, trust me.] "Alright, now let''s not waste time going up the stairs again." Julius snapped his fingers and a small portion of the arena that they were standing on started to rise up fast. "We''re gonna die!" Shouted a scared lad as the ceiling got closer by the second, but instead of colliding, the ceiling crumbled into the shape of the portion of the arena they were on. A couple seconds later, the class was standing outside once more, and the circular pillar they were on previously had disappeared... well, it assimilated into the "ceiling," which was actually the surface of the school. "Okay, that does it for today. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow kids." And with that Julius turned around and started walking away. The class stood there kind of shocked at what just happened as Julius walked away. -A couple hours later at the dorms- Kato, Griff, Lande and Jewels were sitting in the cafeteria. "So, it seems that we''ll be stuck together. Anyone got any problems?" Kato asked with slight anxiety. Teams that were formed hastily were usually prone to have problems. "Nope. I''m cool with it. Actually... I think that this is a great team!" Griff exclaimed with excitement. Lance practically shouted with energy. Jewels, being the simple man he is, simply shrugged. "This is the best team I''ve seen. I''m not complaining." Kato''s smile brightened at that. "Then I guess we better find a name, as do most good squads have!" Just then, footsteps were heard behind them. They had chosen to talk at the cafeteria because it was empty today, so it was odd hearing footsteps other than theirs. Someone cleared their throat. "Ahem... Can I talk to Griff?" Lance turned around with his usual energetic smile. "Ah sure why no-" He swallowed his words as he saw who it was and started to slightly sweat. "Ehm... Griff..." Griff simply nodded at Lance and put his hand on his shoulder as he gave him a bright smile. "Stop being a wuss with that build man, you''re supposed to be our tank!" Kato chuckled at that and even Jewels held his mouth with his hand as he tried not to let a chuckle out. Lance''s face lost all its blood as he stood in shock with a confused pikachu face, staring at nothing. "Well... do you wanna talk here or somewhere else, Ellen?" The red haired girl spoke up confidently. "Let''s talk outside." As they started to walk, Griff could feel the piercing gaze of Kato concentrated on Ellen''s back, trying to gauge her goal. -A few awkward minutes of walking later- "Look I''ll make this quick..." She slightly bit her lower lip in anxiousness. "You... you weren''t as bad as I thought." Griff grinned at that. "So... that''s it? You asked me to come outside to say this? Well, this is a bit underwhelming." "Wait-what?! No! I''m not done yet!" She said as she squeezed both her fists and pouted. Griff was pretty sure no one had seen the teased version of Ellen to this day. [Wow you''re such a tease~] ''I learnt from the best.'' She folded her arms as she looked to the right. "I wouldn''t mind considering you as my rival, that''s what I wanted to say..." "Well then... I guess this means we''re not on bad terms anymore?" "Hey hey listen here! You''re not my friend, you''re my rival! Rival~." She poked his chest as she said so. Griff shrugged. "That doesn''t mean I''ll stay your rival though. Anyways... I gotta go back, we''re going to decide a team name. Oh, also! Say hi to Sylvie for me." Griff waved his hand off as he walked back into thr cafeteria. Unbeknownst to him, Ellen had a red timge on her face, looking at the ground, after he had spoke. -Back in the Cafeteria- "I''m telling you guys! Super Bro Smashers is a great team name!" "And I''m telling you that it''s total nonsense!" "Uh... you guys seem in a pinch." Kato and Lance turned to Griff and slammed both their hands on the table. Jewels, who was trying o sleep, woke up because of the sound and huffed in annoyance as he drifted back to sleep. "Yes, we are! Listen Griff, you gotta tell me my naming sense is better!" Both of them shouted at the same time. "Yo yo guys my head is spinning quiet down for a second!" Griff facepalmed as he saw the two continue to go back and forth. This was going to be a long year. 81 Mini Chapter 72 - The Team Names -The next day- "Alright settle down all of you." The murmuring in the class slowly died down as Julius clapped his hands for silence. "So, before we get ahead with the lesson I''d like to ask of what names you came up with for your squads. Don''t forget that those names will be permanent for a year, and so will your members." There was some displeased murmuring, but it slowly died down. Griff was sitting at the front of the class next to Kato. He had asked to change places with his previous deskmate, Jilk. Right behind them Jewels was snoring, and to Jewels'' opposite was Lance who was looking as macho as ever. "No one wants to go first? Fine... Ellen, what name did you pick for your team?" As Ellen slowly stood up the class''s gaze fell on her. There was a lot of murmuring centering around how she lost and that she wasn''t as scary as they thought. Ellen huffed and heeded no mind as she cleared her throat. However, just before she spoke up someone stood up before her. "Professor, is there no way we can change teams? I want to be on the same team with Griff." Sylvie had stood up, giving Ellen a slight dirty look. Ellen looked confused, but slowly got angry. "Hm? And why''s that Sylvie? Ellen isn''t a bad mage." "It''s not that Professor, she went off on her own during a supposed team fight and fell into the enemy trap blind. She''s too much of a loose cannon!" The murmuring grew stronger, and a random student simply added in fuel to the crackling fire that was about to start. "She''s right! Ellen never listens to anyone, so she keeps embarrassing our class!" Ellen turned around furiously with her eyes gaining a wrathful glint. "Which one of you pricks said that? Come up and say it to my face!" The class''s murmuring slowly died down seeing Ellen getting angry. Kato sighed as he played with his pen. "What a bunch of bullcrap... some of the kids here just can''t get over an inferiority complex against her." Griff slowly nodded as he carefully watched the imaginary clash between Sylvie and Ellen as they glared at each other. "It certainly serves no purpose for our class right now..." "Hmph yeah, not exactly a good situation when we''re also the worst class in the school, and now we''re also fighting amongst ourselves." Griff''s ears perked up at that. "Wait... we''re the worst?" "Oh big time buddy. The Order of the Phoenix is... a bit reckless if I dare so say, but it''s the only knight order that accepts commoners and fallen nobles. It doesn''t discriminate, and that''s why I''m here." "Well... fuck." [We''ve been tricked...] ''And quite possibly bamboozled!'' [Heh, glad to see we have similar tastes in humor.] ''Same here heh.'' Sylvie sighed in defeat and sat down. Ellen cleared her throat as she turned back to Julius. "We were thinking of ''Crimson Rose.''" "Is that a name you unanimously agree with?" Ellen looked at her teammates to give them a hard gaze to make sure they would comply, but Sylvie seemed that she was about to cause trouble. Griff tossed a piece of paper that hit her right across her forehead. Thank god no one noticed it. "Eh?" She let out a surprised noise as she opened the crumbled paper. "Griff: Let it go, it''s just for a year. We''ll find a way to become teammates next year." She pouted slightly as she put the paper in her pocket and nodded at Griff who nodded back, glad that a fiasco wouldn''t be happening anytime soon. "Good. Next, Kato? Have you decided on a name?" "Well... sort of. It was Griff who came up with it." Lance shouted from behind him. "My name was better!" "No it was not!" Kato shouted back. The class slightly chuckled. Griff stood up next to Kato. "We were thinking of ''Vendetta.''" Julius raised his eyebrow for a second and shrugged. "A bit dark for my tastes, but I''ll allow it." After that the other teams gave out their names, and from now on the class would have team rankings to determine who was their elite squad. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª This was the current ranking: 1)Vendetta (Team Griff) 2)Crimson Rose (Team Ellen) 3) Honored Principles (Team Kyle) 4) The Sentinel Guard (Unknown) 5) Insurgency (Unknown) 6) The Mighty Kings (Team Jared) 82 Chapter 73 - Rising Tension Today was going to be an interesting day. Now that the Phoenix Class had finally finished their team formation, it was time for the joint exercises alongside the other classes. The other three classes had been practicing for over two months now since they had created their teams long before, so the Phoenix Class would start from rock bottom. Griff was walking through the empty corridor behind his classmates and Professor Julius to the courtyard where the other classes were waiting for him and his class. Kato slightly brought his mouth to Griff''s ear and whispered. "Look Griff, remember that I said we''re the worst class? We''re also not exactly liked, so don''t try to go be friendly like you were with us. The other classes are made of either pompous nobles, arrogant mages of families of magicians, or rich merchant''s children with talent. We''re the outcasts." "...got it. I''ll keep myself in check." Kato nodded at him and gave a slight, mischievous smile as he walked ahead of him. A couple seconds later Griff noticed that he was walking next to Sylvie and Ellen who were still looking at each other with daggers. He decided to do the most logical thing. Interrupt like an idiot, hoping their anger wouldn''t be reflected on him. "Umm... could you two chi-" "Shut up Griff!" Both said simultaneously as they kept looking at each other. Griff just sighed as Caphriel laughed in his head. This was going to definitely be a long, annoying year. Griff picked up his pace, walking ahead of the two bombs that were about to go off any second now. As he walked, he heard a couple kids around him whispering. Some were the usual friendly gossips, but one of them caught his attention. "Eh? Seriously? You''re telling me that there was a skirmish at the Horhatz border?" A boy with yellow hair asked the small, childlike student next to him in shock. This was Jilk. Jilk slowly nodded. "I heard it from my dad, he knows one of the barons that guard the border." "Dang this is seriously not looking good for us then..." Griff interjected right there. "Hey! Uhm... excuse me for asking, but why is this bad news for us?" The yellow haired boy looked at Griff as his eyes slightly widened and he smiled. "Oh you''re the kid who beat Ellen! Nice to meet you, I''m Arnold, son of a merchant. As for why it''s bad... well, in the case of a large enough war we students are drafted immediately." "So... child-soldiers?" "Pretty much." Griff nodded. It looked like things were going to get rough not only inside the kingdom but on the outside too. "Alright, thanks! See you two later." Griff waved his hand in goodbye as he walked away. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The courtyard was packed to the brim with students of the other classes. "Bloody hell." "Let me guess... that''s the class with the first ranking?" "Yeah... the Gilded Kings. It''s comprised of sons and daughters of marquises, duke''s, count''s and viscounts. Not even a single baron''s son is among them." "Well they sound like a bunch of pricks." "Well good guess! Because it couldn''t have been the other way involving high nobles." Kato really didn''t like the upper echelons apparently, which was no surprise to Griff, not after what he witnessed in the arena. ''So... these are the children of those weirdos.'' [You had an encounter with high-nobility before?] ''It wasn''t pleasant, so please no questions.'' [If it bothers you it must be very disturbing. Fine, stay alone with your thoughts.] As the Phoenix class walked, they received all sorts of gazes, but most were disgusted looks. "Sheesh... talk about prejudice." Kato mumbled. A few seconds later the Principal was seen walking towards the first year students in the courtyard. The students clapped as a sign of respect seeing her. She gave a devilishly charming smile and raised her hand for silence. "Thank you all for gathering here in short notice. Today I called all of you to announce that the Phoenix Class has finally finished the team formation stage of our curriculum, no matter how late they were... Even so, this means that the squad and class rankings will finally become official for the first year class!" The other classes cheered hearing that they would finally have official rankings. Morgana cleared her throat and continued. "Ranking fights amongst squads are now official, and the arena for first years is open for use! You can look at the rankings in front if my office whenever you want to. I bet you all know how important rankings are. Opportunities of all kinds are provided to the top 5 squads. And lastly... I''m hopeful that this generation of students strives to reach the epitome of magecraft! You''re all dismissed." The student body clapped as Morgana got down from the small podium that was prepared beforehand for her to deliver the speech, and walked back into the school building. The other classes were now dispersing into their own classes. "Come on let''s go Griff." Kato said as he dragged Lance back into the building who was crying tears of Joy and praising the principal. Jewels was walking besides them with a slightly anxious gaze, looking at the ground, but Griff decided not to pry into what he was anxious about. It seemed that starting today the real challenge would start in this school, climbing up the rankings. 83 Chapter 74 - It’s a Big World ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª "Okay. First things first, we better start training our ass off as a team if we want to be somewhere decent after we graduate." As soon as the meeting was finished, Kato had called them together to discuss a strategy to steadily improve themselves. "Well. We''ll need practical experience as well. Only working on the theory might not be a good idea." Lance added in to the conversation. Jewels shook his head. "On the contrary, I think we should hit the books. We can''t have proper practical experience without knowing what we''re exactly working with. I say we spend a few weeks mastering the curriculum of this year, improve our knowledge." "Wow Jewels I didn''t even guess you could speak that long." Kato looked at Jewels in shock who simply shrugged. "I don''t want an incompetent team." "Duly noted... as for practical experience, what should we do? We shouldn''t go around challenging random people for a ranking match, that wouldn''t be a wise choice." Griff spoke up this time. "Well... I think I have an idea. Why don''t we work together with another team? One probably as strong as us with similar goals?" Kato started to think but he suddenly realized what Griff was going at. "Them? Oh no no. We can''t work together with Ellen. She''s not a team person." "Well... I can work it out, somehow. I''m very good friends with Sylvie whose a part of her team! You guys can leave the practice partners to me." "Well... fine, alright man go for it." Kato said as he sighed with a slight smile. Griff was amazing him by the second with his magic and now he had befriended Ellen, a loose cannon. "Alright then! See you guys at our meeting spot tomorrow! I''m going to go sleep." Kato left abruptly. "Uh... we have a meeting place?" Lance also scratched his head at Griff''s question and shrugged. "Beats me man." "Ugh... he''s just talking about the library while trying to sound cool. I''ll take you there tomorrow Griff." "Thanks Jewels! What about Lance?" Jewels sized him up for a second and shrugged. "I dunno he can figure it out himself." ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª -1 month Time Skip- Griff was hitting the library once a week to talk with his teammates, and also study more. They mostly avoided the other students who looked at them with pity and remorse. The Phoenix Class was seriously disliked... Griff didn''t spend his time simply studying though... whenever he had time he talked to Caphriel. And today was the last straw for Griff''s stamina after all the intense studying in the day and the lectures from Caphriel in the night. Griff was fast asleep sitting in a chair in the library with a book on his face. Caphriel had tried waking him up several times, but all for naught as he didn''t even budge at all. [Sheesh I can''t be strict with him today. Even this idiot deserves rest...] She smiled as she watched him fast asleep. She couldn''t touch him due to being inside his origin, but she could easily see. [...he''s sure got a long way ahead of him, and he is definitely getting stronger, but... the world is too big, and I''m certain he''ll find a different purpose for power later on. That''s just how humans are, no matter how broken they are.] She closed her eyes as she thought about the place they so called heaven... and the reverse side of the world they were in. Yeah... it was definitely going to be a perilous path for him. [...why did I even take a liking to him... he''s naive, stupid sometimes... but he does have his good traits I guess...] She hummed to herself as she stopped watching Griff sleep and sat in the projected, fake grass plains. [...I guess being locked up so long messed with my head too... I can''t call him stupid anymore. Heh... amuse me Griff, for you''re the only amusement for me in this world right now...]